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First post, by Ardilla

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Hi Everyone,

My name is Paul and this is my first post to introduce myself. I am thankful for the opportunity to see information about using DOSBox in Vogons forums.

My interests are different from most people who post here. Though I am not interested in using DOSBox for gaming, I've got the same needs as theirs - I need to use DOS. Here's what I need to do.

I created a large dBase III-Plus database about 32 years ago, with DOS. Now I have to revive it and use the information in the database. And though I used DOS many ages ago, I've forgotten most of the commands as well as dBase commands. But my problem comes way before using DOSBox - I first must know what version of it to download onto my computer and how!!! The variety of options and terminology, and their computer requirements confuse me!! First things, first for a very "obsolete" person when it comes to computers and software!!

My tentative questions are:

1. What version of DOSBox do I use? The original? DOSBox-X? Another?
2. Do I need a "Win 32 installer"?
3. Will installing DOSBox alter the performance of my computer, described below?

The computer on which I'd like to use DOSBox with dBase III-Plus is an HP Pavilion 500-046 PC with the following specs:

a. AMD Quad-Core A10-5700 Accelerated Processor
b. 8 GB DDR 3 system memory
c. 2 TB hard disk
d. AMD Radeon HD 76600 graphics card
e. Super Multi DVD burner
f. Wireless LAN 802.11 b/gh
g. [came with Windows 8, I now use MS Edge as a browser]
h. I believe this is a 64-bit computer.

I also have a vintage 1994 HP Pavilion 8250 with:

a. Intel Celeron 266 Mhz processor
b. 32 MB SDRAM
c. 4 GB hard drive
d. 24x maximum speed CD-ROM drive
e. 3D display graphics
f. 2 MB SGRAM video memory
g. Windows 95 [also has a version of DOS which I can use]

Into which computer should I download a DOSBox version and which version? You may think I should use the last computer because it has DOS already, but the size of my database and because it's on an old Bernoulli 90 MB disk makes it impossible at this moment. I do have 46 3.5-inch diskettes with another version of it, but they would also pose challenges using this older computer. But, I'm willing to try it if it's totally necessary.

Thanks for any advice you can give me - just helping me to install the right DOSBox version would be great!!! If you need anymore info, please, just let me know! Thank you!!!

Sincerely,
Paul

Reply 2 of 3, by tyrells

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DOSBox's primary purpose it to run DOS games. This doesn't mean that it can't run applications too (e.g. like a database application), but rather that this is not what DOSBox was designed for, and therefore specific applications may work or may not work (see here). DOSBox-X extends DOSBox to support games and applications, and therefore it is often a better fit for applications.

To answer your questions:
1) Try DOSBox original first and then DOSBox-X if DOSBox original doesn't work.
2) DOSBox runs on top of Windows, therefore the Win32 Installer is used to install DOSBox on your standard Windows 8/10/11 computer
3) No, DOSBox will only run when you execute it. Once it is closed, it will not affect performance.

This webpage as some instructions that might be helpful: http://www.efgh.com/software/dbase/index.html

Reply 3 of 3, by Exploit

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Ardilla wrote on 2023-10-17, 01:41:

You may think I should use the last computer because it has DOS already, but the size of my database and because it's on an old Bernoulli 90 MB disk makes it impossible at this moment. I do have 46 3.5-inch diskettes with another version of it, but they would also pose challenges using this older computer. But, I'm willing to try it if it's totally necessary.

How do you get the data from the Bernoulli disk on the newer computer?

About the old computer:
1. If the data is already on the newer computer available, you could burn it to CD-RW and read it on your older computer in real MS-DOS 7 (which is basically included in Windows 95).
2. You could also think about installing a network card in the older computer for data transfer. Windows 95 does already have TCP/IP support, so this shouldn't be a problem.
3. If the hard drive is too small on the older computer, you could think about installing a CompactFlash card with an CompactFlash to IDE adapter.
4. If this is sensitive data, then i would use the older computer because it does have a real MS-DOS system. You might check the RAM for errors first with something like Memtest86, through after having the computer laying around unused for so many years.

About the new computer:
1. DOSBOX might be easy to use, but it was never designed for DOS applications. The DOS applications can crash because of incomplete emulation and you could loose data that way.
2. In my opinion a much better option is to use virtualization and installing a real MS-DOS or Windows 95 or FreeDOS inside a virtual machine. All you need is VirtualBox + the DOS or Windows95 system as guest OS. By using Virtualization your DOS will run natively on your real CPU. This is faster than emulation in software and more reliable. Because emulation can always be incomplete, while your real CPU is well tested.

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