Which directory do you mean when you refer to the "default directory"? Which directory is it that you mount as your "emulated" c-drive? Dosbox will only have access to the folders (and the files) of your hardddrive that you have mounted as your emulated c:drive. Have you already read the Dosbox-README?

P.S.: I have also already tried out to run qbasic in dosbox: It functions perfectly. Just mount the right folders ... 😉 😉

ok that makes sense, thanks

any word on aero?

Not from me, sorry, I'm on Linux.

considering that dosbox was the earlier then aero,
I would say that aero is having problems with dosbox. 😉

seriously though. I don't know. It's probably related to SDL. That handles the videomode switches for us. but if it's a bug ? dunno

well i don't mean to like blame it on dosbox. but i know like when i ran limewire or azeures it would do that but it was a java problem, and when i would run trilian it would do that but it was a quicktime problem. so i thought maybe somebody would know if there's a seperate thing i need to update to keep it from doing that.

Well then maybe it's an SDL problem. Try other sdl games and if they
behave the same complain to them.
Actually there seem to be a little too much "it's a java/quicktime/whatever"
problems, maybe it's just that aero which is initially messed. Wonder why
people can't live without that thing...

http://blogs.msdn.com/kamvedbrat/archive/2006 … /02/566788.aspx

Nice find DosFreak 😀 So now the question is, how to get SDL to do the GDI thing.

Does it happen with surface output as well? That uses GDI, doesn't it?

GDI/Directdraw isn't accelerated in Vista like it is in XP either. Not sure how much it would effect DosBox speed though.

Might do some testing tonight.

windib is gdi I believe

So a set SDL_VIDEODRIVER=windib before starting DOSBox should work?

it's something to test for the next version of DOSBox.
There windib is avoided as much as possible.

I've been testing with Vista 64bit...

Aero is never disabled when DosBox is windowed.

I never really understood the big deal with why people care about Aero being disabled anyway. The only time I notice is when that huge ass balloon pops up saying that it dropped back to basic or if the transparency around Windows is on a desktop background or other Window where I can actually tell that transparency is not being used....or if I try to use Flip3D (which only works when Aero is enabled). That's it. It's really not that big of a deal.

DosBox works fine in Surface mode in windows/fullscreen which is DosBox default anyway. It also works fine in overlay in windows/fullscreen too without affecting Aero.

With 1/23 CVS ddraw does not work. Error in console states that it could not create ddraw surface and revert back to "normal" but DosBox screen remains black.

With yhkwong's build ddraw works but it disables Aero.

oh, using yhkwong's build if I enable direct3d and switch to fullscreen then DosBox crashes. This is with Vista 64bit using Aero and WDDM drivers.

the reason aero is so good is because of performance. when aero is enabled, everything you see on the screen is rendered with both the cpu and the graphics card. without aero it's all on the cpu like all other versions of windows were. thats why you need a good graphics card to run aero, and thats why you can do much more advanced things without slowing down performance. so running aero is much more than looks its performance. and it's also a hassle when it keeps switching.

Using Vista 32bit and my build, aero is still alive with any output(surface, ddraw, direct3d, opengl, openglhq, etc.,). Fullscreen does not change the interface. After installing the latest version of ati driver, opengl acceleration is supported.

It gets stranger.....

Vista 64bit
Intel 945GM graphics card

yhkwong's 1/21

Output=surface/overlay/ddraw

DosBox-Windowed=Aero is good
DosBox fullscreen then to Windowed=Aero turned off

output=direct3d
DosBox-Windowed=Aero is good
DosBox fullscreen then to windowed=DosBox crashes on switching to fullscreen. Error in console: "D3D: Failed to reset device!"

Yeah I know about the D3D problems in Vista, but I didn't pay much attention to it. I don't think I'm gonna switch to Vista anytime soon...

WeirdClayJisKOOL wrote:

the reason aero is so good is because of performance. when aero is enabled, everything you see on the screen is rendered with both the cpu and the graphics card. without aero it's all on the cpu like all other versions of windows were.

Totally off topic but that isn't quite true. Windows acceleration functions implemented in hardware on graphics cards have been around since the Win3.1 days. Though of course these were much more basic, drawing lines, filling rectangles, and such stuff.