http://thpc.info/dual/win7/dualboot_...0_on_win7.html
anybody tried this method for games?
im curious if the cycle count would be all screwed up or if they would run correctly?
http://thpc.info/dual/win7/dualboot_...0_on_win7.html
anybody tried this method for games?
im curious if the cycle count would be all screwed up or if they would run correctly?
That depends entirely on what you want to run. Certainly, some of the oldest games might be unplayable; some games that are not so old could feasibly cause processor overheating problems due to the number of delay loops they'd have to use.
But really, the biggest problem would be that there are no DOS drivers available for the sound hardware in modern motherboards. Even if you got an old PCI SoundBlaster Live , the legacy ISA emulation in those cards relies on specific motherboard features that are no longer available.
"So I'll play without SoundBlaster! I'll use PC Speaker sound effects!" you might say. However, most modern PCs apparently don't use the same PC speaker hardware as old PCs used to, instead employing simple piezoelectric buzzers that probably don't sound anything the same. (This is what I'm told, mind you: I've never heard the difference for myself.)
By the way, DOS boots quite handily from a properly-formatted USB drive; it's even used accordingly in things like the Ultimate Boot CD and System Rescue CD.
Really, why don't people just use DOSBox and save themselves the anguish?
"There is much pleasure to be gained from useless knowledge." --Bertrand Russel (attributed)
http://members.quicknet.nl/blankendaalr/dbgl/
im using this right now and its pretty cool.
There isn't much point in installing an actual DOS OS on a modern computer. However I have a classic computer I keep around with Windows 98 installed for Windows games, as currently there is no reliable way to play most of them on a modern system, and I don't want to be limited to just the games that have lots of fans or official support.
...Do you use this computer often? I ask because I too have a handy machine that can be booted into Windows 98, but it's been ages since I have done so and at times I question why I bother.
While exceptions do exist, many of the things that are still worth playing are the ones that have lots of fans or official support. And there are so very many things to play.
"There is much pleasure to be gained from useless knowledge." --Bertrand Russel (attributed)
It's in the same boat as most of my game consoles actually--if there's a game I really want to play, I'll pull it out and play it. Otherwise, I put it away.
I've looked into solutions to making current computers backwards-compatible, but none have met my exacting standards.
That is assuming you get it to install and run at all. I had a laptop that would make most older OSes freeze. That was 5 years ago. you will need a 2 button mouse or a mouse with dos drivers unless you want it to spaz out, which isn't pretty. If you really want a decent dos machine I may be able to hook you up with some parts. I do suggest Virtual PC 2004 if you would like a software solution.
Agreed. Having dual boot is neat and all, but it seems like a lot of hassle, when DOSBox works so well as it is. Not to mention that you can easily switch between DOSBox and a browser window to read up on a game you're playing, or run an MP3 player in the background, or reply to an email or something.
If you want to run DOS on real hardware, you're much better off just getting some old hardware that is known to work well with it... an earlier Pentium model with a Sound Blaster 16 and an older VGA card would work best. Drivers just get to be a major problem if your hardware is too new.
Laptops may seem like a convenient choice for something like this, but a lot of the built-in features (especially stuff like power management) can be very finicky if the OS it's running doesn't support them properly.Originally Posted by Tokimemofan
As for mouse drivers, CuteMouse is the answer to all your troubles. It is by far the best DOS mouse driver out there.
--Zero
This is what I do as well. I still have my first computer running Windows 3.11 and I just have it boot straight into DOS. I prefer playing my old DOS games on the original hardware. That way it sounds the same, looks the same, and there are never compatibility issues.