"DOSBox" how to play old DOS pinball simulations under
windows (XP - win10)

I use version 0.74-2

was developed to play old DOS-games that won`t run on modern PCs anymore. It is an open source DOS emulator for BeOS, Linux, Mac OS X, OS/2, and Windows. You can even slow down or speed up the game a little bit.

When using DOSBox for the first time about 2006, I didn`t get anything to run. I guess I just didn`t read or understood the instructions how to mount the virtual drives (your native drive with your programs and the CD-drive are named in DOSBox as drive C: and D:).

In 2008 I gave it a new start and I wondered how simple it was:

  1. install DOSBox (unzipped) to a new folder of a native drive. I installed it on F:Pinball\Dosgames\DOSBox. Later my pinball games will install on Dosgames under a self given name or the by the game proposed name.

  2. mount the native drive (here F:\Dosgames\ =the drive from step 1) as C: in DOSBox. When the CD wants to install folders on C: its this mounted C of DOSBox not your native win10 C: !
  3. you may create a new folder like pinball for your games (under XP/Vista) or let them be installed on DOSBox`ses C:
  4. mount the CD drive you use for the DOS-pinball-CD`s as D: (when DOSBox is C:)
    If you use iso`s of the CD`s you have to mount the virtual drive for the iso as well. In my case virtual drive starts the virtual CD-Rom with drive letter K: that is mounted as E: the next free letter in DOSBox (after D: is the mounted CDRom drive or without=D:) => the virtual drive has to be mounted before DOSBox is started or is not mounted by DOSBox.
  5. to install or if possible play the pinsim from CD go to D: (would be your virtual CD drive) and look for a file to install the game (install or setup .....exe/bat or else, to play it might be start, the name of the game. exe/bat => in DOS there is a maximum of 8 letters for the name! and letters + "~" (AltGr+#) is displayed for a longer name but still only those 8 letters you have to type!)
    You might first have to jump 1 level up by "cd name"(of folder) =>one level down by "cd.."
  6. install the pinsim to the folder you choosed/opened in step 3
  7. follow instructions of the pinsim-CD especially with sound (soundblaster usually works)
  8. change to that folder of #6 with C: and cd"name of game" (dir /w) to see the folders horizontally displayed - if too many, try dir /p = displayed screen by screen) or D: to start from CD and look for a file to start the game (name of the pinsim or else ...exe/bat... and type the letters. The game should run now. Be patient the steps to start may take a while (shorten often works by pressing return or esc)
    In the index of the CD/Iso it works as usual by doubleclicking the .exe/bat..


How to start with all steps at once:
In the folder of DOSBox there is the file called "DOSBox 0.74-2 Options.bat". Here you can set values DOSBox will start with. As I`m not good in this, the only thing I do is to let DOSBox mount C: the CD-Rom and the virtual drive for Iso`s automatically at start. To do that type at the end of the text the following 3 lines:
mount c: f:\Dosgames "=> your folder with DOSBox!" (my DOSBox.exe is located in F:\dosgames and is mounted as C:)
mount d i:\ -t cdrom (my CD-Rom is i: and is mounted in DOSBox as drive D:)
mount e k:\ -t cdrom (my virtual CD-Rom to work with Iso`s is K: and is mounted in DOSBox as drive E:)

other useful commands:
1 level up by "cd name"(of folder)
1 level down by "cd .."


This is the official list of DOS-pinsims running under DOSBox and on the right some more pinsims I tested. Have a try, perhaps you get some more running!

Absolute Pinball3D-VCR (with bad physics+speed)
EPIC Pinball 8 Ball
Extreme Pinball Cyberball
Hyper 3D Pinball / Tilt Dokapin
Living Pinball (or win95) Perfect Pinball
Night Mission Pinball Mania
Pinball Wizard 2000/Construction kit Pinball Prelude
Pinball Dreams 1+2 Pinball Warriors
Pinball Fantasies Royal Flush
Pinball Illusions Silverball
Pinball Magic Star Trek
Pinball World Steel Shot
Psycho Pinball Ultimate Pinball
Tristan

I can`t get Pinball 4000, Pinball Wizard (PW2000) and win 3.1 Pinball (Codename X..) to run. Problems when installing, somethings just missing.

In version 0,65 (actual one in 2008=0,74) you can play Pinball Illusions with a no scrolling (small) resolution! I have the problem, that the flippers are cut off, I see only the tip of them when using them. The screen is small but you see where to shoot at! It seems possible to change the resolution for some tables to have a smaller but not scrolling playfield.

01/2021