Getting Started

Getting Started

First run

On first launch EmuDOS needs the DOS emulator core. Open Preferences (right-click the shelf or the title area → Preferences) → Downloads and click Download next to DOSBox Pure core. The core is fetched from the libretro buildbot rather than bundled, so it can be updated independently.

While you're there, download the Game catalog too. It lets EmuDOS recognize games on import and apply known-good DOSBox settings automatically. See How It Works for what the catalog is.

Adding games

Drag a game folder or a .zip onto the window. EmuDOS will:

1. Copy it into a self-contained gamebox and figure out which program to run — preferring an executable whose name matches the game's title, then the largest one, while skipping installers and DOS extenders (DOS/4GW).
2. Match it against the catalog and apply curated settings if recognized.
3. Download box art (see Box Art).

You can drop several items at once. Dropping a folder of Roland MT-32 ROMs (or the loose .rom files) routes them to the MT-32 system folder instead of importing them as a game — see Sound & MT-32.

CD images and multi-disc games have their own flow — see Discs & Windows.

The shelf

• Click a box to play.
• Right-click a box for its menu: Preferences, Open in DOS, box-art options, Download manual, Box style, and Run/Choose program.
• Edit mode — press F2 to toggle. In edit mode you can drag boxes to arrange them; press Ctrl+S to save the layout.
• Select and delete — Ctrl+click boxes to select (or Ctrl+A for all), then press Delete. Deleting removes the game from the library but keeps the downloaded art, so re-adding it won't re-download.

Playing a game

A game opens in its own window; keyboard and mouse go straight to it. Resize freely — EmuDOS remembers the size per game. Close the window to quit.

• Mouse lock — middle-click hides and holds the cursor to the window for look/turn games; middle-click again (or Alt-Tab) to release. The scroll wheel adjusts mouse sensitivity on the fly.
• Quick save/load — F5/F8 (see Save States).
• Screenshots and recording — F12 and F9 (see Game Settings & Media).

Picking the right program

EmuDOS auto-detects the game program on launch, but when it guesses wrong there are two ways to set it straight, and both stick:

• Right-click → Choose program… lists every program in the game (the game, its SETUP, etc.). A game program becomes the new default; a SETUP/INSTALL/CONFIG tool just runs once.
• Right-click → Open in DOS boots to the C:\ prompt. Whatever you run there is remembered as the default next time.