How can I execute my old DOS-only applications on a modern computer?

Question

The first versions of my software that I developed back in 1991 were DOS-only versions that I wrote using Turbo Pascal. At the time, it never occurred to me that I would actually still be selling these products twenty years later. I never thought to create screenshots and document how the systems looked back then. Today, I'd love to have a visual record of what my software looked like through the ages.

How can I get these old DOS programs to run on a modern computer such as Windows 10, so I can take pictures of the screens to document and preserve the history of my software and its progression through time?

Answer 1

What you want, as mentioned in the comments, is DOSBox. DOSBox is an x86 emulator with DOS that can run all of those applications, even in full screen mode if desired.

Keep in mind that the primary target of DOSBox was for smooth gameplay for legacy games, so support for printing and networking are limited and still in development.

Answer 2

You can run FreeDos in a virtual machine.

Answer 3

I run Ubuntu Linux and have installed Qemu. SuperUser won't take my screen shot so I posted it at http://hk.pimco.mobi/andy/QemuDos.gif to show you. I had an old install disk for MS-DOS and read it into a disk image which I then used Qemu to install onto a hard disk image. It's not an emulator, it's the real thing.

Answer 4

Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 is a good tool, you can install DOS or an older 32-bit Windows operating system in a Virtual machine and should be able to run dos programs in that.

Answer 5

For 32bit try NTVDM 64 bit, try OTVDM