Run Games
| Name | Description | Download |
|---|---|---|
| DOSBox | DOSBox is the easiest way to run DOS games on modern computers. Be sure to check out our DOSBox Guide for help with setting it up and configuration. There are many ports available for different operating systems if you're not running Windows. The DOSBOX Guide also contains links to alternate (probably more up-to-date) versions/forks of DOSBox that you might want to try instead of the main version. | Download DOSBox Windows v0.74-3 Download for other OSes |
| FreeDOS | FreeDOS is an open-source DOS-compatible operating system. This would be useful if you want to install DOS on an old PC and use it to play games on authentic hardware; it can also be run inside a virtual machine on your current computer. Read the FreeDOS Wiki for help! | Download FreeDOS 1.3 |
Extract (Unzip) Files
Note that on modern versions of Windows, you can simply double click .ZIP files to view their contents without any external software. You can then copy the files and paste them into a folder. I've heard that modern Macs also include this built-in functionality.
| Name | Description | Download |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 7-Zip | 7-Zip is a free file archiving program for Windows. It works fast and has a reasonable interface. | Download 7-Zip Windows |
| Mac iZip | iZip is a free file archiving program for OSX. | Download iZip Mac |
| DOS PKZIP | PKZIP (and PKUNZIP) is a free file archiving program for DOS. | Download PKZIP DOS (198k) |
DOS Extenders
If you get certain error messages when running games/software, it might be missing one of these files.
| Name | Description | Download |
|---|---|---|
| CWSDPMI | Ever try to run a game and get an error like:
Load error: no DPMI - Get csdpmi*b.zip
You need a DPMI server, and the most popular is CWSDPMI. Unzip the CWSDMPI.EXE file into the game's directory and try running it again, it should work. More info on CWSDPMI |
Download CWSDPMI v7b (17k) |
| DOS/4G | Ever try to run a game and get an error like:
Stub exec failed: dos4gw.exe No such file or directory
Here's the DOS4G file you need to copy into the game's directory to get it to work! It's the most commonly used free 32-bit "memory extension" tool to allow programs to easily access memory beyond the 640k limit. If this version doesn't work for a particular game, try another DOS/4G version instead. |
Download DOS/4G v1.97 (139k) Download other DOS4G versions |
DOS-Based Tools
| Name | Description | Download |
|---|---|---|
| Arachne | Arachne is the best available DOS web browser, although it's probably more of a novelty than for serious use since most modern websites probably won't load properly on it. More information on Arachne. | Download Arachne v1.97 (1,247k) |
| Cutemouse | Cutemouse is a universal DOS mouse driver. Use this to get your mouse working on your DOS-based PC. | Download Cutemouse v2.1Beta4 (271k) |
| Moslo | Moslo is the standard for slowing down DOS programs that run too quickly due to the speed of the PC. If you're using DOSBox you probably won't need this (adjust the cycles instead) but for pure DOS this can be very useful. | Download Moslo v1.2 (4k) |
| OLDDOS.EXE (Includes QBasic) | A collection of old DOS based utilities from Microsoft. This used to be available on the MS website but it seems to have disappeared. It includes things like QBasic, Memmaker, Append, Expand, Print, Restore, and more. | Download OLDDOS.EXE (837k) |
| Trakblaster | Trakblaster is a program by Volker Zinke used to play .MOD music module files and possibly others. I include it here because it was the first music player I used, and I listened to countless MOD files played through this software! | Download Trakblaster v2.0 |
| DAZZLE | Dazzle by MicroTronics is a weird screen saver program that displays weird, colorful, moving, randomly generated images on your screnee. It has no real purpose, but I remember downloading it long ago, and staring at it for way too long. So, now you can too ... | Download DAZZLE v5.0f |
| VDMSound | VDMSound is a tool used to get SoundBlaster or other legacy soundcards working for software under Windows NT/2000/XP. And ONLY those versions of Windows! | Download VDMSound v2.1.0 |
Download many more free DOS software programs:
