• Please review our updated Terms and Rules here

DOSBox Identifier of Executables and Dispatcher (Make DOSBox Behave Like NTVDM)

Raven

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 7, 2009
Messages
2,752
Location
DE, USA..
DIED (DOSBox Identifier of Executables and Dispatcher) v1.0
Yushatak (c) 2010
-------------------------

This tool is meant to allow DOSBox to act more integrated with Windows, like the NTVDM of 32-bit Windows did but with all the features of DOSBox and the capability to run on 64-bit OSes.

Simply install ActivePython, copy died.pyw to your c:\, and merge the registry file. Click on any DOS EXE file and watch the magic. Right click on a DOS EXE file and hit "Create DOSBox Shortcut" to make a shortcut on the desktop to the program automatically set up to run with DOSBox properly - it even uses any icon with the same name from the game/program's directory.

For advanced users: you can, of course, use any paths you want for any of this stuff by editing the pyw and reg files as necessary. You can also avoid using ActivePython by installing pywin32, pythoncom, and any other third party modules I have forgotten to mention that are used.

I spent hours on this over the course of the night, so I hope you guys get some use out of it - I know I will. I will update the program soon to add the proper support necessary for COM files, and then I think this is pretty much done. The program also has the framework necessary to handle binaries from any other sort of system through any other emulator, but I started with 16-bit DOS because as a 64-bit Windows user that's the most glaringly missing.

Note: This is crossposted on VOGONS, so apologies to those of you who also go there for sticking this in your face twice. :p

I also go by Yushatak, for those of you who only know me here, so this was indeed made by me.

DIED w/ ActivePython: http://www.mediafire.com/file/fmh2gjmauye/DIED.rar
DIED "Lite", w/o ActivePython: http://www.mediafire.com/file/wzznlzxqnyy/DIED-Lite.rar (You will of course have to either install the equivalent or get ActivePython elsewhere.)

Edit: Oh by the way, since this edits your exe file handler, I highly recommend keeping this reg script on hand for removal of the program:

Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell\open\command]
@="\"%1\" %*"
"IsolatedCommand"="\"%1\" %*"

Do _NOT_ delete the pyw file before returning these entries or you're in for a world of hurt.
 
Last edited:
Please replace died.pyw with this new version 1.1 found at http://pastebin.com/raw.php?i=xmgMk20a

The old version used a really haxy trick to test if a file was a PE file which was very inaccurate. The new method is the correct one.

This software is, as of this update, quite solid. I'll make an executable version with an installer for those of you who are too lazy or are afraid to install this yourself soon.
 
As an update, there can never be an EXE version of DIED, because py2exe doesn't properly support the modules that this script depends on.

DIED is compatible with 99.999% of applications with no bugs or glitches, but there was at least one program that refused to run through it. I ended up making a right click menu option called "Dispatch" so that it didn't replace the default EXE handler, but I don't plan to release that unless someone asks.

Development stops here, since nobody seems to have taken any interest, unless for some reason I end up obsessing over the concept again.
 
Back
Top