HX DOS - regression and questions

[Torinde]

Win ME

• HX under Windows - 2023.10.06 doesn't run (cursor becomes hourglas for few seconds and then nothing happens, as if I haven't clicked on the EXE)
• HX under Windows - 0.84 works in kind of full screen, menus work with the mouse (but not the mount menu), there is sound

Win 98 First edition

• HX under Windows - 2023.10.06 same as under WinME
• HX under Windows - 0.84 complains about SHELL32.DLL

HX DOS 2023.10.06 when booting to DOS (from Win95/98) in VirtualBox

• Works, but no sound - what soundcards are supported on the host side?
  • SB16: 1, 2
• I don't know how to get to the DOSbox-X menus - which key to use?
  • use mouse?
• in 2023.10.06 there was some issue with the keyboard layout (I got ~ instead of :, so I could run only files I placed in drivez) - in 0.84 keyboard works OK.
• What's the extension for .conf files?
  • It seems those aren't loaded automatically and you need to use the -conf dosbox-x.conf parameter (I assume with an 8.3 filename)
• no debugger
• 2023.10.06 dosbox-x.exe icons have black background when file is not selected (which looks wrong - 0.84 doesn't have it and looks correct) - and appear correct only when selected.
  
• most of its filenames are 8.3, but there is a dosbox-x.ref.full file, which gets the same name as dosbox-x.ref if put in ISO - and that makes copy/xcopy operations difficult.

Ctrl+C in DIGGER.EXE - doesn't work. - anybody else having that? Under MS-DOS - stops the game and goes back to DOS prompt.

Also, I would like to update HX DOS to 2.20, is it just a matter of changing the binary files? #4624

Originally posted by @Torinde in #3577 (comment)

[Torinde]

@KormaX-of-DOS, @TheElf01, @stuaxo, @gfernval, @hlizard, @pinop76, @hlizard

[Torinde]

@rderooy, I assume the icon introduced #3614 changed the transparency in the background somehow?

[Torinde]

HX build when booting to DOS 6.22: "DPMILD32: C:\HX\DOSBOX-X.EXE: out of memory" - I'm running it with 64MB HIMEM.SYS and 604K free conventional. Per DPMILD32.TXT - "out of memory": allocating memory for PE binary failed. Please note that DPMILD32 cannot commit stack memory dynamically by setting a GUARD page, it has to be fully allocated at load time." Should I use JEMM or EMM386 instead?

Also, what are HX DOSbox-X requirements for CPU, memory, videocard, mouse driver?

• memory
  • from README.TXT: "It is recommended to run DOSBox-X on a DOS system with at least 128MB of RAM. You can start DOSBox-X on a DOS system with 96MB of RAM with command "DOSBOX-X -SET MEMSIZE=4".", although 256MB is advisable: DOSbox running under Win9x, WinNT, Win3x #3577 (comment) . Interestingly, it seems MS-DOS 6.22 HIMEM.SYS supports a maximum of 64MB - I'll try PC DOS, DR-DOS, FreeDOS, Win9x DOS, etc. later.
  • 512MB recommended by Jon
• DOS required: MS-DOS 5.0+ or compatible (per README.TXT)
• "Mouse input is working if I load CuteMouse first!" MinGW 32-bit HX DOS extender target  #582 (comment)
• CPU Pentium - for the LOADLIN build, I don't know if that applies for the HX build.
• Videocard - maybe VESA BIOS and a linear framebuffer, HX problems with pre-VGA

[joncampbell123]

I was just notified on Twitter that the latest October build is missing the actual EXE. Can anyone verify this and what the issue might be?

https://twitter.com/gianen14804/status/1735602009766592517

[maron2000]

I hope I'm not seeing any illusions.

[Torinde]

I downloaded the same release zip as maron2000 and I also have the dosbox-x.exe.

So far I'm not fully successful running it in any of the environments I tried, but I have to do more tests (SB16 drivers, different versions of HIMEM, bare metal, etc.).

I would appreciate if somebody points me to guide/documentation on HX beyond the readme - I have some pretty basic questions above, which I'm sure have easy answer somewhere (what's the key to enter the menu, .conf file - should I use a parameter after dosbox-x.exe to specify the .conf or not, etc.)