Keen in Windows

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This page intends to be a complete tutorial (based on the Linux one) on how to setup your Windows system to run Keen and other DOS applications.

TODO: What About Commander Genius. The title says "Keen in Windows". CG runs under Windows and can interpret Keen games

What you need

• A x86-based Windows distribution (Windows Vista has a few issues with DOSBox, but it generally works OK most of the time. CE and other mobile versions will not work without emulation).
• Commander Keen: any of the official games.
• DOSBox: you can get the latest version source code at the official website (currently version 0.73).

Installing DOSBox

Simply double-click the installer (DOSBox0.73-win32-installer.exe for version 0.73) and follow the instructions to install

Mounting Keen's directory in DOSBox

Edit the Start Menu shortcut to DOSBox by right-clicking on it and selecting "Properties". Under "Target", change:

dosbox.exe

To read:

dosbox.exe -c "mount C <path>"

Where <path> is the location of your files (KEEN.EXE, etc). The -c (etc.) option automatically mounts the path to DOSBox's drive C: (replace the C with any letter you want). After that, assuming you have KEEN.EXE in the specified path, upon opening you just have to enter in DOSBox's command prompt:

Z:\>c:
C:\>keen

Recommendation: mount directories which contain 8.3 filenames (8 letters filename, 3 letters extension) to avoid issues with your DOS-based programs.

See also

Keen in Linux