Warcraft II on Windows XP, A step-by-step guide
Warcraft II – Tides of Darkness. I used to love this old DOS game way back when. But now I want to run it on Windows XP. Yes, it is possible. Here’s how.
DOS Emulation
First you need the very excellent DOSBOX which is a DOS emulator. You can download it from http://www.dosbox.com/.
Once DOSBOX is installed, we need somewhere to put our DOS games. I created a folder called C:\DOSGAMES for this purpose.
Now it is time to run DOSBOX. Once it is going, type the following two commands:
mount c C:\DOSGAMES\ mount d D:\ -t cdrom
NOTE: If your CD-ROM drive is not D:\, modify this accordingly.
Then you can insert your Warcraft II CD. The game can be installed like so:
D: SETUP
Just select all the default options except for the soundcard and music device which you should set to Soundblaster 16.
Making an icon
At this point you can run the game by typing WAR2. But I don’t want to stop there. Let’s now make a pretty icon so you can launch the game with a mouse-click.
Open the folder C:\Program Files\DOSBox-0.72 and find the file dosbox.conf. Copy it to your C:\DOSGAMES\WAR2 folder.
Edit the copy of dosbox.conf and add the following line to the bottom under the [autoexec] section:
mount d D:\ -t cdrom
I’ve found it is also a good idea to reduce the speed of CPU emulation otherwise the map can scroll too fast. Modify the cycles entry in dosbox.conf like so:
cycles=20000
Now save the changes you made to dosbox.conf.
Copy the DOSBOX icon on your desktop. Rename the copy to “Warcraft II”. Now right-click on the icon and select Properties.
Enter the following text (all on one line) into the Target box:
"C:\Program Files\DOSBox-0.72\dosbox.exe" "C:\DOSGAMES\WAR2\WAR2.EXE" -conf "C:\DOSGAMES\WAR2\dosbox.conf" -exit -fullscreen
Then finally click on the Change Icon button.
Click Browse and navigate to the folder C:\DOSGAMES\WAR2. Double-click the file WAR2ICON.DLL.
Choose the WarCraft icon and then click OK. Click OK on the shortcut properties window also.
Now we are done. Click the WarCraft icon and enjoy!
I have a few questions
I already have Warcraft II installed and it’s working–but also not working. The pages load and there is no visible issues (I’m running on Windows 2000) except it’s lagging (find that quite odd) and that my mouse cannot pass a certain point on the righthand side of the screen, about 2/3rds from the left. It’s as though my cursor is at the side of the screen and there is nothing beyond it for it go on. Okay, made no sense whatsoever to me. So I went to try this out and it’s not working which i think might likely be because I have Warcraft II installed already. Would it work if I just uninstalled and reinstalled and where would I find this elusive uninstall option, it’s like AOL you just can’t get rid of it.
You can uninstall Warcraft by just deleting its folder. Things were a lot simpler in the old DOS days.
Sorry I’ve no idea why your mouse stops moving, you might try asking the question on the DOSBOX forum at http://vogons.zetafleet.com/index.php?c=7
Manda,
I believe that if you edit the War2.ini and change the vidmouse setting to 1 that should fix your mouse … at least that is the fix I’ve seen mentioned elsewhere.
Adam,
Do you know how to get the networking to work so that 2 PCs running DosBox with WarCraft II can play a multiplayer game?
Sorry Scott, I’ve not tried to network it. If I do, I’ll post here how it went. I notice that DOSBOX has support for IPX networking so it should work in theory.
THANK YOU!!!! Your tip was the only one that helped, and I spent all day looking how to fix Warcraft II Vista bug
Problem: Every time I try to mount the file DOSGAMES, dosbox tells me said file doesn’t exist, even though I created a file by that name in the dosbox file folder. I’m sure there is something I am doing wrong. Help? Also, I went ahead and tried the subsequent directions (mount d D: -t cdrom, D:, SETUP), and the dosbox screen briefly showed a blurry graphic of an orc and a human before filling with thick blue commands, the last one being “Crash address (unrelocated) = 1:00003793″. Did that happen solely because I didn’t initially mount a new file to store games, or is there another problem?
DOSGAMES should be a folder, not a file.
Also, if you are putting it in the DOSBOX folder or anywhere else in Program Files, put quotes around the path so that DOSBOX will not be confused by the space in the path. Here is an example:
mount c “C:\Program Files\DOSBox-0.72\DOSGAMES\”
I have this weird problem in fullscreen like a piece of what it is shown on the top of screen shows down on the screen
when trying to make an ‘icon,’I can’t seem to figure out how to “Edit the copy of dosbox.conf and add the following line to the bottom under the [autoexec] section,” as you have suggested. I’ve got the game running under DOSbox and all just fine. How do I “edit…dosbox.conf?” And where do I find the “[autoexec] section?” -Thanx.
dosbox.conf is just a text file. Edit it with your favourite text editor – if you don’t have a favourite text editor, you can use Notepad.
So open Notepad and drag the dosbox.conf file onto the Notepad window.
Scroll down to the very bottom and you will see a line which reads [autoexec]. Place the new instructions underneath that line.
Fantastic! Thanks Adam. Glad I found your assistance here!
Just wanted to say right off the bat, I also had the problem with the cursor not moving to one side of the screen with Windows 2000… so it wasn’t just a fluke thing. Anyhow. I just recently found my WCII cd after many years of neglect and it seemed to load and work fine with XP on my IBM T40, until I exited the program. At that point my screen was highly distorted but I could make out the start menu enough to see that it opened and my computer wasn’t locked up. But I had to turn the computer off and back on to use it. Is it ok to play the game and just shut down and restart afterward, or is there a deeper problem here that I’m failing to see.
Once again, you’d be better off referring that problem to the DOSBOX forums here:
http://vogons.zetafleet.com/index.php?c=7
I’m no expert but it sounds to me like it could be something to do with your graphics card or driver being a little bit incompatible with DOSBOX.
I seem to have a problem loading WAR2. After it prompts me to to type in “WAR2″, I get the following:
DOS/4GW Professional error (2504): can’t create swap file “”
DOS/4GW Professional fatal error (1011): VMM initialization error [1]
Any idea what this could be?
Some things I can think of:
1. Whatever drive you have mounted as drive C is read-only
2. Whatever drive you have mounted as drive C is full
That’s about it for me guessing. You might also try asking your question on the DOSBOX forum here:
http://vogons.zetafleet.com/index.php?c=7
I’ve tried both IPX and direct (null modem) connect and neither works. After pressing connect I get “IPX network not detected” error, and after trying direct connect both computers just sit and wait. If anyone gets this to work please post it here!
Yes, I did make sure IPX protocol was installed under XP.
For Vista users make sure when you are creating the icon that when you select the dosbox.conf file after you have edited it that you click on “Create Shortcut” not “Copy”. If you click on Copy you will not get the target box needed to type in the additional info. You must use Create Shortcut in order to get the target box.
Thanks for the tip Ken, I haven’t yet made the jump to Vista. Glad to hear you got Warcraft running on it.
Hi Adam. Thanks so much for the above. All worked well and installed perfectly, but now when I run the game from the created icon it loads the main menu, but when I select Single Player it fails to read the cd. Any ideas on what’s going on?
Jish
In theory this should work for all DOS based games correct? Use the same commands and when making the icon change the WAR2 stuff to whatever game you are making an icon for? I hope so cause I am about to go nuts on old school DOS games. Commander Keen FTW!!!!!!!
Josh, I did have this happen once. The game would ask me to insert the CD even though it was already in the drive. No amount of reinserting the disc, restarting the program or rebooting the PC would make it go.
There must be something in the emulation which is not 100% right and that probably tripped some anti-piracy feature in the game.
I eventually reinstalled the game and it was good after that.
If you are going to reinstall the game, make a copy of all the files ending in .SAV – these are your saved games. You can copy them back after you reinstall so you don’t have to start the game over from the start.
Ken – yes, this technique will work for many old DOS games. Click the following link and you will find a list of hundreds of popular games and whether or not they will run under DOSBox.
http://www.dosbox.com/comp_list.php?letter=a
By the way, I managed to get Warcraft II to run under DOSBox on Linux using more or less the same technique. So you don’t even need a copy of Windows!
So, it keeps asking me for the cd even though it is in the drive! (my cd drive is drive F, so i use ‘mount d F:\ -t cdrom’. What am I doing wrong??? I have uninstalled/ reinstalled, installed it in windows, installed it through dos box etc. Any other ideas?
Any help would be much appreciated
Possibly there is a problem reading from your disc or maybe it doesn’t like F: for some reason.
You could try copying the entire contents of the CD to a folder and mounting that folder as the CD. For example, if you copied the contents of the CD to C:\DOSGAMES\WAR2CD, you can mount it with “mount d C:\DOSGAMES\WAR2CD -t cdrom”.
How can I change the game resolution??? I want to play in fullscreen! :)
Thanks!
Oh fuck… its just ALT+ENTER!! lol
:P
Hey Adam,
Thanks for the walkthrough! For some reason, my campaign wasn’t saved. Is this normal? Also, can we save maps that we edit? Thanks.
I can save fine. Did you actually press “Save”? WarCraft II does not auto-save.
If it is still not saving, I’d be thinking that something is read-only. Maybe your C drive is mounted as type CDROM or does not have write permission.
Check for any read-only options in your dosbox.conf file. Also check the Windows XP permissions for your C drive folder.
I’ve not tried the map editor but I’m pretty confident it would be fully functional.
Adam, I really appreciate the help, however I am running into a problem…
I am mounting the drives fine, I switch directories to the CD-ROM drive, type setup and hit enter. Here is where my problem begins. It first appears to be working correctly, it brings up the typical setup screen as if I was installing normally, but then all of a sudden it crashes and computer code starts scrolling over the screen, ending with: “crash address (unrelocated) = 1.00003745.” Any suggestions??? THANKS!
(p.s. I have a screen shot I would like to show you but can’t figure out how to put it on here.)
Hey I hey I start the emulator and click single player it says the disk isnt inserted. I closed everything and restarted my computer and it still doesnt work
sorry great guide if you can figure out how to get it to work. Ive tried to do this 3-4 times different ways with the CD mounting and I still cant get it to work.
Hey
I have the battle.net edition and simply installed the game and played it on my Vista. Problem is that I can’t save my campaigns properly. I can save while playing, and load that saved game, but if I exit program and start the game again, the save-files have disappeard. Any idea why this is?
I know this isn’t relevant to your little walktrough here, but you seem good at this so I hope you don’t ming me asking anyway. I used to watch my dad play this as a kid, am I nostalgic or what? :)
I have the same problem Mitchell talk about, I was able to play the other day, but when I quit the game and tried to create the icon, I followed all the step and everything semmed fine until I clicked to play in single player…it sayed and still says that the CD isn’t inserted…I think the reason could be it doesn’t look in the good driver…but I don’t know how to change it in DOS.
Also…it seemed even if I complety start from the beginning and skip the setup part, I can’t start the game by typing WAR2 :S
I HAVE THE OLD WARCRAFT 2 BUT IT IS ALREADY INSTALLLED IN MY COMPUTER I DON´T HAVE CD . WHAT CAN I DO?
Problem: Been following the guide 100% i think but when i am to start single player it says i need to insert my cd.. any clue where i did a mistake? (the shortcut is working and things are in correct folders etc)
Ty in advance
Totally different problem. Certain tasks performed cause the game to close. If a catapult launch goes to the boundary of the screen. A building that is destroyed at the edge of the screen. Using the any of the “spells” that use items that come from overhead. Each one of these closes the game. Any ideas? I have changed the video card.
Seems that a lot of people including me, have had very spotty problems with the game not recognizing the CD. I’ve managed to solve it by copying the contents of the CD to a folder and then mounting that folder as a CD drive in DosBOX.
For example, copy the contents of the CD to C:\DOSGAMES\WAR2CD and then in dosbox.conf, change “mount d D:\ -t cdrom” to “mount d C:\DOSGAMES\WAR2CD -t cdrom”.
The downside is that you lose the CD music for the game but at least you can play it. It has some fallback MIDI music which is adequate.
And before anyone asks, no you cannot have a copy of my CD. Get your own!
Hey Anders, re #32 I play it with my 6 year old son, he’s addicted to it!
The save game problem sounds like some kind of permissions issue. Check that:
1. The folder where the game is installed is not marked read-only.
2. You have not used the “-t cdrom” option when mounting the folder in dosbox.conf
3. The game folder is not a subfolder of the CDROM folder
Then again, it could be some Vista security weirdness. I never saw a more paranoid OS. I don’t have Vista myself so I can’t speculate any more than that.
re #37: Rick, I’ve heard that changing the core setting in dosbox.conf can help with crashing problems. Try changing it from core=auto to core=normal.
ya man i followed your instructions and it worked beautifully, but one problem. it seems no matter how i do it the cd isn’t being recognized. mounting it regularly didnt work and transfering the cd to a folder didn’t either. i would really like to mount the actual cd being that the music is the reason for playing. and also my cd rom is drive E, not D.
in the .conf file at the bottom i have it as “mount e E:\ -t cdrom”.
when i transfered the cd contents to a folder i did your folder, WAR2CD and i had it at the bottom as “mount e C:\DOSGames\WAR2CD -t cdrom”.
is that not right? what in the world else can i possibly do?
Try mounting the CDROM as drive D. So if you are using the original CD, that would be “mount d E:\ -t cdrom” or if you have copied it to your hard disk, it would be “mount d C:\DOSGames\WAR2CD -t cdrom”.
Hey, I just managed to install Warcraft II on my computer, but I was wondering if there was a way to play it in a smaller window so I can do other things at the same time? Any help would be appreciated x
Emm0r – edit your icon (right-click then choose Properties) and remove the “-fullscreen” item from the Target box. Now Warcraft will run in a window. You can use Alt-Enter to switch between windowed and full screen mode.
Ctrl-F10 is a useful key to remember, it snaps your mouse out of the game window.
i got all this to work but the map is doing something odd. the colors of my units and buildings are flashing red to green to blue to yellow then it repeats the process. any ideas?
Sounds like a palette issue. Are you running in 8 bit colour ?
If not, I have no idea. Try asking your question in the DOSBOX forum at http://vogons.zetafleet.com/index.php?c=7
The way it worked for me: I had an installed game. It works under XP but soetimes it crashes when I move the mouse to top left corner. Also I wish to run it in window. So I decided to use DosBox.
The game runs normaly when started manualy. But it asks for CD when ran with shortcut method described above. Here is how I ran it:
First create shortcut where I put this line:
C:\Programs\System\DOSBox-0.72\dosbox.exe -conf F:\Games\dosbox.conf
Then add lines at end of custom dosbox.conf file in [autoexec] section:
[autoexec]
# Lines in this section will be run at startup.
# mount the disk where the game resides:
mount F F:\
# navigate there:
F:\
# change directory
ChDir F:\Games\Warcra~1
# run game
F:\Games\Warcra~1\WAR2.EXE
Voila!
hello i have warcraft 2 battle net and it works perfectly on windows xp
i downloaded warcraft 2 from a torrent file..i dont have the cd for the game but seem to have all the files needed from the cd..but cant get single player to work still says i need the cd..ive tried the dosbox program cant seem to get around that either…if anyone can tell me how i can play this game without the cd.i could use the help thanx..
Just go to eBay and buy a CD. Copies of the Battle Net edition go very cheap these days.
Yo i did the icon thing as insructed but when i go to play in single player it asks for me to put in the dis but it just so happens that i have the disc in so it’s not working. on a side note when i rather just type in WAR2 to play the game in dosbox how do i do that cuz it tells me command is invalid.
Hey Zacora, scroll up! I answered this one already in comment #38.
Thanks a MILLION, Adam! I really appreciate your help on this.
Ahhhh good ‘ol warcraft II.
This is a good method for playing the old dos games, but honestly i’d have to recommend just playing the battle.net edition.
It’s cheap to buy, has both tides and the expansion, still has support on battle.net, and works on any version of windows released in the past 12 years with no problems.
It also has a faster maximum game speed, which is nice.
If you ever have problems with getting battle.net edition to work on LAN with IPX, just set your settings as follows on all machines that are going to play:
Internal Network Number: 00000000
Frame Type: Ethernet 802.3
Network Number: 00000001
So as far as the errors with reading the disc, I don’t really understand how to fix that. Do I need to start over and replace the WAR2 file with the WAR2CD file in DOSbox? I’m really new to all this, so it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Thanks again.
Follow the procedure as described in my original article but after you have finished, create another folder called WAR2CD and copy all the files off the CD into that new folder.
You should now have two folders, C:\DOSGAMES\WAR2 and C:\DOSGAMES\WAR2CD
Then edit the dosbox.conf file and find the line which reads mount d D:\ -t cdrom. Change it to mount d C:\DOSGAMES\WAR2CD -t cdrom
Still getting the insert cd error. Any ideas? I’m trying this on my hp laptop with Vista, by the way.
Sorry, that technique works for me. Maybe just double-check everything.
what will make the game run smoother? that method works but the game runs all choppy. thanks in advance
Try fiddling with the simulation speed. You can do this while playing the game using Ctrl-F11 and Ctrl-F12.
Once you find a good value, edit dosbox.conf and modify the line which reads “cycles=20000″.
Your advice works well for me but the game still needs the Cd to run? any ideas on how i could fix this?
Have you tried the fix mentioned in comments #38 and #56 ?
Can you use Dosbox IPX or nullmodem to connect War2 online with 2 computers in different states?
I’ve no idea. Let me know what happens when you try it.
I’m at the step where I have to rename the target on the icon properties, I type: “C:\Program Files\DOSBox-0.72\dosbox.exe” “C:\DOSGAMES\WAR2\WAR2.EXE” -conf “C:\DOSGAMES\WAR2\dosbox.conf” -exit -fullscreen but it’s telling me the target is not valid. What should I type? Am I doing something wrong?
I have already install the game and it loads properly, withut using the DOSBOX, but the map scrolls too fst, using the mouse or the keyboard, any thoughts how to fix this?
i have read all of the notes but i can not get the network to work it says no ipx network found i have instaled ipx protocal on both comps any ideas and thanx for getting my war2 to ware i can play again
turn the speeds down in options f10
why cant i type \ into dosbox it only lets me use / for some reason
also when i type mount c C:\DOSGAMES\ which is with / rather than \ it comes up with “Directory C:/DOSGAMES/ doesn’t exist”
Hey, thanks for the great walkthrough. I decided to “go back in time” and play the original Warcraft, and was able to get it to work using the same steps.
I did have one question, though. How can we type in the game itself? Say if get bored and want to use a cheat code (gasp), how can we get the box to come up? Hitting “enter” doesn’t work as it normally would.
Never mind. It seems it was a temporary glitch, as it works now.
Well i seem to be mounting the cd rom drive correctly but when i type in e: setup it says there is a data file error. Does this mean my cd is broken? or did i just mount it incorectly ? well any advice would be great
I have warcraft 2 working 100%, but for some reason, when I enter into single player, I only see human campaign and ork campaign, where is the custom menu?
Do I have to beat the game in the levels before I can play it custom?
I tried using DOSBOX, but for some reason my backslash “\” will not work when I am using DOSBOX. Also, will DOSBOX also allow me to play Ultima IV-VII? I do miss the old days of DOS. Not too happy with vista.
I’m running windows 2000, The hd is formatted as NTFS. I was trying to run Warcraft 2 but it can’t seem to detect my soundcard which is a Soundblaster Value from Creative lab. I tried to set is manually, but still having the same problem. Any suggestions?
Working amazing in vista! Had the same cd rom problem, but comment #38 directions fixed it. Everything runs, music is midi, but oh well. Thanks so much Adam!!
This is a priceless tutorial Adam. Thank you so much for your effort!
for those having issues with finding the cd drive go to the war2.ini in the war2 folder and change the cdpath to the where your mounted drive is….
mine was set to cdpath=C:\ so i changed it to cdpath=D:\ in the war2.ini and then it worked
Has anyone got the IPX Multiplayer to work?
Adam… Just wanted to say a huge thanks! Your advice was invaluable for me to enjoy an outstanding game from the past.
Thanks dude! It’s working perfectly! I do the same process with the first Warcraft: Orcs and Humans and the expansion of Warcraft II. The unique difference that i put is the cycles number: 2000 made the game run too slow. I put 8000 and it’s working good. Thanks!!
can i just say this is a brilliant walkthrough. i had to do a bit of trial and error to make sure i followed your examples word for word but now it works perfectly. i know 0 about DOSBox coming in. thanks so much Adam for your effort on the above!
I have played all the way through Tides of Darkness, is there a way to play the expansion set? thanks
Hey I was wondering how to open the dosbox.conf I dont have a program that can open it
another question I cant play the game because it cant read the disk I dont have a disk anymore but i have tried everything you said with the file i downloaded and a disk crack and i cant get it to work I know some people download the game when they dont have it but i cant find mine can you please help me
Thanks everyone for the compliments. Thanks should also go to the DOSBox authors for creating such an excellent emulator.
Brett – These questions have already been answered in comments #10, #38 and #50. Scroll up dude!
kim – Yes you can use the expansion set “Beyond the Dark Portal”. I have been playing this too and it works fine. Just insert the expansion set CD, launch DOSBox, mount the drives (mount c C:\DOSGAMES mount d D:\ -t cdrom) and then run the expansion pack setup.
Sorry to fill up another post with a thankyou…..but thankyou!!
Its been 10 years since I’ve played this game. Found the CD’s and thought I would install them on my XP machine. I am halfway computer literate but wouldn’t have figured this out for awhile if at all. I have WARCRAFT II and the expansion both successfully installed and running fine. I carefully followed your instructions and everything works fine!
Thanks for taking the time to keep up with all the posts, it is very appreciated.
Hello!!!
how can I fix a full screen please?
Can anybody help my?
Hi Adam,
I follow all of your instructions but when I get to type setup dosbox says: “this program cannot be run in dos mode” so I can’t go on and play. Can anybody help me,please?
Antonio, it sounds like you are in the wrong directory. Check that you have typed the mount commands correctly and your current directory is the WarCraft CD.
roquard, I can’t quite understand your English but I think pressing Alt-Enter will do what you want.
Adam,it all works as in the example expect for the last part. The directory is right. It simply doesn’t run.
It really sounds like you are running the wrong setup.exe. Perhaps there is something in your PATH variable or you have some other CD in the drive – you might get this error if you are trying to do this with Warcraft Battle.net edition. Other than that, I really can’t guess. You should not see this kind of error with the old Warcraft game.
Yes, it’s the battle.net edition.
Hi there! I could run the setup, but everytime I try to run WAR2, there’s just the “Hybrid”-Screen, then I press Enter and then it’s back on the cmd and it says “Bad command or file name” “Cracked by…” What do I have to do to make it work?
Antonio – This technique will not work with the Battle.net edition, only for the original edition. Battle.Net should run fine under Windows without having to do anything special.
Matt – I’m not sure what you mean by “Hybrid” screen. The game should start with the “Blizzard” animated intro, then the Warcraft II title screen, then the menu. Perhaps you have a bad copy of the game.
The problem with the battle.net edition is the screen. It asks for 256 color and a 640×480 resolution. My pc doesn’t support this kind of settings because they are too low. Is there any solution to this problem.
Thanks
im to the point were you type in WAR2 and its saying its an illegal command.
never mind
This technique will not work with the Battle.Net edition. Perhaps consider something like VMWare.
Hi Adam.
I am experiencing the same problem as Jon in point #29 and I haven’t seen your response to this. Are you able to suggest anything?
Thanks heaps.
I’m sorry Kristy, I don’t know the solution to this problem. All I can suggest is to delete the whole Warcraft folder and re-install it from scratch.
If you keep having this type of problem, try asking your question on the DOSBox forum at http://vogons.zetafleet.com/index.php?c=7
I have also privately emailed you Jon’s email address. You could get in touch with him and see if he got anywhere with this problem.
Thanks very much for your help Adam, I appreciate it.
=)
I have gotten IPX to work, it was a lot simpler than I thought it would be. First change the IPX setting in the dosbox.conf file to ‘true’. In the ‘autoexec’ section of the config file one player (the ‘host’) should add the line “IPXNET STARTSERVER”. The other players should add the line “IPXNET CONNECT {ip address or host name of the ‘host’ machine}” The ‘host’ must run the game first to start the server.
This worked for me with both Warcraft I and II.
adam, this is a great forum – thanks for all your effort here. (keep reading for my problem:)
setup and initial play, no problem. i rocked the first few levels of single player mode and then saved my campaign. i am now unable to play because DOSbox reads ‘WAR2′ as an illegal command. i have entered ‘mount c C:\dosgames’ and ‘mount d D:\ -t cdrom’. After mounting these two destinations, shouldn’t I be able to then type D:\WAR2 and have the game run? is it necessary to go through the SETUP process each time before playing?
(i’ve also attempted to create the shortcut link from the desktop. every thing seems to work fine until the program can not read from the mint condition CD which is in the CD drive. I’ve read your advice above and would really like to keep the original nerdy soundtrack)
Thanks in advance and Merry Christmas!
Hi!I looked up on GOOGLE to fix problem with runing warcraft 2 on Windowx XP.I have the game from the internet as .rar or .zip, i know it’s illegal but i can’t get an original one.Can you tell me what can I do cause, when I open war2.exe from that archive, my screen get black and don’t happen anything; i have to ALT+TAB and close it from START bar…sorry for my english, I’m romanian :)…so can u tell me what can I do?
Your best bet would be to buy a copy of Warcraft II Battle Net edition which can be had on eBay fairly cheap and runs fine in Windows without needing to do any fancy tricks – or get a pirate copy of Battle Net edition if you really must.
Hi, Im sorry for the dumb question but when I copy the dosbox.conf and rename it… well it just shows as a notepad file, and it doesnt give me the option to edit or work with a target. How do I make it so I can change the target
When I edited dosbox.conf I dont think that mount d D:\ -t cdrom took effect because when I click on the icon it still tells me that I need to insert the cd. What program did you open dosbox.conf with?
How come I could run this game on my XP machine before but now, years later, I can’t?
Nice guide. 1 question though. I can install this game on my XP system and it works fine except for the fast scrolling. Is there anyway to change the cycles without installing and subsequently running the game through DOSBox? Thanks
Rafael – You do not need to set the target path for the dosbox.conf icon. You should be modifying the target path for the Warcraft II icon.
Joshua – This question has been asked many times and the solution is to copy the files from the CD onto your hard drive as explained above in comment #56.
Steve – Maybe there was a Microsoft update which broke something. You could try installing an older version of XP if you really want to figure it out. Personally I wouldn’t bother.
Iain – Ctrl-F11 and Ctrl-F12 can be used to modify the game cycles while you are playing it.
awesome, worked like a charm tyvm
Hi. Well i cant play, asking cd. I have tried like 3hours =/ oh and i already check older comments. anything else? thx
Hi awsome forum, anyways, everything works great except i can only use one mounted cd drive at a time it seems like. my autoexec is
mount i c:\games\war2\cd -t cdrom
mount j c:\games\war2\cd2 -t cdrom
mount c C:\games\war2
c:
war2
it seems that (and i took this for above 79) to change the war2.ini and thats how i changed the cds to get the other working. my question is how and what do i change to get both cds working so i can run “tides of Darkness” and “beyond the dark portal” without exiting the program and changing the settings
thankyou
hey bro, I just wanna play warcraft II, all this confuses the $h!t outta me, I don’t really know much about computers, I ain’t tryin 2 be a freakish/wierdo type person but can u call me and help? that would be mostly appreciated! 509-869-0669 THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ilkka: If you’ve already tried the CD-copy technique mentioned in comment #56, I don’t have any further ideas. That technique has worked for many other people.
deskdragon22: You could try making two dosbox.conf files called dosbox1.conf and dosbox2.conf. Make two icons which refer to each file. But then I guess you still need to quit Warcraft to change from one to the other. Maybe try asking at the dosbox forum ( http://vogons.zetafleet.com/index.php?c=7 )to see if there is any way to change the mounted CD while an app is running.
Tony G.: I am not a free computer help desk. Why not get one of your friends who is good with computers to help you.
Ok, well thanks anyway :) just mail if you figure something? :)
hi mate,
when I run setup it says ‘program cannot be run in DOS mode’
i have warcraft II battlenet edition. will it not work with this edition?
Thanks
David
you mention running battlenet on windows, but it doesn’t run for me on windows xp. And other posts on the internet say it doesn’t work on windows xp
i take it back – I can’t believe it. After 2 years of wanting to play this game – I loaded it up on windows xp. after wiping a smudge off the disc worked like a charm!
Thanks man – i wouldn’t have even tried it
D
I am obviously completely incompetent! I cant figure how to “Edit the copy of dosbox.conf and add the following line to the bottom under the [autoexec] section:”. I completed the rest of the process like the installation and icon sections. The other problem i have is that although I havent been able to change the cycle speed when I load the game from the icon and try to start single player game is says insert cd. The cd is in the drive allready and is not damaged. Im not sure what to do. Please help.
hi, I checked the forum, but couldnt find an exact method 4 the expansion setup.where should I unpack the cd and where should I install expansion set?I have war2 and war2cd folders in c:\dosgames
thanks a lot
Got it working. Wow! I cant believe it! Thanks
hey adam i am computer retarded and am wondering i have followed your steps very well and game installed correclty sound tests worked perfectly but when i type in the war2 part again to load the game it starts loading i get the part where it says its been 6 years then it just pauses and screen goes black ! any ideas please ?
Works perfectly, excellent tutorial, but is there any way i can use Map Editor Custom Maps?
The map editor opens on the XP operating system if you open Warcraft through the disk, but any modified/original maps seem incompatible with the emulator. Could I use custom maps by somehow opening the map editor component with the emulator?
Anyone know why my backslash key isn’t working…when i push it i get the right bracket key instead (the key just to the left). There are a few other keys that don’t seem to work either in dosbox…anyone know how to fix this?
HI. For all who downloaded Warcraft II from internet and the same crashes in game, here go the guide:
1. DOSBOX is needed also. Download and Install it.
2. Extract the Warcraft2 folder to C:\ and rename it to WAR2
3. Open the folder C:\Program Files\DOSBox-0.72 and find the file dosbox.conf. Copy it to C:\WAR2 folder.
4. Edit the copy of dosbox.conf and add the following lines to the bottom under the [autoexec] section:
mount c c:\
c:
cd war2
war2.exe
5. Do a DOSBOX shortcut on your desktop. Rename the shortcut to “Warcraft II”. Now right-click on the icon and select Properties.
Enter the following text (all on one line) into the Target box:
“C:\Program Files\DOSBox-0.72\dosbox.exe” -conf “C:\WAR2\dosbox.conf” -exit -fullscreen”
6. Change Icon button at the same way of Adam’s step.
7. Enjoy.
HEy I need help from the start where do i create the folder.
Im having problems installing Warcraft 2
the Setup.exe file is not able to run in dos “This program cannot be run in DOS mode”
and in windows, i get the “non win32 prog” error.
the Install.exe file does not work either, tried this:
” mount c “C:\war2″
c:
Install.exe
”
Dosbox (and cmd) stopped for 2-3 secs, before it taskkilled itself…
any ideas ..?
Omg i played warcraft when i was 7 and i would really like to play it again but i have a problem… i hope u’ll give me some advice
So here it goes…
I put warcraft 2 on the CD when i downloaded it from net… after that i mounted that first step (i put mount e E:\ because i have that instead of d) and then i tried to play it before i made an icon just to be sure that i can play it… So u said that i shoul just type WAR2 in dosbox. i did that and it said that it is invalid command, then i went to CD and double – clicked WAR2 icon… it entered dos and showed smth like hybrid presents warcraft 2… supplied by, cracked by… and then the screen went black and then it said this
DOS/4GW Professional Protected Mode Run-Time Version 1.97
Copyright (c) Rational Systems, Inc. 1990-1994
Any suggestions what should I do?
P.S. – Sorry 4 bad english, im not from eng-talking country
Just wanted to say thank you for this little guide, it was really helpful! And I now feel really geek! :P
thanks a lot for this info!!!!
best regards
fernando
I downloaded it like you would download a ROM for any other emulator, so I have the cd contents in a folder, but no CD to put in (I have a HP Netbook which means no CD drive so I can’t install that way). Do you think I could place the folder somewhere and then have it install by mounting that folder? I’m not sure because I have no idea how DOS Box works at all yet.
Hey my brother figured out how to play these via lan….anyone interested?
I am trying to follow this guide but can;t even install. When trying to run the install.exe file under dosbox the instal screen appears for a split seconds and then becomes garbled with oversize text errors and mem locations messages. and crashes back to promt. typing anything at the prompt after that crashes the dosbox software
I am on Win XP with original store bought CD
any advice?
Any idea how to get resolution above the 600 x 480? I saw, that someone before me asked about it, but i could not find the answer, if someone knows anything about it, pliz let me know, thx in advice.
I’m having the same problem as the above Nick. I run setup and get a bunch of giant, blue gibberish.
UPDATE: The solution to this problem:
Make sure you are mounting the drive C.
For example: mount c c:\warcraft2\
as opposed to
mount d c:\warcraft2\
The setup file is looking for drive c, and nothing else.
When I start the game, DOsbox only said mount d D:\ -t cdrom MSCDEX installed driver D is mounted as a CDRom D:\… I dont know what to do…
Sweet!!! Worked like a charm for me. Your instructions were simple and easy to follow.
Thanks a million.
I also was having a problem with running the program only to have the error “insert cd”. I finally found my problem after following question 56, etc. I simply copied and pasted the Target line into properties, but that left out “-conf “C:\DOSGAMES\WAR2\dosbox.conf” -exit -fullscreen”, which I was not aware of until I finally double checked. Hope this helps! That was the problem that plagued me for a few minutes.
Woot! I don’t know if you are still checking comments but thanks a lot man!
I played this when I was a little kid and I vaguely remember it. Now I can relive it all and learn! I have the expansion, do you think I can follow the same steps to install that one also?
Wow that’s great.I want to play………….Buy WoW Gold
The above thought is smart and doesn’t require any further addition.Buy WoW Gold
I installed dosbox and I created the folder dosgames in my c:\ drive when I type in mount c c:\dosgames\ DosBox says Directory C:\DosGames\ doesnt exist and I know it does why is it doing this?
My dosbox says that D: setup is an illegal command . why?
man this shits starting to piss me off i wanna play the damn game
hi, I have been trying many times but all not work.
1. I use Daemon Tools to create a virtual CD (F:)
2. I did step by step to set up the F disk as a CD.
3. Then I type as below;
“Z:\ mount F F:\ -t cdrom
Z:\ F:
F:\ setup”
It started to run installation but suddently the screen turned black with blue letters “crash . . . ”
please help me
So everything is working great for me and I decided to make that icon you suggested. I went into my Dosbox folder and looked for the dosbox.conf file, but found nothing like it. Any idea where it is hiding?
Alex of #147 try entering “D:” then pressing the Enter Key, then type “Setup” and press enter. Oh, and don’t add quotes. ” “
A second problem I have is during game play I must move the mouse a great distance to move the cursor. Any solution for this?
Just one question…. Will Warcraft II battle.net Edition work on vista?
i loved this game a long time ago, and was gonna buy it on Amazon, but I have Vista, so I wanted to make sure it would work on there before i wasted my money!
thanks!!!
Alex of 147
check what your cd drive is named under “My Computer”, mine is an , not a , so i suspect the case is the same for you
just change all the commands to whatever your cd drive letter is
to edit my previous post, (i didn’t realize brackets would make my letters invisible)
Alex of 147
check what your cd drive is named under “My Computer”, mine is an “E”, not a “D”, so i suspect the case is the same for you
just change all the “D” commands to whatever your cd drive letter is
I am very glad to have found this site, thank you for letting us old gamers play our beloved old games. I did run into a few little problems and would like to help out.
DOSBot has come out with a new version, 0.73, so some of the instructions need to be updated. The dosbot configuration file location has changed, as well as its name.
The config file is located (for XP at least) at: (Note, changes for each of us)
C:\Documents and Settings\\Local Settings\Application Data\DOSBox
And it is named:
dosbox-0.73.conf
I believe you have to have dosbot running for this file to exist.
Copy this file while the program is running, make the changes indicated in the original instructions (or the further changed instructions from post 38)
The original instructions indicate you should make a copy of the dosbot.exe file and put it on your desktop, this is incorrect, it’s not a “copy” but instead a “shortcut”. When you change the target of the shortcut, change it to:
“C:\Program Files\DOSBox-0.73\dosbox.exe” “C:\DOSGAMES\WAR2\WAR2.EXE” -conf “C:\DOSGAMES\WAR2\dosbox-0.73.conf” -exit -fullscreen
(the only changes from the original are the difference between v 0.72 and v 0.73)
Enjoy!
(Second post to fix bracket problem) I am very glad to have found this site, thank you for letting us old gamers play our beloved old games. I did run into a few little problems and would like to help out.
DOSBot has come out with a new version, 0.73, so some of the instructions need to be updated. The dosbot configuration file location has changed, as well as its name.
The config file is located (for XP at least) at: (Note, (USERNAME) changes for each user)
C:\Documents and Settings\(USERNAME)\Local Settings\Application Data\DOSBox
And it is named:
dosbox-0.73.conf
I believe you have to have dosbot running for this file to exist.
Copy this file while the program is running, make the changes indicated in the original instructions (or the further changed instructions from post 38)
The original instructions indicate you should make a copy of the dosbot.exe file and put it on your desktop, this is incorrect, it’s not a “copy” but instead a “shortcut”. When you change the target of the shortcut, change it to:
“C:\Program Files\DOSBox-0.73\dosbox.exe” “C:\DOSGAMES\WAR2\WAR2.EXE” -conf “C:\DOSGAMES\WAR2\dosbox-0.73.conf” -exit -fullscreen
(the only changes from the original are the difference between v 0.72 and v 0.73)
Enjoy!
Thanks to Stone Wolf for the update, but your thing isn’t quite working for me
When I get to the shortcut part, when I put in what you said I get an error message saying “The name “C:Program’ specified in the Target Box is not valid”
I think it recognizes the space as a new separate path, but taking away the space doesn’t work either
Sean,
Questions;
What operating system are you using?
Are you including the single quotation mark at the beginning of the text string?
What is the location of the original dosbot.exe?
@Sean – Make certain that your folder is actually in C:\Program\…etc. I run mine in a folder called oldgames, but it runs directly out of C:oldgames, even though my Dosbox(v.73) runs out of C:Programs\DOSBox 0.73. So my target reads “C:\Program Files\DOSBox-0.73\dosbox.exe” “C:\oldgames\WAR2\WAR2.EXE” – Note how there is no \Program Files\ in front of my \oldgames\WAR2\WAR2.exe – this problem messed me up when I was trying to find it – I changed the name of the DOSGames to oldgames OK but missed the Program part. I also forgot to change out the v0.72 for the 0.73 that I had, as I attempted to direct copy per the instructions.
After fiddling with it for about 45 minutes, I figured it out. Anyway, good luck with your problem and I hope this helps. Also – don’t forget to check spacing – that screwed me up too.
It’s not \-t cdrom, it’s \ -t cdrom, for example.
Now, if someone could just give me some hints about how to keep my music from jumping and hesitating, lol. Cya!
I am following the instructions, but when I mount the cdrom it does so, but it also says it has “limited support”. I am then unable to run the SETUP. Anyone able to help solve this problem?
I tried this methodand insted of fixing warcraft it now opens for about 4 seconds, tells me the copyright and the publication date, and then crashes. It then dosent go to any screen other than a black one with 2 command prompt lines unless I restart my computerthe propt lines are FOLDER/DSS.r/ED and PO/Ert.ORP/2
Hi,
Thanks for all helpfull advices, I have dug out my old Warcraft II cds and beautiful manual (paper not pdf! :)), installed it – however I have a small but annoying issue. Running Warcraft II: Beyond Dark Portal on Vista 64-bit – everything is OK but in a window mode. I have huge 24′ monitor so the game window is tiny. When I switch into full screen mode – the game starts to jiggle and no longer runs smoothly. I have played with core / cputype/ cycles a lot and nothing works. A kind of odd thing – in a window – perfect, full screen – crap. The only solution I have found is to change desktop resolution to 800×600 (which ususally meses my icons positions). Thanks in advance for any suggestions, if there is any solution. Cheers
Simple thing – output=overlay, sorted out the issue and made my life wonderful, again
hi everyone,
i play very well war2 ,but i can’t install de expansion..
i mount the cd image (f)
open the dosbox(o.73), mount f f:\, f: and install
after this a blue window opens to select destination directory,i put c:\war2 and give me a error “the path specified is not valid”..and i have this path,why don’t accpet?
other problem,i can´t play the maps i create,why?
thanks
Hy, i do all of the steps through the dosbox and the setup too, then autoplay opens and I press play and a black screen appears with dates and version. But then it simply closes and I can’t play? Why?
I don’t know what you guys are doing, but Warcraft II works great on XP without any additional tools. Hell, I even play it in XP x64, without a problem.
i play war2 very well,but i can’t install the expansion
After trying many tweaks, I finally got Warcraft 2 to work in Dosbox. I just had to skip the creating a shortcut/icon. However, I cannot install the expansion at all. I mount the C: drive with the directory that War2 is in. I also mount the CDRom. When I run the install for the expansion, it tells me that I have an incorrect or missing War2.exe. Any recommendations?
Hey guys, i got a big problem. I downloaded DOSbox, and it works well enough, but my problem is that my dosbox didn’t come with a .config file and now, sadly, i can’t seem to make a desktop icon, or even play WAR2 without reinstalling it every time. i even ran a system-wide search for the .config file and i don’t have one! anyweays can someone tell me what i should do please? or at least tell me what the command is to just launch the game without having to reinstall every time? thanks a lot
Hi,
I have the same problem with screen resolution as Ian described. It seems Ian found the solution – output=overlay. However, I dont understand it… :-( Can anybody help me?
Thanks.
I done everything, and i guess i did it right but now it jams when i write war2. it starts running but jams there, there reads
Hybrid
——
warcraft II from blizzard
—————–
cracked by …. cyber
supplied by … zeus
stripped by … zeus
packaged by … hoson
——————
read hybrid.info for more info
—————————-
grettings to: (etc…)
it has purple background
I’ve got a problem here. At the beggining, when I type “D:” and then “SETUP”, the program says: “This program cannont be run in DOS mode”.
Any advice about this would be really appreciated :)
Quick question.
I’ve followed the directions as followed for fixing the fact that it does not recognize a CD at times, but it still gives me the same error. I’ve rechecked it several times for error on my part.
Any advice on this would be appreciated.
Worked like a charm! Thanks Adam.
Hey, the advice worked fine, thanks! Just one problem, I tried to install the Expansion for Warcraft 2, and installation went on without any problems, except when I try playing it, it asks me for the CD, even if the CD is in the drive. Tried re-installing it, no luck either. Any idea what to do?
hey adam, I’ve got the same problem as Pete of 28 Feb 2008. everytime i type in SETUP it seems to know what to do but can’t as dosbox shows me a picture of a orc and a human and afterwords prints a lot of fat blue lines where the last one contains: “crash address (unrelocated) = 1:00003745″. i could still type in some new lines but have no clue what to type as it doesn’t seem to install warcraft 2..please help!
hi adam,
i installed dosbox,
but the game requires warcraft2 CD
i only have the warcraft2 in hard drive
any suggestion?
Hey Adam,
Thanks for the post. I have been wanting to place my old DOS games. Now I can.
Thanks again,
Brian
Hey Adam, Just thought you should know that there is now a newer dosbox DOSBox-0.74. so in the target line for the icon you need to modify the target to mirror the version of dosbox you have. Thanks. This is awesome.
One question, anyway to get the dosbox to go fullscreen? tiny screen not so fun. big screen lots o fun. thanks
Willy B push alt + enter to go into full screen mode. Enjoy
The icon it doesnt open War2 :( i cant get it to work :( is there another way to go into war2 without the setup again????
Please Help!
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It´s very easy to configure your netware server/client with DosBox:
*** in dosbox.conf, set the ipx attribute to ‘true’
*** to start your server, type in DosBox: ipxnet startserver
*** to connect in a server, type: ipxnet connect [host-IP] (you have to type the IP, not the IPX)
*** with a client, connect in a server with the instructions above
*** with the server, create a warcraft II multiplayer game.
*** with the client, join to the game
Have fun! (Sorry for the bad english, that´s not my native language)
if you have warcraft II only in Hard disk, do this:
*** copy all the warcraft II files to an folder
*** mount this folder in DosBox as a cdrom (Just type: mount d c:\dosgames\war2 -t cdrom)
*** play the game
Have fun! (Sorry for the bad english, that´s not my native language)
the files i mentioned above are the cd files
Thank you Adam! Took me back 15 year. Only the sound on Vista is distorted unless I disable “CD Audio”. Anyone else got this?
@Thorsten
To fix the sound problem run the SETUP app in the installed WAR2 folder and then change all to Soundblaster 16 (as Adam mentioned above on install). Seems to work for me (On Vista and 7). To do this – open up Dosbox, and run the following lines:
mount c: C\DOSGAMES\WAR2\
C:
SETUP
If you are using Dosbox 0.74, it allows you to emulate a pentium processor. Thus you don’t need to alter the cycles…
Open up dosbox 0.74 options and edit cputype=pentium_slow.
This has sorted the in game keyboard and mouse scroll, which is now an acceptable level(and performance is still adequate).
If like me you downloaded a version of the game. To play the pre-existing version of the game simply follow Adam’s instructions as above but leave out the mounting of the D: and the install step. Simply copy the game to a folder – I used C:\DOSGAMES\WAR2\
In the Dosbox 0.74 Options add the line:
mount c C:\DOSGAMES\WAR2\
Then before copying the icon – run the sound fix (mentioned at the top)
Then complete steps at the top.
Should work – any probs, give me a query
Thanks Adam – YOU ROCK DUDE
Thank you for the explanation Adam, my sister came at the house and she wanted to play a warcraft game like we used to back when we were kids. Took me a while to sort all the issues out but now it’s working!
Here are fixes for issues some of you guys may have encountered :
* If the game doesn’t recognize your cd, open the file WAR2.INI . There you should have (on first line for me) : cdpath=x:\ , with x being the letter you mounted your installation folder on; meaning if you wrote “mount d C:\DOSGAMES\WAR2\ -t cdrom” under the [autoexec] section in your dosbox.conf file, you should have cdpath=d:\ in your WAR2.INI file.
* For multiplayer, every player must edit his/her dosbox.conf file and have ipx=true under the [ipx] section (like David said on comment #185). If you’re hosting the game you have to type “ipxnet startserver” (without quotes) under the [autoexec] section in your dosbox.conf file, and if you’re joining you must type “ipxnet connect IP” (without quotes), IP being of course the IP of the host you’re connecting to. Keep in mind the one who has ipxnet startserver in his dosbox.conf is the one who must host the game.
This is the same than David’s explanation, except this way you only have to click on the shortcut made from Adam’s guide and you’re all set!
I wish you all have fun, and thanks again Adam!
hey there. ur guide was amazing and it helped me re live wen i was young and used to play this with my dad all the time. i have it all set and it all works with the icon. but i cant play it without installing it every time. is there a way around me having to install it over and over again?
Thanks alot man I had some bumps in the road here in there but the guide got me through and I can finally enjoy a game I havent been able to play in a decade and now I finally got it to a one click icon and its game time. great guide keep up the fine work