Mouse Capture Issue in Windows 98 SE and Windows XP

[CSGitHub2000]

Question

DosBox-X Version: 20240702 Windows 64 Build
Host OS: Windows 11 23H2
Guest OS: Windows 98 SE and Windows XP Pro SP3 (32-Bit)
Mouse: Logitech M220

Problem: Mouse seems to be stuck on top or left of guest OS and won't move freely. Mouse speed seems to be extremely fast. However, even if I move slowly, the cursor will still only glide across the top or left of the screen.

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[Torinde]

Wow, how did you manage to install XP SP3?

@BridgeHeadland managed to install XP SP2, but there are problems with SP3.

And maybe he can help about the mouse (or you can check his settings at the link above and at #4907) - I don't remember him complaining about it

[CSGitHub2000]

Wow, how did you manage to install XP SP3?

@BridgeHeadland managed to install XP SP2, but there are problems with SP3.

And maybe he can help about the mouse (or you can check his settings at the link above and at #4907) - I don't remember him complaining about it

I started with the default dosbox-x.conf that's bundled with the build package. Then I made all conf modifications below using the Configuration Editor.

I used nathanpbutler's conf for Windows 2K Install (#3538) below.

[sdl]
autolock=true
output=openglpp

[dosbox]
title=Windows 2000
memsize=128

[video]
vmemsize=8
vesa modelist width limit=0
vesa modelist height limit=0

[dos]
ver=7.10
lfn=auto
hard drive data rate limit=0
floppy drive data rate limit=0

[vsync]
vsyncmode = on
vsyncrate = 60

[voodoo]
voodoo_card   = software
voodoo_maxmem = true
glide         = true
lfb           = full_noaux
splash        = true

[cpu]
cputype=ppro_slow
core=dynamic_rec
cycles=max

[sblaster]
sbtype=sb16vibra

[fdc, primary]
int13fakev86io=false

[ide, primary]
int13fakeio=true
int13fakev86io=false

[ide, secondary]
int13fakeio=true
int13fakev86io=false
cd-rom insertion delay=4000

[render]
scaler=none

[autoexec]
imgmount c hdd.img -t hdd -ide 1m

Along with the additional configuration mentioned by BridgeHeadland.

I have finally succeeded to installing Windows XP in DOSBox-X. I used nathanpbutler's config, plus I set the version value to 8.0, the machine value to svga_s3trio64v+, all the serial and parallel values ​​to disabled, and the dongle value to false.

And 2 small personalized modifications below:

vmemsize=16
memsize=512

Then used the following boot disk image.

And the following WinXP ISO.

After that I just follow these steps.

1. Mount the bootdisk as drive A and boot to the drive.
2. Run "SYS C:"
3. Restart.
4. Mount WinXP ISO (may want to keep this mounted the whole time).
5. Boot to C:
6. XCOPY <CD_DRIVE:\I386> <C:\I386> /i /e /h /s (May have to do this several time, there's some sort of file copy limitation in DOXBOX-X. Do Skip All if prompted to Overwrite).
7. Run "<CD_DRIVE:\I386\WINNT>" and put "C:\I386" when asked.
8. Then just follow the install and keep doing "Boot C:" when setup restart.

That's it.

Note: The install process takes a LONG time. I would turn on show Cycle and RT in title to make sure the setup is still running. Mine took almost 2 days!!

[CSGitHub2000]

On a side notes, I'd be interested to know if there's a way to achieve the following two as well.

1. Disable Floppy Controller - Somehow even after I disabled floppy in dosbox-x.conf, it still shows up in device manager.
2. Get Network Emulation - NE2000 doesn't seem to work.

[Torinde]

Thank you very much for sharing that!

Mine took almost 2 days!!

Many people won't be so patient and may give up earlier, so it helps that you mention it!

[BridgeHeadland]

@CSGitHub2000 Thank you! I'll have to try that sometime, but there's something I need to know first.
What is the desktop background of the Windows XP that you installed and do you get to Windows Explorer (open a window) in any way? If you are unable to get to Windows Explorer what ever you do, and your desktop background is blue, you probably did not install any Service Pack during the OS installation. That's what happened to me when I installed Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 with SP3.

[CSGitHub2000]

@CSGitHub2000 Thank you! I'll have to try that sometime, but there's something I need to know first. What is the desktop background of the Windows XP that you installed and do you get to Windows Explorer (open a window) in any way? If you are unable to get to Windows Explorer what ever you do, and your desktop background is blue, you probably did not install any Service Pack during the OS installation. That's what happened to me when I installed Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 with SP3.

@BridgeHeadland I got Windows Explorer and XP background. Both working without issue.

Below is a screenshot. The reason for the blue background is because I changed it to reduce load time.

[BridgeHeadland]

At last I succeeded installing Service Pack 3 for Windows XP too, I actually installed SP3 in the VHD file with the Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 I installed a while ago, it was enough to set cputype to ppro_slow and cycles to max, which in my case is 70 Mhz, since my basic speed of my PC device is 3.8 Ghz. I can also see that @CSGitHub2000 have a speed in WXP is 69 Mhz, which is also a perfect speed for SP3. It seems like the speed can't be too high if you're going to install SP3, and in DOSBox-X's case, WXP's base speed must be around 3Ghz somewhere, or more, with 3.8Ghz being the slowest I know about which can run WXP with SP3 via DOSBox-X, without it crashing.
It doesn't matter what version of WXP you install, what CD or ISO you use to install, and how you install, as well as how you create VHDs or IMGs, and how you format them, before you install SP3, I understood that at this day. 😊

[Torinde]

@BridgeHeadland, great news!

Do you experience the same mouse issue from the OP?

[CSGitHub2000]

At last I succeeded installing Service Pack 3 for Windows XP too, I actually installed SP3 in the VHD file with the Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 I installed a while ago, it was enough to set cputype to ppro_slow and cycles to max, which in my case is 70 Mhz, since my basic speed of my PC device is 3.8 Ghz. I can also see that @CSGitHub2000 have a speed in WXP is 69 Mhz, which is also a perfect speed for SP3. It seems like the speed can't be too high if you're going to install SP3, and in DOSBox-X's case, WXP's base speed must be around 3Ghz somewhere, or more, with 3.8Ghz being the slowest I know about which can run WXP with SP3 via DOSBox-X, without it crashing. It doesn't matter what version of WXP you install, what CD or ISO you use to install, and how you install, as well as how you create VHDs or IMGs, and how you format them, before you install SP3, I understood that at this day. 😊

@BridgeHeadland I do want to add that I think how you formatted the HDD does matter. I tried booting to 98SE boot disk and then performed an FDISK followed by a FORMAT as well as just a simple FORMAT. Both failed the setup process early on.

I am still having issue with mouse, the NIC and the FDC though.

A screenshot of the FDC that just won't disappear.

[BridgeHeadland]

@CSGitHub2000 When I said it didn't matter how you formatted the HDD, I only meant it when it came to installing SP3, but I believe you about the mouse, NIC and FDC issues. How do I format the HDD? I create a VHD file from Disk Manager (OS I use is Windows 11), it's 32000MB, aka 31.25GB, I initialize it, avoid formatting it so it stays raw. To install Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows Server 2003, I mount the VHD file as drive 2 (for example "imgmount 2 hdd_xp.vhd -t hdd -fs none -ide 1m"), mount the ISO file as drive D (for example "imgmount d en_winxp_mce_2005_cd1.iso -t iso -fs iso -ide 2m"), and write "boot -el-torito d:", during the first step of the installation (the blue one; under WINNT.EXE) , I format the HDD to NTFS - not quick formatting, and my mouse works perfect, but it isn't every time it would work at all.
Do you set autolock to true and auxdevice to intellimouse45? I do.

@Torinde I don't know what the OP stands for, but I don't experience so many mouse issues, at least not more than before.
As you can see in the picture below, I can after all run Windows XP via DOSBox-X with Service Pack 3, Pentium 3, 70 Mhz and 512 MB. Pentium 3 was not an obstacle to install Service Pack 3 (not 100% sure about the hertz emulation), it was the battery icon. When I run DOSBox-X, at least when I run WXP, it's purely random whether DOSBox-X wants to emulate a desktop PC (plug icon) or a laptop PC (battery icon), instead of DOSBox-X automatically choose whether it will behave as a desktop or a laptop, we should rather be able to choose between auto, desktop or notebook as value alternatives to - should you call it pctype or something?
What I did to run WXP with both Pentium 3 and SP3 at the same time? I set memsize to 512, vmemsize to 16, rdtsc rate to 70168, cputype to pentium_iii (of course), and cycles to 3800000 (as usual).
I was able to update Windows Media to KB2378111, I still can't update WXP to more than KB898461, and I tried updating to KB946648, which is the then next update. I have not been able to update .NetFx35 at all. I could install Internet Explorer 8, and Windows Media Player 11 too, even Windows Media File 11 - I don't remember if there was a number there or not, but it is most likely version 11. None of the updates for Internet Explorer 8 can be installed, but all the updates for Windows Media Player 11 can.
I tried LegacyUpdate 1.9, but it wouldn't download/install the Windows Update Agent (I don't know if LegacyUpdate requires internet), which is the first thing LegacyUpdate 1.9 tries to download/install. If it is the case that there are several versions of WUA, then it is the latest version LegacyUpdate 1.9 tries to install, perhaps this WUA version is too new for DOSBox-X, as of today I mean.
I haven't been able to install Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition with SP2 yet, although I'm trying the same configuration, I have also tried to double rdtsc rate to 140336. It has occurred to me that DOSBox-X does not, or very rarely, emulates a desktop PC as long as I don't run a single operating system in an image file, so am now downloading the RTM version of WS2K3DCE, the one without the Service Pack (SP0), then install SP2 afterwards, if the plug icon (desktop) appears, and not the battery icon (notebook).

Edit: This comment has been updated. It took me over a week to edit it because I was burned out for days.
Regarding Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition without Service Pack, I could actually install it, but installing Service Pack 2 after that, with the plug icon on the taskbar instead of the battery icon, I wasn't able to install it. I received an error message that Service Pack 2 was not qualified by the hardware vendor for installation on this copy of Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Server, and that one would need to contact the hardware vendor for more information about obtaining another SP2 that is qualified for the system configuration. I don't know what needs to be reconfigured. I doubt if the cycles need to be increased, considering that I could not install Service Pack 3 for Windows XP with 3.8 GHz. I even increased to 733 MHz (734000) before trying to install SP2 again and that didn't work either. When I thinking of it, I don't think video memory has anything to do with SPX, but I'm not sure, I'm now using 16 in video memory instead of 65536. From what I've heard, you have to have very high RAM (memsize), and as of today it stops at 3.5 MB (3584), at least in my PC's case.

[CSGitHub2000]

@BridgeHeadland I never tried your method with the VHDs. May give it a try later. I basically just use the built-in image creator in DosBox-X to create a 4G image and if I format this image using the 98ME boot disk, WinXP setup will fail. If I try to format it to NTFS, it'll fail as well. That's all I know.

For the mouse, I did set autolock but type is set to Intellimouse instead of Intellimouse45. I don't think that's the issue though. All I get when I click in the GuestOS is a mouse that's stuck on the top of the screen when I move horizontal and left of the screen when I move vertical. However, if I run the instance in an older computer, say 4th gen i7, mouse works fine. Can't figure out why.