DosBox Debugger Commands

When working with the DosBox debugger, it is essential to understand the various commands available and how they can be used effectively. One of the most important aspects of these commands is the way they handle numerical values.

The numbers used in any DEBUG command are understood as hexadecimal only. This means that when entering a value, it should be written in its hexadecimal format. For example, if you want to specify a value of 100, you would enter '31' instead of '100'.

Another important aspect is the way commands handle line breaks. Some commands, such as FILL (f), may require you to press the Enter key after entering the command, while others, like ENTER (e), may allow you to list multiple bytes on a single line before pressing Enter.

The DEBUG command also provides various ways to specify memory locations. One method is by using Segment:Offset pairs, where the segment and offset are separated by a colon. For example, 'CS:12' or 'SS:0'. Another method is to enter the full Segment:Offset location using either all hex numbers or substituting the name of a segment register for an offset.

The debugger provides various options for working with memory locations. The 'R' command allows you to search for a specific value in memory, while 'S' enables range listing and tracing. The 'T' command allows you to step through code, and the 'U' command enables unassembly of memory locations. The 'W' command writes data to memory.

Other commands include 'I' for input, 'L' for load, 'M' for move, 'N' for name, 'O' for output, 'P' for proceed, and 'Q' for quit. The '?' command provides a list of available options and their meanings.

In addition to these basic commands, there are several more advanced commands that can be used in the debugger. These include 'A' for assemble, 'C' for compare, 'D' for dump, 'E' for enter, 'F' for fill, 'G' for go, and 'H' for hex. The '2's Complement' option is also available when using the 'H' command.

For a complete list of debugger commands and their meanings, you can refer to the documentation provided with DosBox or consult online resources. With practice and familiarity with these commands, you will be able to effectively use the DosBox debugger to debug and troubleshoot your programs.

Dosbox debugger commands