How do I use DOSBox to run Advantage Plus?

Note: The NEW Advantage GOLD program is Windows based and will run without DOSBox. The best solution is to purchase Advantage Gold (or a $30 upgrade for Advantage Gold if you already own Advantage Plus).

Running Advantage Plus with DOSBox is now easier than ever! Just install the latest version of the program, and it will automatically do everything for you - no extra steps needed! Our new install file for Advantage Plus automatically installs and configures DOSBox if your operating system needs to use it. This version also has a starter program that allows you to update history, view the manual and quick start guide, change window size settings, and more. The new version fixes the previous issues with printing in DOSBox and connecting to the Wheel Gold and FFWG programs.

Download the LATEST VERSION OF Advantage Plus here. With this version, there are no extra setup steps required.

Advantage Plus and the older Smart Luck DOS wheel programs use DOSBox to run in 64-bit Windows. Dosbox is an open source, free, DOS Emulator program.

Manual DOSBox Setup Instructions: (Not Needed if you install current version)

If you are trying to install an older version of Advantage Plus from a CD, and you want to follow the manual instructions for setting up DOSBox, here are the old instructions. If you install from our current download file, you do not need to follow these steps because the steps are automatically done.

1. Install Dosbox

Go to this page and install the newest version by clicking the Download button and then Windows. Follow through the screens during installation. It's not difficult.

2. Install the Smart Luck Programs

a) Easiest Way: If you still have access to a 32-bit machine where the programs are installed, the easiest way to install to a new machine is to copy the installed folder on the existing machine to a usb flash drive, then copy the folder on the flash to the c-drive on your 64-bit computer. To do that, open Computer or "My Computer" and locate the drive and folder. Insert your flash drive into the USB port, then right click on the folder and choose "send to". Then choose the drive letter of your flash drive as the destination. That will copy the entire folder into a folder on the flash drive. Take this to your new computer; explore or browse the flash drive, then drag the folder and drop it on the c drive. That will install everything just like it was on your old machine.

b) a Bit More Involved: The Smart Luck CD will refuse to install any of the DOS programs on a 64-bit windows operating system. However, you can go to www.smartluck.com and install them directly from our web sit using the serial numbers and installation keys you have or you can install them directly from the CD as follows:

Close the Setup program, then open Computer and right-click on the Smart Luck Install CD and choose "Explore" or "Browse" or "Open Folder" depending on which options are available.
Open "Programs" folder and click on aplus355.exe to install Advantage Plus, or one of the wheel programs for which you have the serial number and installation key. It will also warn you about the 64-bit windows but it will still install if you click YES. If your cd version does not show the option, then you would need to get a new cd or install the files from our web site here.

3. Configure Dosbox to Run Advantage Plus and Make a Shortcut.

Run Dosboxlinks.exe to make and configure the shortcuts to run Advantage Plus and to do the printing. Of course, you will have to allow this program to run and bypass any warnings you get about this being harmful to your computer.

4. Printing from Dosbox.

Advantage Plus can now print from DOSBox. Install the new version for printing access.

Old Printing Instructions:

Dosbox does not connect to any printers and is not able to start a windows program. The net result is that programs running in Dosbox cannot print to a printer. However, they can easily print to a file.

To print Advantage Plus charts (or wheels from the DOS wheel programs), for example, press F2-Print, press 'f' to print to a file, type f for the file name and press ENTER. If the file already exists, it will ask if you want to Replace the file or Append to it. Type R or A.

When you are ready to send that file, f, to the printer, click on the Print F shortcut icon made in step 3 or press CTRL+ALT+p (That's press and hold down the CTRL key and at the same time, the ALT key to the left of the space bar, then press the letter p. It's definitely a two handed operation but not that difficult and is close to the Windows standard CTRL+p for printing and so should be fairly easy to remember). All charts in the file will then print. To avoid re-printing the same pages next time, be sure to select R to Replace the file when it asks.

5. DOSBox Limitations.

Advantage Plus can now connect to other Smart Luck programs in 64-bit. Install the new version for this capability.

Old instructions:

DOSbox has just one essential limitation - it does not allow DOS programs to start windows programs directly. You can still use Windows programs outside of DOSBox at the same time, since DOSBox is in its own window, but the inability to directly start a Windows program has an effect on printing and on connecting to other Smart Luck programs.

The printing problem is resolved by using the steps in 4 above.

There is no easy solution at this time for allowing Advantage Plus, for example, to start Wheel Gold or Filtering Full Wheel Generator programs. This is the normal behavior to send Smart Picks to a wheel program. In Advantage Plus, when you go to the Smart Picks Screen, Chart W, and press F7-Wheel, Advantage Plus will attach the smart picks to the currently selected history file, then it makes a temporary file which contains the selected Smart Picks and tries to call the wheel program passing the name of that file as a parameter. The wheel program will fail to start, but the Smart Picks will end up in the history file and will be visible to the windows wheeling programs in the history file. These will show as FILL WITH options. In essence, the functionality is not lost when using DOSbox, though the direct use of the function key doesn't work.

More DOSBox Help