Hello, I have asked about this at the DOSBox forums; everyone was extremely kind, but nobody was able to figure out what to do. When I save my game after a time playing, the game will sometimes crash, stating that the problem is with gamedat:\nonfixed.dat, and I will either be able to load the save, or it will restore to the point I saved prior to the point before the crash. There are definitely files in the GAMEDAT folder; one NONFIXED.DAT, and one NONFIXED.$$$, long with other .DAT files (I did find out from the DOSBox forums that DOS error 2 is "file not found", but since the files are all there, especially . NONFIXED.DAT. This is the CD Hard Drive edition/Ultima Collection version. It also happens with the GoG version. My system specs is listed below:

Windows XP SP3
DOSBox 0.74
512 MB RAM
P4, 1.4Ghz
NVidia GeForce (BFG Tech) 6200 AGP 256 MB
HDD 80GB
Santa Cruz DLS Synth (from mixer /listmidi in DOSBox)

I don't seem to be able to post the screenshot of the error DOSBox generates when the game crashes, so I am posting it in text version here:

Filename =gamedat\nonfixed.dat
Mode =ReadWrite
Error =1910
DOS Error=0002
Source =None
Program halted by code.
Rest, Avatar...you will need it!

C:\ULTIMA8>

I have tried running the game at 12000 cycles (it would take longer to do so, but it still crashes), I have tried running it under DOSBox 0.73, and I have tried ctrl-alt-del to close non-essential programs, and nothing has worked. It was worse when I was running it under Munt, I would just lose the savegame entirely, so I uninstalled it completely. I am enclosing the text version of my DOSBox config file because I wasn't able to find a way to attach it; the message states "wrong file format" for both jpg and txt files. I apologize for the length of the post, I have tried to be as thorough as possible; if anyone needs any further information, please let me know, and thank you in advance to any who read and offer whatever help or suggestions, or whatever. Thank you very much.

EDIT: I may have to post the contents of the DOSBox config file separately, as I am having problems posting this with the contents listed in this post; I am sorry for not being able to include it in one post.

Dosbox-0.74.conf.txt part 1

# This is the configurationfile for DOSBox 0.74. (Please use the latest version of DOSBox)
# Lines starting with a # are commentlines and are ignored by DOSBox.
# They are used to (briefly) document the effect of each option.

[sdl]
# fullscreen: Start dosbox directly in fullscreen. (Press ALT-Enter to go back)
# fulldouble: Use double buffering in fullscreen. It can reduce screen flickering, but it can also result in a slow DOSBox.
# fullresolution: What resolution to use for fullscreen: original or fixed size (e.g. 1024x768).
# Using your monitor's native resolution with aspect=true might give the best results.
# If you end up with small window on a large screen, try an output different from surface.
# windowresolution: Scale the window to this size IF the output device supports hardware scaling.
# (output=surface does not!)
# output: What video system to use for output.
# Possible values: surface, overlay, opengl, openglnb, ddraw.
# autolock: Mouse will automatically lock, if you click on the screen. (Press CTRL-F10 to unlock)
# sensitivity: Mouse sensitivity.
# waitonerror: Wait before closing the console if dosbox has an error.
# priority: Priority levels for dosbox. Second entry behind the comma is for when dosbox is not focused/minimized.
# pause is only valid for the second entry.
# Possible values: lowest, lower, normal, higher, highest, pause.
# mapperfile: File used to load/save the key/event mappings from. Resetmapper only works with the defaul value.
# usescancodes: Avoid usage of symkeys, might not work on all operating systems.

fullscreen=true
fulldouble=false
fullresolution=720x480
windowresolution=original
output=surface
autolock=true
sensitivity=100
waitonerror=true
priority=higher,normal
mapperfile=mapper-0.74.map
usescancodes=true

[dosbox]
# language: Select another language file.
# machine: The type of machine tries to emulate.
# Possible values: hercules, cga, tandy, pcjr, ega, vgaonly, svga_s3, svga_et3000, svga_et4000, svga_paradise, vesa_nolfb, vesa_oldvbe.
# captures: Directory where things like wave, midi, screenshot get captured.
# memsize: Amount of memory DOSBox has in megabytes.
# This value is best left at its default to avoid problems with some games,
# though few games might require a higher value.
# There is generally no speed advantage when raising this value.

language=
machine=svga_s3
captures=capture
memsize=64

[render]
# frameskip: How many frames DOSBox skips before drawing one.
# aspect: Do aspect correction, if your output method doesn't support scaling this can slow things down!.
# scaler: Scaler used to enlarge/enhance low resolution modes.
# If 'forced' is appended, then the scaler will be used even if the result might not be desired.
# Possible values: none, normal2x, normal3x, advmame2x, advmame3x, advinterp2x, advinterp3x, hq2x, hq3x, 2xsai, super2xsai, supereagle, tv2x, tv3x, rgb2x, rgb3x, scan2x, scan3x.

frameskip=0
aspect=true
scaler=normal2x

[cpu]
# core: CPU Core used in emulation. auto will switch to dynamic if available and appropriate.
# Possible values: auto, dynamic, normal, simple.
# cputype: CPU Type used in emulation. auto is the fastest choice.
# Possible values: auto, 386, 386_slow, 486_slow, pentium_slow, 386_prefetch.
# cycles: Amount of instructions DOSBox tries to emulate each millisecond.
# Setting this value too high results in sound dropouts and lags.
# Cycles can be set in 3 ways:
# 'auto' tries to guess what a game needs.
# It usually works, but can fail for certain games.
# 'fixed #number' will set a fixed amount of cycles. This is what you usually need if 'auto' fails.
# (Example: fixed 4000).
# 'max' will allocate as much cycles as your computer is able to handle.
#
# Possible values: auto, fixed, max.
# cycleup: Amount of cycles to decrease/increase with keycombo.(CTRL-F11/CTRL-F12)
# cycledown: Setting it lower than 100 will be a percentage.

core=auto
cputype=auto
cycles= 12000
cycleup=10
cycledown=20

[mixer]
# nosound: Enable silent mode, sound is still emulated though.
# rate: Mixer sample rate, setting any device's rate higher than this will probably lower their sound quality.
# Possible values: 44100, 48000, 32000, 22050, 16000, 11025, 8000, 49716.
# blocksize: Mixer block size, larger blocks might help sound stuttering but sound will also be more lagged.
# Possible values: 1024, 2048, 4096, 8192, 512, 256.
# prebuffer: How many milliseconds of data to keep on top of the blocksize.

nosound=false
rate=44100
blocksize=1024
prebuffer=20

[midi]
# mpu401: Type of MPU-401 to emulate.
# Possible values: intelligent, uart, none.
# mididevice: Device that will receive the MIDI data from MPU-401.
# Possible values: default, win32, alsa, oss, coreaudio, coremidi, none.
# midiconfig: Special configuration options for the device driver. This is usually the id of the device you want to use.
# See the README/Manual for more details.

mpu401=intelligent
mididevice=win32
midiconfig=0

[sblaster]
# sbtype: Type of Soundblaster to emulate. gb is Gameblaster.
# Possible values: sb1, sb2, sbpro1, sbpro2, sb16, gb, none.
# sbbase: The IO address of the soundblaster.
# Possible values: 220, 240, 260, 280, 2a0, 2c0, 2e0, 300.
# irq: The IRQ number of the soundblaster.
# Possible values: 7, 5, 3, 9, 10, 11, 12.
# dma: The DMA number of the soundblaster.
# Possible values: 1, 5, 0, 3, 6, 7.
# hdma: The High DMA number of the soundblaster.
# Possible values: 1, 5, 0, 3, 6, 7.
# sbmixer: Allow the soundblaster mixer to modify the DOSBox mixer.
# oplmode: Type of OPL emulation. On 'auto' the mode is determined by sblaster type. All OPL modes are Adlib-compatible, except for 'cms'.
# Possible values: auto, cms, opl2, dualopl2, opl3, none.
# oplemu: Provider for the OPL emulation. compat might provide better quality (see oplrate as well).
# Possible values: default, compat, fast.
# oplrate: Sample rate of OPL music emulation. Use 49716 for highest quality (set the mixer rate accordingly).
# Possible values: 44100, 49716, 48000, 32000, 22050, 16000, 11025, 8000.

sbtype=sb16
sbbase=220
irq=7
dma=1
hdma=5
sbmixer=true
oplmode=auto
oplemu=default
oplrate=44100

[gus]
# gus: Enable the Gravis Ultrasound emulation.
# gusrate: Sample rate of Ultrasound emulation.
# Possible values: 44100, 48000, 32000, 22050, 16000, 11025, 8000, 49716.
# gusbase: The IO base address of the Gravis Ultrasound.
# Possible values: 240, 220, 260, 280, 2a0, 2c0, 2e0, 300.
# gusirq: The IRQ number of the Gravis Ultrasound.
# Possible values: 5, 3, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12.
# gusdma: The DMA channel of the Gravis Ultrasound.
# Possible values: 3, 0, 1, 5, 6, 7.
# ultradir: Path to Ultrasound directory. In this directory
# there should be a MIDI directory that contains
# the patch files for GUS playback. Patch sets used
# with Timidity should work fine.

gus=false
gusrate=44100
gusbase=240
gusirq=5
gusdma=3
ultradir=C:\ULTRASND

[speaker]
# pcspeaker: Enable PC-Speaker emulation.
# pcrate: Sample rate of the PC-Speaker sound generation.
# Possible values: 44100, 48000, 32000, 22050, 16000, 11025, 8000, 49716.
# tandy: Enable Tandy Sound System emulation. For 'auto', emulation is present only if machine is set to 'tandy'.
# Possible values: auto, on, off.
# tandyrate: Sample rate of the Tandy 3-Voice generation.
# Possible values: 44100, 48000, 32000, 22050, 16000, 11025, 8000, 49716.
# disney: Enable Disney Sound Source emulation. (Covox Voice Master and Speech Thing compatible).

pcspeaker=true
pcrate=44100
tandy=auto
tandyrate=44100
disney=true

[joystick]
# joysticktype: Type of joystick to emulate: auto (default), none,
# 2axis (supports two joysticks),
# 4axis (supports one joystick, first joystick used),
# 4axis_2 (supports one joystick, second joystick used),
# fcs (Thrustmaster), ch (CH Flightstick).
# none disables joystick emulation.
# auto chooses emulation depending on real joystick(s).
# (Remember to reset dosbox's mapperfile if you saved it earlier)
# Possible values: auto, 2axis, 4axis, 4axis_2, fcs, ch, none.
# timed: enable timed intervals for axis. Experiment with this option, if your joystick drifts (away).
# autofire: continuously fires as long as you keep the button pressed.
# swap34: swap the 3rd and the 4th axis. can be useful for certain joysticks.
# buttonwrap: enable button wrapping at the number of emulated buttons.

joysticktype=auto
timed=true
autofire=false
swap34=false
buttonwrap=false

[serial]
# serial1: set type of device connected to com port.
# Can be disabled, dummy, modem, nullmodem, directserial.
# Additional parameters must be in the same line in the form of
# parameter:value. Parameter for all types is irq (optional).
# for directserial: realport (required), rxdelay (optional).
# (realport:COM1 realport:ttyS0).
# for modem: listenport (optional).
# for nullmodem: server, rxdelay, txdelay, telnet, usedtr,
# transparent, port, inhsocket (all optional).
# Example: serial1=modem listenport:5000
# Possible values: dummy, disabled, modem, nullmodem, directserial.
# serial2: see serial1
# Possible values: dummy, disabled, modem, nullmodem, directserial.
# serial3: see serial1
# Possible values: dummy, disabled, modem, nullmodem, directserial.
# serial4: see serial1
# Possible values: dummy, disabled, modem, nullmodem, directserial.

Dosbox-0.74.conf.txt part 2

serial1=dummy
serial2=dummy
serial3=disabled
serial4=disabled

[dos]
# xms: Enable XMS support.
# ems: Enable EMS support.
# umb: Enable UMB support.
# keyboardlayout: Language code of the keyboard layout (or none).

xms=true
ems=false
umb=true
keyboardlayout=auto

[ipx]
# ipx: Enable ipx over UDP/IP emulation.

ipx=false

[autoexec]
# Lines in this section will be run at startup.
# You can put your MOUNT lines here.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how I could have posted this differently? I wasn't able to put this all in one post, and am open to any suggestions, and appreciate any help on the crashing problem. Thank you!

I wouldn't know how to solve that for you, but I do know that Pentagram always works fine for me.
Pentagram is an engine to run Ultima 8 in Windows.
I've played through Ultima 8 many times using it and don't remember running into any bugs.
If you'd like to try it out, you can download it here:

http://pentagram.sourceforge.net/download.php

I've been considering that, but was put off by its seeming complexity. I will give it a try, and thank you. :-)

If anyone has any thoughts or ideas or any help on the DOSBox issue, it would be appreciated.

Not sure if that helps, but your dosbox settings differ from the ones supplied by GOG (in particular, memsize and core). Do you experience the same problems when using the settings that came with the installer? While it's not too likely, some games crash with a particular dosbox configuration that they don't like.

Yes, I mentioned it also happening with the GoG version near the end of the paragraph in my first post (or "book" considering how long it was). I imagine a new comp might be better, but I can't afford one now.

I think you can try three things: 1) disable music and sound in the game and see if the problem is still there 2) adjust dosbox settings as suggested here:
[url=https://www.dosbox.com/wiki/GAMES:Ultima_VIII:_Pagan]https://www.dosbox.com/wiki/GAMES:Ultima_VIII:_Pagan[/url]
in particular disable ems, umb and limit memsize to 16, also experimenting with core and cycles might help 3) check whether saving works in a fresh game (there might be a savegame corruption with your current game which causes problems).

The game looks nice in a window with a higher resolution, but sadly the font is unreadably small. Is there a way to increase the font? ttf=yes helps, but it's still quite tiny.

I do remember seeing this site, and have tried these settings, except I always keep ems=false and it was worse on my comp when disabling umb. My system is too slow to increase the cycles beyond what I already have, and using those settings, it still resulted in the same crash, but it took longer to do so. Thank you for your help, and thanks to those who posted with suggestions, etc.

stryx, you must press F4 to get the game to display full screen to read the font.

Pentagram seems to work, but I have to start from the very beginning. Oh, well.

I don't know unfortunately. Perhaps try what Diamondfist recommends?
I love Pentagram, but yeah, I kinda wish it had more options.

I believe you! It's just that it'd have been less of a headache for regular users if they could change things through an in-game options menu.
But I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. :P I'm grateful for its existence.