Versions of Windows best for DOS games

[Amats]

Basically I was just wondering, at what point did Windows require special installation procedures to install DOS games?  I have several fairly new computers which either they are a pain to install and don't always reliably play or my newest one they won't install at all.  Im looking around for a 486 computer to put on an old DOS version of windows because they played well on it.

[BC_Programmer]

DOS games never ran well under windows...

[Amats]

I guess I'll just try Windows 95 & 98, it seemed like there were no problems running them back then.

[quaxo]

You could try using DOSBox on your existing machine. Works great for playing old DOS games that don't run properly in Windows on XP/Vista.

[Cityscape]

Windows 95 would be the best version of Windows (that can run a moderately recent computer) for running DOS games. Windows 95 can run almost any DOS program fairly well. Windows 95 can also boot in DOS Mode (98 can too) specially for running DOS programs. Windows 3.1 and 98 would also work for what your doing but I would choose 95. I'm actually about to set it up for my own DOS games.

Windows 95 was designed to be maximally compatible with existing MS-DOS and 16-bit Windows applications and device drivers

Windows 95 incorporated MS-DOS into a consolidated operating system...

[Geek-9pm]

DOS games never ran well under windows...

They ran slower, which allows me to sometimes win. 

[Cityscape]

They ran slower, which allows me to sometimes win. 

haha. but what do you mean slower?
I run my DOS games in Windows 98SE Dos mode and I don't notice any speed differences (like I did when i ran em in a VM).

[BC_Programmer]

Windows 98SE "DOS mode" is DOS, not windows. therefore it isn't running under windows at all, but pure DOS.