Running Windows Programs from Linux
Today you can
run many Windows software from Linux native using Wine or one of the many virtualization tools such as VMWare.
There are so many new developments regarding how to apply Wine to run Windows programs on Linux that we are now updating this entire page contents. In the mean time you may find it beneficial to visit: http://www.wine-reviews.net/ and
http://frankscorner.org/ for Wine help.
Many readers also found it helpful to first review our introductory article: Windows to Linux: A Hand Holding Guide.
This page is brought you by the folks at
Really Linux.
For those with
dual boot systems, this simple introductory article shows you a way to run a few of your basic
Windows programs from Linux. But there is much more and so please come back to re-read the revised article. This Tip is Rated Intermediate.
Free
Tool for running Windows Programs in Linux called WINE
WINE
is available for free download from the project website you can access by clicking here. (For Windows users, you should make sure to get in your
download the
three files needed for running WINE properly: winerpm, updated wine.conf,
user.dat file.)
A lot of work and
many hours of effort have paid off, and Linux users actually can
download and install a free emulator that runs many Windows
programs without any issue under Linux.
In some cases, you
do still need Windows installed on the same machine, since otherwise,
there is no way to "install" your Windows
software that sometimes may require a specific Windows install utility to run. Currently WINE is
tuned for Windows98 and Windows 2000 programs.
Wine Example
If
you've followed the very first step above and downloaded and
installed WINE on your Linux machine, then you are ready to try
running a Windows program from Linux.
Notice that this is just a very brief sample of how Wine can be used to run a basic Windows application. Details will be provided in our updated Wine page.
- Check to see
that the WINE program is truly installed by typing the
command: locate wine You should see a
list of files with WINE.
- Be sure you
have properly mounted your Windows drive. If you don't
know how then click here for
brief help.
- Edit the file
/etc/wine.conf by changing the line under [Drive
C] to read exactly: Path=/mnt/win
- Save the
edited wine.conf file and then make sure you also copy
the file user.dat to your Windows directory c:/windows/profiles/
- If you plan
on running a game or other program that uses your midi
then Linux midi-sequencer needs to be installed
- Now type: cd "/mnt/win/Program
Files/Accessories" then type: wine ./calc.exe
- This will run
Windows Calculator on your Linux! You can load any other
programs by using similar commands, adjusting
for directory names and file names as needed.
A few tips.
First of all disregard all of
the detailed error information that may be displayed while you
run Wine. Only on occasion do these error messages help you
troubleshoot why a program does not run under WINE.
Second, many programs will not
run properly under WINE unless your LINUX has been configured for
sound and graphics. There are lots of details to this we can not
explain breifly here. You can contact us or read up on details
from your Linux installation guide.
Finally, remember that you need to type the
commands exactly as they appear, for instance when using long
directory names you need to have begin and end "
marks. When you try to run a program you should include the
leading ./ infront of the executable program
name.
WINE Doesn't
Run What You Need
There are times when the application you wish to use requires more specific graphical or environment controls.
Although Wine is very capable with most applications, and the internet has a lot of good Wine resources, you may find the need to choose one of the other products that either
run Linux as a virtual machine, or create an emulation mode for running your application. We
recommend you review the following:VMWare and also Win4Lin websites. These companies
have made a lot of progress for folks like you!
MORE HELP PAGES
(Reallylinux site)