Assumptions

-You're using Linux ;)
-You have an existing windows partition
-You know how to, or already have your windows partition mounted
-You want to use one of your Window$ programs while running Linux

One of the first things that will happen while you learn to use Linux, is you'll say to yourself "I wish there was a Linux version of..." You may not need to wish any longer. Now, I'm not saying that there is a version of that program, but, there is a program that is just as good usually. It's called WINE, and it might make all those wishes come true.

One of the first things you should know about WINE is that it's not perfect, but then what program is? However, WINE is under constant development and continues to improve with every release.

The First thing you'll want to do is get the program and get it installed. So, that's what we'll cover first. The Second thing we'll cover is configuration. And the Third thing we'll talk about is how to use it. Now that that's out of the way, go get it now!

Downloading WINE

You'll need to point your browser over to http://www.winehq.com, then click on the Download link. You'll be taken to a page, that is essentially a links page to download locations for WINE. Just pick one and get your copy downloaded. Install instructions can also be found at the download sites, and you'll definetly want to read through them just to be safe.

Installing WINE

I'm not going to cover installing WINE. Installation instructions are available on the download pages, and will vary according to whether you've downloaded the tarball, RPM, or CVS. Personally, I always use RPM's when I can get them, they're easier to work with, in my opinion, but you should use whatever you feel comfortable with, be it RPM, tarball, or CSV.

Configure WINE

Once you have WINE installed, you'll need to edit the wine.conf file so it knows how to do its' thing. The wine.conf file can be found in /etc/wine. Just open it up in the text editor of your choice, and locate the section that looks like:

[Drive A]
Path=/mnt/fd0
Type=floppy
Label=Floppy
Serial=87654321
Device=/dev/fd0

[Drive C]
Path=/c
Type=hd
Label=MS-DOS
Filesystem=win95

[Drive D]
Path=/cdrom
Type=cdrom
Label=CD-Rom
Filesystem=win95
; make sure that device is correct and has proper permissions !
Device=/dev/cdrom

You see the first line in each entry that begins with Path=? You'll need to edit this line to match your real system paths. For instance, on my machine, I would change the paths to point to:

[Drive A]
Path=/mnt/floppy

[Drive C]
Path=/mnt/windows

[Drive D]
Path=/mnt/cdrom

If you're not sure what your paths should read, take look in your /etc/fstab file. The middle column will list the correct paths to use for each device. While you have the file open, it is a good idea to make sure you have your windows partition mounted as rw, instead of ro. These are the only changes that really have to be made right now. There are other changes you can make to the file after you become more familiar with WINE and your system, but we won't worry about those right now. Right now, we just want to get it working so we can use it. Once you've made the changes to the wine.conf file, save them out and read the next section.

Program Compatibility

At http://www.winehq.com/Apps/query.cgi you can find a list of all the windows programs people have been able to run under WINE, but, the best way to find out if a program will run under WINE, is to just try it. Sometimes compatible programs won't run, sometimes programs thought not to be compatible, will run. Just try it. You won't break anything. :)

Using WINE

Using WINE is easy, but you need to have a terminal session open. There is no nice GUI for running WINE. WINE seems to work best when you're logged into the directory holding the program .exe file. Let's say you want to run your copy of Agent which is in your windows partition, and you're currently logged into your home directory. All you need to do is change to the directory that holds the .exe file for the program you want to run.

Like: $ cd "/Program Files/Agent/"

Just remember to use the same path you used in the wine.conf file. Now that you are in the correct directory, just type:
wine agent.exe

It can take a little while for WINE to do it's thing and start the program. WINE usually takes about 30 seconds to load Agent on my system, so just be patient. It might take a little bit to load your program. You can also ignore any error messages you get, for now. If the program is going to run, it's going to run. If it's not, it will tell you. If it worked, congratulations! If it didn't, check the application database at winehq. You might need a different version of the program, older or newer, before you can use it under Linux.

Tips

The best tip I can share with you is, make sure your windows partition is mounted as rw (read/write) and not as ro (read only).

Good luck, have fun, and don't be afraid to experiment with the wine.conf file. You won't destroy your machine or anything like that. The very worst thing that will happen, is you'll have to reinstall WINE.


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