Can I run a specialty program already installed on Windows

I have installed Zorin 8.1 dual boot with a USB Live drive on my Acer Aspire One netbook. Can I run a specialty program already installed on Windows XP or do I need to re-install that program under Zorin with PlayOnLinux and Wine. If so what about the specialty program's data files on Windows?

Also, once I have booted up on Zorin what happens if I remove the USB flash drive?

Thanks,
Jerry

I am still little unsure how Wine behaves when using a USB dual boot. It depends on what type USB
installation you have and what kind of Windows software you want to run. Here are my best gesshes and
test results how it will work. If you have a non persistent USB installation you may run .exe files that need
not to be installed before running. Wine will only run the executable file and that's it. This is how it works
also if you have a persistent USB os.

If the software needs to be installed before running, so you have to use a persistent USB installation
and make the installation partly to the persistent Casper R/W file in the USB and partly to the HDD to run
it in Wine. I believe that Windows installation program will do it in PlayOnLinux/Wine. I do not believe that
Wine can run a software from Windows program folders directly in this case. I have limited experience of
the use of Wine due to I have Windows 7 installed to run all Windows software when needed. This is however
the way that you could try if it works for you.

Here are also some test results. I tried to make a Windows application installation from PlayOnLinux and
from Winetrix and both worked ok. Both started also after shut down nicely from USB drive. It seems to be so
that PlayOnLinux makes a folder to the Home directory to the HDD to install the windows software there
and only some settings or start data is stored to USB persistent memory. Same with Winetriks. This means
that the Windows software installation is not transferable with USB to an other computer. It works only in that
computer where it has been installed and can be started in Linux using that persistent USB installation.

PlayOnLinux is a user friendly interface to make the installations and uninstallations. If you have lot of
Windows software that you want to use so my suggestion is that you run those in xp or make a dual boot
system to your hard drive to run Windows software in Zorin using PlayOnLinux/Wine. USB installation or some
Linux os might not be at all the best solution to run many Windows applications that needs to be re-installed.

I made a short test what will work in a persistent USB drive installation. Here are the results:

- From Windows program folder I started "Notepad, Wordpad and Write.exe" and all worked ok. with Wine.
- From my external HDD I started from downloads folder "Universal USB Installer" and it started ok. with Wine.
- From Winetrix I installed a game "Plants vs. Zombies" and it worked ok.
- From PlayOnLinux I installed "Windows Paint" and it worked ok.

I tried to install also short cuts to the desktop to start the programs. All other than those from Windows
program folder did start from the shortcuts. However those could be started from " Zorin menu/Recent
items" selecting "Open with" and then "Wine Windows Program loader" option.

There is in the PlayOnLinux a selection to "Install a non-listed program" to install programs that is not
listed in the selection menus. That option I did not try, but everything else seems to work ok.
All installations was there after shut down and restart of the USB persistent live session. This was more
or less an "out of the box" try to look whether a persistent USBlive installation does work at all with Wine
and Windows applications. I was slightly surprised that it worked so well without deeper configuration,
error message analyses or re-booting needs.

To use and store data from some Windows application running in Wine the program see the computer like a Windows
environment in a hierarchical directory structure like in Windows using letters for different drives and so on.
First it looks strange to a Linux user but may be more familiar to a Windows user. That is however the directory
structure that have to be used with running Windows applications in Wine. If you store some file, say to Desktop
you will find it from desktop and if you save some file to C drive you find that file from C drive and so on.


WARNING: Linux is not Windows. All software what works in Windows do not work in Linux and a USB os
installation is not the same as installation to HDD, so there may however be some complications to run Windows
software due to compatibility shortcomings. (KIS, Keep It Simple works here best).

When using USB installed os. it can not be permanently removed before shut down of the computer.
If using suspend the drive can be removed after suspending but have to be reblugged to the same port
before activation the computer to normal use, othervice it will require a reboot or in worst case the os.
may crash.


Zorin 8/8.1 Core and Ultimate 32 Bit, Ubunbtu 13.10 32 Bit, Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit, Asus AMD Athlon 64 Bit X2 Dual core 4000+, HP 530 Intel Celeron M 32 Bit

I am unable to comment on USB installations but with regards to wine (say the program comes on a CD/DVD) you have to create a new folder in the dummy C:/ drive that wine creates in your '.wine' folder on your '/home' partition. Once you have copied everything across (I would name your folder the same as the name of your CD that shows up in the CD icon for compatibility reasons. Then select all the files you have copied across, right-click and select Properties - then click on the permissions tab and ensure that 'Run executable as a Program' (forget the wording) and check mark it. The app may depend on specific .dlls which may require manual activation in '.winecfg' - to see what XP uses, download and install a 'runner' program (I did post elsewhere here but I am at end of lunch break!) - the program lists all things that are running for the program to work - then you will know what to do in WINE.

Hi Jerry,

check out the apps database at WineHQ:

http://appdb.winehq.org/

Regards Wolfman