Running windows application on linux distro

38141

I've recently started using Puppy linux on a machine with 128M RAM, 10GB hard drive, pentium III. It's been working fine and now I would like to get a software application distributed by a stockbroker to work with it.

Tech support there have told me that 'it doesn't work with linux'. However, I understand that there is an application called 'wine' which facilitates windows applications to run on puppy. Apart from downloading and installing wine, are there any other steps I would need to take to get the application working on puppy?

philologos

use Wine. It works fine for most office applications, games are the problem.

38141

Which of the wine downloads should I choose at http://www.winehq.com/site/download?

mwrf

theres a guide here for install wine on puppy linux

http://puppylinux.org/wikka/WineUse/

niallb

Avoid winehq for now - most builds of wine are a little unstable in places. The trick is finding a version that works in the places you need.
Stick to downloading packages built for puppy.
They'll have all your dependencies taken care of.
Use the puppy software manager and look through the dotpups.
Building your own wine package isn't that hard really, but
it definitely counts as running - enjoy walking first :-)
You'd need to add a lot to your puppy install to allow it build wine,
and it might not work out. Of course, if you want to, the development
packages are there.

They've recently updated the format of the packages, but the
older ones should still work including the wine packages mentioned in the wiki.

I've checked the application and it definitely runs under wine (on my ubuntu install). I've no windows installation, so it's not using windows libraries.
(That means wine should just work quite simply for you).
Printing may be an issue, or maybe that's just me :-)
I do feel that running the app under wine on 128M will be slow.

There's a new puppy release out in the last few days 2.15CE which builds
on the version you probably have - 2.14.
Some nice extra software, and a few bugs ironed out.
Still runs in RAM on 128M too, so might be worth downloading the CD
and see if it improves your system.
You'd probably need to install java and flash again.

Good luck here.
NiallB

38141

Is it possible to just download an update for v2.14 or do I have to download and install the entire 2.15 again? It's not very clear from http://puppylinux.org/user/downloads.php?cat_id=1

niallb

It's not an update as such. It's a complete package with a slightly different purpose.
The first time you run it from CD it would detect your previous installation,
and upgrade it. You shouldn't have to reconfigure X or anything like that.
It's a small download as CD images go, and it adds features. It's built on the 2.14 you already have, so no real need to touch it if a 132MB download is an issue.

38141

Well I've downloaded wine from the link above, as well as the dotpups listed on that webpage.

I've also downloaded the windows app which I am trying to run using wine, but, you guessed it, it's not working! I'm not sure how to install the .sfs file, have installed the dotpups alright as that's just a matter of clicking on the file in rox.

I'm not big into IT and dont' really understand the instructions at http://www.winehq.com/. They're definitely not aimed at the novice! Likewise puppylinux.org, the instructions are aimed at IT heads.

niallb

Don't go near the instructions at winehq - they are not relevant to you.
Read a bit about how to use sfs files here.

You basically copy them to /mnt/home/ and then reboot.
If that doesn't work, move them to / and reboot again.
/ may work better for a hard disk install

These guys got it to work.

38141

Initially I had the wine .sfs file in /mnt/home, so I copied it to / and rebooted. But still mybroker (which is at my apps) will not launch when I click on it (its a .exe file). I'm getting the following error message whenever I click on it -

"No run action specified for files of this type (application/x-ms-dos-executable) - you can set a run action by choosing `Set Run Action' from the File menu, or you can just drag the file to an application."

I'm getting the same message whenever I click on the wine.sfs file.

It's probably something very simple that's wrong; I'm no computer expert.

If its of any relevance, I didn't have a /mnt/home file directory, I had to create a home file in /mnt.

challengemaster

when trying to use wine to get the files to work you do

1) open your terminal
2) type 'wine <route to .exe file>'

let it work..

38141

I entered 'wine <route to .exe file>' into terminal, got 'syntax error near unexpected token newline'

Hobbes

do something like...

wine notepad.exe

or

wine /home/user/notepad.exe

(if it was notepad you tried to run and it is in the user home directory)

38141

Tried both and neither worked

Hobbes

your not typing those commands exactly are you?

What is the output you get?

humbert

change into the directory the executable is in and run:

wine notepad.exe

niallb

38141 wrote:

"No run action specified for files of this type (application/x-ms-dos-executable) - you can set a run action by choosing `Set Run Action' from the File menu, or you can just drag the file to an application."

This is because you didn't install the mime-type download.
Wine-mime-type-for-Rox-1.2.pup
It will set up all of that for you.

38141 wrote:

I'm getting the same message whenever I click on the wine.sfs file.

Don't click on it then :-) It's not what it's for.

38141 wrote:

If its of any relevance, I didn't have a /mnt/home file directory, I had to create a home file in /mnt.

Very relevant actually. Confirms that there is a big difference in that version
once you install to hard disk.
You say you created a "home file" in /mnt..
What exactly did you do?

When you moved the file to / did it still have its original name?

38141

This is because you didn't install the mime-type download.
Wine-mime-type-for-Rox-1.2.pup
It will set up all of that for you.

I already had it installed, but just to make sure, i reinstalled mime (by clicking on dotpup file and clicking through to install) and rebooted. Still getting the error message

'No run action specified for files of this type (application/x-ms-dos-executable) - you can set a run action by choosing `Set Run Action' from the File menu, or you can just drag the file to an application'

when clicking on mybroker.exe in my apps

Very relevant actually. Confirms that there is a big difference in that version
once you install to hard disk.
You say you created a "home file" in /mnt..
What exactly did you do?

I rightclicked, chose new/directory

When you moved the file to / did it still have its original name?

You mean the wine file? Yes, when I moved wine to / it still had the same name. Wine is presently at /mnt/home which is the location stated in the puppylinux webpage above.

38141

Hobbes, no I'm not typing your commands in exactly. What I typed was wine mybroker_6012.exe.

Mybroker_6012.exe is the filename in the file directory.

Blowfish

38141 wrote:

Hobbes, no I'm not typing your commands in exactly. What I typed was wine mybroker_6012.exe.

Mybroker_6012.exe is the filename in the file directory.

It's case sensitive, so make sure you have it's exactly the way that it is spelled.

38141

ya got the cases correct

Hobbes

Lets start with the Obvious.

1. In the terminal window type "wine". What comes up? If it is anything other then the help you have not installed it correctly.

2. If you get the help then copy NOTEPAD.EXE from windows to your home directory and type (in your home directory): wine NOTEPAD.EXE

What happens?

If that works then Wine is setup, the issue is what your application is trying to do.

38141

1. I get 'command not found' after entering wine

2. I'm not getting the help above

niallb

38141 wrote:

You mean the wine file? Yes, when I moved wine to / it still had the same name. Wine is presently at /mnt/home which is the location stated in the puppylinux webpage above.

I mean the Wine-0.9.22_210.sfs file. The .sfs is essential.
This is like a virtual drive and all that's going wrong is that it isn't
being loaded for you.

You did restart the machine while it was at /, didn't you?
The puppylinux webpage is describing a situation where puppy
is booted from CD, like most people use it.

Could you confirm that you've also installed both of these files?
Wine-0.9.22-drive_c-and-Wordview.pup
Wine-mime-type-for-Rox-1.2.pup

I'm pretty sure you have, but they won't get you very far until the .sfs file gets mounted.


The mime type one sets you up to run .exe's by clicking on them,
and the drive_c one sets up your user environment, and installs
MS Wordview as a sample program so you can see if it's working.

Try booting the machine from the CDrom. It should pick up the .sfs
file automatically if it's in /

38141

I mean the Wine-0.9.22_210.sfs file. The .sfs is essential.
This is like a virtual drive and all that's going wrong is that it isn't
being loaded for you.

You did restart the machine while it was at /, didn't you?
The puppylinux webpage is describing a situation where puppy
is booted from CD, like most people use it.

Yes I did restart after putting it in /.

I am booting from HD, not CD

Could you confirm that you've also installed both of these files?
Wine-0.9.22-drive_c-and-Wordview.pup
Wine-mime-type-for-Rox-1.2.pup

I'm pretty sure you have, but they won't get you very far until the .sfs file gets mounted

The mime type one sets you up to run .exe's by clicking on them,
and the drive_c one sets up your user environment, and installs
MS Wordview as a sample program so you can see if it's working..

Yes I have installed both of these files.

Try booting the machine from the CDrom. It should pick up the .sfs
file automatically if it's in /

Boot it form CDrom, and then what do i do?

Hobbes

38141 wrote:

1. I get 'command not found' after entering wine

Reinstall WINE. If you don't know how to do sources then get the binaries from winehq for your distro.

niallb

He already has the binary package file, winehq doesn't carry them.
The sfs file we're talking about is the complete wine installation.
In puppy, it's not installed as such, it's mounted at boot time
as an extra application. Always worked automatically for me.

38141

so because I'm booting from HD nobody can help me on here??

niallb

I'm suggesting booting from cd so that you can see how the file gets mounted.
If it all works right then it can be made to work with your hard disk install.
We can reproduce a CD boot easily, but can't as easily duplicate any changes
you might have made during and after install.

38141

When I booted from cd, I couldn't find the wine and mybroker apps anywhere. Will I have to download and install these again after I boot from cd?

niallb

No, you shouldn't have to download them again.
It should have automatically found any .sfs files in the root directory
of any drive partitions.
Because you created /mnt/home yourself, it's not the root directory of
a partition, so if the .sfs file is still there, it'll need to be moved.
Boot from hard disk, move wine

---

.sfs to / and make sure it
still has its orginal name.

38141

On the HD install, I moved the wine app to /.

Then I rebooted from CD and couldn't find the wine app anywhere. Even did a search using pfind and gtkfind.

niallb

You wouldn't find it using those tools because it's not mounted.
It's like it's on a different disk that's not connected.

The idea is for the CD to be able to find it while booting,
not afterwards.

Can you confirm that the wine app you moved to /
is called Wine-0.9.22_210.sfs?

38141

Yes I checked it and that is exactly what it's called in /