Possible install? full copy of win in the "C:/" drive

[PolMonk]

Is it possible if I own a copy of windows to use a real install of windows (on a separate partition), or put all of the files from a fresh install onto the emulated/simulated "C:/" drive? I have been wondering this for years now, has anyone tried it yet?

[dimesio]

https://wiki.winehq.org/FAQ#I_have_lots ... in_Wine.3F

[PolMonk]

So this is not possible? I'm not really looking to run preinstalled programs, rather get better compatibility so that I can run programs which usually won't run on wine at all. I have nothing at stake here!

[dimesio]

Absolutely not. Pointing Wine's C: drive to a real Windows install will hose Windows because Wine will overwrite all the dlls with its fake ones.

You can copy over some specific dlls needed by specific apps, but copying all the files from a Windows install to a wineprefix will break the wineprefix. Some dlls can't simply be copied, they have to be installed, and some dlls can never be used in Wine because they require access to the Windows kernel. https://wiki.winehq.org/Wine_User%27s_G ... _Overrides

[PolMonk]

Thank you, I think I'll just use the "seamless" mode in virtual box for programs with little to no compatibility.