MacAir - Can't find installed apps to run them

[Gerry]

I recently installed 4 games on my MacAir via Wine. All four games worked flawlessly. But now, only two of the games show up so that I can play them. I believe when installing the last two games, I launched them immediately after install, while still in Wine. I believe I read somewhere, after the fact, that this is a no-no. I repeat, the games played flawlessly, even the last two. But after exiting the last two games, I can find no way to re-launch them. I looked in the directory for Windows games using the add/remove Control in Wine and I can find the first two games I installed, but the ones I launched immediately after install while still within wine I cannot find. So now, I can't play these two games because I can't find them ANYWHERE, yet they are using about 4 GIGS on my HD. They do not even show up in the same directory as the other two games.

So how can I find these two games so I can play them?

On another note, I'm running out of room and would like to install games on an external drive. Is this possible?

[olivierfrdierick]

Not all programs create menu entries or appear in the list of installed programs.
You should look for your game files in the wineprefix (default is ~/.wine).
Once you have found the executable files you can launch them from the command line and/or make a menu entry to launch them.

Using an external drive is a matter of moving the wineprefix directory to the external drive and setting WINEPREFIX variable to point to the wineprefix there.

[Gerry]

Thank you. I'll look for them as you have directed and see if I can find them. Not sure how I'll make a menu entry to launch them from their .exe's (on a MacAir). But at least I'll be able to start them.

I'll also try to change the prefix to direct the installations to my external drive.

I'm using the latest engine and build with Wine. Have had no problems except as mentioned above. If I'm still having problems I'll return to this post and ask further. If this solves my problem I'll also let you know through this post.

Once again, thanks for the response.

[Gerry]

Well, I'm not sure how to find them separate and apart from using the Control Panel in Wine, so I can't launch them, nor make any kind of launch file. I can only find them using the add/remove function of Wine Windows. The directory Wine set up at first was called Desktop. I can't even find that. It's like it's hidden. Even from the dos prompt within wine; only two games show up. Those I can launch, from the dos prompt. Wine even made a prefix to launch one of them which I was able to move into my apps and paste an icon on it; so it works great. The other two...no idea where they've been snuggled away or how to get to them. I can't re-install them unless I do so on my external drive, because there's no more room on my main drive.

Also, would it be possible to explain how to move the wineprefix directory to my external drive and then aim the wine prefix variable to it? I get a headache trying to figure it out on my own. Reminds me of my Greek Class. Exhausting, frustrating, and no one else to talk to.

I've looked in as many FAQ's as possible and have found no answer to my first problem. It seems no one else has experienced this. As to the external drive placement of files, most say it can't be done, and the ones that say it can are too vague on how to do it...kind of like shooting an arrow into the air hoping it brings something down with it.

[olivierfrdierick]

Go to Applications > Utilities > Terminal

That's the UNIX command line prompt in OS X.

Source: Mac OS equivalent of Start->Run command in Win XP - MacRumors Forum

In the terminal you may change to the wineprefix directory and search for your files there.
Get used to the terminal basic commands before asking further help.

Tutorial One

Listing files and directories
Making Directories
Changing to a different Directory
The directories . and ..
Pathnames
More about home directories and pathnames

Source: UNIX / Linux Tutorial for Begginers

[Gerry]

Thank you once again,

I solved my problem three ways.

Completely uninstalled wine and all subdirectories/binaries; all subsequent apps installed by wine and their subdirectories/binaries, then reinstalled wine.

Installed one app in a wrapper but with the setup.exe file inside so that when you start it, it begins the install. Went into Wine and the "Winedows Control Panel" "Add/Remove" Programs, selected this "Wrap" and installed the game right from there.

The other three apps I didn't use a wrapper, just installed directly from Wine and launched the game at the conclusion of the setup process. Now I use the "Winedows File Manager" to find all four apps, and while in File Manager I double click the .exe file.

Everything works flawlessly.

I will learn the basics of Terminal before asking for advice regarding problems again. I used to do this a lot way back with DOS. Loved making batch files and the like. Just not as excited about it as I was back then.

A question off topic. Then you can close this as solved, but please, if you will, answer this question before doing so.

I've installed an app. Then a patch was released. Is there any way to install a patch to an app from within wine?

Again, thank you for considering my problem, and thank you for the advice.

[doh123]

I have a feeling you are not using normal Wine, as on OS X its all command line driven, and you'd never have even installed anything without the command line. If your using some 3rd party tool... "Winedows" ???? or something whatever that is, you might need to get help from whoever made whatever tool your using in the future. How you install any patch.. or run any exe or bat, etc... all depend on what your actually using instead of actual plain normal Wine.

[Gerry]

Hahaha! I'm using Wine! I call it Winedows because I'm using the Control Panel within Wine, which basically is a Windows shell. I thought it would help explain things better. And yes I did install a complete app from within Wine using the Control panel IN WINE, finding the Winebundle I had made that included the setup.exe file, and clicking on install program from the Wine Control Panel! Have you never tried that? Cool! Perhaps you don't know how to do that. The other 3 apps I installed by using Wine and just clicking on "install program from original .exe". Never had to type in a single command line. Don't know what you're talking about. Sorry if you misunderstood me or if you were offended by me calling it Winedows. By tinkering on my own I have everything installed and working just fine. Always did have a knack for digging into and through programs and getting them to do what I want.

[doh123]

Hahaha! I'm using Wine! I call it Winedows because I'm using the Control Panel within Wine, which basically is a Windows shell. I thought it would help explain things better. And yes I did install a complete app from within Wine using the Control panel IN WINE, finding the Winebundle I had made that included the setup.exe file, and clicking on install program from the Wine Control Panel! Have you never tried that? Cool! Perhaps you don't know how to do that. The other 3 apps I installed by using Wine and just clicking on "install program from original .exe". Never had to type in a single command line. Don't know what you're talking about. Sorry if you misunderstood me or if you were offended by me calling it Winedows. By tinkering on my own I have everything installed and working just fine. Always did have a knack for digging into and through programs and getting them to do what I want.

There is no such thing as what you are describing.
If you are using WineBottler with the Wine app that comes with it, that is NOT normal plain Wine, it is part of WineBottler, even if it is just named Wine. Normal plain Wine on OS X is all command line, and you have to compile it yourself, or use something like Macports to do that for you. There is no app, or "install program from original .exe" options or anything like that. This might be where some of the confusion lies.

[olivierfrdierick]

Here are some command lines for anyone using plain wine who experiences a similar issue:

Code: Select all

wine uninstaller

This command open the builtin wine uninstaller.
This GUI only shows apps that are nice and register an uninstaller.

Code: Select all

winefile

This command opens the builtin graphical file manager where you can check if your windows programs and files are where they should be.

Source: uninstaller - The Official Wine Wiki, explorer - The Official Wine Wiki

[Gerry]

Well, I have Wine; I have Wine Bottler; and I have Wineskin Winery. I have yet to type a single command line. I have 20 windows programs working flawlessly on my Mac Air. Somebody pinch me...maybe I'm dreaming?

I download my Windows Program, go to where it was placed, double-click the setup.exe. Wine automatically opens a dialogue box asking whether I want to make a package or just run the setup from within Wine (it's named Wine and has a glass of wine as its icon so I take it that's Wine. If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and swims like a duck, then it is a duck). I select to just run the setup.exe from within Wine. When it's finished installing the Windows Program on my Apple MacAir, I launch the program as soon as the dialogue allows, to see if it's working. 95% of the time it does. If it doesn't, then I use Wineskin Winery to make a wrapper, and direct it to execute the Windows setup.exe within the wrapper (this is like installing a separate Windows within the wrapper, so when you double click it's icon, it runs Windows and the Windows Program right from within the wrapper). When it finishes installing the windows Program it finds all the *.exe files from within the installation, asks me to pick the one that will run the Program. I do so, then close it up. When I install the Windows Program this way, with a Wineskin Winery wrapper, I can launch those games with a single click, right from my Apple Launch as it automatically puts a linked icon in Launch.

When I use Wine to setup directly from the .exe, those apps I have to open by going to the Wine Menu and selecting File Manager. Wine then automatically opens to the Windows Programs I've installed on my "fake C:/ drive (that it made), I open the folder the Windows Program is installed in, find and double click the *.exe, and the app opens.

I have NEVER inserted one single digit or character of code.

There IS such a thing as I have just described.

I'm doing it every day.

Perhaps that's a combination of Wine Bottler. If so, sorry for the confusion. I've never clicked on a program named Wine Bottler, but I do have it, so maybe it works automatically in conjunction with Wine.

I have even used Wineskin Winery to bundle up a setup.exe file and save it as if it's an installed program, tricking it to add it as an installed Program, gone into the Wine menu, selected Control Panel, clicked add/remove software, found that Wrapped Setup file, double clicked it, and had it installed right from the Wine Control Panel...pretty cool. I have to wrap it first or Wine won't put it on my "fake" c:/drive. I have also uninstalled Programs from the "Control Panel/Add or Remove" that is within Wine. It's all right there!

Sorry for any unprofessional terminology.

[doh123]

There is always confusion with WineBottler, as it comes with 2 apps, Wine and WineBottler. Both are part of "WineBottler" and all the GUI info you see and everything is all really part of WineBottler. I only meant that normal plain Wine (which is what is supported on this forum) does not have any options like that. I'm not familiar with WineBottler and its Wine app enough to know what the menus look like, so I could only guess. I just point this out because all 3rd party programs (which is everything you are using) are technically not supported here, as most people here as they try to focus on just plain Wine without any 3rd party code getting in the way.

Wineskin I know extremely well though (even though its technically not supported here either)... and you can actually make general wrappers just to launch exe files if you want... the wrappers will try to launch any exe file you drag and drop on them, or open with, or if you associate exe with that wrapper in Finder, but the default wineprefix is still inside that wrapper, not at ~/.wine. I have a general one I use for quick running of exe files that appears to work much like that Wine.app that comes with WineBottler. In fact I have several with different engines so I can Open With whichever I want, depending on what other things I have installed in that wrapper, and what Wine version its using.

[Gerry]

Ohhh.

I'm in the wrong forum.

My apologies.

But I'm glad I came in here if only for this moment, and that is to thank all of you who are dedicating your time and service (which usually ends up being money or time with family, friends, or just relaxing) to put out such a great Program as Wine. Thank you, and if you don't mind, I'd like to remain a part of this forum, if anything, just to read progress on Wine and added features.

I'll try to find the answer to my other question regarding applying a patch to an already installed Windows Program on my Mac Air in another forum, or how to direct Wine to put these Programs on an external drive. I won't have much luck "out there" as everyone pretends to know Wine, but after reading the first few lines in most forums and listening to the first few minutes of any "YouTube" videos, it is clear they are answering the questions in ignorance, and are more interested in "hits" to their site or Video than they are in actually helping.

You guys/gals (let's keep it real) are great!

Thanks for your help.

I imagine there were a few rolling eyes. Haha.