Hi Russ,
I know what you mean but you don't want to know
Which Linux system to download?
You want to know which Linux system is already on your Asus eee so you know which prepackaged Wine binary to download from WineHQ.
Well, you've probably come to the wrong place. You would probably be better off opening up the browser on your Asus and Googling with search terms such as ...
Asus eee forum
Asus Linux Distribution
It's amazing what you can learn in ten minutes this way. It seems the Asus runs a special version of the Xandros Linux distribution so, some say, your school has indirectly paid Microsoft for you to use your Asus even though you won't have time to watch HD DVDs on it.
There is no prepackaged Wine binary download for Xandros available from WineHQ. There is probably a good reason for this. However, Google for
Xandros Wine
and no end of references will tell you that the Asus eee Linux comes with Wine. So you should have no problem running an exe file. Hmm. Your school has probably paid PC World for support. For a laugh you can try to see if the 'experts' at PC World can even spell Xandros Linux.
I read that the Linux on the Asus is rather old (which means 18 months, not 18 years old). The Wine probably is. Which is a pity as an awful lot of work has gone into it recently.
Where can you get a more recent version ? Now your learning. Most of what I've read on the Asus Linux was by folks who replaced it with a 'free' Linux. By free they don't really mean it costs £ 0.00. They mean free as in "I can add, upgrade, change, remove cooler software as I and when I choose without breaking the law by not respecting some licence agreement I didn't even read".
You've got a commerical Linux, called Xandros. This means you are dependent on Xandros to give you upgrades when they are good and ready to do so. It a bit like being treated like a kid.
I'm sure you could put a more recent version of Wine on your Asus but you'd have a heck of a lot to learn first. What you want is to find someone who has done it and benefit from their hard graft (what the Open Source Community is all about). WineHQ was a good first guess but the wrong one. So go visit Asus eee sites and see what they say about Wine. Search their forums for Wine.
Search this one for Asus and among the things it will throw up is:
http://forum.winehq.org/viewtopic.php?t=1003
which was posted by a guy with the same problem as you. I don't know if he solved his problem but you'll find a reference to a eee user site which may help.
Reading your post again after ready the other post, I'm guessing you are clicking on an .exe icon in a file browser and expecting something to happen just like it would under an MSOS. Well, that's a file association issue. If the Asus doesn't come with one set up then downloading a more recent version won't resolve the issue. Look on the Asus forums to see how to define file associations and so it yourself. Then show off to your teacher.
