How to run programs from windows partition

[isaactanner]

Can I run windows applications from my windows c drive partition?

[dimesio]

First: never point Wine's C: drive to a real Windows partition. http://wiki.winehq.org/FAQ#head-878d4f6 ... a4a4cafa13

Running apps from a Windows partition might work for some simple apps that don't make a lot of registry entries or install files outside the program directory, but it is not a supported way of doing things. Try it at your own risk; if you run into problems and ask for help, the first thing you will be told to do is install the app properly in Wine. (Note that even if the app does not require installation, running from a non-native filesystem can still cause problems.)

[oiaohm]

Please be warned backup application first if you do attempt running on a NTFS or fat drive. Non-native filesystem to Linux is what dimesio is referring to. Wine emulation of file locking and other things don't function using NTFS and Fat filesystem drivers under Linux.

So try it at your own risk and don't cry to us if the application is broken under Windows as well as not working under wine from attempting. This is one of the major reasons why the attempt is totally not recommend. If you do attempt have a working backup of windows and the applications first. Damaged applications can do all kinds of insane things.

[isaactanner]

Shame it doesn't work, it would be really neat. Are there any apps that will copy all the necessary registry entries and program files from windows c drive to to wine's c drive ?

[dimesio]

I don't know how there could be, as what needed to be copied would be different for every app. But copying from a Windows partition is also not supported. You need to install your apps in Wine, the same as you would in Windows.

[oiaohm]

isaactanner wine is not magic. Same version Windows to Same version windows in the same machine on different hard-drive attempting to copy all the registry files and binary of an application equals nasty issues. Wine old name is Wine Is Not an Emulator. Wine does not in fact emulate a version of Windows. Wine is like a completely different version of Windows.

Wineprefix copying working from machine to machine with wine and working is more how similar wine installs look to applications to each other. Wine fake driver information wrap over so many hardware differences but even then applications from time to time break with Wine version changes and magically fix when the application is reinstalled. If it was possible to copy applications between versions of windows without issues wine would have less failures of its own wineprefix system. Yes the wineprefix failure is perfect copy of all registry data and application data with the application still managing to fail completely due to new features being enabled in newer wine yet application work after reinstall because installer sees these newer features and changes the registry configuration of the application..

isaactanner yes some of us have dream about having what you are talking about. The cold hard facts of reality limit how it can be done. Only things you can really safely copy are applications bundled as portable applications(these in fact run a run checking settings every time they run and correcting accordingly). Everything else you are running rolling dangerous dice.

We recommend keeping backups of you wineprefix directories as these can get damaged after just wine updates due to programs going insane. Coping Wine to Wine is fairly stable but not 100 percent. Windows to Wine is just insanely unstable with no clear way ever to make it stable. Remember applications can even install different dll files base on detected hardware at install time.