How can I install Windows software?

Question

Can ".exe" and ".msi" files (Windows Software) be installed in Ubuntu?

Answer 1

Yes, if you first install Wine compatibility layer from the Software Center, you can install Windows applications in Ubuntu. Be warned though that not all applications work perfectly or without glitches. Some applications are even unusable, while others work perfectly (see the Wine Application Database for a good idea of how well various programs work).

Once Wine is installed, you can simply double click an .exe or .msi file to run it. If this doesn't work for some reason, right-click the file and select "Open With Wine Windows Program Loader". Of course, only run executables from sources you trust to avoid Windows malware.

If you run into compatibility issues, you may wish to try the latest Wine Beta version from the ppa:ubuntu-wine/ppa software source (see What are PPAs and how do I use them?). You might also consider installing Winetricks , CrossOver or CrossOver Games to install and use software more easily.

To see the debug output of Windows software (in case something goes wrong) run it from a terminal using wine msiexec /i file.msi or simply wine file.exe.

Answer 2

For applications that do not work in Wine, you can use Virtualbox by installing a Windows in the virtual machine. 3D acceleration is supported in Virtualbox.

See also these questions:

• How do I install the closed source version of VirtualBox?
• How do I install Guest Additions in VirtualBox?
• Launch an application in Windows from the Ubuntu desktop

Answer 3

The Wine PPA indicated above is helpful, however I will note that you don't have to use beta packages if you're using the PPA. The wine1.5 package will give you the latest beta package, however the wine1.4 package will keep you at the stable Wine 1.4 release and not expose you to regressions. You can also just install the wine package for the latest stable version.

Answer 4

Run sudo apt-get install wine, then configure wine using winecfg command

This will let you right click any .exe file to open with wine loader.

Answer 5

Run:

sudo apt-get install wine

Then simply double click on exe

Answer 6

You'll first need to install the Wine Compatibility Layer, it will allow you to run Windows appliactions on Ubuntu:

• Open the Ubuntu Software Centre
• Search for "Wine"
• Install "Wine Microsoft Windows Compatibility Layer"

Next you need to tell ubuntu that this is a program.

• Right click the .exe file and select Properties
• Go to Permissions and check Allow executing file as program

Now you can run the program

• Right click the .exe file and select Open with Wine Windows Program Loader

That's all, the program should now run fine. I've tested this using various pieces of Windows software, including the Windows version of Mono.

Answer 7

As others have said, Wine is usually the best option, but in some cases you can see better performance using Mono. However, for the program to run under Mono, the program must be a .NET application, and even that isn't a guarantee that the program will run without some hand holding.

To recap, Wine is a safe bet, but Mono is installed by default in Ubuntu and can handle many simple .EXE files that are .NET applications.

Answer 8

Wine is not a perfect answer, as you will probably many compatibility problems. You might consider first checking up on your application at WineHQ.org. Platinum is the best level, then Gold, Silver, Bronze, and finally Garbage.

If you want to run games, you can try special versions of Wine like PlayOnLinux (free) or CrossOver (payed). Otherwise, common applications should work well enough with a little configuration.

Answer 9

First of all an .EXE file is a Windows Executable file. In Linux and other *nix based systems we do not use .EXE as file extension for program executables. Rather we set the permission for the program to be executable by using chmod command.

Secondly your question is too broad. Which '.EXE file' by which I assume you are trying to run a Windows Application are you trying to run? There a program called WINE which has ability to run Windows Programs to a various levels of success.

However you are strongly suggested to use a native alternative app, because it will perform better and better integrate with the desktop.

Answer 10

yes by using wine.

get it by going to the Ubuntu software center.

here is a link to the ppa https://launchpad.net/~ubuntu-wine/+archive/ppa

here is a video on how to install http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZgjgeDQVo4

here is a video on installing basic applications http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLRLWEfdFqY&feature=related

and here is wine wiki which will provide you with some more information. http://wiki.winehq.org/HowTo

if you wish to play a game from a CD you can install play on linux which is also available in the Ubuntu software center. hope this helps

Answer 11

Yes, as others have said, you can use wine to run Windows programs.

Once wine is installed, you can run a Windows executable by right clicking it and clicking 'open with wine Windows program loader' or using the terminal as explained above.

You should check here to see if/how the program can be run in wine. Lots of programs will not work perfectly or will need extra configuration to run. A program called winetricks (see http://wiki.winehq.org/winetricks) may make things a bit easier.

Always try to use native software or free alternatives if possible. You can search for applications in Ubuntu Software Centre - programs from here will work much better and will need little configuration. You can also look on this website: http://www.osalt.com/ for free software alternatives to proprietary products.

Answer 12

Aside from a WINE implementation, if you've got a copy of windows laying around, you may also want to look into VirtualBox or some other virtualization technology.

Here is link on getting setup: http://www.ubuntugeek.com/create-and-manage-virtual-machines-using-virtualbox.html

A con in using a VM(virtual machine) is that they are generally reserved for upper end machines as they are an OS inside of your OS that takes up additional OS resources.

a pro would be that they are easier to backup and re-instate in-case of a catastrophic software failure.

Wikipedia has an article on both VirtualBox and Virtualization. I can only post one link until I get more cool points so I figured the tutorial would be a better link as it has a brief description

Answer 13

Also, if you want to get updates from the Wine developers so that more and more Windows software is supported, go to System->Software Sources and go to the other Software tab. Click the Add button and copy+paste this into it: ppa:ubuntu-wine/ppa

Answer 14

You should try wine:

wine msiexec /i your_msi_file.msi