Running Programs Not On List

[Not Bman]

Hey, I know I have had alot of questions latly but yea. You all know that big list of windows programs and Linux replacments. Well what If I was to install something thats not on the list, lets say "NFS Underground" or a program that is on the list but dosent run for linux. What would happen, would it just not open or what?

 

[Geffy]

software compiled for use on Windows wont really work on anything except windows unless you are using an emulator

 

[NetRyder]

As Geffy stated, binaries for Linux are completely different from Windows executables. It is possible to run several Windows applications in Linux using emulators like Wine and WineX, but you need to install and configure them first, and it doesn't always work as intended on the first try.

If you're thinking of trying Linux, but still want to be able to play games like NFS, I'd suggest using a dual-boot set up, so that you can use Windows when you want to run games, and Linux for other purposes.

 

[Not Bman]

mmm..I gotta think about that one! Sounds like a good Idea. I'll get back to you guys and then if I decide to do that, I will need help doing the dual-boot thing....

 

[Not Bman]

Ok, I'm back and I think I want to do the dual-boot. How am I going to get at this, where do I start.....

 

[NetRyder]

I assume you've decided to go with Redhat? If so, here's a fairly recently updated tutorial on how to get a Redhat/XP dual boot system set up. I just had a look at it, and it's easy enough to follow. Saves me the effort of writing out quite a bit 😉 If you still have questions after reading it though, feel free to ask!
If you're installing both operating systems on a single hard disk, you might want to use Partition Magic to non-destructively resize your Windows partition to make space for the Linux partitions. The Linux partitions can then be created during setup, as explained in the tutorial.
http://www.overclockersclub.com/guides/dual_boot_fedora_xp.php

Good luck! 🙂

 

[Not Bman]

Ok, I just started reading through it and at one point, it finially gets to the installing on the harddrives, but it is talking about having 2 hard drives, I want to have both Linux and Windows on one?..

 

[vern]

You can have both Linux and Windows on one HD, if it was partitioned into two partitions. I would personally install windows on the primary drive and Linux on the secondary drive and then use Lilo as a boot manager. Windows likes to be the primary drive, so let it.

 

[Not Bman]

You can have both Linux and Windows on one HD, if it was partitioned into two partitions. I would personally install windows on the primary drive and Linux on the secondary drive and then use Lilo as a boot manager. Windows likes to be the primary drive, so let it.

Are u still talking about letting Windows be prime on the 2 drives, or on the one?

Maybe I need a tutorial on how to partion to have 2..

 

[vern]

I'm talking about Windows being on the first partition on the primary drive.

 

[NetRyder]

Are u still talking about letting Windows be prime on the 2 drives, or on the one?

Maybe I need a tutorial on how to partion to have 2..

It's quite easy. I assume you already have Windows, and you want to keep your existing setup. You will need something like Partition Magic to non-destructively resize your Windows partition.

Now lets say your physical hard drive contains 80GB, of which everything is currently one big Windows partition. What you want to do is think of how much space you want to reserve for Linux (this depends on how much software you'll be installing for it...I'd say go for at least 5-10GB if you have a moderately large hard disk). So if you decide you want 5GB for Linux, resize your Windows partition to 75 GB using Partition Magic. This will remain the primary partition, and you will be left with 5GB of unpartitioned free space at the end of the drive.

Next, boot up using the bootable Linux installation CD. Somewhere along the setup process, you will come to a menu that asks you to create partitions for your Linux installation. This is where you think of the 5 GB of unpartitioned free space at the end of the drive as a separate hard disk, although it really isn't. Create your Linux / (root) partition and the swap partition within the 5GB of space. DO NOT MODIFY THE 75GB PARTITION THAT CONTAINS WINDOWS.

After that, pretty much everything works the same way as in the tutorial I mentioned earlier. Hope that helped. Good luck 🙂