Windows Emu for Ubuntu

[Ceros]

Well, I kinda have two problems. I have 2 hard drives. And first I want to keep windows on the one I'm running off of now but I'm getting ubuntu, cause Linux kicks ass! So, first can I get a windows emu or something to run certain windows programs that I can't run on ubuntu. Also, how can I have windows on one HD and ubuntu one the other and still access files from both files when booted on either OS.

[Banned]

There are some running around, VMware, Win4Lin, dunno of any others.

[brit]

Here's the thing... You can run both on the same PC, but running Windows in Linux is buggy and slow. You're best off dual booting. The thing about that, is that you probably won't be able to share files between the two OSs. Windows can't recognize the filesystem in use with Linux and Linux has a hard time writing to NTFS drives (used by WinXP).

There ARE applications out there that can ease this hurdle, but most are, as I said, buggy and slow.

The NEWEST version of Ubuntu has pretty decent NTFS read/write support, though.

Good luck with all of this, and if I'm lucky, I'll be able to install Ubuntu without Lydia knowing. <3


*Edit: Now that I think about it... If all you want to do is run Win32 apps in linux, go to Codeweavers.com. They have an app there called Crossover Office Pro. It runs a LOT of Windows apps in Linux with almost native quality. Again, good luck.

[maca]

Check this too ---> http://winehq.com/

[Jetsetlemming]

Wine and Cedega are two Windows programs emulators for Linux. One of them you have to pay for, the other is freeware (and less advanced). Neither of them play DirectX games worth a crap, but they're ok for OGL games.
Dual booting is pretty easy to set up. Never done it from two seperate HD's, though. The ubuntu disc'll prompt you to create a linux partition on your windows hard drive, and then install Ubuntu onto that new partition. I recommend about 5-10 GB for it. You're really not gonna be installing to many big apps onto it.
In order to dual boot, ubuntu writes over your Master Boot Record, changing it to work with a program called GRUB. GRUB is a piece of shit that should have been aborted years ago, but sadly it's what you've got to work with. If you have a problem with GRUB or with ubuntu, switching everything back to windows will require your windows installation disc, so it can re-write your MBR to boot into windows. Otherwise, it'll be pointing to a GRUB program on the linux partition that's corrupted or missing. This means that if you want to uninstall linux, DON'T just zap it's disk partition. You'll kill GRUB, and in the process, your ability to boot into any OS until you get that master boot record re-written using a boot disc.
Oh, and dispite the claims about ubuntu...
You're still gonna be using the command line a whole lot. All the guides for it are written to the command line instead of any GUI functions. Yeah, Ubuntu's (and all of Linux) has got a bit of a journey ahead of it to be actually user-friendly, IMO.

[RaWx]

GRUB is a peice of shit? GRUB is the most advanced opensource bootloader around kiddo. You apparently weren't around in the days of LILO.

If you want to run your basic Windows apps, go for Wine. Cedega is for gaming, and depending on your system specs, you may have success. On the Flipside, if you set up VMware correctly in Ubuntu, you can configure it to boot from your existing Windows installation. There's a few HOWTOs floating around that should help you out, I'd do a throrough search of the Ubuntu forums, you'll turn up something.

[brit]

Yeah, LILO is the old one. GRUB is relatively MUCH newer. <3 GRUB.

And yeah, command line use is HEAVY. You'll get the hang of it in no time, though. Just keep playing around with it, but NEVER use SU or SUDO. Just don't fucking do it. You can rape your system's butthole and it'll never like you again.

Have fun with it, though. Until you've been using the OS for a while, be careful of what you type into that black and white window.

[Jetsetlemming]

GRUB fucked over my computer, that's what I know about GRUB. I panicked for 3 days, with an unbootable system, before finding out via the ubuntu forums (via a library computer) what went wrong and how to fix it.
Goddamn GRUB. If it's the "most advanced" bootloader, the other ones available must set your computer on fire, then piss in your drink.

[Jizzel]

install grub or lilo in the root of your hd (not the mbr) and use a other bootloader for the mbr. That is what i do. The bootloader that i use is Gag: http://gag.sourceforge.net/pics.html

[Dr Mario]

GRUB fucked over my computer, that's what I know about GRUB. I panicked for 3 days, with an unbootable system, before finding out via the ubuntu forums (via a library computer) what went wrong and how to fix it.
Goddamn GRUB. If it's the "most advanced" bootloader, the other ones available must set your computer on fire, then piss in your drink.

For what it does, GRUB is far and away the most trouble-free bootloader out there. LILO is a monstrous and almost uncontrollable creation, and the NT loader freaks out before deleting things if you push it too far.

GRUB is powerful and controllable, something no other bootloader is actually good for.

[Urn]

well, ubuntu is a worst linux dist i ever saw

[Jetsetlemming]

For what it does, GRUB is far and away the most trouble-free bootloader out there. LILO is a monstrous and almost uncontrollable creation, and the NT loader freaks out before deleting things if you push it too far.

I was close!
Honestly, if I were to pick a design for a boot loader for dual boot windows/linux, I would prefer a program you run in Windows that causes you to reboot into linux. Simple as that. No changing the MBR or BIOS settings or anything. The less vital system things you change with your program, the less vital system things are put at the risk of getting fucked over by your program!
Oh, and GRUB isn't controllable if you don't know what you're doing. I kept trying to change it's settings in it's initial boot menu. I found out after I had already gotten rid of it and Ubuntu that you had to go into Linux and change it's settings from there.