Configuring Wine

Applications tab : this is used to set different Windows versions for different applications. The default (Windows XP) should be fine for most of them.

: this is used to set different Windows versions for different applications. The default (Windows XP) should be fine for most of them. Libraries tab : here you can add dynamic link libraries (DLLs) and specify whether they should be a Wine builtin or a native Windows binary; this will be used to copy various libraries needed by certain games or applications to run properly.

: here you can add dynamic link libraries (DLLs) and specify whether they should be a Wine builtin or a native Windows binary; this will be used to copy various libraries needed by certain games or applications to run properly. Graphics tab : in this tab you can specify graphics settings, emulate a virtual desktop and choose its resolution, change Direct3D vertex shader options and set fonts dots per inch (DPI).

: in this tab you can specify graphics settings, emulate a virtual desktop and choose its resolution, change Direct3D vertex shader options and set fonts dots per inch (DPI). Desktop Integration tab : in this tab you will be able to change the look of Windows applications that run through Wine, and also to change the theme which it uses (this is explained below in the section Customizing Wine).

: in this tab you will be able to change the look of Windows applications that run through Wine, and also to change the theme which it uses (this is explained below in the section Customizing Wine). Drives tab : this tab allows you to set drive mappings, which will give Wine access to certain devices and drives on your system. Default is usually fine, but you may need to add an optical drive here for applications which require the CD or DVD.

: this tab allows you to set drive mappings, which will give Wine access to certain devices and drives on your system. Default is usually fine, but you may need to add an optical drive here for applications which require the CD or DVD. Audio tab : the first time you click on this tab a message window will appear notifying you that a recommended driver has been selected. Click OK, then in the Audio tab click Apply. You can also test the sound using the Test Sound button. Default settings should be fine.

: the first time you click on this tab a message window will appear notifying you that a recommended driver has been selected. Click OK, then in the Audio tab click Apply. You can also test the sound using the Test Sound button. Default settings should be fine. About tab: optionally you can fill in the Owner and Organization text fields (anything will do).

sudo apt-get install cabextract

wget http://www.kegel.com/wine/winetricks

chmod 755 winetricks ./winetricks

./winetricks d3dx9 corefonts mfc42 riched30 tahoma

is used to configure Wine and change settings like sound, graphics, Windows version and so on. Wine uses the winecfg utility for configuration, which you can start either by typingin a terminal or pressing Alt+F2 and typing it there, followed by Enter. Note that the default settings usually will do, so it's not necessary to change the configuration options after installing Wine. When it starts for the first time, winecfg will prompt you to install Gecko, a web rendering engine used to embed HTML in applications (the same engine which is used by Firefox). It is recommended that you install it.If you don't install Gecko now, you'll be prompted later when it is needed by some application or you will be able to install it manually using the winetricks script (which is explained below this section). After installing Gecko, let's have a look at the Wine configuration window:I'll briefly explain each tab:is a powerful script which automates installation of various useful packages, offering a friendly interface to do so. Before downloading and using winetricks, first let's install thepackage, which is a native Linux application that extracts Microsoft Cabinet files (CAB), and is available in the repositories:Now let's fetch the script:Now make it executable and run it (make sure you're in the same directory from which you issued thecommand):A window with a list of packages to be installed will appear. As a side note, you can also specify the packages to be installed at the command-line, as parameters for winetricks, e.g.:Choose from the list the packages you want to install. I usually install here corefonts, d3dx9, gecko, mfc42, riched30 and tahoma. Notice that these are needed by some applications I run through Wine, but your needs may (and will) vary. Refer to the AppDB section on the Wine homepage to see individual requirements for each game or application. In addition to installing various applications, winetricks will also allow you to configure several settings which will be changed just like you would change them in winecfg (sound options, Windows version, virtual screen resolution and so on). After choosing the desired packages click OK and wait for winetricks to fetch and install them.There are several games which require some tweaking which can be done by using theutility and adding certain keys.This is a matter of personal preferences, but I used to have two or moreconfiguration directories and to switch (rename) between them depending on which application I'd need. So if I had several applications which require certain settings and others which do not function properly with those, I'd group the applications in a .wine configuration directory, and the others in another, and switch between them.