PE.exe on VMware (Viritual Machine)

[Rasta]

Hi m8s

Iam about to switch from Windows to linux finaly now.
Because PE runs on windows, it is about to get it running on a viritual machine.
I thought aboutto use VMware or Win4Lin.
Before i start to test the Win4Lin i do testings with VMware first now.
This is because i have a license for it.
I not found a test license for Win4Lin to check the Box before i make a final dessicion about if i should buy it finaly.

I tested WinXP (Pro) and Win ME with VM on Suse.
The boxes run fine, but i get a HAL request error on XP and a Kernel failure on Win-ME.

Has anyone a clue what windows OS runs best with PE in VMware?
Also i would be interested if someone can put me a testversion of Win4Lin

THX for Help.
Rasta.

[FireW0lf]

Try Windows 2000 Pro

It's alot more stable than WinXP, as it doesnt have the frilly crap in it, altho WXP is just W2k with a few addons and patches basically

Win4Lin.... Dunno about that. I recommend sticking with VMWare personally. It's rock stable, and been around along time. Lots of support too

Also, remember that in the last VU, MA upped the sys requirements to W2k or Wxp, so any W9x OS is a no no anyway

[Zefram]

Hi,

check these links:
http://www.transgaming.com/
http://www.codeweavers.com/about/

Sounds promising.

I remember one guy on EP stating he has PE running under Wine but it took him ages to find out the right settings for the directx emulation, which is the biggest problem I heard.
So, I think it is possible but the way to a successful running PE on Linux can be desperating and you have to be very patient (what I am not when it comes to computer things).
I just overflew the 2 links, so I cant say if its any easier with their products.

By the way, you might try wine, it doesnt require any windows, it is a completely free alternative implementation of the Windows API consisting of 100% non-Microsoft code.
Link to it is:

http://www.winehq.com/

Wish you good luck !!!

[Kalashi]

yeah, win2k rocks

[Rasta]

Thanks for the help.

I wil check Win2k emediantly in VMware.

About the Wine.
Wine wil need massive programming to get pe.exe running.
I not know anyone who got pe running with it.
A must would be a paralel instaled windows for the source and registrydata.
Iam afraid that i not have the skills to run pe with wine.
Maybe next year i wil have.

When i got a final sollution, il post it here

Case of honnor

Please keep answering, maybe someone has a final sollution for this already.

THX
Rasta

[FireW0lf]

I'd love to help you with this, but I have way too many projects on the go just now

Here's what sounds like a silly suggestion, but makes sense if you think about it

You say you're *about* to switch...?

Right - install Win32 VMWare on Windows

Install your flavour of Linux in this VM

Fire up your virtual linux, and install the *ix VMWare exe

Inside this, install your Win2k, and PE

Test until it works

You could also try this with WINE or Crossover (a WINE variant)

So basically, have virtual windows running inside virtual Linux

Means that you can test it before burning your bridges

[Jeroen3219]

Rasta,

A friend of mine tried everything getting PE to work on linux ( and he is a sysadmin, so he has got thorough knowledge on linux ), he didn't make it.

I haven't heard, both from him and from reading different forums, about anyone being able to run PE on anything else than Windows...

Eventually he gave up and decided to have 1 windows partition, especially for PE...

good luck and keep us informed. I know several people who'd like to run PE on linux

[FireW0lf]

Oh by the way, if you're considering using WINE, it also has an option to use an actual install of Windows to access, and store its settings in too (like regentries and so on)

Just a thought, in case you fail using the WINE directx libraries

Seems they've changed it - now you can extract windows cabs into a Windows directory for access by WINE instead

[Rasta]

Thx, but i think iam to fool for the wine yet. I wil check & learn how to use wine soon posible.

Right now iam downloading PE with win2k on the VMware.
On ME the download did not work. (Error in filesize examination.)
On XP (Pro) the download worked, but gave the "HAL" error.

I wil tell you if it runs ok on W2k.

P.S

You know a good forum or tutorial site about wine?

[Shadow-Ale]

HAL

1) In computers, a hardware abstraction layer (HAL) is a layer of programming that allows a computer operating system to interact with a hardware device at a general or abstract level rather than at a detailed hardware level. Windows 2000 is one of several operating systems that include a hardware abstraction layer. The hardware abstraction layer can be called from either the operating system's kernel or from a device driver. In either case, the calling program can interact with the device in a more general way than it would otherwise.

About the issue, making PE work in linux is in it's own possible, but not recommended from my own attempts. I'd stick to dual-boot or two computers. PE requires massive use of system resources, and emulating windows also does. Ok, emulating ain't the right word, running in a virtual enviroment. VE's will never be as fast as the real thing, so if you are going to get things going, you'll need a hell of a machine. I think you have bigger chance of making things run smooth with WINE. It takes time, it requires ALOT of patience and even more time.

Linux ain't made for gaming, let windows do the job. I'm not a microsoft-lover, but years of experience has thought me that windows is better at gaming/multimedia, and linux for work. Dual-boot would be the best, even though it's slow to reboot. Then you see which OS you'll use the most, and stick with it.