[Wine] What's the problem with my wine install?

[James Mckenzie]

jammanuser <wineforum-user at winehq.org> at Nov 25, 2008 10:02 AM (MST) wrote about Re: What's the problem with my wine install?
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>vitamin wrote:
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>> jammanuser wrote:
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>> > >  Wine is not designed to interact with an existing Windows installation.
>> > > 
>> > > WARNING: Do not try to configure Wine to point to your actual Windows C:\ drive.
>> >  
>> > 
>> > if so, then i don't think that that can be used to claim that wine doesn't work on ntfs file system
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>> I'm not sure what you trying to say? The above warning applies to real windows' c: drive regardless of the file system.
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>exactly!!! the warning does not even mention the file system, so that's why i don't understand why >u would use a statement like that to back up a claim that Wine does not work on NTFS file >system!!!  

Simple.  Wine developed and configured for Linux will not work with NTFS for a varity of reasons.  What this means is that you CANNOT install Wine on a NTFS partition and expect it to work.  You MUST install it to a LINUX EXT3 partition.  Now, here is the problem as I see it:  Wubi actually creates an ext3 partition as a hidden file on your NTFS partition.  Wine will install to the ext3 parition, but you will not be able to WRITE to the NTFS partition.  You must install all applications to the pseudo-C: partition that Wine creates in order to run them.  Sorry, but that is the way that this works, for now.  Do not blame Wine as the problem appears to be the way that the NTFS Linux drivers work.  Also, it is true that you SHOULD not map your existing C: drive to be the C: drive under Wine, it will not work.  HOWEVER, after you install your applications to Wine you MAY attempt to map your Vista C:\Program Files directory to another drive letter, but this is not warrantied to work or do anything other than mess up your Wine installation.  So, what do you do:
1.  Install Wine to your Linux partition.
2.  Install all the applications you want to use to Wine's C:\Program Files directory which exists on the Linux partition.
3.  Run your applications from Wine's C:\ directory.  Linux has problems executing programs from a NTFS partition, even Linux applications.
4.  Save data as applicable.

(Isn't this in the FAQ?)

James McKenzie