Linux is a popular operating system that can be used on many different devices. One of the most popular devices is the computer, and one of the best ways to use Linux on a computer is to install applications. This article will show you how to install Windows applications on Linux using crossover. First, you will need to create a directory for your Windows applications. This directory will be called “windows” and it will contain your Windows applications. Next, you will need to extract the files from your Windows application directory into the “windows” directory. You can do this by using the following command: cd windows Now, you will need to install crossover onto your Linux computer. You can do this by using the following command: sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install crossover

For example, if you are very comfortable working on Photoshop, getting started with Gimp will take some time. In such cases installing a windows application on Linux is the only option you are left with to complete your task quickly.

Today we are going to see how to get these Windows applications running on Linux using the well known Crossover Linux software. It’s not free, but you can download a demo and try it out.

Installing CrossOver Professional

Once you have downloaded the file (install-crossover-pro-7.0.0.sh) open a terminal window go to the directory where you have downloaded install-crossover-pro-7.0.0.sh and execute the following command.

The following window will appear. Accept the License by clicking OK.

Once you have clicked OK the installation window will open. Enter the desired installation path and click “Begin Install” to start the installation.

After a few seconds crossover professional will be installed on your machine. If you have the registration code you can enter it by following the steps below (Registering CrossOver Professional) or if you are using this software in trial mode skip to the next section to start installing windows software.

Registering CrossOver Professional

Click Applications and select “Register and unlock this demo” under the CrossOver menu.

You will be presented with the Product Registration Window. Once you have entered your registration details your copy of CrossOver will be upgraded.

Using CrossOver Professional

Now, we’ll see how to install Windows software using Linux CrossOver Pro. Start the installation by clicking Applications->CrossOver->Install Windows Software.

As you can see in the snapshot below you can either select the software listed or you can choose to install unsupported software. I am going to install an unsupported free windows software called Xvid converter.

Select Install unsupported software and click the Next button.

Select the installation file of Xvid Converter and click Next.

Run through the regular installation process.

Make sure that you select a different directory, preferably one in your home directory. In my case it is Z:\home\vivek\untitled folder\Xvid Converter

That’s it, you have finished installing the application! You can launch by going to Applications-> Windows Applications-> Xvid Converter-> Xvid Converter.

The following screenshot shows you Xvid Converter in action:

Now you can experiment by installing different applications. If you want to uninstall any of the applications you have installed using CrossOver, go to Applications->CrossOver->Configuration.

Select the bottle in which you installed your application and click Repair/Remove. Your application will be uninstalled.

Note: We tested this application on Ubuntu 8.10.

Conclusion

Although a good number of applications are supported and can be installed, not all windows based applications can be ported to Linux using Linux CrossOver Pro. For example I couldn’t install Adobe DreamWeaver CS4 using Linux CrossOver Pro. It’s still a great product that helps you transition to using Linux.

Editor’s Note: This is a guest review of a non-free software package, but we like this application here at How-To Geek and neither of us make any money from recommending it. We are fans of full disclosure and would never recommend something we haven’t tried ourselves.

Download Crossover Linux Trial from codeweavers.com