SOLVED how come I can no longer locate, install or use "wine windows program loader"?

[throatgorge]

I've searched repeatedly for answers, on winehq forums, on ubuntu threads. here. NOW I will ask.
My system: linux mint xfce 19 64 bit.
I've had to re-install linux a few times since the last time I got WINE to work.
Using WINE was a piece of cake a couple of years ago. I'd open the software manager, install WINE, then install "wine windows program loader" and I had lots of windows programs up and running in a flash. NOW there is absolutely NO "wine windows program loader" in the software manager and I can't seem to find any information whatsoever on how to get it.
Winetricks doesn't seem to allow me to install my own software. Play on Linux doesn't do anything useful either.

[deepakdeshp]

viewtopic.php?t=281375

[throatgorge]

thanks, I've done all that, which got me "E: Unable to locate package winehq-stable." That isn't my problem. I've installed and removed WINE six ways to Sunday. What I am missing is "Wine Windows Program Loader..." Which allows me to install a program by right clicking it, "open with Wine Windows Program Loader" and simply launch it again by finding it in my list of programs and clicking it.
A very useful program to suddenly not be found anywhere. Winehq says it's in Ubuntu repositories, not theirs. When I try to add: ppa:ubuntu-wine/ppa it tells me "cannot add PPA. this ppa does not support bionic."
What a rabbit hole!
It would be really simple if I could just find "wine windows program loader" in the freakin "Software Manager" LIKE I USED TO!!!!
Am I supposed to guess?
sudo apt-get-install wine-windows-program-loader
sudo apt-get-install WINE-windows-program-loader
sudo apt-get-install winewindowsprogramloader
and on and on and on until I get the correct package?

[HaveaMint]

thanks, I've done all that, which got me "E: Unable to locate package winehq-stable." That isn't my problem. I've installed and removed WINE six ways to Sunday. What I am missing is "Wine Windows Program Loader..." Which allows me to install a program by right clicking it, "open with Wine Windows Program Loader" and simply launch it again by finding it in my list of programs and clicking it.
A very useful program to suddenly not be found anywhere. Winehq says it's in Ubuntu repositories, not theirs. When I try to add: ppa:ubuntu-wine/ppa it tells me "cannot add PPA. this ppa does not support bionic."
What a rabbit hole!
It would be really simple if I could just find "wine windows program loader" in the freakin "Software Manager" LIKE I USED TO!!!!
Am I supposed to guess?
sudo apt-get-install wine-windows-program-loader
sudo apt-get-install WINE-windows-program-loader
sudo apt-get-install winewindowsprogramloader
and on and on and on until I get the correct package?

Did you run winecfg in the terminal which will install additional things?

[throatgorge]

I did, but I didn't see any option to download anything. I'll try again.

[throatgorge]

nothing.

[sgtor]

Can you paste the result of this?

Code: Select all

apt search wine | grep ^i

[throatgorge]

idA libwine - Windows API implementation - library
i A libwine:i386 - Windows API implementation - library
idA libwine-development - Windows API implementation - library
i wine-stable - Windows API implementation - standard suit
i wine32:i386 - Windows API implementation - 32-bit binary
i winetricks - package manager for Wine to install software

[throatgorge]

I keep reading article after article saying "now right click on the program you wish to install and select 'wine windows program loader.'"
All I got is "mono runtime" which does absolutely NOTHING. Why is it so hard to get WINE to act the way it did on my last install?

[smurphos]

I keep reading article after article saying "now right click on the program you wish to install and select 'wine windows program loader.'"
All I got is "mono runtime" which does absolutely NOTHING. Why is it so hard to get WINE to act the way it did on my last install?

Debian broke it, Ubuntu didn't fix it, Mint 19 inherited the mess. It's fixed in Mint 19.1.

[throatgorge]

OK I found THIS: "
For right clicking to run an .exe file, you need wine.desktop for wine program loader to show up as an option in the "open with menu". wine.desktop still exists but is deliberately put in a "wrong" location, to restore it sudo ln -s /usr/share/doc/wine-stable/examples/wine.desktop /usr/share/applications/"



which didn't seem to do anything... until I read this:


"Additionally, wine also adds an integrated utility to the file managers "open with" options, so you can open a windows app through the file manager:
This is usually called wine windows program loader.
You can see it when you right click on a file go to open with and view "other applications" if it isn't listed as on e of the 3 or 4 options in the main open with listings.
If that makes sense."

Well, I had to scroll down to the very bottom of the list, but there it was!!!! and it worked!

So, in summary-- the solution is: sudo ln -s /usr/share/doc/wine-stable/examples/wine.desktop /usr/share/applications/
then:
You can see it when you right click on a file go to open with and view "other applications" if it isn't listed as on e of the 3 or 4 options in the main open with listings.

Thanks for your helpful comments-- I hope the solution I found saves someone the headache I just faced!

[sgtor]

I'm glad you managed to fix it. I wanted you to post those results to see what you've actually got installed. I remember I had a lot of trouble getting mine to work but it does work fine.
The one thing you don't have installed that I do is wine64. If you run into trouble again try installing that as well.

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apt install wine64

Then when you right click on a windows program installer you choose "open with / other application".
From there you might need to choose "use a custom command", browse for it /usr/bin/wine

You can then run winecfg as well.

Code: Select all

winecfg

[Tomakin]

Thanks for this. I've just installed 19.1. I managed the first part of your advice and found the Loader. But it doesn't put a short cut on my desktop. How should I do this, please? Reg

[Moem]

But it doesn't put a short cut on my desktop. How should I do this, please?

If it puts an entry in your menu, rightclick on that and choose 'Add to desktop'.

[Tomakin]

I'm afraid it doesn't mention the application in the Menu

[Moem]

Then it's better to start a new topic for your question; it'll draw more eyeballs than this one, that's already SOLVED.

[sgtor]

You can also just follow these directions for getting it right from the winehq website if all else fails.

https://wiki.winehq.org/Ubuntu

[pbear]

Following up, as several folks have bookmarked this excellent thread (nice piece of sleuthing, throatgorge), be aware the problem described here was fixed in Wine 4.0, the version one gets if downloading directly from WineHQ (link in the preceding post). So, installation from repo (which is version 3.0) is easier and safer, but won't have the right-click program loader unless and until one creates a symlink as described above. Conversely, direct install has the program loader and gets a more recent version (whether the latter is important depends on the Windows app sought to be installed), but can be confusing for new users (hint: take a Timeshift snapshot first, so you can revert the system if things go sideways).

[raulsaavedr]

Hey guys! I installed Linux Mint 20 (Ulyana) and I got the wine from sofware manager and for me the working solution was:
sudo ln -s /usr/share/doc/wine/examples/wine.desktop /usr/share/applications/
Because I have the package wine not wine-stable