I've been using Zorin OS since version 16 and it's my go to Linux distro. My son's very old Lenovo machine running Windows 10 is not keeping up anymore. I'm giving him a much newer machine but still old enough that Windows would slow it down so I recommended Zorin OS and he got the interface right off the bat. I'm trying to replicate as much as I can of his Windows install and he has a lot of games, I thought with Windows App Support it would be pretty easy.
So here's my question, I upgraded my machine from version 16 to 17 and Windows App Support shows in my main menu but I installed version 17 from the start on his computer and Windows App Support isn't showing. Is this just something new in 17 and it still runs Windows apps or do I need to install more to get things working?
That'll put the shortcut for the installer in your application menu. Running it will add Windows App Support. (That is, the above command won't put Windows App Support on the system; Windows App Support is a collection of multiple things that this shortcut will install for you.)
My own experience though is that going that route isn't really worth it: if his games are all from Steam, you can just use Steam directly and set games to use Proton. Games on GOG or EGS could be run using Heroic Launcher. Loose installers, like Mihoyo games, can be run using Bottles.
There's nothing wrong with using Windows App Support per se, but my recollection is that it installed stuff I didn't end up using, I didn't prefer using WINE directly by just running .exe installers (which is the big benefit), and I generally had a better experience using Steam and Bottles. Your mileage may vary; if Windows App Support suits your needs, by all means go for it.
I don't believe we've tried that command so we'll give that a shot. Also we have some things working in Steam and it works really well, we're just both new to games on Linux and trying to figure it all out,
Please note, Steam can also be found in the software store, its a free download though, costs nothing. Once installed, your son can launch the app, and then login to his Steam account.
From here, he can download all the games that he wants to play. The important factor though, when it comes to running Windows games on linux, you have to use Proton to launch and play them.
Believe it or not, this is super easy to do. All he has to do is, right click on the game he wants to play in the left side list, and then click on properties. From there, he can go to the compatibility tab, put a check in the box, which unlocks all the Proton versions.
Typically when choose the right Proton, its my recommendation to try the latest version first, and if that don't work, try the next one down, and so on, and so on.
Its in my view, this is a lot easier then trying to install games in Wine. Hopefully, my tip has helped save you some time, and frustration in the future.
