Which is better for running simple Windows apps on a Mac?

 

if by "simple", you mean keygens; then Crossover. it doesn't get any easier. If not, I would look into Parallels Desktop instead.

 

Last edited: Aug 10, 2023

Clone, I appreciate each and every time you post!!! Is Crossover easy to install and run on M1/2? I still have nightmares about using Wine . . . searching for the files and hoping . . .

 

crossover is very easy. once you have it installed, you should be able to right click (option) the exe file, and do "open With" and then select Crossover. I am using v19. After you run via crossover, it takes a few seconds and you will have window saying Select Application to Install. On the bottom left of that, click Browse all Applications. Bottom of that menu list, select Unlisted Application. Right side, hit Continue, Install, it will show it creating the Bottle, Installing Unlisted Application. r2r music. Game over.

 

Completely different apps with completely different approaches to 'running Windows'. If you just need to run an app or two, Crossover is the way to go. It's just a front end for Wine wrapped applications. With something like a Keygen, you just run it as a command in a bottle, you dont even need to wrap it.

VMWare Fusion is actually running full blown Windows in an emulator.

 

So, VMWare Fusion is more for users who want to regularly run the two OS? I need simple and effective . . . it seems Crossover is the way to go!

 

Crossover for smaller utility app's, Parallels for full blown Windows with AudioGridder and etc.

 

Is there a more accurate way to gauge what kinds of programs will actually work (or not) inside Crossover? I have always done a "rule of thumb" point as the use of dependencies and other lower level stuff. .dll, .ocx, libraries like Windows C++ etc, and other services. Or just trial and error. Is there a more clearly defined "line" between using something like Crossover or Wineskin; and needing to jump to a more full VM style solution?

thanks

 

Crossover IS Wineskin with a Mac GUI on top. You can even get it to launch Wineskin itself and play with that if you want. Crossover will try to grab Windows dependencies when it needs them, but it's a little iffy at best.Ive run into .NET stuff still not working right here and there.

I really only use it to run ClrMAMEPro or ROMVault, and EE Keeper so I can cheat at Baldur's Gate 1/2, those all work great. Keygens are fine, you don't even need to install those, just select one of your pre-existing Bottles and use 'Run as Command' on the Keygen and it will just run the Keygen and when you're done its gone. At one point I had the old EMU Emulator X running in it and could convert stuff into banks for my E4, but for some reason it seems to have lost its crack and no matter what I do now, can't even get the R2R 'fixed' one to register. Have a bunch of old games, like the Sierra and Might and Magic stuff that's Windows only, I've bought off GOG that seem to work just fine too, but I usually only install those to grab the files and run them in DOSBox natively.

 

I meant that to be open ended in reference to any others of the small utility "helper programs" like Crossover, vs. the "more complete" robust full vm options. I was using Winery for awhile and after you created a wrapper you could just drop keygens onto it; but sometimes it did result in having to track that file down like OP mentioned. Crossover is capable enough for me. I'm just curious how much mileage someone could get out of it without trial and error screwing around. There was a user on here working on something called Crossgridder, but I haven't seen it mentioned in quite awhile.

 

Hi everyone.
To hopefully add something useful to the conversation, my approach to run Windows apps on Catalina is to have two "wine bottles". One with Windows 7 32-bit and another one with Windows 10 64 bit.
I drop the the standalone program or installer inside it and then run it with "execute command inside bottle" and save a starter if needed.
In my experience some keygens and other programs might require one or the other.
I have used wine a lot on Linux and it can run about everything (no ilok) and it's very useful to run older Windows software that need some specific dll or have other compatibility issues on modern Windows versions like 10 and 11. It can also be used to sandbox apps and not letting them call home or restrict access to files outside the wine environment.
But there are some exceptions like running a Windows DAW, or standalone audio programs because unlike games those are very sensitive to the buffer/cpu tradeoff and produce underruns or cpu spikes. Another thing that does not work is flashing firmware in my experience. I tried to update a synth and a Kaosspad without success. I suspect some bugs deep down in the USB driver of the Linux kernel and wine.
I would also recommend Crossover to TommyZai over a plain wine environment and a VM, because it does take care of a lot of busy work like finding the correct dll or runtime that a program needs and the UI makes it very easy to use without any command line shenanigans.
Apps can be run just like a native one and sit with a shiny icon in the dock.
One thing that would be really neat, is a port of a VST wrapper like yabridge (https://github.com/robbert-vdh/yabridge) and a current build of wine for Mac. The last one is v7.7 on Crossover 22. I for one would like to have some older plugins, because there some native ones that don't work on Catalina anymore and later and there is no good substitute. A wrapper could scratch that itch.

Please excuse my wonky English. It's not my first language and I need more coffee. Anyway have a good one everyone. Cheers.

 

Your english is more than passable Do you happen to have any experience with WineASIO compiled for Mac? There was another user here recently inquiring about latency and Direct Sound. He's trying to use this so he can run some of the R2R released PC software and looking into using Jack. If I remember correctly, some of the EastWest titles.. But it would be an interesting workaround for Mac to be sure. You may not be able to send a PM yet due to your registration being today and restrictions on new accounts. I will dig up the thread and send you a message later today. You could also find the thread just looking at my recent posts, as this was only with the last few days. I'm not using Linux at all on my Macs as neither have Nvidia gpus my other machine does, so I keep them completely separate.

 

Hi clone,
found the thread (https://audiosex.pro/threads/latency-issues-using-vst-in-wine-on-mac-osx.71509/) and left a comment for better or worse.
Funny thing, I installed Linux on the Mac just for a test with a different bootloader and its cured since then from hanging sometimes during booting. I guess that happened, because the flashram in the Intel silverbox got overwritten. Linux is now only on a Thinkpad laptop mostly for the interwebs and office, Mac (offline) for my goofy music and a PC with a stripped down Windows 11 (offline) is a media center with some games on it. Using everything on the same computer whatever it is running, is just asking for trouble. But someone might fight me on this ;)