Running Windows programs on Ubuntu?

This is fairly easy. Some people might be afraid of doing such a thing, and if you can avoid it...by all means do so! Ubuntu has tons of great native programs that work better than Windows-based programs.

But if you really need to run a Windows program you can use Wine, but first check the program's compatibility here! Once the page loads look for the search box on the bottom of the left column of the page, and type in your program's name.

This will give you a few results. Most likely the first one will be the one relevant to your need. Click on the first link and it'll take you to Wine's AppDB (application database) and there you'll be able to check the program's current status. If it's shadowed with a greenish color and says "Garbage" don't mind installing it...it won't work.

I suggest you read all the relevant parts of the table in the AppDB before proceeding.

Ok, now let's say your program works. Simply go to the Synaptic Manager (System>Administration>Synaptic Package Manager), enter your password, and then search for "wine" (without quotes).

Hit "apply" and the manager will take care of the rest. Once installed it should be as easy as restarting your computer and then double-clicking the .exe file like on Windows, and the installer will launch.

Again, if you can avoid this...do so! But wine is a pretty nice program though.

Hope this helped!