Why do certain windows .exe files not run on MacOS Ventura using the latest version of Wineskin?

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Why do certain windows .exe files not run on MacOS Ventura using the latest version of Wineskin?

Hello, I have an M2 MacBook Air that runs MacOS Ventura. I downloaded Wineskin Winery to create application bundles to run 32 bit applications as WineBottler will not work on MacOS Ventura. While I did get some 32 bit .exe Windows files to run, some other 32 bit .exe files simply would not run and are seemingly not readable via Wineskin or all other equivalents of Wineskin that are compatible with MacOS Ventura. Why is this? Are there any Winetricks or commands that need to be executed while creating the application bundle? If so, what are they? I'd appreciate it if anyone could help me out with this. Thanks.

MacBook Air, macOS 13.2

Posted on Aug 16, 2023 12:30 AM

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Answer 1

VikingOSX

Level 10

122,550 points

Aug 16, 2023 8:14 AM in response to mrmagnetoman88

The Wineskin vendor will be your best explanatory contact here. Are you using this variant of Wineskin?

Your profile only shows Ventura 13.2, though an M2 Air should be running Ventura 13.5. If the Wineskin source has made changes in their code to accommodate Ventura 13.5, then you may be encountering something that might be improved by updating to 13.5 — if not already there.

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Answer 2

Aug 16, 2023 3:40 PM in response to VikingOSX

Thanks for your reply, VikingOSX. Yes, I'm using Wineskin 2.9.1.8. I have an older intel MacBook Air that runs MacOs Mojave and this variant of Wineskin behaved pretty much the same way it does on MacOS Ventura, i.e it would run the same certain .exe files and wouldn't read others that wouldn't run on MacOS Ventura. I also tried downloading an older variant of Wineskin on MacOS Ventura which I used on MacOS Mojave that would run pretty much any .exe file on MacOS Mojave, but on MacOS Ventura, it would not do anything beyond the message 'Wineskin is busy with a spinning circle', implying that that version is probably not compatible with MacOS Ventura.

Do you believe that updating to MacOS 13.5 would resolve this issue of the latest version of Wineskin not running certain .exe files, or do the versions of Wineskin that work on MacOS Catalina and later simply not read those certain .exe files being that they are 32 bit files?

This is a little off topic, but I've become less keen on updating my operating systems over time as I've observed that battery life tends to decrease as newer operating systems are installed. Updating to MacOS 13.5 won't affect my battery life or impose any further limitations, will it? Sorry for my response being loaded with so much. I really appreciate your having responded and being helpful; this is not a particularly easy or straightforward scenario that many people may experience.

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Answer 3

VikingOSX

Level 10

122,550 points

Aug 17, 2023 9:58 AM in response to mrmagnetoman88

I don't use Wine* anything, so contacting the Wineskin team remains the best approach. After macOS Catalina, the operating system only supports compatible Mac compiled X86-64 binaries with Apple's Rosetta 2 on Apple Silicon Macs. Either the Ventura operating system completely ignores those 32-bit Windows .exe as bogus files, or this is a deeper question for the Wineskin team.

Updating to Ventura 13.5 may or may not improve matters.

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Answer 4

Aug 18, 2023 12:37 AM in response to VikingOSX

Yes, I think contacting the Wineskin team would be a good idea. I just have nostalgia for certain old programmes and really want to be able to run them on a modern day Mac operating system. Thanks again, VikingOSX.

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Why do certain windows .exe files not run on MacOS Ventura using the latest version of Wineskin?

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