I'm planning to build a computer using older parts from the Windows 98 to XP era, and I want to run a Linux distro on it. I'm curious if I can play my physical copies of classic games like Diablo 1 and 2, Half-Life 1 and 2, and Halo CE/Halo 2 using Wine. Would it be similar to running them on Windows XP, or should I expect issues?
3 Answers
Yeah, you can definitely run Linux on older hardware, but I’d recommend going for a 64-bit build since most distros are phasing out 32-bit support. I’ve used AntiX on older laptops and Wine works fine for many Windows 3.11 programs, but the support for Windows 95 and 98 software can be iffy. Be ready to experiment with virtual machines if needed!
When I started with Linux back in 2003, I found that Wine’s support for games was pretty hit or miss at that time. You might get some of those classic titles to work, but be prepared for some trial and error. It’s like a little science project! I suggest checking the WineHQ site to see how those specific games fared with older Wine versions.
You’re diving into a fun experiment! If you're considering using Lutris, it can simplify running Windows games and allows you to switch between different Wine versions. I had a black screen when trying to run Diablo recently, but I could still play the game. It’s worth a shot, but doing this on older hardware might present some challenges with performance.
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