Summary
Linux can sort of run Windows apps but not without jumping through multiple hoops.
Imagine an operating system that is designed from the ground up to run Windows apps natively.
Thats the promise of ReactOS.
Lucas Gouveia / How-To Geek
What is ReactOS, and Why Should You Care
Meet ReactOS.
Its a free andopen sourceoperating system developed from scratch to run Windows drivers and software.
Its actually a reverse-engineered Windows clone.
you’re free to imagine how daunting cloning an entire closed-source OS can be.
So we shouldnt expect a stable release anytime soon.
When you log into the ReactOS desktop, you wont see a Windows 11 look-alike.
Or Windows 10, 8, 7, or even XP.
It looks and feels a lot likeWindows 2000or 98.
I prefer Linux, but Im locked into Windows by a few exclusive apps.
If it wasnt for those apps and games, I would quit Windows entirely.
Ive tried running them inLinux using Wineand its equivalents, but it never goes as seamlessly as Id like.
Thats why, when I found ReactOS, I was excited to give it a try.
Heres the whole story.
Second, it can be unstable and buggy.
If you have an old laptop or PC lying around, its the best hardware to install ReactOS on.
you’ve got the option to also run it inside a virtual machine.
Surprisingly, it took five minutes to install ReactOS (it was faster than some apps).
I ran through an old-school installation screen, then an OS setup, and a failed driver installation.
Two reboots later, I was on the ReactOS desktop.
First Impressions
Windows 2000 and 98 were before my time, but I have usedWindows XP.
ReactOS captures the look and feel.
The context menu is a pixel-for-pixel recreation, complete with a Refresh button.
I went into the Desktop properties and found the all-too-familiar display prefs.
If youve used Windows XP or 2000, these wallpapers will be a trip down memory lane.
How about this functional screensaver ripped from the movie Matrix?
ReactOS has an identicalTask Managertoo.
you could see your resource usage in the performance tab.
ReactOS uses 131MB of RAM and barely any CPU.
The recommended amount of memory is 256MB and the OS limits itself to a single CPU core.
What Can You Do On ReactOS
Now lets test how well it runs.
This is where the rubber meets the road.
ReactOS can run executable EXE files natively.
It does particularly well for legacy apps that no longer work on Windows 10 or Windows 11.
ReactOS also has a native store where you could install updates and apps.
Think of it as an open-source clone of the Microsoft Store.
I started by testing the app we all use the most: the web web app.
ReactOS has a built-in version ofInternet Explorercalled the WineInternetExplorer.
It couldnt load most websites because of security certificate errors.
So I installed Mozilla Firefox and the installation went smoothly.
Sadly, Mozilla has dropped support for old versions of Windows.
So I could only get version 52.0 working.
I also found a bunch of obscure browsers in the ReactOS store.
K-meleon net web surfer, MyPal, NewMoon, and a few others.
Google Docs loaded but it was lagging horribly.
I wouldnt recommend using any of these outdated browsers because theyre riddled with security and privacy vulnerabilities.
I installed AbiWord which didnt lag so I managed to set up the word processing part.
ReactOS also has native support for Microsoft Office.
But I dont need Office, so I didnt bother installing it.
I did give a shot to get Spotify working, which crashed the OS.
I need Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator in my daily workflows too.
But ReactOS just doesnt support modern versions of these apps.
Someone managed to run an ancient version ofPhotoshop on ReactOS.
But that wasnt an option for me.
I loveretro PC games(thats the second reason I need Windows).
And they work surprisingly well here.
If you dont like Windows but love old PC games, ReactOS might be for you.
I played Chicken Invaders on ReactOS and it ran beautifully.
That said, its a delight to test a project like this, especially if you love retro computing.
