According to The How-To Geek, running Windows 98 to Windows 7-era CD-ROM games on a modern Linux desktop is now a pretty simple process. The guide details using the Heroic Games Launcher, ideally installed as a Flatpak, along with the GE-Proton compatibility layer to install and play titles like Star Trek: Starfleet Command and Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor. The essential hardware is just an optical drive, like a USB-connected model, and you’ll need the game’s original activation key if it had one. The steps involve mounting the CD, using Heroic to run the game’s old Setup.exe file, and then pointing the launcher to the installed executable. The article also recommends optionally using an app like K3b to rip the CD to an ISO file to preserve the disc and avoid future wear.
Why this is a big deal
Look, for years, the biggest mental hurdle for switching to Linux was “but my games won’t work.” And for brand-new AAA titles, that’s still a sometimes-tricky landscape. But here’s the thing: this guide flips the script on retro gaming. It’s not about struggling with ancient Windows virtual machines or complex Wine configurations anymore. The fact that a user-friendly front-end like Heroic can just… handle it… is huge. It means your Linux box isn’t just for the future, it’s also a museum for your digital past. Basically, the barrier to entry has collapsed. You don’t need to be a terminal wizard; you just need to click the right buttons in a GUI. That’s a massive win for Linux adoption on the desktop, even if it’s for nostalgic reasons.
The preservation angle
This is where it gets really important. The guide’s optional step about ripping an ISO isn’t just a convenience tip—it’s a preservation tactic. Disc rot is real. Scratches happen. Old CD-ROMs are literally decaying on shelves. The ability to easily create a perfect digital copy and mount it on demand is how we save these pieces of software history. And let’s be honest, hunting down a USB optical drive is getting to be a specialty task. So doing this now, while the discs and drives still exist, is critical. Tools like K3b make it trivial. This isn’t piracy if you own the disc; it’s archaeology.
Winners and alternatives
So who benefits here? Clearly, Heroic Games Launcher gets a boost as the “newbie-friendly” option that doesn’t require an account. The whole Glorious Eggroll (GE) Proton ecosystem proves its worth yet again. But the real winner might be the user who thought they had to choose between their OS preference and their nostalgia. Now, what if you don’t have the discs anymore? The article points out the obvious alternatives: digital storefronts like GOG.com, which sell DRM-free classics that often just work, and the world of open-source engine re-creations. But there’s a different kind of magic in blowing the dust off a physical CD case, typing in that product key from the manual, and hearing that old installer whir. This guide validates that ritual on a modern, open-source platform. And that’s pretty cool.
