Ubuntu – Windows executables are started with archive manager

Canonical put in an "interesting" feature in 10.04 which was intended to persuade "windows" users not to download random executables and run them. Perhaps understandable, but flawed, since it also prevented running executable from a read-only CD/ISO.

The capability is called the "cautious launcher".

There are a few ways to workaround this - you just need to be aware of the risks.

1. Copy the executables to your desktop. Right click on the .exe file, select Properties, select the Permissions tab and check "Allow executing file as program". You should now be able to run the executable
2. mount the cd/iso and run from the terminal wine /media/cd-name/windowsname.exe
3. Right click on the .exe file, select Open with other application, followed by Use a custom command and use wine for the command. For executables in the future - right click the exe and then select Open with wine.
4. remove the cautious-launcher permanently...

Edit the default launch command for wine

gksu gedit /usr/share/applications/wine.desktop

Change from

Exec=cautious-launcher %f wine start /unix

to

Exec=wine start /unix %f

_source

In Ubuntu 14.04 and 16.04 A quick review of the code in /usr/bin/winefile indicates that the answer is no. after checking to see if it's called with a directory name it clearly is using wine to launch the file manager regardless.

Excerpt:

if [ -x "$appdir/wine" ]; then exec "$appdir/wine" "$appname" "$@"; fi

# finally look in PATH
exec wine "$appname" "$@"

Since wine is designed to launch Windows executables It won't launch native apps. I would assume that using wine to launch the file selection routine is necessary in order to insure that the proper parameter is passed after file selection. This opinion is purely based on logic (and the content of /usr/bin/winefile). If you have information to the contrary please comment and share.