How can I get MSN games to work with on linux, aMSN doesn't seem to support it...

only option appears to be to emulate msn i think i read of someone who managed it. programs like amsn only have the basics with a few of the bells and whistles at last check they had nudges and custom static emoticons

Are you trying to run the on-line games or the downloaded version of them?

online, i want to play games with my MSN friend without switching hard drives...

Well i've read about mercury http://www.mercury.to/ and it has on-line games, it also has other things from msn 7, check it out!

On retaining access to a Microsoft-oriented world when you want to mainly use Linux:

MSN is a Microsoft operation and I would expect that you have to be running Windows to make full use of it. It may require use of the Internet Explorer, DirectX, or other stuff from Redmond, or it may do the usual MS thing and install, without bothering to tell you about it, all sorts of stuff on your local system in order to get its features to work. Bottom line, I suspect, is that if you and your pal are not willing to do what others here suggest and just move over to a less proprietary gaming site, then you are gonna have to keep using Windows. Question is, how to do this? You basically have three choices. You can use two completely separate computers. You can use a dual boot system, which is what a lot of us probably do, me included. Or you can run Windows inside Linux, which saves you the hassle of having to reboot and not being able to access your Linux software while you're online with your pal.

I have both a dual boot system and a separate installation of Windows running inside Linux, and am gradually moving most of the few remaining Windows applications that I need -- stuff like Desktop publishing software that doesn't really have an acceptable Linux alternative yet, although Linux Scribus is coming along and may eventually fill the DTP gap. The same approach might solve your problem. I use QEMU emulation of a generic PC and run Win98 as a Linux window that accesses the emulated computer. It works great. It is fast and provides a complete native Microsoft environment so essentially I can install and run just about anything. In my own case I have removed all internet functions from the Windows emulation, just because this provides a big, big improvement in security, but that's an option that you don't have to imitate.

Warning: this set of moves is a major change. It will take substantial time. You had also better have everything thoroughly backed up, including your MBR, the master boot record which most conventional backups won't pick up.

PS: I did a through check of QEMU alternatives such as WINE and Bochs. WINE is much more complex to set up, especially if you've got several Windows programs that you need to keep on using, because each of them may present special emulation problems. Bochs is too slow (but the Bochs docs can help with the use of QEMU; the two projects aim at different needs and share some of their resources). At this point there is very little that one can't do with a Linux system, including running just about all of the various media and productivity services, but there are still some things that Linux systems can't provide, including many games.

ek! thanks for your time man! but i'm a newbie and that looks HARD!!!!!!! I have a completely differnt hard drive with Windows Server 2003 running on it, but I want to use linux as much as possible(I've pretty much masterd windows, and want to use a more technical OS!).

ok i have done a bit of hunting and i now use mercury it has fantastic never knew there was anything close to full msn function as this as for games i have two ideas:
stick with tick tac toe :P (ok maybe not much of an option)
or get java for your web browser (if you use firefox/mozila this is very easy to do)
and play on games.yahoo.com it has many online games inc scrabble, pool, chess and card games. only problem is the life story needed in order to sign up to the games