I think you should look into cygwin or cygwinX which will give you a
bash unix shell or X-server from within windows. Not sure but I didn't
think you could use wubi like you are describing. Alternatively,
virtual box is also availabe for windows, though it does not, In my
experience, work as well as it does on Linux. The best comercial
route may be vmware. -just my 2 cents. Hopefully I understood what
you were talking about properly.

If it you're a windows shop, why not go on virtual machines ?
They're very easy to setup and you could find virtual disk with ubuntu already
installed and ready to work.

VirtualBox is a free solution that is very stable.

I'm doing the reverse at work. I have an Ubuntu machine with a windows XP
machine on VirtualBox. It's rock solid and I look like a windows machine for
the rest of the network.

You need a good decent machine with more RAM though.

If I understand your requirements, you won't be able to use WUBI in the way
you're wanting to. WUBI isn't quite the same as a virtualized installation of
the OS and so you can't run it from within Windows. Basically, WUBI acts the
same as if you'd set up Ubuntu in a dual boot environment: at system startup,
your user would have to choose to either boot into Windows or Ubuntu. Once they
are in a particular environment, they will need to restart their computer and
choose to boot into the *other* environment in order to switch.

I think someone on the group suggested virtualization and I'm going to recommend
that too. Usually when my clients have needs like yours, virtualization is the
route we take. Using something like VMWare, you could put a fully configured
virtual machine icon on their desktop that they click on from within Windows and
can run the Linux program they need from a full install of Ubuntu.

Keep in mind though that virtualization requires that your machines have enough
resources to support *both* operating systems running at the same time so it may
require some memory upgrades.

Alternately, you might try cygwin. It's an emulation environment that gives you
a full working Bash shell from which you can run almost all command line
applications. It's *much* less memory intensive and would probably be your best
bet in this case. Of course, since I don't know your specific requirement, I
can't really recommend anything specific but those are your options.

If you have questions, please feel free to get in touch or hit the list again.
It's a great resource with some fantastically knowledgeable people.

I could offer some first hand experence with the Ubuntu Wubi Desktop version....
now this was just a couple years ago when it first was released to the public
though I don't think the main things have changed.

It installs as a software with the One Click Windows Installer online with a
windows pc. It does not partition the disk and can be removed as any normal
software on Windows at Add/Remove Programs. It will automatically setup the dual
boot and at start up the options allow to enter either system. I believe the
preferences allow 10 to 30 seconds to choose and which is the default system
that will start up automatically at that time if none chosen.

It will run a tad slow kind of like if run through a usb plug and play drive
which some people have tried.

It is the fully working Ubuntu Desktop with instant connectivity over
broadband/dsl ethernet connection. It is not a demo or 'live distro' - though it
can be used that way without the burning to CD/DVD and install.

I would recommend a regular install and as dual boot since that is apparently
what you want. It will behave much better and stable. Since we are talking IT
Security here I would recommend the full install normally and as well attending
computing security with adding firewall and a real time protection solution such
as ESET. Botnets have been created with Linux and certainly corporate and
home/small business have been targets. As such, I would not operate without real
time solutions and there may be discounted business offerings no doubt. AppArmor
has recently been incorporated into Ubuntu Linux which is a real plus and
unobtrusive - similar to Vista UAC in a way securtity wise. There is encryption
available as well.

My recommendations are not from FUD
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear,_uncertainty_and_doubt
or any other uninformed paranoa. Actually I have performed Amatuer Forensics and
as a freelancer IT Security Home/Small Business. You Do Not want to take
unneccesary unrecommended chances in security I think goes without saying for
your position. As well I am a degreed accountant and need not mention client
security in all matters. Further yourself in database protections as well I
would recommend.

Another security ditty is http://www.bothunter.net/ for Linux download as well.

Just to clarify what WUBI is: it lets you install from within Windows, and
Ubuntu runs from a Windows file instead of its own partition. However, in
operation, you either run Windows or you run Ubuntu. To run both "at the same
time," use a virtual machine, as others have pointed out.

Using the Linux equivalent of a DOS batch file, you can do complex things by
typing one word at the command line.

Let me first preface this by saying that I have little formal training, I am
not an IT guy and have only been tinkering with linux and Ubuntu at home for
a couple of years. I don't know how large your firm is or what the demands
of this program are or what your budget is, but you could set up a dedicated
linux server to run the program if it is that important. Then install
something like Putty or Bitvise's Tunnelier on the Windows desktop machines
so they can log in remotely using SSH and have them run the program from
there. Seems to me it would use far fewer resources on the client computers
and give users an easy way to access a command prompt from any desktop OS.
It would also give you more control over what they can do with the software
and make updates or patches easier to apply across the board. If the
program involves sensitive client data, it should also make sense from a
security standpoint. Also, you would only be managing one linux box instead
of managing 2 OS's for every employee who uses the program. I would love to
learn more about this process, so feel free to tell me that this is a
ridiculous idea and why!

Well, I'd love to be able to run a server at the office and them access it
remotely - but this needs to be completely portable and capable of working
without access to the Internet. We just don't know and won't always be able to
control the environment it'll be used it.

last and not least to check out Compliance of course in IT.... and concerning
Linux.

Idea
www.symantec.com/.../solutiondetail.jsp\
k_comp&solfid=sol_it_compliance

Thanks. Having not used WUBI I had an incomplete understanding of it.

Thanks to all who responded. I'll no doubt have other questions as I get
further into this thing but I'll start separate threads for those.

I used Wubi install on this laptop for a while with no problems. While
you install into a windows folder instead of partitioning, you still end up with
2 OSs and the usual dual boot option screen. As suggested the way to run both
simultaneously, is via Virtualbox.

Most if not all main steam distros are not 'command line only' but is an option
by choice.