Unable to boot to Zorin OS 15

mannuforall

Sat Dec 14, 2019 11:22:08 am

my Lenovo laptop has 2 SSD, 1st 500GB has Windows 10 installed.
I'm trying to install Zorin OS using live USB with Win 10 as a dual boot on 2nd SSD of 128GB.
I tried with the "something else" option and created a / root partition and a swap partition on 2nd SSD.
Installation successful but after reboot, It showing me 2 entries in the bootloader: Windows and RemixOS!!!

I'm able to boot into Windows 10 but the second entry of bootloader "RemixOS" showing error.
I tried to reinstall Zorin Linux using different methods and using the different partitions but nothing happening. Same error every time.

My BIOS also showing a new entry as Ubuntu along with the old Windows entry. But selecting Ubuntu also showing the same entries for Windows and RemixOS.

I tried to run boot-repair using live USB but unable to fix it anyway. Tried given tips but nothing fixed.
I attached the error log created by boot repair in this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PAQB9j ... sp=sharing
I'm not an expert with Linux, just a newbie.

Swarfendor437

Sat Dec 14, 2019 12:26:56 pm

OK, here is what I would do. DO SO AT YOUR OWN RISK AND BACKUP DATA BEFORE PROCEEDING.

1. Boot into live Zorin media and delete everything on that second SSD.

2. Reboot into BIOS and set it to default settings. This will not necessarily get rid of the other entries but you should (hopefully) get back to a working Win 10.

3. After checking that this works, (if it doesn't use Zorin live media to backup any data and non-resident Widows app setup files and any activation codes, once backed up do a factory reset to get things back to normal - don't know if factory resets BIOS I'm not sure).
[back later]

4. After you are back to a working system, in the BIOS create a working profile backup (Asus have these options, don't know if Lenovo has them) disable the Windows drive, turn off Windows manager and turn off fast boot.

5. Leave EFI enabled. When you come to install Zorin, choose the something else method to manually partition the SSD for Zorin. Make EFI 50 Mb in size, then create /boot (2 Gb formatted to Ext4), then create 50 Gb '/' (root/system partition, formatted to Ext2), then lastly '/home' partition of remaining space. When it asks you at bottom of partitioning screen where to put GRUB, select '/boot'. Next proceed to install Zorin.

6. Reboot into BIOS and restore Windows boot manager and fast boot. Once in Windows 10 go to neosmart.com and download EASYBCD. This backs up your Windows Bootloader if BCD is used by Lenovo. Not sure if it will work if Lenovo uses GPT for the Bootloader for Win10 (I would need to check this out. You could also help by visiting Lenovo and Linux forum to see if they advise way forward that might work better than my advice: https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/Other-Linu ... rest_Linux).

Video guide here on EasyBCD by Matthew Moore:

https://youtu.be/xlTgaWs9BD0

Whilst this is Windows 8 it may well still apply, notwithstanding GPT!

mannuforall

Wed Dec 18, 2019 2:02:54 pm

Swarfendor437 wrote:OK, here is what I would do. DO SO AT YOUR OWN RISK AND BACKUP DATA BEFORE PROCEEDING.

1. Boot into live Zorin media and delete everything on that second SSD.

2. Reboot into BIOS and set it to default settings. This will not necessarily get rid of the other entries but you should (hopefully) get back to a working Win 10.

3. After checking that this works, (if it doesn't use Zorin live media to backup any data and non-resident Widows app setup files and any activation codes, once backed up do a factory reset to get things back to normal - don't know if factory resets BIOS I'm not sure).
[back later]

4. After you are back to a working system, in the BIOS create a working profile backup (Asus have these options, don't know if Lenovo has them) disable the Windows drive, turn off Windows manager and turn off fast boot.

5. Leave EFI enabled. When you come to install Zorin, choose the something else method to manually partition the SSD for Zorin. Make EFI 50 Mb in size, then create /boot (2 Gb formatted to Ext4), then create 50 Gb '/' (root/system partition, formatted to Ext2), then lastly '/home' partition of remaining space. When it asks you at bottom of partitioning screen where to put GRUB, select '/boot'. Next proceed to install Zorin.

6. Reboot into BIOS and restore Windows boot manager and fast boot. Once in Windows 10 go to neosmart.com and download EASYBCD. This backs up your Windows Bootloader if BCD is used by Lenovo. Not sure if it will work if Lenovo uses GPT for the Bootloader for Win10 (I would need to check this out. You could also help by visiting Lenovo and Linux forum to see if they advise way forward that might work better than my advice: https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/Other-Linu ... rest_Linux).

Video guide here on EasyBCD by Matthew Moore:

https://youtu.be/xlTgaWs9BD0

Whilst this is Windows 8 it may well still apply, notwithstanding GPT!

I've done till step 5 but EASYBCD not working in my laptop and saying that support UEFI boot.
After the successful installation of Zoin os, when restart it stuck at Grub> option.
Though I'm able to boot to Windows by select Windows boot manager from boot menu.

This is a static archive of the old Zorin Forum.