Installation of Zorin as WinXP replacement

Hi @ all,

first I wish all of you a good new year .

For an elderly person, I have the task to replace an old XP installation by something else, and as Win10 is an security nightmare and Win7 has proven to be an installation nightmare and I at least have a little experience with Linux already, I decided to test Linux OS as Zorin is rumored to offer an Windows-similar look what will be necessary to enable the changeover as good as possible.
Installation worked fine so far - my thanks to the developers.
But with the "finetuning", I need some help.

First: I need to get an XP-like look as much as possible. Is there already an "theme" somewhere, or do I need to do all the settings by myself?
(For example, it would be helpful if the Zorin "Startmenu" in the lower left edge only shows recently used programs in the left column, not an overview over program groups.)

Second: I tried to install an Kyocera printer. Kyocera offers Linux drivers, so I downloaded the file, decided that the Debian package probably would be alright... and got the message that Zorin does not know what to do with it. Unfortunately, I can't simply search the forum for problems like this, as "printer" is an forbidden search keyword. Searching the web offered the tip to install and use GDebi, but this is not available: "Paket gdebi ist nicht verfügbar, wird aber von einem anderen Paket referenziert. Das kann heißen, dass das Paket fehlt, dass es abgelöst wurde oder nur aus einer anderen Quelle verfügbar ist."
I guess the last option is right: it is only available from another source (repositories, if I remember correctly?). Does it make sense to add another repository, and if so, which one would be recommended?
I tried the command line also, but got the message (sorry, German again, as this is the language I installed): "Nicht unterstützte Datei ...i386.deb auf Befehlszeile angegeben". Translated: "Not supported file ...i386.deb in command line". I was assuming the Zorin is an Ubuntu derivate and Ubuntu is an Debian derivate - am I wrong with this?

Third: Is it possible to make the screen saver disappear just by a simple mouseclick? That's XP behaviour, and the person that uses the PC is used to it. I would assume the security issue to be negligible, there is nobody in the household who is not allowed to use the PC, so everyone has to know the password anyway - if it's necessary for unlocking. Otherwise, I could simply keep the knowledge for myself, as nobody else will make changes to programs or so usually. (Okay, the owner will got it, too, but probably forget it soon...)

Fourth: The "own files" had been stored on an separate HDD, but I cannot make a shortcut to them that survives reboot. Always it works when I test it immediately, but after reboot it is called broken. How can I setup an more "persistent" shortcut?

Many thanks for all help from
GM2H

M2H wrote:First: I need to get an XP-like look as much as possible. Is there already an "theme" somewhere, or do I need to do all the settings by myself?

Yes, please look here:
https://github.com/B00merang-Project/Windows-XP
The themes can also be modified, so please ask if you need help with that.

M2H wrote:(For example, it would be helpful if the Zorin "Startmenu" in the lower left edge only shows recently used programs in the left column, not an overview over program groups.)

There is not much you can do with the Startmenu as is, but you do have the option of installing alternate startmenu's and using them instead.
In the end, let's be honest... Anyone that uses a new system must learn a few things and get used to a few things, too. If you had installed MS 7 or 10, they would have to do the same, just the same.
I use a self-modified Frankenstein version of WhiskerMenu on XFCE and self-modified Frankenstein version of Mintmenu on Mate desktops.
.....and I don't use Gnome...

M2H wrote:Second: I tried to install an Kyocera printer. Kyocera offers Linux drivers, so I downloaded the file, decided that the Debian package probably would be alright... and got the message that Zorin does not know what to do with it. Unfortunately, I can't simply search the forum for problems like this, as "printer" is an forbidden search keyword. Searching the web offered the tip to install and use GDebi, but this is not available: "Paket gdebi ist nicht verfügbar, wird aber von einem anderen Paket referenziert. Das kann heißen, dass das Paket fehlt, dass es abgelöst wurde oder nur aus einer anderen Quelle verfügbar ist."
I guess the last option is right: it is only available from another source (repositories, if I remember correctly?). Does it make sense to add another repository, and if so, which one would be recommended?

I used to use Gdebi until Zorin 15. For some reason, it does not work on Ubuntu 18.04/Zorin 15.
But here's the trick:
For .deb files, just open a terminal in the folder that you have the .deb file in and enter in the terminal

Code:

sudo dpkg -i

followed by the NameOfFile.deb.
Easy, right?
For example, if you are installing a .deb file named cheezebiscuits-1.4.7.deb, it would be

Code:

sudo dpkg -i cheezebiscuits-1.4.7.deb

and dpkg will install it. Be warned, there may be missing dependencies sometimes. If this happens, you can try putting into terminal right after the attempted install:

Code:

sudo apt-get --fix-broken install

and this will search for dependencies and try to install them, then install what was a 'broken' package if successful. It will ask to Remove the Broken package however, if it could not successfully find the dependencies.
What I do in that case, is I read what dependencies are missing in the terminal window, then search for them here:
https://pkgs.org/
and install them with "sudo dpkg -i" and then try the original install again. So if you get an installation failure that says "Cannot be installed" don't give up, just yet. (But be careful of Falling Down The Rabbit Hole of Missing Dependencies, too.)

M2H wrote:I tried the command line also, but got the message (sorry, German again, as this is the language I installed): "Nicht unterstützte Datei ...i386.deb auf Befehlszeile angegeben". Translated: "Not supported file ...i386.deb in command line". I was assuming the Zorin is an Ubuntu derivate and Ubuntu is an Debian derivate - am I wrong with this?

Here, the issue is that you were trying to install a 32 bit driver on a 64 bit machine.
Please remember i386 means 32 bit and amd64 means 64 bit. Please go back to the Printer Driver page and download a 64 bit driver and try the above to see if that resolves your issue.
You are correct that Zorin is based on Ubuntu and Debian- .deb files are perfect for using on Zorin.

M2H wrote:Third: Is it possible to make the screen saver disappear just by a simple mouseclick? That's XP behaviour, and the person that uses the PC is used to it. I would assume the security issue to be negligible, there is nobody in the household who is not allowed to use the PC, so everyone has to know the password anyway - if it's necessary for unlocking. Otherwise, I could simply keep the knowledge for myself, as nobody else will make changes to programs or so usually. (Okay, the owner will got it, too, but probably forget it soon...)

Yes, try setting this command by entering it into your terminal

Code:

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.screensaver ubuntu-lock-on-suspend false

.... Or maybe it is supposed to say Zorin...

Code:

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.screensaver zorin-lock-on-suspend false

I'm honestly not really sure...
Try Both.

M2H wrote:Fourth: The "own files" had been stored on an separate HDD, but I cannot make a shortcut to them that survives reboot. Always it works when I test it immediately, but after reboot it is called broken. How can I setup an more "persistent" shortcut?

Many thanks for all help from
GM2H

I am not sure I am understanding this one. "Own Files?"
If you store data on an exterior drive, you must mount that drive for a shortcut or symlink to work. IF this is the case for your situation, you will want to use Automount.

An alternative to Aravisian's suggestion is Cinnamon DE - you need to install this, reboot, then choose at logon. You would have to install the Mint XP theme. I thought I had found an XP theme on Deviant Art but it was for Windows 7 upwards users! However I used the bliss wallpaper from the downloaded theme and set myself up with another user account to test it - and here we are:

Swarfendor437 wrote:An alternative to Aravisian's suggestion is Cinnamon DE - you need to install this, reboot, then choose at logon. You would have to install the Mint XP theme. I thought I had found an XP theme on Deviant Art but it was for Windows 7 upwards users! However I used the bliss wallpaper from the downloaded theme and set myself up with another user account to test it - and here we are:

Cinnamon on Zorin 15.jpg

Excellent suggestion, too. Thats Mate D.E., more or less. And the above links in my post will cover XFCE desktop, as well. So plenty to play with, there.

There are a few caveats though - can't get the XP icons to show, unlike Feren OS:

These are the only theme settings that give a stable Cinnamon DE in Zorin:



If I choose Mint XP controls the background disappear and leaves a bright white background that is painful to the eyes! I found an old GTK2 theme and couldn't find a way to install it to Gnome Flashback!

There appears to be a lot of dependency on 'Adwaita'.

If this is not as you would like GM2H, you could always take a look at Feren OS, Q4OS, or Freespire, or Makulu Lindoz.

https://q4os.org/

https://marius.bloggt-in-braunschweig.d ... inux-1.png

You could also consider installing XP as a virtual machine, inside of Zorin, provided you have enough RAM to spare in running it.

Swarfendor437 wrote:There are a few caveats though - can't get the XP icons to show, unlike Feren OS:

Odd. Got a link to that Icon Theme?

Swarfendor437 wrote:These are the only theme settings that give a stable Cinnamon DE in Zorin:

Theme settings for XP theme.jpg

If I choose Mint XP controls the background disappear and leaves a bright white background that is painful to the eyes! I found an old GTK2 theme and couldn't find a way to install it to Gnome Flashback!

There appears to be a lot of dependency on 'Adwaita'.

With Mate Desktop, (and Mint, if you can find the settings for it) the Panel controls certain desktop settings (Surprisingly.) Changing the panel from Traditional to Cupertino, on Mate, for example, will move your titlebuttons on all windows to the left.
So it takes some practice to know which setting will enable and disable OTHER settings.

Swarfendor437 wrote:You could also consider installing XP as a virtual machine, inside of Zorin, provided you have enough RAM to spare in running it.

Wouldn't recommend it.

When you get to where you are trying to troubleshoot VM problems, MS Windows problems and Linux problems all at once...

Aravisian wrote: ... When you get to where you are trying to troubleshoot VM problems, MS Windows problems and Linux problems all at once...

Yes, true but once you have created your VM with all Updates and Software you can back it up to an external drive and then just drag the VM file back into VB - I did this on FerenOS.

Thank you very much for all replies and the help !

About the background: yes, surely everyone has to learn new things. But when you come to the 80th, the verve decreases at many persons. I am glad that this one still is willing to handle the necessary changes, but it has proven to be more acceptable if the changes are not too big. So, if I can make more things being „like used to“, I hope that the person can make the „new PC“ her own also emotive – I have to handle (old) humans, not robots, at all… (And at least Mahjongg is a good assistant, actually…;) ).


About the Themes: The B00merang-Themes looks great. I will try to install one as soon as I found an instruction how to. I‘m just still a newby in these things… (and didn‘t had the time to read the handbook, but I am very happy that there is one).
The Mate Theme would be another option (it looks familiar to me from two laptops I installed Linux Mint on), but testing that will have to wait a bit.


About the printer:
I tried the corresponding amd64-file, and… nothing happened at all, as far as I can say. I got no message about whether it worked or not. On a windows system, my guess would be that it was a small crash, not able to give even a notice. But the testpage revealed that it didn’t work.

dpkg was more informative about the problem in the background, and the fix probably worked.
Now I wonder about:

Abhängigkeitsprobleme verhindern Konfiguration von kyodialog:
kyodialog hängt ab von python-reportlab; aber:
Paket python-reportlab ist nicht installiert.

Translation: dependency problems prevent configuration of kyodialog: kyodialog depends on python-reportlab, but package python-reportlab is not installed
The fix did install it, but how can I go back to the configuration of kyodialog? Should I redo the installation? Or will the configuration now take place automatically if I test the printer?

About the screen saver: I will leave the PC on after answering and see what happens.
Is there an setting for testing it directly? I tried to find it in the screen settings but there are only orientation, resolution, scaling and something called “night mode”. Searching for the German word for "screen saver" gives no results...

I am not sure I am understanding this one. "Own Files?"

It‘s definitively too long ago that I had an English Windows to use. I was talking about the windows home folder and simply translated the German expression.

About virtual machines: I started a test with XP inside Ubuntu some time ago but found that it is quite hungry for resources, so I think the PC in question here is too weak to handle a VM. I hope that the new year offers a bit of time to revive that other project, but at this PC, I will try to stick with a Linux OS if possible.

The other Linux distribution look good, too. Maybe I’ll test them on another PC (if I find some time). However, at least Q4Os seems to be more suitable for Linux professionals, not for newcomers with little experience (and private persons in addition).

Hi, With regards to the printer question, all I can say is give it another try - if it still does not work, remove the packages that you noticed got installed (not the dependency files that you have since found) just the printer ppd (printer proprietary driver) files and start again. The easiest way to remove packages is to install Synaptic Package Manager and whilst I mention this, (it is available in Software Channe), you need to NEVER boot into Zorin Wayland Desktop option (cog next to log in password) as you cannot use Synaptic in that DE.
With regards to personal files, Linux has a global home folder and each users /home folder resides in that which contains Documents, Downloads, Music, Photos, Public (for sharing), Videos. Your '/home' folder also contains hidden files that start with a '.' e.g., .mozilla (firefox config files) .thunderbird (mail clident config files), so if ever you want to backup the contents of your /home folder to an external drive manually like I do then press Ctrl+ H to view hidden files then Ctrl+ A to select all, Ctrl+ C to clipboard then in backup folder created on external device, Ctrl+ V.
With regards to disabling the screensaver (lock screen), go to Settings | Privacy and turn off screenlock. There have been reports that this does not always work. Having just done a search, someone on askabuntu suggested installing 'Disable Screen Shield' from the Software Channel. Mixed reports of working / not working.

To install Gnome shell themes, first you will need to install gnome-tweaks ('Tweaks' in the menu once installed). Once installed go to 'Desktop' and you should see a theme subsection with a browse button to install a new theme. The ones that work the best are .zip themed files from experience - if one is tar.gz just extract all the files then re-compress as a .zip.

Ther is a German Manual for 12 which is almost the same as 15 - the only significant difference is there is no Zorin Connect in 12 - I need to get some translations done for 15 but I feel I need to update it, in particular with regard to Zorin Connect and firewall exceptions to get it to work.

M2H wrote:About the Themes: The B00merang-Themes looks great. I will try to install one as soon as I found an instruction how to. I‘m just still a newby in these things… (and didn‘t had the time to read the handbook, but I am very happy that there is one).

Installing themes is very easy on these desktops, fortunately.
In addition to Swarfs recommendation, I'd like to let you know how to do it manually, just in case.
There are two places that you can install a theme: In root for global use of the theme (The theme will be applied on all windows) or in Home Folder for Local use (The theme will be applied only to folders operating out of Home directory).
If a theme is applied only in Home:
Path: /home/$USERNAME/.themes - then if you open programs like gufw, Synaptic, Session manager, etc., the theme will not be applied and that window will use a default theme and look strange in comparison to the rest. This can be confusing (Or annoying.)
I prefer to install themes in Root to prevent this.
You can open a terminal and type in

Code:

pkexec nautilus

Enter your password and a window will open with Root Privileges. Now, move or extract your theme directory to the following path:
/usr/share/themes/
As you can see, installing a theme is simply extracting it into one of the two "themes" folders.
Then, apply the themes with the gnome-tweak tool as Swarf said.
To recap:
Themes go in the path
/usr/share/themes
or
/home/$USERNAME/.themes

Code:

sudo apt-get install gnome-tweaks

M2H wrote:About the printer:

Agreed with Swarf, please try printing again after making the installations. If something goes wrong, you may find more information about the error.

M2H wrote:About the screen saver: I will leave the PC on after answering and see what happens.
Is there an setting for testing it directly? I tried to find it in the screen settings but there are only orientation, resolution, scaling and something called “night mode”. Searching for the German word for "screen saver" gives no results...

Settings for it are found in the Power Management settings. It uses Gnome Screensaver. Many people replace the gnome screensaver with xscreensaver for the X window system, which you are using as long as you do not log into Wayland.
Agreed with you about Q4OS...
That desktop Environment is Trinity. Trinity was a project to extend KDE desktop 3.5 which uses QT, instead of Gnome.
I have used Trinity and I will never use it again:| It is counter-intuitive, hard to find files on, hard to configure and although is extremely customizable, is very complicated to customize. Many aspects of it are deprecataed so you will have no support in troubleshooting it.