Whitstabubble
Wed Apr 22, 2020 1:14:03 pm
Hello there folks! My writing laptop (good keyboard) is a Dell Inspiron 1525 that started out running Vista and now after 7 & 8 successfully runs Win 10 home pro. As a 12 year old 32bit dual CPU 160gh 4gb ram it's not doing so bad but it is sluggish. I did want a cleaner, quieter environment to write in, and dual booting to Zorin seemed like a perfect answer. Used a USB stick to check Zorin out - delighted - so late at night - maybe too late, I tried to install Zorin 'alongside' Windows. I can't remember if I did that from USB or a link on the desktop of my temporary Zorin.
Everything seemed fantastic - when it finished, there was a proper copy of Zorin - it picked up my Wifi straight away - which the temp one did not. Out of curiosity - I rebooted the PC to see how to get in - straight to Windows log in. So I F12'd it next time - no option to boot from anything else.
I replaced the USB to see if using F12 I could boot into the installation via that - no dice.
So I looked at the partitions - there are two - an incredibly small non-windows file (a swap file for Zorin?) and a miserly 2GB which I think is Zorin.
So I did something wrong. . .bit of a numpty... I can also see my main hard drive - a mere, ancient 100gb is almost full so it will help all round if I decant stuff out and unclag that first.
THEN?
a) Can I just delete those Zorin partitions and reinstall Zorin?
b) Or can I just re-install Zorin over the existing one?
c) Or can I find a way to boot into the existing Zorin installation ie. set up dual booting in some way (and perhaps then just expand the Zorin partition if needs be)
d) The really finest-kind solution would be to utilise the 2nd keyboard 'on' button on this old Dell - it booted into a weird 'media centre' for playing DVDs etc without powering up the main computer. Cute - but I've never needed it. How brilliant to have a laptop with two 'on' buttons - one for Zorin and one for W10 (sorry, daydreaming there). Seriously - any solution would be fine. Simplest best - and please - if I can, can I do it without re-installing Windows? THANK YOU.
Everything seemed fantastic - when it finished, there was a proper copy of Zorin - it picked up my Wifi straight away - which the temp one did not. Out of curiosity - I rebooted the PC to see how to get in - straight to Windows log in. So I F12'd it next time - no option to boot from anything else.
I replaced the USB to see if using F12 I could boot into the installation via that - no dice.
So I looked at the partitions - there are two - an incredibly small non-windows file (a swap file for Zorin?) and a miserly 2GB which I think is Zorin.
So I did something wrong. . .bit of a numpty... I can also see my main hard drive - a mere, ancient 100gb is almost full so it will help all round if I decant stuff out and unclag that first.
THEN?
a) Can I just delete those Zorin partitions and reinstall Zorin?
b) Or can I just re-install Zorin over the existing one?
c) Or can I find a way to boot into the existing Zorin installation ie. set up dual booting in some way (and perhaps then just expand the Zorin partition if needs be)
d) The really finest-kind solution would be to utilise the 2nd keyboard 'on' button on this old Dell - it booted into a weird 'media centre' for playing DVDs etc without powering up the main computer. Cute - but I've never needed it. How brilliant to have a laptop with two 'on' buttons - one for Zorin and one for W10 (sorry, daydreaming there). Seriously - any solution would be fine. Simplest best - and please - if I can, can I do it without re-installing Windows? THANK YOU.