"SOLVED" Zorin 12 Ultimate crash

What is the best way to proceed if Zorin 12 crashes and I am left with a fixed immobile screen and locked mouse?

Is there such a thing as a soft restart in Zorin 12?

Thanks.

Not to my knowledge - can you do a hard reset - hold power button to shut down. Do you get GRUB menu at boot time? If so choose advanced mode - guessing a new kernel may have upset the system!

You may still have keyboard support. A hard reset is not good for your computer's file system, its better to do a soft reset if you can. If your keyboard is still working, hold down CTRL ALT and hit the F1 key. This should take you out of your desktop session, enter your credentials as required. Then once logged in there, just type in the word reboot and hit enter. Your computer should restart. If the keyboard doesn't work, unfortunately, only a hard reset will work in that case. I have gone through 4 crashes like the ones you described with OS 12, and usually the keyboard got me restarted without having to force shut my notebook down by the power button.

Thanks Swarf - I have been able to power off by holding down the power button - and then restart by pressing the power button again.

I thought that I would ask the question as I thought that doing as I have described above was potentially harmful to the disc drive.

Actually force shutdowns are potentially harmful to the file system on the drive. What is directly harmful to the drive itself is G-forces. Hence, don't knock or drop a computer over while it is running.

star treker wrote:Actually force shutdowns are potentially harmful to the file system on the drive. What is directly harmful to the drive itself is G-forces. Hence, don't knock or drop a computer over while it is running.

Unless it's:

1. A Dell notebook with added 'shock-protection'.

2. An SSD drive.

It is true that SSD's, are quite shock resistant, but like most circuitry, they are not shock proof. Actually, what usually kills circuitry most of the time is static electricity shocks, or overheating. And I am not a fan of Dell either, ever since the beginning Dell has been making machines that catch on fire like a Samsung phone, or will malfunction like crazy. I miss the days when IBM made pc's, cause they were known as some pretty rugged machines that ran well, they just never followed the advancement of technology, and now stay on the software/server side of things.

Is Gateway still making computers I wonder? I did like them for awhile, they were making some good machines but not anymore I don't think. I never did like HP for computer's, all of them suck, they make good printers though. One thing I've noticed about people in modern day, they prefer not to be stuck to their home computer's. They like to have an APP for everything on their phones, that way they can take a c***, while talking to their buddies on Skype. Weird I know, but people rather make me go through hell typing with my finger on a tiny OSD keyboard because they refuse to use a computer.

Yes Gateway still make computers:

http://www.gateway.com/gw/en/US/content ... /dx-series

I was disappointed that they did not pursue the Amiga instead a non-computer entrepreneur bought the rights and let it sink. I still have my old Amiga 1500 (and Amiga CD32 - the very first 32-bit gaming console that hired a billboard outside Sega Corporation HQ in London UK making use of Sega's name in a different way "To make a console this good takes ages"

Thanks for the update Star Treker. I will try what you suggest.

Just so I am prepared - what "credentials" will the soft restart request, please?

Proper Planning Prevents **** Poor Performance!

I going to start a new, but related, Post on Zorin 12 Power Management. Please consider this one closed as far as I am concerned once you have replied, if you can reply.

From memory, a soft restart on a Desktop is pressing the reset switch - otherwise its 'Ctrl+ Alt+ Del' - on some systems this will only give you the option to logout - on others it will give the whole range of options:

Shutdown, Restart, Suspend, Lock, Logout - Like Deepin 15.3 from which I am posting this message.

You know how you login to to OS with your username and password? Thats what it will ask of you after you hold down CTRL, ALT and hit the F1 key.

But don't forget 'startx' afterwards!

Startx will actually start a whole new session. When you hold down CTRL, ALT, and hit the F1 key, that does not end your current session, it just pops you out of it. If you really want to return back to your current desktop session, you need to hit CTRL, ALT, and hit the F7 key. But if your desktop has actually crashed, but the whole computer has not, by holding CTRL, ALT, and the F1 key, should bring your out of the session. The point of this is to enter your credentials just so the computer says, ok fine do what you need to do. Point of this simply being, you finally get the chance to type in the word REBOOT and hit enter, which should reboot the computer safely.

And to switch between graphics and non-graphical interface you should also be able to use Ctrl+ Alt+ F4!

Awesome! Isn't it fun learning keyboard shortcuts that do magical things?

Zorin 12 Ultimate support suggested:

If Zorin OS freezes and you can't move the mouse please try pressing Alt+F2 and then type r in the dialog and press Enter. This will restart the shell.

I tried this myself and it did not work - but is worth adding to the thread.

I now find closing the lid, waiting and then reopening the lid also seems to start things going again - Zorin moves in mysterious ways!