Failing to boot - speckled interference pattern.

My laptop's developed an intermittent fault. When Zorin boots, sometimes when the "Z" hexagon logo appears it's overlaid by a sort of interference pattern. Behind the pattern, the Z logo is static with no sign of flashing on and off as it usually does, and Zorin never boots - the only thing is to switch the computer off and try again. It's got more frequent over time - it's happening almost half the time now.
This is the interference pattern, a particularly severe instance where the Z logo can't be seen at all.


Once Zorin has successfully loaded, it's fine - except that just occasionally, when I've left the computer unattended for a long time, the screen will go black (as if it's gone to sleep) and nothing will wake it up - again, just have to turn off the computer and start again. That may be a completely separate glitch, though - it started some time after the interference-pattern thing did - but I thought I'd mention it.

The computer's dual-boot, with Zorin and my old Windows Vista installation which I keep as a fall-back position in case something won't run in Linux. I've booted into Vista 3 times as a test, and so far it's always loaded with no sign of any problem.

What is this? Incipient hard disk failure, or a glitch in the Zorin installation, or what? If the answer is "Reinstall Zorin", I wouldn't mind - it's an out-of-date version anyway and I keep meaning to upgrade, compatibility issues are getting more frequent, but I haven't got around to it.

Hi

regret your troubles but it looks to me a graphic issue. can you give details of your laptop please.

what I surely would do is downloading the latest Zorin version 12.4 and burn the ISO on a DVD (which works best) or USB stick.
kindly read the section 'INSTALL YOUR NEW COPY OF ZORIN OS'

all downloads and help can be found on https://zorinos.com/help/

use the option 'try first' and see it the error reproduces again - no windows files will be touched during the process.

good luck and let me know the result

Thank you. It's a Toshiba Satellite L350-171, I don't know offhand what other details you'd want so if there's anything you can't look up based on that please ask.

Will try the LiveDVD when I have the energy. One thing I've been wondering about is, does Zorin 12 use more system resources than Zorin 9? What about Zorin 12 Lite (versus normal Zorin 9)? Zorin 9 runs reasonably well on my laptop but it is sometimes a little slow in places, so something faster or certainly no slower would be nice.

Also, what Ubuntu version is Zorin 12.4 based on, is it a Long-Term Support one? I find reinstalling very hard work (I have sensory issues which mean that I have to spend a long and painful time tweaking various settings so they're how I need them), so I'd like to make sure I have to do it as rarely as possible!

Hi

I had a check on the specifications of your machine

Code:

http://www.toshiba.co.uk/discontinued-products/satellite-l350-171/

so graphics:
type : Mobile Intel® GMA 4500MHD
memory amount : up to 1,340 MB total available graphics memory with 4 GB system memory
remark : linux does not work well with Intel graphics

Zorin 9 supported till 2019
1 GHz x86 processor
5 GB hard drive space
512 MB RAM
Graphics card capable of 640 x 480 resolution

Zorin 12.4 lite supported till April 2021
for low spec machines and computers as old as 15 years
CPU 700 MHz Single Core
RAM 512 MB
Storage 8 GB
Display 640 × 480 resolution

so going for Zorin 12.4 with higher kernel is the option to go for

I you should choose to decide to install it after the 'livedvd' please read the instructions on the Zorin blog (link given earlier) or contact us again

an extensive manual you find here
https://app.box.com/s/71wn2fird2nee6un8t206ugm6mzui9hr
an outside 'howto' can be found here

Code:

https://linuxflips.com/guide-to-install-zorin-os/

the best of luck

Unfortunately, Toshiba Notebooks are notoriously not GNU/Linux friendly. However, this article may assist:

https://www.techzim.co.zw/2017/01/heres ... ntu-16-04/

Also you may want to change from gdm to ldm - instead of getting the glowing Z logo you will get a logo of ZorinOS with 5 dots lit up from left to right continuously. Hopefully once the Intel driver install might save the day (BUT ABSOLUTELY NO GUARANTEES!)

Thanks.
Hmm, I've just been trying those instructions from techzim.co.zw, but when I followed the link for the Intel update tool it said it had been discontinued. Don't know what to do now. To be frank, I really have no idea how to update drivers on Linux in general.
I don't know what gdm and ldm are.

Hi wombat140

so it looks one option less so suggest to download under windows the iso of Zorin 12.4 lite and put it on an usb or (in preference) on a DVD and let it run as LIVE DVD to see if you get stuck again with the screen interference.

the install later of a graphic driver is if required is not that difficult if we can find one suggest to tackle that issue after your tryout.