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Black screen after forced SHUT DOWN of Zorin 5.2 Live

RiaanF

Sun May 27, 2012 8:11:02 pm

Hi

I am a bit disappointed with myself here and would appreciate some help.


I run XP Professional on Acer laptop with these specs:
Intel (R) Core (TM) 2 Duo CPU
T5450 @ 1.66GHz
1.66 GHz, 1.00 GB or RAN

I used ImgBrn to burn the .iso image of Zorin 5.2 so that I could run it Live before deciding it I wanted to install.

I am very new at this, but I felt I was doing fine. Zorin Live booted fine from the disc and I worked on it for a good hour getting the feel of it. I wrote some stuff. Saved some stuff. Changed some setting.

I now prefer Zorin to Windows.

Only one issue. A web-browser wouldnt close. When I couldnt close it I tried to restart, but it wouldnt. The browser had froze.

So I forced the PC to shut down by pressing the shut down button.

Then when it shut down and restarted this is what happened:

The Acer screen (where you can press F2 to enter BOIS).
That loads.
Then nothing. A black screen with a flashing underscore in the left hand corner.
The DVD drive makes it sound as if the DVD is being read up until it makes a beeping sound.
Then nothing.

I can still use Windows, I am posting this from there, right now:

I cant eject the dvd.
When I go to My Computer to right click on the DVD drive it doesnt respond (My computer icon changes to white square).

All I want is to reboot Zorin so that I can run it alongside Windows.

Can anyone suggest what I can do to do that?


P.S. In Zorin the icons on the desktop are pretty large. How to change the resolution?


Really would appreciate anyones help in this.

In all honesty I am not as clued up as I should be and detailed, laymen terms would great. I am sorry for that inconvenience in trying to help me.

Riaan

madvinegar

Sun May 27, 2012 8:21:33 pm

Try this. Go to bios and change the boot order so that the CD does not load first. Change it to loading from hard drive.
Then, while the laptop is booting for windows (before getting to the windows desktop) try to press the button on the tray to eject the disk.

Also there is usually a small button on the disk tray (next to the eject one) which can be used to eject the disk when it is stuck. You may need a toothpick to press it.

Finally you can try this solution through windows: http://www.fixya.com/support/t4364302-a ... r_eject_cd

RiaanF

Sun May 27, 2012 8:53:27 pm

Thanks for the tip on getting the disk out. Ill try that now.

Any suggestions how to get Zorin to run again?

I have been scouring the net for answers and it seems that there are many people who have the BLACK SCREEN BLINKING _ problem....

But no definitive answers, or none that I understand :(

Thanks again for the speedy reply.

madvinegar

Sun May 27, 2012 8:55:22 pm

Get first of all the cd out and in the worst case you can prepare a new CD or even prepare a live usb stick to run/install zorin.

RiaanF

Sun May 27, 2012 8:58:56 pm

This is the second DVD that I burnt.

I originally thought that the forced shut down might have harmed the DVD I was running Live from.

Will eject disk now.

RiaanF

Sun May 27, 2012 9:03:58 pm

Ejected.

What now? :)

madvinegar

Sun May 27, 2012 9:07:31 pm

So you got the disk out?

Does your laptop support booting from usb? If yes, try burning a live usb stick.

Go here http://www.pendrivelinux.com/universal- ... -as-1-2-3/ and download the universal usb installer.
Follow the very easy steps and create a live usb. (Basically you just chose the operating system (zorin) and then add the iso file. If you like you can create persistent space to save any changes.
Then try booting from the usb.

RiaanF

Sun May 27, 2012 9:09:31 pm

Ok. I can try that.

Just a couple of questions.

Download universal USB installer
So I copy the file onto the USB.
Then I boot the .iso file from the USB
Then I download Zorin from the USB

Do I understand that right?

RiaanF

Sun May 27, 2012 9:15:50 pm

Universal USB Installer is saying that existing MBR and label will be overwritten...what does that mean?

RiaanF

Sun May 27, 2012 9:21:00 pm

I want to dual boot.

My main concern right now is whether or not I can still use the USB after I have added Zorin to the USB.

RiaanF

Sun May 27, 2012 9:21:58 pm

The USB isnt mine...

madvinegar

Sun May 27, 2012 9:29:02 pm

RiaanF wrote:Ok. I can try that.

Just a couple of questions.

Download universal USB installer
So I copy the file onto the USB.
Then I boot the .iso file from the USB
Then I download Zorin from the USB

Do I understand that right?


Just to clear things out.

You use a USB that has at least 4gb of space.
You format it. If you have any important files in it, back them up.
Then you either download and install unebootin or universal usb installer to your windows.
You open unebboting or Universal USB installer and you follow the steps to prepare the live usb. (you chose the os, you navigate to the iso file of zorin downloaded in your computer and you chose whether you want persistent space or not.
You wait while the USB is prepared.
Once it is prepared you restart and chose from bios to boot from USB.
Then the usb stick will load zorin like it was loaded from the DVD.
From there you can chose to install zorin.

After the installation process is completed you can take the USB stick out, format it and use it for whatever you like.

RiaanF

Sun May 27, 2012 9:31:13 pm

USB is 3.75 Gigs - that not large enough?

.iso file is only 1.1 gigs...

The rest is perfectly understandable - thanks so much.

madvinegar

Sun May 27, 2012 9:32:44 pm

If you think that the "live usb" process is difficult, you can try to re-download the zorin .iso file because there might be a problem with it, and then burn it to a DVD at the lowest possible speed. You can use image burner which is a free software http://www.imgburn.com/
Then try again to boot from the dvd.

madvinegar

Sun May 27, 2012 9:33:49 pm

Yes, 3,75gb are just fine.

RiaanF

Sun May 27, 2012 9:36:55 pm

Cool. Creating Live USB as we speak.

Please stick around in case it fails.


Cannot tell you how impressed I am with the speedy and understandable help i have received here today.

:)