Unable to access Zorin

Let me start by saying that I'm in no way at all an expert at Zorin, or any other Operating Systems.

A couple of days ago I noticed that if I left my Zorin 5 installation for a few minutes I got the usual blank screen which I could not recover (usually restored by momentarily pressing the power button of my desk-top computer). I had to switch off the computer and start again.

I knew that the software I was using was out of date as whenever I tried to run the update system I received a message that "my" Ubuntu was no longer supported. I decided that I would try to resolve the problem by going into recovery mode and have had nothing but trouble since.

I have got to the stage where my computer opens Ubuntu 11.10 (no Zorin logo) but I get a message "Failed to load session `2d-gnome`" and I can go no further.

I am also unable to access the earlier versions of Linux which are shown on my "dual boot" screen.

Yesterday I did managed to get into an earlier version but the latest things I could find on there dated from January 2013 (although, thankfully, I have carried out regular backups).

I have a Zorin 5 and a Zorin 6 CD (although I'm not sure that the Zorin 6 one works) so could try reinstalling from the CD but would that wipe-out all of the files and bookmarks, etc. I've created since January 2013?

Any help would be gratefully appreciated.

Hi,

you can re-install and keep your data/bookmarks etc if you follow this guide:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4848

Regards Wolfman

Wolfman wrote:Hi,

you can re-install and keep your data/bookmarks etc if you follow this guide:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4848

Regards Wolfman

Thanks very much for your help but it seemed a little complicated to a dummy such as myself.

I took the step of reinstalling Zorin 5 (I tried Zorin 6 but it seemed to take forever to load so I suspect the download on my CD has problems within it) but I do have one residual difficulty.

I have a program running - Opera - which I cannot see on my desktop or under "Internet" in my Main Menu. Subsequently I daren't turn off my computer. Is there a simple (i.e. idiot proof way) I can get the shortcut on to my main menu?

Hi,

see this guide about half way down about adding icons to the menu:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2054

Under the section: "More info about the AWN (Avant Window Manger)"

If you are having problems with your disk install, did you burn the disk at the slowest possible speed?:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4771

Regards Wolfman

Thank you Wolfman and swarfendor437. I've basically got everything up and running but still using Zorin 5 as even a new download of Zorin 6 (copied as slowly as possible) still won't "boot" from the CD.

I've even got two separate versions of Opera now running at the same time although one of them doesn't show on the desktop or under "Internet" under GnoMenu.

I'll carry on tinkering until I find a solution.

Thanks again.

Hi Baz,

you might be better off with a Lite version of Zorin, what are your system specs?.

See also:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Insta ... quirements

Regards Wolfman

swarfendor437 wrote:Just for clarity on the 'Opera' front - there are two versions available in the repositories - the standard one and 'Opera Next' this is a 'test' release of the next version of Opera. Apart from Wolfman's advice, which mirror are you downloading the image of Zorin 6 from?

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1955

I tried one in the Netherlands and another in the USofA.

I'm fairly contented at the moment as I now have two entirely separate versions of Opera working which was my main aim - one from a .deb file and one from a .tar file and they both show separately under my GnoMenu.

Wolfman wrote:Hi Baz,

you might be better off with a Lite version of Zorin, what are your system specs?.

See also:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Insta ... quirements

Regards Wolfman

I have 2.8 Gb memory; AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4200+; several hard drives. Is that enough to run Zorin 6 when I get a download from which I can "boot"?

Hi,

make sure you update fully per this guide running "DPKG" after installation:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=2247

A network cable is required for the above!.

Regards Wolfman

swarfendor437 wrote:Your specs are fine - just curious about 2.8 Gb memory - that looks like processor speed - or is it shared graphics memory from 3 Gb RAM?

i would avoid downloading from ibiblio.org at all costs as it can be flakey and slow - either use NLUUG, Heanet, or AARNET.edu:

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1955

I've got two of these, AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4200+ marked Processor 0 and Processor 1 which are supposed to be 2Gb each - the maximum my motherboard can take (ASUS M2N68-AM). As I've said before, I'm no expert so the hardware is basically out of my control!

Thanks for your advice on downloading - I'll try the alternatives.

swarfendor437 wrote:2 Gb of RAM should be fine - Processors are measured in speed, not RAM i.e., GHz (Giga Hertz)!

Sorry, yes I got myself a little confused. I have increased the size of the RAM from 1 Mb to 4 Mb but have no idea why it shows as 2.8 Mb. I don't know what the processor speed is but could undoubtedly find out when the computer is starting.

Hi Baz,

are you using the 32 Bit version of Zorin?. If you are using the 64 Bit version and are still having problems, try the 32 Bit version!.

Regards Wolfman

swarfendor437 wrote:

Baz P wrote:

swarfendor437 wrote:2 Gb of RAM should be fine - Processors are measured in speed, not RAM i.e., GHz (Giga Hertz)!

Sorry, yes I got myself a little confused. I have increased the size of the RAM from 1 Mb to 4 Mb but have no idea why it shows as 2.8 Mb. I don't know what the processor speed is but could undoubtedly find out when the computer is starting.

I think you mean Gb not Mb!

I think this article might explain things a little better than me:

http://www.brianmadden.com/blogs/brianm ... -mean.aspx

You very helpful people must think I'm "off my trolley" - of course it's Gb. I should perhaps spend more time at the keyboard and less in the pub

Wolfman wrote:Hi Baz,

are you using the 32 Bit version of Zorin?. If you are using the 64 Bit version and are still having problems, try the 32 Bit version!.

Regards Wolfman

Yes, I'm using the 32 bit version. It's fine now (Zorin 5) but I'm determined to install Zorin 6 on another hard drive. One of the problems I gave myself was that each time I tried to reinstall Zorin 5 I didn't realise that it automatically tried to create a partition in which to install it. I'm now in the lucky position of having Zorin 5 working perfectly on its own drive with everything I want from the original installation working on it; the possibility of installing Zorin 6 on another drive (shared with Windoze which I have to keep as I find writing macros in Lotus Word Pro so much easier than in Libre Office Writer); and a yet to be fitted 1Tb hard drive on which i will then be able to experiment with different Linux systems if I feel the need to do so.

Just another question which has come to mind. If I installed the 64 bit version of Zorin 6 would the back up files I've created with a 32 bit version of Zorin 5 work on the 64 bit Zorin 6 without difficulty?

The assistance from the experts on this forum which I get each time I have a problem is invaluable so "Thank You" to all of you for your help.

Hi Baz,

if you follow this guide, you can keep all your files and settings as long as it is only an upgrade from one version of Zorin to the next:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4848

(Backup your files anyway for the just-in-case scenario!)

For general partitioning:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2601

I assume you know that Zorin 5 is no longer supported?:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=4705

Regards Wolfman

Wolfman wrote:Hi Baz,

if you follow this guide, you can keep all your files and settings as long as it is only an upgrade from one version of Zorin to the next:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4848

(Backup your files anyway for the just-in-case scenario!)

For general partitioning:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2601

I assume you know that Zorin 5 is no longer supported?:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=4705

Regards Wolfman

Yes, Wolfman, I realise that Zorin 5 is no longer supported but that doesn't stop it being an excellent alternative to Microsoft's offering as far as I'm concerned. I will eventually get a copy of Zorin 6 running, I'm sure.

Hi Baz,

have you tried Zorin 6 Lite?.

Regards Wolfman

Wolfman wrote:Hi Baz,

if you follow this guide, you can keep all your files and settings as long as it is only an upgrade from one version of Zorin to the next:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4848

(Backup your files anyway for the just-in-case scenario!)

For general partitioning:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2601

I assume you know that Zorin 5 is no longer supported?:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=4705

Regards Wolfman

Since last contacting you I've tried the following - all or which resulted in "Installation Failed.......[Errno 5] Input/Output error.
I've downloaded Zorin 6 32 bit and 64 bit from both Ireland and the Netherlands; I've burned them using a Windows program at *1 burn speed; I've burned them with Brasero at its lowest speed; I've burned them with both of the DVD burners on my machine; I've tried loading them using each DVD player at boot. I've checked that the ISO file downloaded is exactly the same number of bits as that coming from Zorin's websites. I've made a complete spare sector on one of my hard drives (159 Gb) but nothing works. Ironically when I install an old copy of Zorin 5 into the same HD sector it works perfectly. I'm burning on Verbatim DVD+RW (the same as Zorin 5 is on). Zorin 6 works fine from the disk(s) but just won't install.

Any idea what I may be doing wrong? I'm sure it's something simple but I need an expert's advice!

Hi,

when you start the live CD; as soon as you see the menu; press the "TAB" key and type "nomodeset" then pres enter and see if it boots, you can also try typing "acpi=off" if the first command doesn't work.

See also:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BootOptions

Regards Wolfman

Wolfman wrote:Hi,

when you start the live CD; as soon as you see the menu; press the "TAB" key and type "nomodeset" then pres enter and see if it boots, you can also try typing "acpi=off" if the first command doesn't work.

See also:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BootOptions

Regards Wolfman

Thanks Wolfman. I'll give it a go in the morning. The DVD boots OK currently but just fails to set up Zorin 6 on the hard drive.

Hi Baz,

I cannot remember if we touched on this subject before but did you burn the disk at the slowest possible speed?:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=4771

Regards Wolfmn

Hi Wolfman, yes he pointed that out a few posts back. As you (BazP) have more than one OS on at the moment, have you manually checked your partition information? If you have more than 4 primary partitions, you will not get any more OS's installed. You quoted your Windows burn program without naming it - only use imgburn and also check what speed your DVD Writer will record at - I remember a post by one user who could not use 1x burn speed as his DVD writer only supported 4x minimum! Also avoid using Brasero for burning DVD's - K3b is still superior, even though Brasero has made some improvements.

If you only want to use Brasero, DON'T right-click an iso and select Brasero - launch Brasero first, then choose the project to create a DVD from an image.

Gentlemen I have now tried all the little "tricks" you suggested and none of them worked. I even downloaded Pinguy and tried to load that with exactly the same result - failure! So I can only assume that it's the partition which is faulty although, as I indicated in one of my earlier posts, Zorin 5 can be loaded perfectly to the same partition. Can the partition be checked using Zorin and possibly repaired in a similar way to Windows "check disk"?

I am currently using Zorin 5 on a different drive completely and shall try to upgrade to Zorin 6 there but I have a couple more questions:
when I originally created the partitions for Zorin 5 I did not create a "/home" partition. Can I do this when I install Zorin 6 (all of the content of Zorin 5 is backed up to a Windows partition of another disk using Deja Dup)? Would the stuff I have in the "home" file in "File Manager" automatically go into the newly created "/home" partition when I "Restore" from Deja Dup? Unfortunately the files I have are larger than the area available in which to create a "/home" partition on the 80 Gb disk I'm exclusively using for Zorin 5.
The version of Zorin 5 I've created (on the partition which won't seemingly permit me to load Zorin 6 or Pinguy) doesn't let me access any of the files I've created in the version of Zorin 5 I'm using at the moment. I presume this is due to "permissions" which I would need to change. Where do I change them to allow me to access them from the other "new" version of Zorin 5 I've created? If I can get them all safely to the "new" version of Zorin 5 I can then completely change the original Zorin 5 to Zorin 6 without having to worry about losing anything.

I realise that this may all seem very complicated and I'd understand if you said that you couldn't help so thanks for your efforts to extract me from the problems I'm having.

Hi Baz,

I would do a new install and create your partitions following this guide:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2601

Create a root, swap and home partition!.

You can also try starting the Zorin 6 or 7 disk and when you see the menu, press the "TAB" key and type either "nomodeset" or "acpi=off"; press enter and see if you can install again!.

Use the something Else method after creating your partitions:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4848&p=22956#p22956

Let us know if this helps.

Regards Wolfman

Your help has been invaluable but the problem appears to be more fundamental than I thought.

I've just bought a computer magazine, Linux Format Christmas 2013, which has Pinguy 13.04 on the Cover Disk and it works perfectly although I haven't tried installing it as it doesn't allow me access (off of the disk boot) to any files on my other drives or sectors so I'm a bit wary to make it an option from my Grub menu.

Both DVD writers must be faulty or something else in the computer is playing up - I shall have to investigate.

Apologies for wasting your time but your help has, as always, been invaluable.

Hi Baz,

no problem mate!.

If you have two DVD drives, make sure that jumpers are set correctly on the IDE cable as Master and Slave, make sure that they both NOT set to CS (Cable Select).

This working on the assumption that you hade IDE DVD drives installed, see the link below which also covers SATA drives, click on the "Show All" button:

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/docu ... h03792#N88

(It doesn't matter if you have a HP PC or not, its all the same!)

Regards Wolfman

Hooray!! Problem solved I hope (well apart from one little niggle which immediately manifested itself).

After almost tearing out whatever little hair I have left I was searching the Internet regarding people with similar problems with Ubuntu. After trying everything else I removed the two 2Gb memory sticks and stuck the original 512 Mb one in and Zorin 6 loaded perfectly...well I think it did - I can't really tell as my mouse is now not working on Zorin 6 (although it is on Zorin 5 which I'm using to send this message).

Any idea what may be the cause of the mouse problem and how I might fix it?

Thanks very much for your help and it might be worth remembering this little trick in case anybody else contacts you with a similar problem.

When the mouse problem is solved will I be brave enough to stick the two 2Gb sticks back in??

Cheers for now,

Baz

Is the mouse usb or ps2?

Swarfendor437 wrote:Is the mouse usb or ps2?

PS2

Hi, You could try some of the suggestions that this poster entered regarding similar issues on ubuntu 12.04 (on which 6 is based):

http://askubuntu.com/questions/131190/w ... 12-04?rq=1