Installing Zorin 9 in a separate partition

I have tried to install Zorin9, 32-bit, in a separate partition but just before the install completes, the monitor gets diagonal bands and I can't complete the install.
My video card is an Nvidia GeForce 6150SE nForce 430.

I have Windows 7 running in another partition.

This is my first attempt in the Linux world and so far not a great experience.

HELP!

Hi, I would try to do a Zorin install under the 'something else' method rather than letting Zorin do it for you:

1. Prepare Windows first by going into Windows 7, and if you don't have 'Computer' on desktop, go to menu, right-click and 'manage'.

2. Select the partition with 'C:' on it, right-click and select 'Properties', then go to 'Tools' Tab. Select 'Check disk' and make sure both boxes in the next pop-up screen are checked and then click on start which then brings up another window to select 'Schedule a scan' - click on that.

3. Close all windows and reboot - you will get the cursory 10 second count-down to cancel Chkdsk - DON'T - you could end up with an unbootable system - I did this on a 200 Gb drive and it took a good half-hour.

4. After chkdsk has completed it will reboot, give a cursory report that it is clean (hopefully - just as mine did) and you may get a brief message that there is no signal (from graphics card) and then your login screen will appear.

5. Go to 'Manage' once more and do a defrag analysis of C drive - uisng the same procedure above [2.] but click on Defrag tool - mine was only 4% so not needed but like to do this anyway for dual-booting - analysis took quite a while and then I ran the defragment option - another good half-hour.

6. Re-boot to windows once more to see if Windows finds a change and requires a reboot - this used to happen on XP but does not appear to be needed for Windows 7.

7. Go to Manage once more, right click the C: drive, Properties and 'Shrink drive' - let Windows do all the calculation and just accept what it offers - this will eventually after 15-20 minutes a reduced drive with unallocated space to the right of it. - This is where we will install Zorin. Put the Zorin DVD into the drive and reboot - use your one-time boot option (if you have one) to boot from DVD - Dells = F12, HP = Esc, if you have a 'homebrew' like the one I built with an Asus Mobo then F8 might be the button to press. Select the Optical Drive - if your machine does not have this option it will mean pressing the 'Del' key to enter BIOS and go to 'Boot' section then 'Boot Order' or 'Disk Priority' - usually pressing the + key will change the first default option (the hard disk) - on older machines you should also change second option as this would have been the optical drive (I am disregarding machines with Floppy Disks which would be 1!) and change to hard drive or you will go round in a loop!). Press F10 to save changes and exit.

8. Booting from Zorin 9 will bring up a blue screen with the symbol of a keyboard and Accessibility logo - as soon as you see this press the spacebar.
You will be taken to the 'language' selection, which is 'English' by default - press the Escape key then press F3 for the Keyboard map and use your cursor up arrow to select UK (default is US - I wonder why!), then if you have a notebook, press F6 (you may need to choose one of the options for some desktops as this affects whether you get to see the desktop - try default of none first but if this fails, reboot and select 'acpi=off'

9. Then press Enter to select the first menu option of trying without installing.
The screen will change to a glowing/pulsating 'Z' on a blue background - then darkness for quite some time, then a mouse cursor, then the desktop - the menu applet (a Z) takes quite some time to load. Be sure at this point you have a wired connection to your router/internet connection - and click on 'Install to Hard Disk/drive' icon on the desktop. (Alternatively, Menu | System Tools | Administration | Install Zorin OS).

9a. Can't remember at which point this screen appears but you get a check list that

a. you have enough space to install to

b. are connected to the internet

Be sure to check mark the bit about installing updates and other stuff during install - this is why it takes quite a bit of time to install!

10. Installation Options screen appears - choose the last option - 'Something Else' - this will launch the Partition Editor. Select the 'Free Space/Unallocated Space' then click on the '+' symbol, bottom left of the window that is open and a new interface opens - make it a Primary Partition with size 30000 Mibs (About 30 Gb) - you might get away with 15000 (15 Gb) but I like to play safe! - format to 'ext4' (ext2 if SSD) and mark as '/'. Next highlight the remaining unallocated space, '+' once more and this time create 'Extended Partition' - select this partition to add at the END the 'swap area' - I make this 4 Gb (4096) and then everything in front I create the last partition, '/home' where all your data and windows applications live at the 'BEGINNING' of the extended partition - make this 'logical'.

11. Crucial this bit - install GRUB on the partition marked '/' - this should be sda3 - remember the number - this is crucial for when you get to use Easy BCD 2.2 Community Edition.

12. The installer screen starts - begins with Language - default is English, click on 'next'

13. Memory is going - can't remember if Keyboard layout is next or 'where are you?' - anyways, because of what was chosen back at F3 on second screen that appeared it should pick up the fact it is English UK. clickk on 'next'.

14. Where are you - enter Sheffield and be amazed at the number of places around the world that share our great City name! - and of course, ours is at the top! so select that (obviously!). once done, click on 'next'

15. Username etc screen next - DON'T use capitals in username.
System - rename this - preferably in lower case - no hyphens, no underscores, no gaps. DON'T checkmark 'encrypt home folder' or the OS will not insall or boot correctly!!! Click on Next. This takes a VERY long time!

16. After eventually it has completed installation, either carry on playing in live environment or re-boot into Windows 7.

17. In Windows 7 - Download Easy BCD 2.2 Community Edition from Softpedia.com. After install it offers you option to launch - do so - it even offers language to launch in - nice touch. Now then we need to add a Linux Partition so we go to the Penguin tab - for the Boot, drop down to GRUB2, (if memory serves me right the default is 'neo-smart' or some such).
Next select the partition where GRUB is - now this latest edition is very cool - you should recognise the smallest of the two GNU/Linux partitions of '/' and '/home' and it will also be indicated by the size we chose earlier - highlight that ('/') partition to select it to boot from. Next we give a name to the bootloader entry - mine is 'ZorinOS 9 32-bit Ultimate' - and that is what shows up as the second entry in my Windows 7 Boot loader on boot - the other neat thing that Easy BCD does is it automatically captures your existing mbr settings at point of launch after install!

Save your Easy BCD settings, close the application and re-boot - you now have an uninterrupted mbr so your Windows will NEVER be affected!

Hope my instructions are easy to follow peeps! Enjoy!

PS this will work with ANY GNU/Linux distro - you just have to be careful that you uncheck bootloader in GNU/Linux (this does not apply to Zorin but DID apply to Mint which is what the Matthew Moore video showed.

Thanks for the detailed steps.

I am fine until step # 15/16. When I click on next, I get a screen full of diagonal zig-zag bands. I did not wait more then 5 minutes before I gave up and hard booted the PC.

I will try again and let it stay like that for a long time.

I will confirm my results.

Again, thanks,

Ron