Drame22
Sun Jan 11, 2015 9:56:12 pm
Hello everyone,
After my Windows 7 crashed(or maybe quit, I'm honestly not sure what happened, exactly), and Microsoft was their usual "I'm sorry, we only provide support for our most recent product; we take no responsibility for anything we made in the past. You should upgrade!" bollocks-ey self, I decided to nab a nice Linux OS for a bootable USB. The initial plan was to throw Zorin onto my disk drive(I have a 1TB drive, as well as a Solid State Drive, 400GB), use it to access my computer, at which point I could attack Windows at it's source, deleting it off my SSD and installing Zorin in it's place. With that done, the plan was then to uninstall it off my disk drive, and from there I could start using my computer as it was intended; lightning-fast boot-up from the SSD, and everything else(less a few key games) saved onto the TB drive. Keep in mind I cannot access the SSD through Zorin("Can't Mount drive"), and I cannot boot up via the SSD(it loads to the motherboard page, then reboots. Rinse and repeat).
Issue 1: It installed just fine on the TB, when I tried it on the SSD however, it repeatedly refused to delete Windows and install Zorin. I'm now thinking I need to wipe the SSD completely, but I have never done that before and am not entirely sure how. I believe Windows was corrupted via a virus on the SSD, so all of it needs to go. Thankfully, this happened within weeks of me getting my new drives, so I have nothing that cannot be re-loaded on either disk drive. Everything important is still safe and sound on various USB drives. For this portion, I need to know how to wipe an SSD, and how to wipe a hard drive. I tried going into my SSD via my TB(which now has Zorin) and just deleting all Windows files, but it said it could not be done. Alas, Microsoft has dug in deep. I'd make a metaphor about trench warfare(MIrcosoft is Germany, they hold on tooth-and-nail to any land they've taken), but I digress.
Issue 2: Zorin OS does not like me trying to connect via Ethernet cable, and I'd like to set it to permanently connect via the cable. I have very good internet, but an awful WiFi adapter, so I use the cable most often. I got it to work long enough to type this by repeatedly restarting my modem until it connected, but I'm not sure if that fixed the problem, or if that's just a Band-Aid. At time of writing, I have been internet-live via the cable for 20 minutes with no issues; a new record on Zorin(I only installed it yesterday, however). Please, in the interest of my sanity, remember that I have never so much as stuck a toe into the Linux pool; and now Mircosoft has thrown my in the deep end. I will admit I'm doing better than I thought I would at solving issues, but I am still very much a newbie. Speak to me with as few technical terms as possible. I am here to learn, and I learn fast, but this is an entirely new system to me.
Issue 3: I'd also like to know if there's any way to check automatically for drivers and updates; I'm not sure exactly what I need but I have done nothing since installing Zorin on the new drive(haven't even formatted the TB drive, though I'm told I should have). Again, explanations are welcome, but please keep it simple.
EDIT: Issue 4: After writing, Zorin has frozen several times, forcing me to restart the computer. I only give it about 2 minutes, however; not sure if this issue resolves itself if you just wait.
Not so much an issue as a preference: Is there any way to set Zorin as "Windowsy" as possible? I already have it set to Win7 desktop, and I've played around with the bottom "taskbar"(almost certain I'm mis-using that word) to have the menu on the left, data on the right, etc. I'm just wondering if there are any other tricks or ways to get it to resemble Windows 7 as much as possible. A good example would be .exe files. It took me a long while to figure out that I have to use .exe's through WINE by right-clicking it and selecting open with WINE, otherwise it just takes me into the literal .exe file, which is very frustrating. I'd prefer a standard approach; click the .exe, .exe activates. Any way to set WINE to go automatically?
Preference 2: How does one use PlayOnLinux, and is there a way to set it automatically? I am a gamer, and have hundreds of games on Steam and besides. Things like Skyrim/Planetside 2/Company of Heroes/etc, mostly main-stream games but with quite a few indie and freemium games as well. I can't give up on Windows if Linux can't run these reliably, and I would very much like to throw Windows on it's head, for all the headaches it has caused.
Question: Is there any way to grab Zorin OS 9 and NOT install all the extras? My work computers do not need GIMP, SlideReel, LibreOffice, etc etc. I didn't see an option during installation, they just sort of..... well, Microsofted... their way onto my drive.
Question 2: Is there any point to the "cube" desktop on Zorin? It looks to be 4 separate desktops, but further inspection revealed it is just 4 copies of the same desktop.
Question 3: I'm pretty sure I have the newest Adobe Flash(at least, mozilla says it is), but I constantly get this message every time I try to use, say, Youtube: "This plugin is vulnerable and should be updated" with an option to "Activate Adobe Flash" or "Check for Updates". Every time I do, it tells me it is updated, and then the video works fine, it's just annoying to have to go through it every time.
Finally, I would welcome any and all advice and tips for using Zorin OS. I like it so far, very impressed by it's looks and speed. So much so that I've decided(once I've fixed all these various issues) to forgo Windows entirely and replace my company's aging Windows XP OS' with Zorin. However, me and my staff have used Windows 7 since it came out, and honestly I love Win7, in terms of simplicity, ease of use, and speed. It's a shame it decided to commit suicide, but I'm not paying another $100 for a second copy of Windows; nipping that trend in the bud right now. If Zorin proves it's claims that it is a wonderful alternative to Windows, I will keep it.
A word about Zorin OS lite; is there any way to get the Zorin Dark/Windows 7 look on that? The lightweight is not critical, but my laptops are old and would certainly run faster with a lightweight program on them. What is the difference in terms of size and speed between Zorin OS 9 and OS lite?
Thank you in advance to anyone brave/dedicated enough to read that through, and respond below. The fate of my gaming computer, and 18 Toughbooks, lie in your hands. Metaphorically.
Oh, one last thing;
http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.com/2014 ... linux.html
This post on "Exploring Zorin OS" talks about a set of programs they install, near the bottom of the page, including:
-Pipelight
-Silverlight
-Widevine
How necessary are these programs? Again, I am a 100% newbie in Linux. Born and raised on Windows.
Cheers,
Drame22
After my Windows 7 crashed(or maybe quit, I'm honestly not sure what happened, exactly), and Microsoft was their usual "I'm sorry, we only provide support for our most recent product; we take no responsibility for anything we made in the past. You should upgrade!" bollocks-ey self, I decided to nab a nice Linux OS for a bootable USB. The initial plan was to throw Zorin onto my disk drive(I have a 1TB drive, as well as a Solid State Drive, 400GB), use it to access my computer, at which point I could attack Windows at it's source, deleting it off my SSD and installing Zorin in it's place. With that done, the plan was then to uninstall it off my disk drive, and from there I could start using my computer as it was intended; lightning-fast boot-up from the SSD, and everything else(less a few key games) saved onto the TB drive. Keep in mind I cannot access the SSD through Zorin("Can't Mount drive"), and I cannot boot up via the SSD(it loads to the motherboard page, then reboots. Rinse and repeat).
Issue 1: It installed just fine on the TB, when I tried it on the SSD however, it repeatedly refused to delete Windows and install Zorin. I'm now thinking I need to wipe the SSD completely, but I have never done that before and am not entirely sure how. I believe Windows was corrupted via a virus on the SSD, so all of it needs to go. Thankfully, this happened within weeks of me getting my new drives, so I have nothing that cannot be re-loaded on either disk drive. Everything important is still safe and sound on various USB drives. For this portion, I need to know how to wipe an SSD, and how to wipe a hard drive. I tried going into my SSD via my TB(which now has Zorin) and just deleting all Windows files, but it said it could not be done. Alas, Microsoft has dug in deep. I'd make a metaphor about trench warfare(MIrcosoft is Germany, they hold on tooth-and-nail to any land they've taken), but I digress.
Issue 2: Zorin OS does not like me trying to connect via Ethernet cable, and I'd like to set it to permanently connect via the cable. I have very good internet, but an awful WiFi adapter, so I use the cable most often. I got it to work long enough to type this by repeatedly restarting my modem until it connected, but I'm not sure if that fixed the problem, or if that's just a Band-Aid. At time of writing, I have been internet-live via the cable for 20 minutes with no issues; a new record on Zorin(I only installed it yesterday, however). Please, in the interest of my sanity, remember that I have never so much as stuck a toe into the Linux pool; and now Mircosoft has thrown my in the deep end. I will admit I'm doing better than I thought I would at solving issues, but I am still very much a newbie. Speak to me with as few technical terms as possible. I am here to learn, and I learn fast, but this is an entirely new system to me.
Issue 3: I'd also like to know if there's any way to check automatically for drivers and updates; I'm not sure exactly what I need but I have done nothing since installing Zorin on the new drive(haven't even formatted the TB drive, though I'm told I should have). Again, explanations are welcome, but please keep it simple.
EDIT: Issue 4: After writing, Zorin has frozen several times, forcing me to restart the computer. I only give it about 2 minutes, however; not sure if this issue resolves itself if you just wait.
Not so much an issue as a preference: Is there any way to set Zorin as "Windowsy" as possible? I already have it set to Win7 desktop, and I've played around with the bottom "taskbar"(almost certain I'm mis-using that word) to have the menu on the left, data on the right, etc. I'm just wondering if there are any other tricks or ways to get it to resemble Windows 7 as much as possible. A good example would be .exe files. It took me a long while to figure out that I have to use .exe's through WINE by right-clicking it and selecting open with WINE, otherwise it just takes me into the literal .exe file, which is very frustrating. I'd prefer a standard approach; click the .exe, .exe activates. Any way to set WINE to go automatically?
Preference 2: How does one use PlayOnLinux, and is there a way to set it automatically? I am a gamer, and have hundreds of games on Steam and besides. Things like Skyrim/Planetside 2/Company of Heroes/etc, mostly main-stream games but with quite a few indie and freemium games as well. I can't give up on Windows if Linux can't run these reliably, and I would very much like to throw Windows on it's head, for all the headaches it has caused.
Question: Is there any way to grab Zorin OS 9 and NOT install all the extras? My work computers do not need GIMP, SlideReel, LibreOffice, etc etc. I didn't see an option during installation, they just sort of..... well, Microsofted... their way onto my drive.
Question 2: Is there any point to the "cube" desktop on Zorin? It looks to be 4 separate desktops, but further inspection revealed it is just 4 copies of the same desktop.
Question 3: I'm pretty sure I have the newest Adobe Flash(at least, mozilla says it is), but I constantly get this message every time I try to use, say, Youtube: "This plugin is vulnerable and should be updated" with an option to "Activate Adobe Flash" or "Check for Updates". Every time I do, it tells me it is updated, and then the video works fine, it's just annoying to have to go through it every time.
Finally, I would welcome any and all advice and tips for using Zorin OS. I like it so far, very impressed by it's looks and speed. So much so that I've decided(once I've fixed all these various issues) to forgo Windows entirely and replace my company's aging Windows XP OS' with Zorin. However, me and my staff have used Windows 7 since it came out, and honestly I love Win7, in terms of simplicity, ease of use, and speed. It's a shame it decided to commit suicide, but I'm not paying another $100 for a second copy of Windows; nipping that trend in the bud right now. If Zorin proves it's claims that it is a wonderful alternative to Windows, I will keep it.
A word about Zorin OS lite; is there any way to get the Zorin Dark/Windows 7 look on that? The lightweight is not critical, but my laptops are old and would certainly run faster with a lightweight program on them. What is the difference in terms of size and speed between Zorin OS 9 and OS lite?
Thank you in advance to anyone brave/dedicated enough to read that through, and respond below. The fate of my gaming computer, and 18 Toughbooks, lie in your hands. Metaphorically.
Oh, one last thing;
http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.com/2014 ... linux.html
This post on "Exploring Zorin OS" talks about a set of programs they install, near the bottom of the page, including:
-Pipelight
-Silverlight
-Widevine
How necessary are these programs? Again, I am a 100% newbie in Linux. Born and raised on Windows.
Cheers,
Drame22