Uzi
Mon Jun 10, 2013 7:37:05 am
I thought I would put this together to help non techies take the plunge & install Zorin instead of in my case, Windows XP which decided to get corrupted & kept closing as soon as I got the desktop. Thanks Microsoft for making me look at an alternative. 
My thanks go to Wolfman and Swarfender for patiently helping me understand some of the areas I got wrong.
So – Installing;
I downloaded the ISO from the main Zorin site. Now I have been told by Wolfman I should have used the slowest speed to burn to disc. Something I didn't do (finding this forum can happen only AFTER you get in trouble
) & maybe the cause of the only issue I still have and that is Recovery mode at boot up just leads me to a black screen. Not an issue really it seems as the included backup function (like Windows System Restore) works very well. You can also use a USB Flash drive for the ISO by getting a very simple to use tool called Unetbootin. The installation itself is fast & simple to do, just chose a partition size of 20 – 30 Gb if you can spare it (needs minimum 7Gb to install).
There are many more detailed instructions listed in the INSTALLATION menu on this Forum.
First use setup:
First off it looks very Windows & not alien. 'Computer' has your drives which are not shown as C or D etc so need to get used to the new names but that doesn't take long. To use the drive you must 'Mount' it by clicking on it. Home is like Windows 'My Documents'.
Zorin comes pre loaded with some programs like Google Chrome for internet but by selecting the menu button you can open the Software center & get others like Firefox loaded in seconds. It has VLC player for movies but you can get SMPlayer or XMBC too . Word & Excel open with LibreOffice. Some other Windows programs will open with WINE.
Desktop shortcuts caught me out as the usual drag & drop or Send to Desktop shortcut can sometimes lead to a shortcut that doesn't work. If this happens try right click & in Permissions select 'Allow executing file as a program'.
When a program is showing in the tray right click to PIN it if you want it to remain there each time you boot up.
The first issue I had was that the screen kept 'Blinking' every 10 seconds. This was because I hadn't got the correct driver loaded for my Nvidia graphics. This was sorted from 'System Tools' – 'System Settings' – 'Additional Drivers' & selecting the recommended one. Reboot & all ok now.
I also lost my 5.1 surround sound & could only get Stereo when watching a movie. See this thread http://www.zoringroup.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=3810 for an easy way to set that up.
I also had all my Firefox bookmarks on the XP version and my emails & address book in the XP version of Thunderbird. I followed the instructions here http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_folder_-_Firefox & all are now working in Zorin too.
Zipped / compressed files (tar.gz) were a mystery too but by downloading to your download folder then right click 'Extract Here' & presto done. Well that is how I got the PDF opened in the Guide for Newies here - http://www.zoringroup.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1823
A week in & I haven't needed Windows once. Zorin opens VERY fast, closes fast too. Yes it is a little different but not so much that the average user wont get used to very quickly.
I need to figure out why multiple programs are not viewable on top of each other. Working solution is to minimize to the tray so only one is viewed at a time. Need to get the answer on that from Wolfman Or Swarf.
EDIT - solution to the multi window issue with Nvidia is here & works http://www.zoringroup.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2490
So a few days playing & learning & my desktop now looks like this:
Pretty isn't it
So ...... if I can do it ANYONE CAN
My thanks go to Wolfman and Swarfender for patiently helping me understand some of the areas I got wrong.
So – Installing;
I downloaded the ISO from the main Zorin site. Now I have been told by Wolfman I should have used the slowest speed to burn to disc. Something I didn't do (finding this forum can happen only AFTER you get in trouble
) & maybe the cause of the only issue I still have and that is Recovery mode at boot up just leads me to a black screen. Not an issue really it seems as the included backup function (like Windows System Restore) works very well. You can also use a USB Flash drive for the ISO by getting a very simple to use tool called Unetbootin. The installation itself is fast & simple to do, just chose a partition size of 20 – 30 Gb if you can spare it (needs minimum 7Gb to install).There are many more detailed instructions listed in the INSTALLATION menu on this Forum.
First use setup:
First off it looks very Windows & not alien. 'Computer' has your drives which are not shown as C or D etc so need to get used to the new names but that doesn't take long. To use the drive you must 'Mount' it by clicking on it. Home is like Windows 'My Documents'.
Zorin comes pre loaded with some programs like Google Chrome for internet but by selecting the menu button you can open the Software center & get others like Firefox loaded in seconds. It has VLC player for movies but you can get SMPlayer or XMBC too . Word & Excel open with LibreOffice. Some other Windows programs will open with WINE.
Desktop shortcuts caught me out as the usual drag & drop or Send to Desktop shortcut can sometimes lead to a shortcut that doesn't work. If this happens try right click & in Permissions select 'Allow executing file as a program'.
When a program is showing in the tray right click to PIN it if you want it to remain there each time you boot up.
The first issue I had was that the screen kept 'Blinking' every 10 seconds. This was because I hadn't got the correct driver loaded for my Nvidia graphics. This was sorted from 'System Tools' – 'System Settings' – 'Additional Drivers' & selecting the recommended one. Reboot & all ok now.
I also lost my 5.1 surround sound & could only get Stereo when watching a movie. See this thread http://www.zoringroup.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=3810 for an easy way to set that up.
I also had all my Firefox bookmarks on the XP version and my emails & address book in the XP version of Thunderbird. I followed the instructions here http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_folder_-_Firefox & all are now working in Zorin too.
Zipped / compressed files (tar.gz) were a mystery too but by downloading to your download folder then right click 'Extract Here' & presto done. Well that is how I got the PDF opened in the Guide for Newies here - http://www.zoringroup.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1823
A week in & I haven't needed Windows once. Zorin opens VERY fast, closes fast too. Yes it is a little different but not so much that the average user wont get used to very quickly.
I need to figure out why multiple programs are not viewable on top of each other. Working solution is to minimize to the tray so only one is viewed at a time. Need to get the answer on that from Wolfman Or Swarf.
EDIT - solution to the multi window issue with Nvidia is here & works http://www.zoringroup.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2490
So a few days playing & learning & my desktop now looks like this:
Pretty isn't it
So ...... if I can do it ANYONE CAN
I put the disc in my Laptop & it booted up no problem. Assumption - my graphics card stops the process in Zorin 7 and my Zorin 6 Recovery Mode.