Wow.... I wonder what went wrong, there...
I am sorry, I am still unclear about whether you see other Kernel Versions under the Recovery Advanced Options for Zorin menu.
If so, are you able to boot the computer by selecting an earlier version.
Side, note: That is a lot of Disk space.
It shows four choices under Zorin advanced options:
The first is just regular boot--with generic kernal 38.
The second option is recovery mode with generic kernal 38.
Third option is regular boot with generic kernal 37.
Fourth option is recovery mode with generic kernal 37. (This is the only one that works, and it goes through a couple of other questions before it finally loads Zorin.)
When you say "works"; do you mean the desktop is fully working? Or that it manages to boot, but is limited or otherwise broken?
As far as I can tell, everything that I have tried has worked.
I am in that mode right now, writing these answers to you.
Good. This means we have a sense of direction - that the kernel is the likeliest culprit.
Can you please remind me of your Graphics card: Intel? AMD? Nvidia?
You said that booting asks you a couple of other questions- what are those questions?
Nvidia card.
I cannot exactly recall the other "questions," mostly they were of the type where it says "Do you know if you continue, read-write will be enabled."
Can you please install the 5.11.0.27 kernel, then see if you can boot into it with the "Regular boot with generic kernel -27" option?
If it works... Then we can lock that kernel in and Remove the Rest.
sudo apt install linux-headers-5.11.0-27-generic linux-modules-5.11.0-27-generic linux-modules-extra-5.11.0-27-generic linux-image-5.11.0-27-generic
Kernal 27, not 37 ? Just checking first.
Yes, due to greater confidence in it than the -37.
Okay, I will check the boot.
It would not boot into 27, unless I selected "Recovery Mode" Otherwise, it just sat on the Zorin splash screen, just like when I picked -37, without recovery mode.
Ok on either the -27 or the -37, can you tap the e key at the Grub menu, first. In the editor, change "quiet splash" to "quiet splash nomodeset", once done, back out to the grub menu, select recovery, then try Regular Boot on the -27 or the -37 kernel and see if it will boot.
If that doesn't work, you can boot however works, then open terminal and
sudo nano /etc/default/grub
Change it to "quiet splash nomodeset", then ctrl+x to exit, y key to say yes to save, then enter key to save.
Run
sudo update-grub
Then reboot and try to boot Regular Boot of -27 or -37.
What is the "Grub menu" please?
The Grub Menu is the menu you have been using to access Recovery. It is the menu that can appear at Boot, allowing you to select with OS to boot up, or which kernel to boot from.
Okay, thanks. There is a lot that I don't know, and I appreciate your help. Trying it out.
That makes two of us.
The second option (sudo nano /etc/default/grub) worked--I still had to pick the kernal -37, but I did not have to select recovery mode.
Ok, let's remove the Bad kernel:
sudo apt remove --purge linux-headers-5.11.0-38-generic linux-modules-5.11.0-38-generic linux-modules-extra-5.11.0-38-generic linux-image-5.11.0-38-generic linux-headers-5.11.0-27-generic linux-modules-5.11.0-27-generic linux-modules-extra-5.11.0-27-generic linux-image-5.11.0-27-generic
Once that is done: Synaptic:
sudo apt install synaptic
Launch Synaptic, enter PW for Root Permissions, then search using the top toolbar Search button:
Linux-headers-5.11.0-37
Select all listed packages for that kernel That are installed currently and then click the Package item on the menubar at the top.
Move down the drop down menu to Lock Version and select it.
This will prevent the kernel from updating to the -38 problem kernel.
Where is "PW" entered?