Changing "Software & updates" updates option "custom"

I have Zorin OS 16.3 Pro and here's another software catalog issue.
I just added two attachments. One shows my software catalog which is pretty generic looking and shows only 1 install for my whole system.

The second attachment is what happened after I read another person's issues with their catalog and the result. I ran flatpak update. At the end of this screenshot the next line is "Uninstall complete".


I first started trying to use Proton VPN without any success so I'm trying to move onto one of the options for a VPN through the developers. My choice under "settings" and "network" when I click on the + sign says "Open VPN", "Point to point tunneling", and "Import from file".
I'm trying to get to the screen that shows many listed already that I saw on a previous question.
So should it be marked "Custom"? If not, how do I change it?
Sorry if this isn't clear. That's about what my head feels right now after reading so many posts.
BTW I hope the attachments open up to be seen.

You're showing Explore section, because it's the only grayed button of the 3, and if you see 1 or any other number on Installed just don't mind much about it, it's just another glitch (that I had, too) of GNOME Software. Once you upgrade your OS one day it might just disappear, this is how it “fixed” for me.


About the VPN, I don't see a way to list them on Zorin OS. Maybe what you saw was an improved software/service that provides by default the most common VPN profiles, but on Zorin OS I see that you can either configure one by yourself (first 2 options) or import a VPN configuration from a file you have (third option). For now, I'm unable to help more about VPN configurations, sorry :sweat_smile::handshake:.

I have gone everywhere in my history to find the place I saw like 7 different VPN's that were offered. I can't find it now.
The one screen shot you talked about; the 1 installed only shows my Brave browser when it used to show a lot of things. Under the Updates it says everything is updated.
Where is the fancy page that the catalog usually has, not his generic looking one?
How do I get it back? I've run apt update, etc.
And does anyone use Wireguard? At least I found a very complete instruction website to download that one.

Just found it! Attached a screenshot.

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Alright, now I understand, but anyway it's weird, it's the first time I read this thing. Beyond seeing a 1 on Installed it always listed all my software as it should. You can see if killing GNOME Software does the trick, System Monitor > Processes > right-click gnome-software > Terminate > confirm > open GNOME Software again to check if the list now appears. If not, try with Kill instead of Terminate. Please don't start any action on GNOME Software before terminating or killing it for safety.

After upgrading from Core 16.3 to 17.1 GNOME Software was updated and changed appearance. I'm not sure if it's safe to downgrade to the previous version to get back the previous look.

I went to processes and gnome software had a red box to the left. It offered "kill" as an option after right clicking it and now the catalog is back and looks fine.
Thanks!

But.............

Now when I press settings (the one that comes up in a column on the right) after going to the Zorin logo on the bottom left it brings up a box that has the titles Applications and Archive Manager with a listing of the installed software on the left nstead of settings that I can go to for the Network and Wifi choice.
This setting word now goes to a different place than it used to.

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Do you mean in Settings > Applications? If so, the layout has always been like that, at least since I used 16.3 and 17.1. Personally, it has been much easier and neat to organize Applications (a button on the taskbar that opens all installed software) rather than using Zorin Menu, I made it look like the Android apps drawer :laughing:. Instead of being organized under categories, Applications allows you to have some pages with all software listed in place, you can create folders if necessary and also drag the page directly to switch between them.

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