Creating Zorin iso boot usb

Tried to make a Zorin OS iso usb several times using the recommended tool balena etcher. Would not work and ended up destroying 3 USB sticks. Ordered 5 pack more of Amazon the 16GB PNY sticks arrived and are all 32GB. So looked around and someone had suggested using Rufus, tried that and it seems to be making an ISO on USB. When rufus started the process it said that several of the provided files to make ISO were not in agreement and it had to download new version off the web and did agree. Said Okay. Went along with that as had used dban to erase disk on old laptop and had used rufus for that as well. Other tools had created unusable image and they would not work when booted on laptop.
If the provide file on the download of Zorin OS is incompatible with the ISO file why has that not been updated. Know nothing about Linux, did get a book to read but exigency of my situation has me winging an install without much background knowledge.

Balena Etcher has worked fine for me, but I've seen other people complaining about this exact issue where it destroys USB drives in the process. I don't know whether this is true or what may be the cause, but you did well in trying alternatives. Ventoy is another popular option that I've been using lately with very good results.

However...

Where and how did you install Rufus? This is not something that I've ever seen nor would I expect it to do. My first reaction to this would be to nuke it out of my system and run an anti-virus scan, re-format the USB drives it touched and then re-install a fresh OS.
But, in the spirit of trying to understand this weirdly out of place message, did you happen to take a note of what it said to download, where from, etc...?

Note that you can − and must!check the integrity of the Zorin OS ISO file yourself. If the provided signatures in this page don't match the files downloaded, do not attempt to use them.

Please do take time to verify the SHA256 checksum of the downloaded .iso against the published value as zenzen has already stated.

Balena Etcher does have a poor reputation on the forum of damaging some users USB sticks. Rufus, Unetbootin, Ventoy seem better.

FYI. More pre-installation advice here: Before you install

Did check the integrity of the Zorin 17.1 Pro file. (I went buy before you try)
The check sum matched on; QuickHash. Went to load another USB with Zorin ISO and see if the same thing came up. It did not; went fine. But my install on my old laptop failed came up with (Errno 5). Going to search on here for that next.
Thanks for the advice.

Did You choose for the Installation MBR or GPT? Because when You choose GPT You shouldn't have that.

Maybe this can help:

I am starting to fase away from Etcher as it has been very unreliable on the windows version. I have used etcher for years, but lately it has been breaking the USB sticks i have used. Basically - it'll pop up with an error at the end telling you that you need to format it first. Solved by formatting the entire usb drive with easeUS.

Anyway. When i moved to Zorin a few weeks ago, i used Ventoy. It may seem outdated, but it gets the job done.

You just install ventoy on the usb stick and smack an iso in there and you're good to go!

Rufus is also a great alternative, but imo Rufus is something i just use for windows ISOs.

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I just installed Zorin off of a USB stick using Balena Etcher. No problems with BE at all.

Zorin linux wanted me to burn a DVD (as if it were 2001). Nope, not gonna do that. So I fired up BE and found my Zorin image in my downloads folder and burned that to the stick.

Don't expand the iso, just let BE do its thing.

I've had issues with BE, but for those who want to install GNU/Linux on a Mac it is the only reliable USB tool for that scenario AFAIK. Burning a DVD was essential when I recently installed PCLinuxOS KDE 24.04 and Community Edition of Trinity DE PXLinuxOS Big Daddy 14.1; when trying to install using Ventoy it fell over as it was looking for a loopback to 'CD'! Never had an issue with installing Zorin using Ventoy and it is not that old as it keeps being updated.

The most reliable way I have found for installing an ISO on a USB stick is to just use the Disks program that comes with Zorin and almost any Linux distro. Just insert your USB stick and then open Disks. Select your USB stick and then at the top click on the 3 dots. A menu will open. Select restore disk image. Then go to your ISO you have downloaded and select it. I have never had this method fail to give me a good ISO image and it has never damaged a USB stick.

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@citfta Is that in live mode or after a Zorin install? (Chicken/egg scenario).

Gday @Sardine33 ,Welcome to the Community!

The above error indicates that you have a one of the following,
Corrupt file;
Faulty USB Stick;
Bad USB Port;

As you have had issue's with other USB Sticks, i would assume either the USB Port/s are faulty. or they were just old Sticks,(hence becoming faulty when asked to work hard), as you will notice the USB Sticks get warm during an installation.
Let us know how you went & the issue if known.

Hope you've had success.

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After install. In other words if I am running an installed version of MX Linux and want to try out Zorin. I use Disks to make an ISO of Zorin on my USB stick. I have used that method when running an installed version of Zorin, LM, and MX Linux. So I am guessing it will work with almost any distro. I have not tried it live so don't know if it will work then or not.

The reason I asked was in relation to migrators from that other OS. In fact I posted a link to a youtube video where you don't need a USB or DVD but install directly from a downloaded .iso.

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