Dell Latitude 7400 series, RST-chipset issue for installing Zorin 17

Installing Zorin OS
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Hello, I was just given an older laptop but with good components: a Dell Latitude 7400 with Core i7, 32GB Ram and 256GB SSD, running Windows 11 and a healthy battery.

However faster it seems from my current one, a concern I have is that when I attempt at running the installer it warms me about RST in the chipset and sends me here Intel RST

It doesn't quite seem so straightforward or guaranteed that the install will work... does anyone have experience with this?

On the other hand, I was trying ZOS17 from the bootable disk, and already some issues were visible (like not all fn-key/alt-key options work, for example to adjust screen brightness).

I would like to know your opinions before I move fwd... I would normally just make a clean install and get rid of Windows, but I'm concerned there will still be issues so I was trying to see if I ran a dual boot just in case.

Thx

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OK, first off, which .iso of Zorin 17 did you download. The Dell Latitude 7400 is certified hardware by Ubuntu:

https://ubuntu.com/certified/201902-26863/18.04%20LTS

This would equate to Zorin 15! Zorin 15 became E.O.L. in April 2023.

In respect of the RST question, in order to get Linux to install you will need to turn RST off in the BIOS and choose AHCI instead. You will also need to turn bitlocker off. Once RST is turned off you will not be able to boot into Windows. Other actions you need to take include turning off fast-boot in the BIOS, and before you make all the changes in the BIOS, boot into Windows and show hidden Power Settings and ensure the Hard Drive is set to have it's sleep function turned off. From Windows 8 and up, Microsoft designed the system to keep the hard drive in sleep mode (it never gets fully turned off when you power down) to enable quicker boot times.

The version of Zorin 17 you are using is critical, as early versions default to a Wayland compositor instead of xorg. From another recent posting a member submitted a screenshot that indicated Zorin on xorg was the default compositor, so ensure that you download Zorin 17 r2 and verify its checksum before burning to DVD/USB.

You also might want to give Linux Mint a try, or Q4OS KDE and see if things such as brightness functions work with those.

I have included instructions on how to check the SHA checksum of an .iso in the Unofficial Manuals I wrote for Zorin 15 and 17.

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Thanks so much for the thorough response @swarfendor437, I must add that I am using a Pro version. Now, to your question --apologies for my ignorance-- how do I verify which is the iso version I have??

Good to know that Dell Latitude is Ubuntu certified hardware, does that mean ZOS17Pro should work after all the tweaks you recommend? I'm concerned because it worked right out of the box on two other laptops I tested.

How would I come about the Zorin 17 r2 file? I have a support code that came after my purchase, but am wondering if the version I have is not the right one.

Thanks for the clarifications and will study your unofficial manuals, thanks bunches!

PS. Never gave Mint a serious consideration, always looked so windows-y :stuck_out_tongue:

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In respect of your .iso version, it should have some sort of listing at the end of the file name that you downloaded?
For example the Core version clearly indicates (current version) at the end of the file name:

https://mirrors.edge.kernel.org/zorinos-isos/17/

Before you take any steps to install Zorin 17 Pro, use a vbs script to establish your Windows 11 Activation code:

Set WshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
MsgBox ConvertToKey(WshShell.RegRead("HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\DigitalProductId"))

Function ConvertToKey(Key)
Const KeyOffset = 52
i = 28
Chars = "BCDFGHJKMPQRTVWXY2346789"
Do
Cur = 0
x = 14
Do
Cur = Cur * 256
Cur = Key(x + KeyOffset) + Cur
Key(x + KeyOffset) = (Cur \ 24) And 255
Cur = Cur Mod 24
x = x -1
Loop While x >= 0
i = i -1
KeyOutput = Mid(Chars, Cur + 1, 1) & KeyOutput
If (((29 - i) Mod 6) = 0) And (i <> -1) Then
i = i -1
KeyOutput = "-" & KeyOutput
End If
Loop While i >= 0
ConvertToKey = KeyOutput
End Function

In Save as dialog box, select All files and save this file as a .vbs file, giving it any suitable name like keyfinder.vbs.

Now run this file, and you will see your Windows product key.

[Source: How to find Windows Product Key using VB Script in Windows 11]

Print this out and keep it safe.

Next Go to Microsoft to download Winodows 11 installation Media should you decide to go back to Windows 11:

https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows11

Backup any critical data of Windows 11 before proceeding.

Please be aware that any applications that came preinstalled will not likely work with ZorinOS. In particular any software used to tweak onboard hardware devices.

Hope I have been of use to you today. Take care friend.

Q4OS and other KDE based distros whilst first looking like Windows can be changed into something completely different. Here is my current Q4OS desktop:

image
image1920×1080 181 KB

image
image1920×1080 105 KB

image
image1920×1080 39.1 KB

The beauty of GNU/Linux is you are in control of how your desktop looks; you are not restricted to 'standard' themes or looks.

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Ok, in that case, the iso file is Zorin-OS-17.1-Pro-64-bit.iso (I just made a new download and verified checksum)

Wish me luck with the script... to be honest not all that interested in keeping Windows at all as I haven't needed it in like forever, but something tells me this time not to get rid of it yet.

I hear about the customization potential in KDE distros, perhaps when I manage to get Zorin working (my favorite flavor these days) I can spend some time tweaking with Q40S and even Mint again...

One more question... how to know about this r2 version?

so ensure that you download Zorin 17 r2

Thanks for your help!

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I would check with Team Zorin but suspect if it is a recent download it should be up to date.

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Last comments, all you advice worked and now I'm running Zorin flawlessly (except perhaps that I'm noticing again the same issue with the battery drain that seems hard to avoid in any laptop on Linux-Ubuntu --despite that this is allegedly Ubuntu certified hardware).

Thanks bunches @swarfendor437 !

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Glad to hear friend. For how to get the best out of your battery, you won't go far wrong with Chris Titus tutorials on this plus Spatry and Michael Horn:

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