Difference Between 'Try Zorin' & 'Install Zorin'?

After booting your computer via USB Drive, there 2 options - either try or install Zorin OS.

Are there certain things you can do while trying out Zorin instead of installing it & vice versa?

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When trying out, Zorin will run from the USB-stick (and memory) so you can test how it's running. Note running from the USB-stick is conciderable slower than installing it to your hard-drive.

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But does everything including any drivers & softwares work exactly the same way whether you're trying or installing Zorin OS?

There may be some restricted drivers that are not included. But most drivers should be in the kernel.

Try Zorin literally lets you try out Zorin OS or troubleshoot problems.

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The live image "Try Zorin" option allows you to navigate the OS, check if your hardware is working and determine if that is the OS you would like on your machine. Install Zorin will place it on your drive and will allow the things you do to persist (documents created will be saved, application installations will exist after reboot) and run similar to windows on your machine.

Not everyone decides to keep the OS, so a try was instituted to give those exploring Linux to consider if it is for them.

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Just a note. When running "Try Zorin" mode off a Live USB stick Persistence memory does not work, so you cannot save settings etc over a boot, even if you have included Persistence when creating the Live USB using many of the usual tools e.g. Rufus, Unetbootin.

However, I believe Persistence may work if you have used Ventoy to create your USB.

That problem goes away when you install ZorinOS. You can then make sertings and software changes that remain after a boot.

Another thing to note, you should always, even if you intend to install Zorin OS, use the "Try Zorin" option... it lets you configure the machine before the installation so it goes more smoothly.

For instance, for UEFI machines, it's best to completely wipe the internal drive (clone the drive if you've got Windows on it, so if Zorin OS just won't install, you can clone it back and be back up and running on Windows in short order) so the UEFI 'forgets' the Windows boot entry and instead puts the Zorin OS (it'll say 'Ubuntu') boot entry as the first one. I wrestled with that for awhile. So wipe the drive, then reboot back into the Zorin OS USB stick so UEFI doesn't go full-potato on you.

I literally had to:

  1. clone the original Windows install (never booted) to an external USB
  2. remove the partitions from the internal drive
  3. reboot into the Zorin OS USB
  4. UEFI still wouldn't give up the Windows boot entry
  5. ... so I used sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda bs=512 status=progress to zero all the drive's sectors.
  6. Then I rebooted into the Zorin OS USB, the UEFI finally dropped the Windows boot entry, and I could install Zorin OS.

If you just boot the Zorin OS USB and select "Install", UEFI will still think Windows is there and will try to boot Windows, giving you a "Drive not found" error.

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As I already have 2 different SSD for each OS I will be using inside my computer - I don't have format my Win11 SSD.

How can I ensure when installing Zorin OS on my second SSD, no errors occur?

FYI, Here's my Computer & Specs:

i7 12th gen processor intel
1TB SSD
32 GB RAM
NVidia GPU 3050 RTX Ti

Any help will be great!

Thanks for starting this thread Z_123, I am nervous nellie-ing installing Zorin at this time so this is most interesting and helpful for me.

MANY thanks to all the replies as those provide sooo much information - though a bit overwhelming at this particular moment :face_with_diagonal_mouth:.

Do I piggy back my concerns HERE or would it be better if I start my own thread?

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I just watched the Michael Moore instructional video -
Dual-booting Windows with Linux the non-traditional method
I very much like the 'safety' factor his 'non-traditional' method provides.

QUESTION - I do have the Zorin Core .ISO file on a USB stick. Do I simply insert that stick into my new Lenovo laptop and select that .iso file to give a look at Zorin (aka TRY) OR??? are there options to select from that I need to be aware of?
Many thanks again!

Excuse me but, what year was your Lenovo laptop model released in?

As I started this thread myself, I'll let you know to feel free to start on here if you wish :slight_smile:

The Lenovo is brand new - IdeaPad 3 with i5 Core.
I am currently at General Help TRYing Zorin

What year was it released, 2021 or beyond?

not sure how to see that. Just bought it last month.

I bought my latest 2022 model (Dell XPS 15 9520) just 2 months ago.

You say your laptop was brand new, so I assume it's brand new condition, right?

yes - should be!

Please do not duplicate threads. You already have a thread requesting assistance for the install.

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Z_123 there is nothing in life that is guaranteed (except death and taxes). Everything else is a chance. It might go well, there could be some issues or your image won't boot at all.... there are too many factors to guarantee an issue free installation. Your usb may be failing, but won't know unless you attempt to boot from it. A hard drive can have a malfunction, even brand new. You may not have hardware that is included with the kernel, so may take some work to resolve (not just RAM and CPU, but hard drive, video card, wifi and Bluetooth cards, sound card and not to mention the motherboard).

There are many reasons not to try, since it already works. But if you don't try, you are stuck in the catch 22 that is windows and this dilemma. So it comes down to, do you want to get out from under M$ thumb and their sharing of your information or are you content with it just working?

Most users find little issue on installations. I can say this because otherwise there would be many more people asking for help than the 20 or so every few days. Most issues can be resolved easily, if you listen and attempt the solutions. Not all solutions are one size fits all. Neither are operating systems.

So... the real question is, are you ready to see how far the rabbit hole goes and learn something on the way?

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