Factory reset option in Zorin OS to improve user-friendliness

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Factory reset option in Zorin OS to improve user-friendliness

Zorin Pro has been my go-to Linux distribution for about a year or so. It's the most user-friendly distribution I've used and it works great out of the box with my hardware. One thing that's missing that I believe would improve Zorin is a "factory reset" option. I've seen a couple other posts in the forum on this topic from 2020 and 2021. I only know of two distributions that have this feature, those being PopOS and ElementaryOS.

While it's possible to use Timeshift to create snapshots, I feel like this is a standard feature that all modern operating systems should have (Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Android already have this). I don't necessarily have an issue with going the Timeshift route, but for those that aren't tech-savvy, I think it would be beneficial to have a dedicated factory reset or recovery mode feature in case the user accidentally messes up their system rather than having to reinstall from a USB. Most people I know would be overwhelmed installing an OS from a USB drive rather than just "factory resetting." Is there a specific reason this hasn't been implemented? While I am fairly tech-savvy, I'm not a programmer, so I don't quite understand the intricacies of what goes in to making a feature like this.

Keep up the good work, Zorin team, and thank you for your time.

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I don't think it is user-friendly. The reason Windows has the factory reset feature is because it does not have an orderly user directory like the Linux OS, making it difficult to back up. With careful use of superuser privileges, it would be rare to require OS recovery.

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There's some distro that have root backup when upgrading, so you can roll back.

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I always thought factory reset was used for two purposes:

  1. Desktop/Notebook has become infected or a failed MS Update that baulks the system from booting

  2. Selling the desktop to a new user.

Perhaps this is the solution:

But before testing it out, ensure you have backed up all your data.

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Recently there was a thread where moving a file to the trash by accident resulted in a frustrating experience... I can't imagine how frustrating it must be when someone accidentally resets the entire device, instead.

Is not that I don't see the value of such a feature but from what I can tell, most people coming to the forum asking for help don't need to do a full factory reset, and in fact I'd say most would prefer not to do so in fear of losing all their settings, configuration files, installed programs, etc.

Sometimes it may be necessary to fix some weird bugs, but on the other hand if the installation was faulty to begin with, a factory reset may not actually fix anything so there are not guarantees either way

I personally would let the users decide and do this on their own. The process itself is not difficult and it may a good learning experience. For those who simply aren't willing or able, I would assume someone else must have installed ZorinOS for them who can be reached for help with this. I myself am the designated IT support in the family so I'm no stranger to this situation :smiley:

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I really agree with this assessment. In my experience on here, most users really prefer to repair or fix an issue than to start over from the start.
The feedback provided by the O.P. is good solid feedback - and if it is there, it may be nice to have for those that want it.

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I agree they should include this in Zorin OS. Would come in helpful for those who want to start over as needed. When I used Windows, I used the factory reset option a few times. Was a lifesaver in the sense it saved time and simplified the process.

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While most probably dont need it, there are some cases where its (at least my) preferred route. Yes, I can reset via usb but it would be a nice feature to just do it without. I managed to delete some wifi-drivers without noticing and obviously I could reinstall them but it was a much bigger hassle to do it than just reset (which I did, just via usb). I would've used timeshift but I simply forgot to make backups. Also a reason to maybe include back-ups (maybe even with timeshift) in the first launch notification :slight_smile:

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