Install Zorin OS 18.1 Core on dual boot (2 SSDs) w/ MicroSlop 11

Installing Zorin OS
1

I have downloaded 3 times, and flashed via Rufus 13. I attempted to boot via the hardware boot menu. After ZorinOS 18.1 loads, I see both monitors show a wallpaper but no icons or menu to interact with. I expected to see a icon saying do I want to test or install?

Hardware
Beelink SER8
CPU: Ryzen 7 8745H
RAM: 32GB
SSD 0:
Samsung SSD 980 PRO 2TB (target for Zorin OS 18.1 Core)
SSD 1:
Samsung SSD 990 PRO 2TB (Win 11 24H2)

Any idea what I am doing wrong?

2

Hi and welcome.

Well I am wondering if it is because you have Zorin on Drive 0. Traditionally on a dual-boot on one hard drive, Windows should always be the first OS.

Did you turn off Fast Boot and Secure Boot in the BIOS?
Did you turn off the Advanced Hidden Power Settings that prevent the Windows Hard Drive from going to sleep? Have you changed the hard drive settings in the BIOS from RAID (which Windows uses) to AHCI (which GNU/Linux needs?

Did you use GPT settings in Rufus instead of mbr?

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3

Swarf. I corrected two little typos in your post.

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4

Welcome to the Forum!

So, Zorin is not installed yet, yes? You talk about booting up the USB Stick. There should be a Black Screen where You have Options to ''Try or Install Zorin''. Which one did You choose?

5

Have you checked if the checksum of the .iso is correct?
You should see a normal desktop background of Zorin (mountains) with a welcome screen window where you are asked if you want to try or install Zorin.

1000010288
10000102881280×800 61.9 KB

Can you please post a photo of the screen you see?

6

I also think of trying a dual boot setup on a desktop PC with 2 NVMEs. Any beginner friendly tutorials for that that you guys could recommend? And is there a way to avoid "dual boot issues" because of MS updates? Maybe running Win10 would be one? Or is that to simple of thinking?...

7

If You not in the ... extended Update Program, You don't get Updates anymore. Which could reduce Issues because You don't get Updates. But at the same time it makes it unsecure.

You could seperate Your Installations, yes. So, Windows on one Drive and Zorin on the other. You would have to make some Adjustments after the Installationof Zorin to have GRUB but the Installation itself would be to choose the Something else Option during the Installation Process, then choose the Drive and create 2 Partitions:

  1. An EFI-Partition with 300mb
  2. The Rest of the Drive with Mount Point / and format it to ext4

and then it should install it.

8

I have set up dual boot on 2 Mini PCs with Win11 and ZorinOS 18 Pro.
To ensure that Windows can never corrupt the Linux Zorin OS bootstrap, the following conditions must be met:

  • As mentioned previously, Windows and Zorin OS must be installed on different SSDs.
  • Furthermore, Windows and Zorin OS must each have their own EFI boot area on their respective SSDs.
    A separate EFI boot area is only created if the Windows system SSD is removed during the Zorin OS installation.
  • If the Windows system drive remains physically connected to the computer during the Zorin OS installation, Zorin OS creates its EFI area within the Windows Boot Manager on the Windows SSD. A subsequent major Windows update or reconfiguration could delete the Zorin OS boot area, preventing Zorin OS from booting.
  • I don't use a GRUB boot menu.
9

But this is only when You choose the ''Install Zorin alongside Windows'' Option. When You choose the ''Something else'', You can set up manually the Partitions and so You can create an own EFI-Partition.

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10

Thanks for correction!

1 Like