I am attempting to install Zorin OS Core (version 17) on my computer, replacing the existing Windows 11 installation. The internal drive is a 60GB SSD.
Initially, I tried the recommended installation method using the "Erase disk and install Zorin OS" option. However, the installation failed with a general error related to the disk partitions.
Following this, I attempted the manual partitioning method. I booted into the Zorin Live Session and opened GParted. I noticed that the main 57.74 GiB partition on my drive was flagged with an "unknown" file system and a warning about a damaged partition.
When I tried to create new partitions (an EFI partition and an Ext4 partition), I was unable to apply the changes, and I received error messages. It seems there is a persistent issue with the partition table or the main partition itself that is preventing a successful installation, even with manual steps.
Could you please provide guidance on how to resolve this issue and perform a clean installation?
Do you recall the error message that appeared when you first attempted to install Zorin OS? And at what point was it during the process i.e., right at the beginning or after a few minutes.
However, whatever the error, it seems likely that the drive was being overwritten when it happened which left the drive in a bad state. At this point, you could simply try again with the default option of erasing the entire drive.
You could start Zorin in Live Mode (choose the Option ''Try Zorin''), then start GParted, choose Your Drive and delete it and then format it to ext4. And then install Zorin.
In Windows OS, ensure that Fast Startup is disabled.
In your BIOS Settings (Motherboard), ensure that Intel RST is disabled (set to AHCI).
Windows Fast Boot or Fast Startup is a misleading name - they are just Hibernate, not actual boot up.
Intel RST interferes with installing to your 64gig eMMc.
That said... eMMC operates slower and with that limited space, you really should opt for Zorin OS Lite - and ensure you setup of a cronjob to vacuum logs that accrue in /var if using that drive.
Also disable secure boot in your BIOS.
When you create the bootstick it is important to choose the right partition scheme: MBR for legacy BIOS and GPT for UEFI.
