Problems creating Zorin OS installation USB stick using Rufus 4.11

[Forpli]

Yes, that is another option to solve the problem. The space that is set from Windows before the (2) is causing the problem. Probably it can also be solved by renaming the file and replacing the space with an _ or - or by removing it so that there is no space used.
Probably it were different downloads from different mirrors that all had the same name of the .iso file.

[Ponce-De-Leon]

@MiserableClown

If its better to use the portable version I can always give it a try?!

I wouldn't call it better but worth a Try. Of Course, You could try a different Tool, too. I could also recommend the Fedora Media Writer. It works with other ISO's too if the Name might irritate.

[MiserableClown]

Apologies for my absence but I've been working hard trying to find a working solution. I’ve been on at this for week now and so far I’m no further forward! Worse still I’m running out of ideas as to what is preventing files from the dists/noble folder being replicated by Rufus 4.11 and/or Rufus 4.11 portable.

So far here’s a list of some of the things I have tried so far: - Suggestions would be appreciated.

• I’ve tried three different new USB sticks, all brand new and each one a different size. [128gb, 64gb and 16gb]. I’ve tried formatting in large FAT32 for both the 128gb & 64gb sticks & FAT32 for the 16gb
• I’ve tried creating the USB sticks in Rufus 4.11 & Rufus 4.11p in both ISO Mode and in DD Mode. I’ve also tried creating the USB sticks in Rufus 4.11 & Rufus 4.11p using both MBR & GPT partition scheme. But experienced errors regardless of combination.
• I’ve tried running checksums on the both Zorin OS Core 17.2 & Zorin OS Core 18.iso & for other Ubuntu distros [more about why below] only for all the checksums to match up perfectly. 
• I’ve tried downloading the both Zorin OS Core 17.2 & Zorin OS Core 18 [and other distros] from different web browsers including Brave. Although neither browser negatively affected any of the SHA256 checksums, which all matched up exactly.
• I tried downloads in both Wifi & via Ethernet cable – apart from differing download speeds it made no difference to the SHA256 checksums. 
• I’ve tried creating bootable USB sticks from .iso files with & without bracketed number copies eg (2) [makes no difference]
• I even wanted to see if my replication issues were confined to just the unstable/stable noble files in Zorin OS or if they affected other Ubuntu forks. So I tested both Ubuntu 24.04 (as it uses noble) & Ubuntu Cinnamon 25.10 [as it supersedes noble]. The replication issues with stable / unstable noble files are the same for Ubuntu 24.04 as they are for Zorin OS Core 17.2 & Zorin OS Core 18.  Furthermore the problem with replication errors are even more worse for Ubuntu Cinnamon 25.10 with even more files being ignored!
• I’ve tried disabling my antivirus software whilst creating the USB sticks & leaving it running but it makes no difference.
• I’ve tried using each different USB ports on my laptop with Rufus 4.11 & Rufus 4.11p in case of faulty USB ports.
• I’ve tried the additional Rufus drive properties namely: “Add fixes for old BIOSes (extra partition, align, etc)” but it caused greater problems loading Zorin OS Core 18 in BIOS [long loading times and it crashed Zorin OS at shutdown]  & “Enable runtime UEFI media validation”  which runs a program in BIOS before Zorin OS or any other distro starts. It usually produces error warning before distro loads [but closes to quickly for you to read].
• I’ve tried adding 50gb of persistence partition size (64gb USB stick) – [didn’t help but no doubt will have reduced the USB sticks lifespan].
• I even tried a different creation program called usbimger 1.0.10  - I followed the link on the Zorin OS website. Only to experience the similar problems with bootable USB stick errors [but  because the program don’t have a log it’s impossible to know what files if any were missed or what configuration was used during creation. Which makes it worse to use than Rufus 4.11]. 

In all of this I’m left scratching my head wondering why, why does everything else in the Zorin OS Core 17.2 & Zorin OS Core 18 [and other Ubuntu distros that use noble] get replicated using Rufus 4.11 each and every time except for 10 bytes from this one folder “dists/noble”?!

But most confusing of all is despite the Rufus 4.11 log showing missing files & the internal log files in the “try Zorin OS” mode in BIOS keep saying that there were lots of none-critical errors detected; the Zorin OS validation program that runs in BIOS before you get to “try or install” always says “no errors found”. Maybe it’s a bug?! I don’t know I’m not a programmer but its a strange discrepancy.

[MiserableClown]

@swarfendor437

I think the error is down to the OP having downloaded the .iso 3 times. When you download any file more than once it adds a number in brackets. This can be resolved by simply renaming the .iso by deleting the (2) and any spaces so that .iso is right at the end of the file name.

Unfortunately this isn't the cause of the error.

@MiserableClown

I’ve tried creating bootable USB sticks from .iso files with & without bracketed number copies eg (2) [makes no difference]

You are correct some of those copies were taken from different mirrors. But the checksums matched and as I say it made no difference if I use .iso files with or without spaces and bracketed numbers.

[MiserableClown]

I'm happy to give Fedora Media Writer at try as I've hit a brick wall with Rufus 4.11 & Rufus 4.11 Portable. Thank you for the suggestion.

[chronosJ]

@MiserableClown

did load the “try Zorin 18” mode without running into too much difficulty but when I looked at the log it reported that there were no serious errors present during boot and when I looked at the system folders there were multiple files with red crosses on them, I don’t know what that means exactly but I doubt that its good news.

I think you had it working. The red Xs in the file explorer are just indicating permissions (or lack thereof) to those files and folders.

[MiserableClown]

@chronosJ

I think you had it working. The red Xs in the file explorer are just indicating permissions (or lack thereof) to those files and folders.

Thank you for the clarification. I was able to get it working as far as testing in try mode but the Zorin OS log showed non critical errors were present during boot.

[zabadabadoo]

@MiserableClown

I was able to get it working as far as testing in try mode but the Zorin OS log showed non critical errors were present during boot.

"...during boot" do you mean boot after installation, or errors when using Try Zorin mode?
Do you have screenshot of those m=non-critical errors?

[MiserableClown]

Apologies for the lack of updates but I have good news for the most part. After trying a combination of techniques based on the various suggestions I learned on this thread, I was able to create a working bootable USB stick of Zorin 18 Core via Rufus 4.11 Portable & best of all I have successfully installed Zorin OS on my laptop. There are a few minor errors but Zorin OS Device Security says my computer is ‘Protected’ with good’ level of security.

The method that worked for me in Windows 10 Pro was using a mirrored download of Zorin OS 18 Core, [since I had download more than one Zorin OS .iso] I created a new file for the newest Zorin OS .iso before moving said Zorin OS .iso into it. I then renamed the Zorin OS.iso to remove any spaces, brackets and numbers. I ran the checksum on the newest Zorin OS 18 Core .iso and the checksum matched up perfectly. Then I ran Rufus 4.11 Portable as Administrator, I inserted the 64GB USB stick, selected the Zorin OS 18 Core .iso ,I then checked that there wasn’t any updates for Rufus 4.11p using the “check for updates now button” and then used the following settings created the bootable USB stick: Partition Scheme: GPT, Target System: UEFI (non CSM), Advanced Drive Properties: [left unchecked] , File System: Large FAT32, Cluster Size: 32 kilobytes, Advanced Format Options: quick format & create extended label and icon files. I then created the bootable USB stick in DD Mode.

Most of the errors found in the logs during “Try Zorin OS” were mostly non fatal and most were caused by the advanced age of the laptop (10 year +). I found a lot of errors stemmed from my BIOS settings and by disabling ‘Hyper-threading Control’ I was able to plug two different security bugs caused by the type of CPU used in the laptop. Whilst I found you couldn’t disable fast boot in the laptops BIOS, I did find a way to slow it down before it boot up which made a huge difference. I also found the Bluetooth drivers had deprecated from the kernel, fortunately for me I didn’t need Bluetooth and disabling it in BIOS solved the problem.

I also think the early boot error warning that appeared in the top left of the screen before the Zorin OS Bootable USB stick loaded was caused by my then M.2 SATA SSD boot drive. But after upgrading to a new M.2 NVME SSD boot drive, the error warning disappeared and then the bootable USB stick of Zorin 18 Core passed the initial error check after being booted in BIOS with “no errors present” before proceeding to the "try Zorin OS" or "install Zorin OS".

The Installation process was straightforward as was updating the system. Everything appears to be working correctly.

Thank you everyone for all of your help and support.

[seriousson23]

Olá!

Use o aplicativo Balena Etcher para windows ou Linux

[MiserableClown]

Obrigado, mas não obrigado. Tenho tentado evitar usar o balenaEtcher, se possível, para ser honesto, devido aos inúmeros artigos que alertam sobre suas práticas invasivas de coleta de dados. Aqui está um exemplo. https://cybernews.com/privacy/tails-raises-privacy-concerns-over-balenaetcher-recommends-rufus/

De qualquer forma, consegui resolver os problemas com o Rufus 4.11 com a ajuda do fórum, então não há necessidade de usar o Balena Etcher.

[zabadabadoo]

See this thread that discusses some users experiences of Balena Etcher: Suggestion: Avoid recommending Balena Etcher

But for Mac users, it may be the only option?

[reality]

Another vote for Ventoy! Just note that the usb stick will be erased and formatted.
Benefits are: you have a usb stick which can be used as normal and in addition you can put any iso file on it and just start from that (whlie booting a menu will appear). If it is big enough, you can put multiple iso on it. Very flexible, easy to use and maintain.

[PJ70]

I didn't have any problem creating a Zorin 18 USB stick using Rufus 4.11. In fact, I used Rufus on my existing Zorin 17.3 system running Wine.