I would like to use Zorin to learn to use Linux command line instructions etc (starting with basic stuff),
I have a 3 year old Laptop normally running Windows 10 and it also has a large SSD with around 600Bg of unformatted spare space on it. To suit my purposes, I would like to set-up the unused drive space to store the Zorin OS, but not to have this laptop run as a dual boot option as in Windows or Zorin at boot (UEFI). Instead I would prefer to run Zorin inside my windows 10 operating system; I already can use/boot Zorin from a USB Drive in either persistent or non-persistent modes; but I would currently most like to keep the OS on the internal hard drive (SSD) which will improve on performance and not require the inconvenience of using a USB drive. Please can you give me details on what to format the spare (unallocated) drive space as and instructions on how to load Zorin into RAM from inside windows please?
The laptop has 20Gb of RAM and an AMD A10 processor, so I am sure that we have enough hardware resources to run a basic Linux O/S within Windows?
Currently, I have an ISO of the Pro ver16.1 of Zorin.64 bit but there is no reason why I couldn't use a lesser/lighter version of Zorin instead
Sounds like you want to run ZorinOS in a virtual machine under Windows.
If you search the forum for "virtual machine" you will find advice for that option. Including this for starters: Installing Zorin on a virtual machine
You can also search the wider internet using "virtual machine Ubuntu 20.04" as ZorinOS is based on Ubuntu.
There are different virtual machines you can run on Windows, so you will need to decide which best meets your needs.
I understand the basic principle of VM environments and have previously run a couple of OS's just to play with in a VMWARE environment. However and ideally because of restrictions on the applications I am allowed to run on this laptop, I would prefer not to have to either VMWare or install applications like VirtualBox on this laptop.
I'm old enough to remember how around 15 years ago we could buy computer mags with CDs or occasionally an early USB drive that allowed me to run distros of Linux within Windows without actually installing the software, yes this was a kind of virtual environment but it was simple, this is what I would like to to do for now if someone could help me with the appropriate configuration please.
There used to be a way to install Ubuntu inside windows like a program using WUBI . This method is no longer supported. It created up to a 30 GB partition and was a way to try Ubuntu and was not recommended for long term use. You might consider a persistent usb installation also.
Thanks Winged1; I wonder if the CDs I used to get FOC with computer magazines used a WUBI method of running Linux from inside windows?
Its also been suggested that I try the instructions from this link: https://www.howtogeek.com/14912/create-a-persistent-bootable-ubuntu-usb-flash-drive It works if you want to run Linux from boot-up and from a USB drive, but sadly does not offer what I want which is to run it from a partition on my hard drive, while still in Windows.
I know that the way I'm that I'm persisting in doing this seems stoopid, but there is a reason for this.
If it was easier, I don't necessarily need a persistent installation at all at this point in time; just a basic Live environment would suffice for now.
There is WSL which is a command line environment that runs inside of windows mostly used for development. Wubi had problems with UEFI and was best used on legacy bios windows 7 systems , but even with Wubi you had to boot either Ubuntu or windows . Wubi created a partition inside the windows c drive , but both operating systems were not running at the same time.
I think that my best option is to do this another way, Perhaps I can set my Bios, Windows boot manager or UEFI options so that I can press F2 at boot up of the Lenovo ideapad I have. Currently it only boots via the options I set in its boot sequence, and of course it'll boot from a USB drive if one is connected. But so far I can't get the laptop to respond to an F2 at boot up. If I can get F2 keyboard press to provide me with boot options then that would be an alternative solution.
Gday @JimLG ,
You could run ZorinOS from the usb drive, & set the bios to usb priority on boot up, so when you boot up the pc, if you have the usb drive plugged in it will let you run/try ZorinOS.
With regards to installing/partitioning to your pc hard drive, ( dual boot, you will see the MBR or GRUB asking you which OS you want to use) Can be done automatically, via the usb drive,
Or you can use the partition way,
Please have a look at the following link,,,