Alright fixed! Seems like reinstalling kernel headers fixed that issue.
Also I tried your comment
xfconf-query -c xsettings -p /Gdk/WindowScalingFactor -s 1
And if I put 2 it does indeed scale x2, but if I put 1.5 it says it cannot convert 1.5 to gint. Any way I can use this command to achieve 1.5 scaling?
Only other thing I'm trying to fix is the insane scroll speed using touchpad. I usually use Warning: Non-Potable Water / libinput-config · GitLab in the other distros I tried and that worked really nice.. But it doesn't on Zorin
Sadly, no. Not on Lite. Lite uses XFCE Desktop and XFCE uses DPI scaling.
DPI Scaling is used because it is stable and reliable.
Gnome Desktop (used on Core and Pro) uses Fractional Scaling which can do 1.5. However, Fractional Scaling on Linux is still a work-in-progress and is unstable. It can cause a variety of graphical issues.
Zorin OS comes with Libinput. So, let's try removing synaptics:
sudo apt-get remove --purge xserver-xorg-input-synaptics
That worked! Thanks! Now the only problem left is going from Lite to to the regular Pro.. Does the regular pro use something other than XFCE that could fix this problem?
I do not understand this question...
To which problem are you referring?
Quick Crash Course in Desktop Environments:
Windows OS has only One Desktop Environment (D.E.). The Environment is the workspace you use and interact with. The GUI applications settings, form, feel, appearance and features.
Linux has... many desktop environments. A dozen or more... Users can pick and choose.
Zorin OS utilizes two of the available D.E.'s.
Core uses the Gnome Desktop. Gnome is centered around minimalism and simplicity. It is not as fully featured as XFCE is at its base. However, the ZorinGroup enhanced the Gnome D.E. using a variety of extensions to add a great deal of usability and features; creating the Zorin OS Desktop for Core.
Gnome is a heavy D.E. It relies more on CPU and RAM resources since it calls on SystemD services more. The Gnome-Shell is single threaded.
Lite uses the XFCE4 D.E.
XFCE is a Lightweight D.E. because it does not call on many systemD services and only calls on services on an as needed basis. It does not need or use a shell, so all applications can operate multi-threaded or hyper-threaded. This is why it is suggested for older machines or low spec machines. Not because it is inferior to Gnome, but because on lower end machines, it is lighter on resources.
Like the Zorin OS desktop, XFCE contains settings and enhancements already built in (so extensions are not needed.)
One is not better than the other nor more updated than the other. The differences between them define the User preferences and choice for their workflow and preferred environment.
Pro and Core use the same Gnome. Pro Lite and Lite use the same XFCE4.
Yep understood. This post seems to suggest you cannot go from Lite to regular:
The problem I meant was the dpi scaling. Since gnome and XFCE are different so was hoping that if I was able to use normal pro (gnome) instead of Lite (XFCE), that could solve my dpi scaling issue
Yes, a user can change from Lite to Core.
sudo apt install zorin-os-desktop
This is also true for users switching from Core to Lite:
sudo apt install zoirn-os-lite-desktop
In your case, you would need the Pro included Premium Packages and I cannot recall all the package names needed off-hand. I do not want to mislead you by giving you the wrong info- But the ZorinGroup can help you get Pro Core set up without a reinstall.
As above, our goal is to get you the Pro Desktop you chose at checkout.
The reason Fractional Scaling is tricky:
Imagine you have an odd number like 3pixels. At 1.5 scaling, you end up with a line 4.5pixels in size. Which... is not possible. It needs to be whole numbers.
To patch this, anti-aliasing is used. So, you can see the problem there.
Fractional scaling on GNOME uses oversampling, which means rendering at a higher resolution, then scaling down with integer scaling resulting in higher CPU and RAM usage.
Not a lot though and if you have a good processor and RAM, you probably won't notice it.
Back to your Immediate issue until you can switch to the Pro D.E.:
XFCE4 supports DPI and now, HiDPI scaling.
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/HiDPI#Xfce
You can see there are a few steps involved, but by setting scale to 2, then using an environment variable of GDK_DPI_SCALE=0.5, you can force fit the appearance of 1.5
I think the current scale that I'm using (2) is working really nice. Also what's up with Zorin group support then? It's been a week and I didn't get a single response. All I'm left with is getting Zorin os pro regular to work and that's it.
I tried sudo apt install zorin-os-pro but it doesn't show up in the login screen in the desktop picker
Using Zorin OS Pro entitles the Pro user to get direct installation support from the ZorinGroup.
The ZorinGroup consists of two people... And they are also actively developing Zorin OS 17.
Pro User Contacts can end up in a queue if things get really busy. Most likely, the Zorins have not yet gotten down to your message in the list, yet.
I would think running that in terminal would only result in it saying "Package not found"
I cannot think of a single package command that will install all of Pro. The ZorinGroup might know of a command to use.
You might try:
sudo apt install --reinstall zorin-appearance-premium zorin-appearance-layouts-support zorin-os-layouts-shell-premium zorin-os-desktop
After running the above, be sure to watch for prompts in the terminal to set up GDM as your display manager - login manager.
Once it is all done, from the Login screen, click the gear icon to log in on the Gnome Desktop.
You might check the "Upgrade Zorin OS" app again from within that desktop, if necessary...
Here is a list of the additional software that comes with Pro:
I think for now I'll just wait on their response.
Out of curiosity, I tried the zorin pro os iso I had on my desktop and in literally less than 20mins everything was working, including github desktop, my Android Studio env and the emulator, with all drivers working.
I really think The iso should ship with the updated kernel, it's clearly the problem (5.15 does not work on my laptop properly at all)
Ok I got a question.
Can I "try" Zorin from the USB iso installation, update the kernels on the USB then boot up and install with the updated kernel?! Cz that would fix everything!
That would be awesome, but sadly, no. That is not how it works.
The LiveUSB is essentially a snapshot that runs based on that image, not based on anything you install or do with it while "testing".
Okay so.. posting this in hopes this also helps someone else.
I installed Zorin OS Pro 16. Got the kernel headers/images/modules from your earlier post and put them in a usb stick. After initial boot, I opened recovery mode, mounted the usb and installed the updated 6.x kernel and everything worked! I am now on Zorin OS Pro 16!
The only thing not working now is nvidia...
ERROR: Unable to find display on any available system
Whenever I try nvidia-settings.
Also note that I have to use wayland (From the login screen) or attempting to change fractional scaling on x11 will completely freeze everything and I have to reboot.
Edit: one more thing, animations don't work even tho I have them turned on in Zorin appearance which is weird.
Out of the frying pan into the fire?
All of your specs for the computer seem fine - but the Nvidia 4070 stands out like a sore thumb.
And the issues you describe all seem graphical.
I really think that the 4070 Must be too new a card for Linux, currently.
Haha I dunno just really really trying to get this to work...
Ummm not so sure about the 4070, I had it working on other distros on wayland just fine 
This may sound funny coming from me but...
The 4070 may be too new hardware for Zorin OS 16, then.
Zorin OS 16 is based on Ubuntu 20.04. It is LTS and fully supported. However, this does not mean that all necessary things for the newest hardware gets backported to previous LTS releases.
And though Zorin OS 16 is using the equivalent kernel as Ubuntu 22.04, not all underlying packages are equivalent. Otherwise, it would be Zorin OS 17 based on Ubuntu 22.04.
And I'm guessing there is no alpha zorin 17 in the wild anywhere to test it out?
-chuckle- the images that put in my head...
No, not just yet. But Zorin OS 17 is around the corner.
Guess I'll have to use another distro for now:/ Is it ok to recommend something here or other distro talks is off limits? I really like the design of zorin...
There are several existing threads open on using other distros.
Several of the active members are using Fedora right now, instead of Zorin OS.
To me, it looks like you are looking for an Up to date or Rolling release; Gnome and Wayland.
You might look into Fedora or Debian 12 Bookworm, first. Other options are Arch or Manjaro. Aside from Latest Ubuntu.
Zorin Design and themes are also Open Source. So you can use them on other distros. Though the current available themes for Gnome may need to wait on Zorin OS 17 due to Gnome4+