Before you proceed further may I suggest you to create a disk image so that you can recover form any catastrophe in the future?
Clonezilla (CUI) <- Rescuezilla based on this
Rescuezilla (GUI) <-easy for beginners
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I did create a system image using the onboard (win7) backup and restore. You know, the one that never works when you try to use it. 
Maybe I'll give your idea a try, after all, the last one worked pretty good.
I am not so sure if you can use this software to backup the Linux partition. Windows is unable to read ext4 (Linux file format).
Clonezilla/Resuezilla can read/write almost any file format.
When I was using Hackintosh, I used it to backup my macOS disk (HFS+ format).
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I haven't got anything I want backed up on my Z16 install yet. I have a couple of problems to solve before it can be my go to system. I've got to learn the RTD commands and different formulas for Calc so I can do away with Excel and I have a small bit of software written by a colleague in Python and using SQL server that I find real useful, don't know how that is going to work in Linux. I've got time.
The back up is not for the data.
It is for your system.
If anything goes wrong you have to repeat the installation process from scratch unless you have a disc image backup.
I guess that's what I was saying, reinstalling Z16 is a breeze, I've done it so many times. But I don't really have it configured yet so nothing to lose. But that is the fun part, figuring it out. All the data is presently on W10 which is backed up six ways from Sunday. I get to play with Z16 till Monday, then back to reality during the day.
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Ah, OK.
So after the heavy customization, you will make a backup.That makes sense.
Funny thing is that I can install Linux much faster than Windows. No need to flip CDs for driver installation in Linux 
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No comparison. W10 install is a half day minimum, before any customization. I really appreciate the help. I'll be back hammering away at this tomorrow night or Sunday. Got more turkey to eat tomorrow.
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I boot Zorin in Legacy and Windows in UEFI. Here's why you're having your problem. When you are booting up, you are booting up with the UEFI boot setting turned on in your BIOS. As Windows is your only UEFI system installed, it will therefore boot to Windows. However, if you go into your BIOS settings and change the boot type to Legacy, it will boot up your Zorin installation. I didn't see this answer in this thread so I thought I would add it. As far as I'm aware I've had no problems, and because I rarely use my Windows side it's not very inconvenient at all
Thanks for this additional info.
While this is a workable solution, going into BIOS every time to change OS could be a bit too much for some who use both Windows and Linux on a daily bases.
I still think it is simpler to convert Windows installation from Legacy to UEFI in a long run. It is a single liner in the Windows (administrator) terminal:
mbr2gpt /convert /allowfullOS
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Yes as most post here are looking for a fast and easy way to resolve issues. Much like they did in that awful M$ product.
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You have been fortunate.
Others are not so lucky. While it can be done, you should not boot Zorin and Windows as legacy and EFi. They should both be the same.
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And it seems to me, it is better to install in EFI, if BIOS has this mode.
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Could I ask why that is? Because it was completely impossible for me to install Zorin in UEFI mode. My grub terminal was glitchy and unusable (very slow, unresponsive, and when you clicked a letter it would type out two of that letter on the screen instead of one), and even once I managed to try the nomodeset fix it still didn't work. Legacy was the only way I could get it to even get to the 'try or install' section, and I must have spent upwards of 20+ hours attempting to fix it.
UEFI is very different in how it behaves than Legacy is. Legacy follows a basic list of what is permitted to boot and the BIOS Firmware to initialize all services. Legacy Preboot eXecution Environment can boot without a hard drive attached, booting only the Motherboard BIOS (Or Motherboard Operating System).
UEFI is more "proactive" about managing the boot. It scans the partitions and compares them against its list, performs POST, a Self Test and it contains elements similar to Secure Boot.
Legacy is more Forgiving about any conflicts because it does not check for any. EFI is more strict, which means that anything that doesn't match quite right compared to its expectations can cause issues.
I guess you could make an analogy of EFI and MBR in dating...
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I'm still a little confused on why it's bad to run a Legacy boot of Linux and a UEFI boot of Windows on the same machine. I know it's not recommended, but I just want to know why
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If you ask me, I do not wish to go into BIOS every time I want to switch OS. So it is purely a matter of convenience. And that HP Elitebook BIOS is a pain to navigate 
Using two different methods to manage the boot can cause conflicts. One relies on EFI and one relies on MBR, but both must be visible to Boot.
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