I installed this onto a portable hdd to use as a boot option, but it doesn't complete the boot sequence. Part way through, it goes from the Zorin pulsating image, to a blank screen with a flashing cursor, I'm guessing Zorin terminal. Any suggestions as to what to input there to get progress would be appreciated 
Footnote: it runs perfectly from the flashed "install / try" usb stick.
Welcome,
Are Boot Secure and Fast Boot disabled from BIOS.
Hi and welcome.
Sadly, Harvey's tutorial is no longer available in this thread but there are other posts that might make it clearer.
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Thanks for the quick reply,
I probably should have mentioned that I am on a Mac, OS-X, so no BIOS.
I used Balina Etcher to create the flash drive installer, it works fine, then I used the "Install Zorin" from the running Zorin, selected "other things" and the install to the HDD went well, or it appeared to. It is a clean freshly formatted HDD msdos, guid.
Cheers.
So does the computer you are attaching it to use mbr or UEFI?
After wading in water just above my head for several hours, I am unable to definitively answer that question, however, this information, in your hands, might reveal more.
| System Firmware Version: | 429.0.0.0.0 |
|---|---|
| OS Loader Version: | 540.120.3~37 |
| This is a late 2012 MacMini server edition, which apparently could be either option. My apologies for my limited knowledge. |
found this: For a 2012 Mac Mini Server (Model Identifier: Macmini6,2), it is significantly more likely—and fundamentally designed—to use UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface).
Also this, which is very interesting...
The 2012 Mac Mini is a "tweener"—it supports UEFI, but Apple’s official Boot Camp software often tries to force a "Legacy/MBR" install for Windows 7/8.
...so do you suppose it also tries to force a legacy/mbr install for Zorin? 
what do you think @swarfendor437?
I'm starting to see how things tie together a bit more, to the point where I should probably mentioned that I am running Monterey through a legacy patcher (OCLP) which might have something to do with it. Due to my lacking knowledge, I thought that what was on the OS hdd had nothing to do with this issue, because it isn't (??) involved when booting from an external hdd. I know very little about the OCLP other than it works very well. Perhaps I should forget about the idea of running Zorin from the external hdd.
The reasoning in the first instance, was to confirm that Zorin was going to be a good choice, then install it on the second internal hdd as a boot option. Perhaps not a great idea for senior citizen with limited know how. 
installing an operating system on an external drive is more difficult than it seems. It can be done, but I can't personally recommend it.
If on the other hand you decide to install Zorin on your internal drive OCLP will definitely be a problem. When Zorin tries to install over the OCLP, it gets confused because the hardware ID OCLP puts out says one thing, but the actual silicon is quite another.
You could just keep using your Mac as is, since the OCLP seems to be working well for you.
But if you decide to install Zorin (can't blame you), you will need to reset the NVRAM and COMPLETELY wipe the disk, in order to allow the Mac Mini to present as its true 6,2 self again.
- The most common mistake is erasing the partition instead of the hardware. Wipe the entire physical disk (not just the volume)
Boot into Recovery (Hold Cmd + R at startup).
Open Disk Utility.
Go to the View menu and select Show All Devices.
Select the top-level physical drive (e.g., "APPLE HDD..." or "Media").
Click Erase.
Name: Macintosh HD
Format: Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
Scheme: GUID Partition Map
This destroys the OCLP EFI partition entirely along with your data.
- OCLP changes variables in your Mac's firmware, so if you don't clear these, the Mac may still "think" it is a later model or try to look for the OpenCore files you just deleted.
So you need to reset the memory( NVRAM ):
Shut down the Mac Mini.
Turn it on and immediately hold Option (⌥) + Command (⌘) + P + R.
Keep holding all four of them for about 20 seconds. You should hear the startup chime a second time (or see the logo flash twice).
This flushes the OCLP settings and restores the Mac's identity to its original 2012 state.
From here you should be able to boot from the live zorin usb just as you did before, and proceed with the install:
Before you start, read this below: ****
- Insert the USB drive into one of the USB ports on the back of the Mac Mini.
- Power on the Mac and immediately press and hold the Option (⌥) key.
- Choose the Boot Drive: * On the boot selection screen, your Linux USB will usually appear as an icon labeled "EFI Boot" (it might even have a generic yellow/orange USB icon).
- Use the arrow keys to select it and press Enter.
- The GRUB Menu: Most Linux distros (Ubuntu, Mint, Fedora) will then show a black screen with text (the GRUB menu). Select "Try or Install [Linux Distro Name]".
A few FYI's:
Broadcom Wi-Fi Drivers: The 2012 Mini uses a Broadcom wireless chip. Most "Live" environments will work, but you might not have Wi-Fi immediately after the final installation, unless before you start the installation you connect via ethernet connection. Then when you see it, check the box that says "Install third-party software for graphics and Wi-Fi"—this should automatically grab the proprietary Broadcom wireless drivers for you.
- Also, sometimes you will see two "EFI Boot" icons when holding Option. This happens because some Linux ISOs are formatted to support both legacy and UEFI booting. If one doesn't work, just restart and try the other.
When you run the Linux installer, it will ask where to install. Since you already wiped the physical disk in macOS Recovery, the drive should show up as "Unallocated Space" or a single blank partition. Choose the option to "Erase disk and install [Linux]" to let the Linux installer create its own partition scheme (usually EXT4).
(BTW, your machine one of the more popular "legacy" Macs for Linux enthusiasts because of its power for its age - with its quad-core i7 and support for up to 16GB of ram.)
P.S. This is very doable. Looks like a lot of instruction, but anything you write out in detail tends to look more complex than it really is. Study well first. Then find time when you have plenty of time. Don't let being a senior citizen deter you. A lot of us around here are geezers. I'm 72. And @Swarfendor437 ? He's absolutely ancient!
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I can't thank you enough for taking the time to provide all that detailed information for me to be able to proceed.
I am no quite over the Mac O.S. just yet, thus the hope for a dual option, but it will become a liability sometime in the not too distant future, given Apple's direction at the moment, making perfectly good hardware obsolete, just like Microsoft. It has begun to bite Microsoft firmly on the butt, and unless Apple smartens up, the same will happen soon enough.
No more security updates available for any OSx version that I can run, makes me somewhat nervous these days. It was a good decision to quit back when XP was phased out, and I have had a long run of satisfaction with OSx, but as life has taught me, all good thing come to an end eventually, so hopefully moving to Linux is an equally good move. Playing with Zorin for a while running off the stick just felt right, logical, unlike any windoze version. It isn't OSx, but it does just make sense and is comfortable.
I just bought an old HP laptop off Ebay for a few dollars, only 8GB of RAM, and a small SSD, so I'll get Zorin up and running on that when it arrives, and get fully acquainted over time, then make the jump on the old Mini which still performs well with 16GB of RAM and an SSD as the main drive. From what I have read, Zorin should be a breeze for it to handle.
Thanks again for your time I effort.
P.S. I'm older than you 
which is why my email address is fossilphill at ......
@wsmather not quite as ancient as you my friend, but perhaps because I have been dabbling since 2002 might be the difference in ancient terms.
@PhillT Hi Phil, I did not realise it was a Mac. My only claim to fame regarding a Mac was during my working career and it had nothing to do with GNU/Linux.
I had been off ill from work and on my return was presented with a wonderful problem.
One of the IR pupils who had left school to go to College which our service had expanded to support (Vision Support for students with low/no vision) had been loaned the Derpartment's MacBook Pro. The student had lost 4 hours of work on a Presentation he had been working on for his Graphic Design course, and as the Department's sole VS Technician it fell on me to recover his work.
I duly went on to Apple help site or perhaps an affiliated site, can't remember, and it advised to recover data from a corrupted Mac to obtain a second working Mac and connect the two via a Thunderbolt cable.
I informed the student could he kindly go back to the college's Mac support team and ask them to borrow another MacBook Pro and Thunderbolt cable.
He duly turned up a day or so later, informing ne that he had brought the necessary hardware and that the Mac Support crew at college stating they did not think it would work. They were very wrong!
After recovering the student's work, the college agreed to loan the student one of their machines.
Now to sort out the Department's MacBook. What had the Mac Support numpties at College done to the Department's MacBook Pro?
They had installed a newer MacOS the hardware did not support!
To rebuild the machine required reinstalling the correct OS version using OpenDNS but the school's network prevented this so I had to leave the MacBook Pro with them while they turned off an outside port to enable the rebuild.
@swarfendor437
Great story with a happy ending I'm a bit surprised that it allowed the installation on an unsupported machine, so I just learned something new.
Mac is/was a great system, but after the death of Steve Jobs, the writing was on the wall.
The beauty and appeal (to me) is that this can't happen to Linux. Happy days ahead
Well you need to remember MacOS has a similar history to Microsoft (sic. Bill Gates) acquiring superior software:
The other issue with Macs (but could easily be levelled at others) is the use of rare earth materials which are 'mined' at risk of death to teenagers in Indonesia.
@Aravisian posted an interesting YT video of dust destroying screens on MacBooks. Guess the YT poster had his account rescinded by Meta.
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