Zorin doesn't detect OS during install

Installing Zorin OS
1

Trying to set up a dual boot, I successfully installed Zorin on another computer.

Zorin boots fine with no errors on this other machine, but when I get to the part where I can install, it says there are no operating systems on this computer, and I have Windows 10.

When I choose "something else," it doesn't show my C:, it only shows my other drive, the D:

I checked hash, has is fine.

I tested USB Drive, it works as intended.

I disabled safeboot and fast startup.

I do not have BitLocker on this computer.

I tried flashing the USB drive with Etcher, Rufus, and Unetbootin, I get the same problem when I get to the part where I can install Zorin.

Not sure what I'm doing wrong.

2

Can you check the steps for Windows error checking in this guide and see if that helps you resolve?

3

How many partitions do you have on your C: drive?
It may be good if you posted a photo of your Gparted partitons screen for comment.

1 Like
4

Good point, Zab. With all this UEFI / GPT about these days, I keep forgetting that MBR only allows up to Four Partitions.

5

Good morning all, thanks for replies. My C: is showing 6 partitions. These are all essential partitions that are for recovery purposes, came factory standard so I won't be removing those. Disk mgt. doesn't allow me to, anyway and I don't want to remove them forcibly through powershell just to be safe.

Checkdisk showed no errors on the C:

So is the issue arising because the C: has more than 4 partitions?

6

Possible, but probably not.

This... Takes a little explaining. Or actually a lot of explaining.

In MBR, you can only have a Maximum of Four Bootable Partitions. Period. This is non-negotiable.
What manufactuerers have done is create One Bootable partition, that they then divide into multiple "sub-partitions" that appear as a partition, but are not bootable and are actually part of the One Original partition. The MBR will see it as only one partition but a partition manager will separate it out.
So, it is possible to have MBR and have three bootable Paritions with some of those partitions appearing as more than one, but are not actually and are not bootable...

BUT
These days UEFI combined with GPT replaces that MBR function and these allow for more than Four Bootable Partitions. Be Warned, UEFI without GPT may also only allow Four Bootable partitions falling into the same caveat defined with MBR above.
But a lot of people are with GPT and UEFI these days.

7

I understand. Is there a solution for installing Zorin, then? What happens if I just install it to the D: instead? Will I still be able to dual boot?

8

Installing to D Drive or F drive or E drive are viable... But I do have one concern. If it is not seeing the C drive, how will grub manage to offer the option of booting into either Windows or Zorin instead of just trying to boot straight into Zorin?
I confess, once I left Windows, I never looked back. Zorin was my first Distro upon entering the Linux world - So I have never once actually installed Zorin and Windows side by side. I do not reply on these topics often, because there is a lot about it I simply do not know first hand.
So, at the moment, suggesting caution until we figure out why the Ubiquity installer is failing to see Windows and C drive.
It's probably something that will seem so simple in hindsight...

9

Yeah, I would ditch Windows but Linux is garbage for the type of gaming I do, otherwise I would ditch it and move on. Do you have any other ideas for getting the installer to notice the C:?

Does it matter that the C: is an NvME?

10

Does your Windows 10 have Hibernation enabled?
Are you quite sure Fast Boot is Disabled? (Doesn't hurt to double check)
Secure boot disabled in UEFI settings (From Motherboard, not from OS). Sometimes this setting is hidden behind CSM.

Was your USB stick etched in UEFI mode? (If not, sometimes this causes the prober to not detect windows)

Lastly, you can install on D drive, then boot Zorin, select try Zorin, then in the Zorin desktop, open a terminal. Enter in

sudo apt install os-prober

Use that to Find Windows, then update the grub to include

sudo update-grub

EDIT:

Uh... I am not sure. I just tried a search on that:

11

I disabled fast boot last night as part of troubleshooting this.

Only issue with installing to the D: is that it will wipe the drive, and there's way too much data on it for me to lose it all. I'm finding solutions suggesting to disable RAID, are there any repercussions to doing that?

12

RAID - Switch to AHCI. The only repercussion is that AHCI is better suited to SATA SSD. To install Linux, you want AHCI, not RAID.

On the issue of data on D drive- can you Defrag D drive, then use a partition manager to create a New sizable partition on D, then install Zorin on only that partition?

13

I read about the AHCI stuff, but people were saying that when they disabled AHCI that Windows would no longer boot and they would have to enter the bios each time to switch OSes.

14

Do you mean Switch from RAID to AHCI? Because I never said anything about disabling AHCI... I said to switch to AHCI.

15

This is starting to sound like it could cause unwanted behavior on my system, so I'm just gonna abandon this and stick with the successful install on the other laptop. Thanks for the replies!