I’ve been using Zorin on my 2012 MacBook Air for over a year with no issues but now, any attempt to update to kernel v7 causes havoc.
I tried doing a clean install of Zorin 18.1 but it tries updating the kernel to v7 and, on restart, I get an instant kernel panic.
Is this a known issue or just me?
Thanks.
Try to boot from an older kernel at Advanced options for Zorin and then set the older kernel as default.
Many users have that problem at the moment because of the kernel 7.0 update.
Thanks for the quick reply!
Is this a problem with Zorin or the kernel update?
How will we know if/when it's safe to update again?
Hm, I think it is never save and predictable. That depends on the hardware. You have very old hardware which doesn't need so new kernels and probably has worse driver support with the new kernel. You can stay with older kernels which still get updates, e.g. ga kernel 6.8.
You can install kernel 6.8 with
sudo apt install linux-generic linux-headers-generic
if you don't have it from a Zorin 17 installation.
If you want., you can test it again after the next 2-3 kernel updates and boot with the 7.0 kernel.
In fact Zorin 18 is based on Ubuntu 24.04, so it follow Canonical update for ubuntu, so many users are affected because of hardware incompatibilities. So get back to older kernel (the one before the update) in general fixed the issue
Just curious if Liquorix kernel causes similar issues on old hardware.
In this Case, install Zorin offline - or at least without installing Updates during the Installation. When installed, use the Software Updater and then untick the Kernel 7.0 Updates and update. So, You get the Updates without the Kernel Stuff.
Well, this isn't quite clear. And Option would be to install the Kernel, but boot in the older Kernel and set it as default. This Way the 7.0 Kernel would be installed and gets Updates and You can check if it works and if not switch back to the older one.
@Forpli and @Ponce-De-Leon , thank you both. When you explain how to do things clearly, like here in this thread, it really helps us / me to carry out the instructions without scratching my head trying to figure out HOW to follow the instructions. I often see a solution to a problem but then have ten questions about HOW to actually do it. 
I don't know if it's said often enough, but thank you both for your dedication, patience and support, you're appreciated.
Thank you very much for the kind feedback! I'm doing my best, but I'm not infallible and am still learning Linux, so there are many things I don't know yet.
As a short-term solution, simply setting an older kernel works well - provided you plan to switch back to the regular new kernel after a few updates.
However, if you want to boot from an older kernel permanently - for example, version 6.8 - then you’ll need to set the latest 6.8 kernel as the default kernel again after every kernel update. This mainly affects users who do not want to use any of the latest 7.0 (or higher) versions (e.g. because of older hardware).
Forgive the potentially silly question but is there a way to deny kernel updates but allow others?
Thanks for all the assistance.
I think, not in general. You can just lock a a specific kernel update.
When you set an older kernel as default, you recieve the updates, but they don't damage the system because you don't boot with them. You could always when a new kernel update appears, lock that version.
I opened a thread this morning to find out what is the best way for users which have very old hardware to avoid such problematic updates. Maybe you can get some ideas there, too, if you're interested in staying at kernel 6.8 (6.8 because it has long term support).
It is much easier in Linux Mint 22.1 which is also based on ubuntu 24.04. There you have the 6.8 kernel as default, and can install the hwe kernels if you like, but you never get a new hwe kernel automatically by updates. Zorin 18/18.1 and LM 22.2/22.3 are shipped with HWE kernels.
Since you have a mac running linux, do you remember installing third party drivers?
You can check by running:
sudo dkms status
Then you can remove them and install the kernel again.
I had this issue on two macs running linux. This can happen with major kernel version update.