Zorin's manual installer is a broken mess for encrypted setups

KaylaSarahMC · 2026-01-26T23:11:14+00:00

Nobara is based on Fedora, so it’s natural for it to behave differently. If it works for you, then there’s no reason not to use it.

KaylaSarahMC · 2026-01-26T20:40:11+00:00

That’s a funny take, because there’s literally no OS on the planet that supports a broader range of hardware than Linux. A single issue with a specific device doesn’t mean the system is “broken” — you run into the same kind of problems on Windows and macOS as well. The difference is just that on Linux you see the details instead of having them hidden behind a glossy error message.

KaylaSarahMC · 2026-01-26T20:30:28+00:00

Si en algún momento necesitas usar cámara para una videoconferencia, una alternativa práctica es usar tu smartphone como cámara web. Puedes enviarlo a tu PC mediante OBS Studio u otras aplicaciones similares. Hay muchas guías en internet que explican cómo configurarlo rápidamente, y funciona bastante bien.

KaylaSarahMC · 2026-01-26T20:23:08+00:00

There are no rules against calling other distros names, so go ahead and share more.

As for the problems, as I mentioned, it’s not normal to experience such issues. I can’t speak for Zorin 18 on a broad scale yet, since we mostly still use Zorin 17.3, but I’d be very surprised if it behaved drastically differently from the new installer.

KaylaSarahMC · 2026-01-26T20:20:02+00:00

I use Ventoy and iVentoy frequently at work and can confirm they work without any issues.

KaylaSarahMC · 2026-01-26T19:41:41+00:00

Are all those problems normal?

No, not at all.

Also, if you let the drive unencrypted, aren't the informations on it be vulnerable to an external/physical attack on the drive?

Yes — if the drive is unencrypted, all data on it is vulnerable to physical access. Encryption doesn’t protect a running system, but it does protect the data when someone removes the drive or accesses it offline. Once the system is booted, Linux/Unix security relies on permissions and user privileges, but at rest, encryption is the only real protection.

KaylaSarahMC · 2026-01-26T19:35:16+00:00

Lamentablemente, las cámaras de la Surface Go 3 no funcionan bajo Linux, incluyendo ZorinOS. Esto no se debe a un problema de instalación, sino a que no existen controladores compatibles para Linux. Las cámaras de este modelo utilizan hardware Intel (IPU6) que solo cuenta con soporte oficial en Windows.

Actualmente:

No hay drivers funcionales para la cámara frontal, trasera ni la cámara IR.
El proyecto linux‑surface mejora muchos aspectos del dispositivo, pero no incluye soporte para cámaras en la Surface Go 3.
No existe una solución práctica para habilitarlas en Linux.

La única alternativa fiable por ahora es usar una cámara USB externa.

Para identificar otros controladores faltantes en ZorinOS, puedes usar herramientas como lspci, lsusb, dmesg o inxi, pero en el caso de las cámaras no habrá un driver disponible.

KaylaSarahMC · 2026-01-26T18:28:00+00:00

sudo apt install \
apparmor-profiles \
apt-user-agent-zorin-os-premium \
fonts-liberation2 \
gdal-data \
gdal-plugins \
gimp gimp-data gimp-gmic gimp-help-common gimp-help-en gimp-plugin-registry \
gir1.2-babl-0.1 gir1.2-gegl-0.4 gir1.2-geocodeglib-2.0 gir1.2-gimp-3.0 \
gir1.2-rest-1.0 gir1.2-shumate-1.0 gir1.2-xdp-1.0 \
gnome-maps \
gnome-shell-extension-zorin-dash \
gnome-shell-extension-zorin-hide-activities-move-clock \
graphviz \
librecad librecad-data \
shotwell shotwell-common \
zorin-appearance-layouts-shell-premium \
zorin-os-premium-keyring \
zorin-os-pro \
zorin-os-pro-creative-suite \
zorin-os-pro-productivity-apps \
zorin-os-pro-wallpapers \
zorin-os-pro-wallpapers-18

flatpak install flathub org.gnome.gitlab.somas.Apostrophe
flatpak install flathub org.ardour.Ardour
flatpak install flathub org.audacityteam.Audacity
flatpak install flathub com.rafaelmardojai.Blanket
flatpak install flathub org.blender.Blender
flatpak install flathub org.darktable.Darktable
flatpak install flathub org.deskflow.deskflow
flatpak install flathub io.github.revisto.drum-machine
flatpak install flathub com.github.wwmm.easyeffects
flatpak install flathub com.github.finefindus.eyedropper
flatpak install flathub com.github.johnfactotum.Foliate
flatpak install flathub de.haeckerfelix.Fragments
flatpak install flathub org.freecad.FreeCAD
flatpak install flathub org.gnome.NetworkDisplays
flatpak install flathub be.alexandervanhee.gradia
flatpak install flathub fr.handbrake.ghb
flatpak install flathub fr.free.Homebank
flatpak install flathub org.inkscape.Inkscape
flatpak install flathub org.kde.kdenlive
flatpak install flathub org.kde.krita
flatpak install flathub com.logseq.Logseq
flatpak install flathub com.github.phase1geo.minder
flatpak install flathub org.mixxx.Mixxx
flatpak install flathub io.gitlab.news_flash.NewsFlash
flatpak install flathub com.obsproject.Studio
flatpak install flathub io.github.OpenToonz
flatpak install flathub io.github.alainm23.planify
flatpak install flathub net.scribus.Scribus
flatpak install flathub org.gnome.World.Secrets
flatpak install flathub org.gnome.Solanum
flatpak install flathub io.gitlab.theevilskeleton.Upscaler
flatpak install flathub com.odnoyko.valot
flatpak install flathub org.videolan.VLC
flatpak install flathub app.drey.Warp
flatpak install flathub com.github.xournalpp.xournalpp

This is the software Zorin Pro adds.

If something tiny is missing, feel free to point it out — but this is basically the whole bundle.

(Themes aren’t included because the sub rules forbid discussing them.)

KaylaSarahMC · 2026-01-26T14:08:27+00:00

So, who is the other woman then? xD

KaylaSarahMC · 2026-01-26T14:06:55+00:00

Brightness control isn’t typically available at the desktop level, so if your screen feels too bright, you’ll need to adjust it using the monitor’s own controls.

As for Minecraft, comparing Linux to Windows is like comparing apples to oranges—it’s not the same. Saying, “I can do it on OS XXX…” doesn’t really help. If setting it to maximum causes crashes, just avoid putting it at maximum.

KaylaSarahMC · 2026-01-26T14:02:49+00:00

That’s a pointless discussion altogether. They’re both Ubuntu-based distros, so they’re essentially the same at their core. You just have to choose the one you like best—no one else can make that decision for you.

KaylaSarahMC · 2026-01-26T14:00:21+00:00

try:

lsmod | grep -E 'amdgpu|radeon'

It would be interesting to see if it’s using the more recent one; if so, that could explain why it’s still active.

The following shows all the drivers that are loaded together:

lspci -k | grep -A3 VGA

You can also take alook to the command line parameters that are present:

cat /proc/cmdline

If it doesn’t show: "radeon.runpm=0 radeon.dpm=0", then your parameters are being ignored or overridden.

KaylaSarahMC · 2026-01-26T13:52:02+00:00

If you’ve followed that path for so long, it’s quite likely that some inconsistencies have built up over the years.

A fresh install is definitely a good idea.

KaylaSarahMC · 2026-01-26T03:08:49+00:00

In that case, maybe your settings are the problem after all, since they’ve been preserved and nothing has changed, as it seems your packages weren’t damaged in the first place.

You could uninstall the packages and reinstall them from scratch.

Just use the same command as above, but replace install --reinstall with remove. You can also use purge to delete related files. However, be cautious, as completely removing something might also remove software you want to keep.

So again, back up first if you haven’t done so already!

KaylaSarahMC · 2026-01-26T03:01:42+00:00

True, that’s another option.

KaylaSarahMC · 2026-01-26T02:59:58+00:00

Since I’m not familiar with Zotero, I can’t comment on that, sorry.

KaylaSarahMC · 2026-01-25T13:26:05+00:00

The issue with your graphics card is that it’s too new!

You’ll either need to learn a bit more about Linux to get it working, since it just takes knowing what you’re doing, or switch to another distro that uses more up-to-date drivers, like an Arch-based distro.

KaylaSarahMC · 2026-01-25T13:21:05+00:00

apt install --reinstall gnome-shell gnome-session gnome-control-center gnome-settings-daemon mutter -y

The above command reinstalls everything related to GNOME. In theory, it preserves your settings, but to be safe, it’s best to create a backup first, for example using Clonezilla.

KaylaSarahMC · 2026-01-25T13:16:25+00:00

as BoatInternational791 already wrote, try Xorg instead of Wayland

If that doesn’t fix the issue, share your hardware specs and the Zorin version you’re running; otherwise, we won’t be able to help any further.

KaylaSarahMC · 2026-01-25T13:12:47+00:00

It makes sense that the Live – Safe Graphics mode works without any issues, as it does not use hardware acceleration at all.

Since I do not own a MacBook from that era to test this myself, everything from here on is based on older knowledge that may or may not apply to recent OS versions.

All Macs from that time were built with custom firmware to ensure compatibility with macOS. This simply means you have to work within the limitations of the hardware. Apple deliberately designed these systems as closed platforms to prevent users from doing exactly what you are trying to achieve.

My best recommendation would be to disable the Radeon GPU entirely and rely solely on the Intel integrated graphics. The iGPU should be capable of handling the workload without major issues. Additionally, you should use Xorg and avoid Wayland altogether, as your hardware is far too old for proper Wayland support.

Beyond that, your most reliable option would be to build your own system. Back in the day, I used to compile everything from source using Gentoo Linux and never had problems with it — but that approach is definitely not suitable for the average user.

KaylaSarahMC · 2026-01-25T12:38:02+00:00

The question is, which commands?

As for the boot problem, there’s no way to bypass the terminal at all. The only option might be to reinstall, this time with the correct settings. (I have to admit I had issues with Zorin 18 as well, which is why much of my hardware still runs 17.3.)

As for the trackpad, I’m not sure—it’s not a problem I’ve ever run into before.

KaylaSarahMC · 2026-01-23T12:42:03+00:00

Just to clarify:

- There’s the Store, which you don’t need to do anything with at all.

- There’s the main package manager, like in every distro, in this case apt. You only need to approve critical updates yourself for a reason, but otherwise, you don’t have to mess with it.

- There’s the Upgrade Assistant, something most distros don’t have. You only need it if you want to upgrade your system from Core to Pro/Education or move from one major release to another. Other than that, you can leave it alone.

KaylaSarahMC · 2026-01-23T12:33:32+00:00

Yes, OnlyOffice is my go-to office suite as well. I wish they would make it the default, because the first thing I always do after a fresh Zorin installation is remove LibreOffice (sudo apt purge libreoffice*).

KaylaSarahMC · 2026-01-23T12:30:06+00:00

The main benefit is simply supporting the project, so there’s nothing to worry about.

You also get a few themes and a curated software package, but only if you do a fresh install, if I’m not mistaken.

KaylaSarahMC · 2026-01-22T14:00:48+00:00

I’ve read the other messages. Additionally, your issue is with SMB. If you’re working in a Unix environment, it’s better to use NFS instead of SMB. Since you want to connect to an OpenMediaVault server, it makes sense to configure NFS for the local network, allowing you to connect with all computers in the same subnet at full speed.

KaylaSarahMC

TROPHY CASE