How to download and install Zorin OS 17 on your computer step by step

Today is just a week since was launched Zorin OS 17, the latest version of a Linux-based operating system that is designed with Windows users in mind. It must be said, it is not like wubuntu, and compatibility with Windows is not even close, but Zorin's philosophy is different, part of it being not to forget who he is. In this article we are going to explain how to install this operating system on the hard drive.

Install an operating system on the hard drive It usually means that we are going to delete all its content or we will have to create partitions. The latter is safer than the former (in theory), but there are still a few more things we can do before moving forward: if we go to DistroSea we can take a look at the operating system in a virtual machine running in the cloud (link to OS 16); Since the previous option still does not allow us to test the newer version, another thing we can do is download the ISO and test it on a local virtual machine that will offer better performance. In fact, that is what we have done here for this tutorial.

Download Zorin OS 17 Core

It is important to know the editions in which Zorin OS 17 is available:

• Pro: It is an edition with more software installed by default that also offers direct project support. It would be similar to LibreOffice Enterprise if it had more features than the community version (it can have them, but they are requested). It also has more "layers" or themes. It is the option to choose if you want to financially support the project.
• Core: It is the normal free edition. It has less software installed by default and, like the LibreOffice Community, we will have to look for support on our own or in forums, but it is not direct from the project.
• Lite- This edition is intended for older and low-resource computers up to 15 years old. At the time of writing this article there was no v17, the most updated being v16.3.

Therefore, we are interested in Zorin OS 17 Core:

1. Let's go to zorin.com/os/download/ and scroll down a little.
2. We click on the Zorin OS 17 Core container, on "Download free".

3. A window like the following will appear. The pop-up notice is for us to subscribe to your newsletter and let's download the ISO. If this is what we want, it is not necessary to look for the fine print: we enter an email, check the box and click on "Subscribe & Download". But we probably only want the ISO, so we do have to look at the fine print, specifically the text where it says "Skip to download." The link would be this.

Start the ISO

4. We already have the ISO, and the next step will depend on where we want to install Zorin OS 17. If we are going to install it on the hard drive, it can be used windy, which works only by inserting the ISO, or another tool like Balena Etcher or Raspberry Pi Imager. I recommend, because it is what I use and it has been shown that it is even faster, Etcher. If you are installing on a virtual machine, the steps will depend on the software, such as VirtualBox or GNOME Boxes.
5. With the ISO already on the USB drive, we insert it into a port on the computer and start from it. In the virtual machine it would be configuring that the image is on the CD drive. We will not continue taking steps from virtual machines because there are different programs and options and this would take too long.
6. In the first thing we will see we must choose "Try or Install Zorin OS". It is the normal option, but we also have two others: the second (safe graphics) we have to choose if the first gives problems with the graphics, and the third if we have an NVIDIA graphics:

7. When entering the live session, the first thing we will see is a window like the following, from which we can choose the recommended language, and then "Try Zorin OS":

Install the operating system

8. If we have chosen the option to test, we can take a walk through the operating system and check if we are interested or not. Once we decide yes, we start the installer by double clicking on it.

9. The first window of the installer is the language one. If we have chosen the option to try when entering the operating system we will already have it in our language. If not, we choose it now and then click "Continue."

10. Although in the following screenshot we have only put an arrow, it does not hurt to check that the language is correct. After choosing it in the two boxes above (language and variant), there is a text box above the "Detect keyboard layout" button in which we can check if it is correct. Sometimes, out of hobby or whatever, I check the Ñ, the hyphen, the colon and the question marks. The detect keyboard button will give us a kind of test, asking us to press some keys and checking if others are present. At the end, as shown in the screenshot, we click on "Continue".

11. The time comes to choose if we want to download updates, third-party software and participate in the project census.
    • The first checkbox will have it install updates when installing the operating system, which will save time booting it afterwards. If the Internet connection is not bad, it is better to leave it checked.
    • If we check the second one, it will install licensed third-party software, which may include drivers.
    • The third is if we want NOT to participate in the census. In strict theory, this is just to count how many installations there are in the world. Does it sound familiar to you when a system says it has been installed X times? Many times the individual downloads of the ISOs count. Zorin keeps score with this one checkbox. In theory. We participate if we leave it unchecked.

12. Next we have to choose the type of installation, specifically the partitions. If we have another operating system, it will allow us to install it alongside it. If we enter "More options" we can manage them manually. In this article From my colleague Diego there is some more detailed information. When we have it, we click on "Install now" and accept the window that asks us if we want to write the changes.

13. To save time, the installation has already started, but we will still have to configure several more parameters. The first of them, the time zone. Click on the map and then "Continue":

14. The next thing we have to do is create the user. When you fill everything in, click on "Continue":
    • My name is not Pablinux Torvalds, but I do usually put my full name here, which is what the "Your name" text box is for.
    • “Your computer name” is what we want to call the computer. I usually put the name of the operating system, although not always.
    • The "username" will be, for example, the one that names the personal folder and what we will see in parts such as the terminal.
    • There are two text boxes for passwords, one for creating a password and one for confirming it.
    • Under this we can choose to enter the operating system without asking for a password or to ask for one. By default, and recommended, you ask for it.
    • Finally, we can use Active Directory, which makes it easy to integrate Zorin OS into enterprise environments that use Active Directory for identity and access management. It's something from Microsoft, and since Zorin OS wants to stay with its users, it adds this option. It is unchecked if it is not used (and if it does not even ring a bell).

15. The simplest step remains: wait (left). At the end of the process, we can restart or continue testing (center). The only clear thing here is that to enter the operating system you have to start without the USB in the port. As it is a live session, you can even turn it off directly with the button, but the correct thing to do is turn it off with the options in the start menu or hit "Restart", remove the USB (right) and let it start again.

After installing Zorin OS 17

Here we are not going to extend too much. Yes we will recommend take the "Tour" of Zorin OS 17. After the first installation, it will appear in a pop-up window, and we just have to click on it to learn some things, like we can change its appearance. Another window that will appear soon is the updates window, and it is worth applying them because they usually include security patches.

We also recommend going to the main menu/Software and install what we may need. The Pro version has GIMP and a video editor installed by default, two programs that are worth having. Among video editors, perhaps the most popular on Linux are Openshot and Kdenlive. Since the default store is GNOME Software, it not only supports flatpak packages; is that Zorin OS 17 has support activated after installing from scratch. If we want to run Windows applications, one of the best options is to install the flatpak package from Bottles.

We hope that this guide has helped you understand how to install Zorin OS 17, and already convinced you to join us, Linux users.