Making preparations for ZorinOS switch... Questions about compatibility

[An0maly_76]

So, I am more or less fed up with Microsoft's sneaky attempts to trick me into upgrading to Win11 or backdoor my install at 4 am when I'm sleeping (machine stays running as a Plex server).

ZorinOS has been suggested, as I do some gaming and need some Windows ability. I have three Ryzens, a 1700 with 32GB DDR4-2400 HyperX Fury and a Tuf GTX1650S, a 3600X with 32GB DDR4-3600 Ballistix and a Phoenix GTX1650 OC (slot-powered), and my prized 5900X with 32GB Patriot DDR4-3200 and KO RTX3060ti.

My plan is to start with one of my three systems for a simple phase-in. I have selected the 3600X with 32GB of DDR4-3600 and a GTX1650, to be the guinea pig. I successfully installed it the other day, but my USB wifi is not supported by Zorin. So while I wait for a supported wifi unit to arrive, I'm doing some more recon.

I primarily use FireFox and LibreOffice already, which I understand more or less come with ZorinOS. The first step at hand will be to create a new Plex media server, slowly phasing my collection over to it and testing gaming software. Once I verify ZorinOS can do everything I need it to do, I will switch the other two systems, and possibly my father's laptop if he's agreeable.

The two games I primarily play are BeamNG.drive and American Truck Simulator. What I need to know is, will this and Steam run on ZorinOS without using Wine? If so, what other games will run on ZorinOS? I'm aware of some of the capabilities of Wine, but I have heard it's not as widely necessary as some make it out to be. I'm told ZorinOS breaks the mold of needing it or kernel / terminal manipulation for most things.

 

[claes]

https://www.protondb.com/

 

[silentbogo]

Zorin is based on Ubuntu, so pretty much everything that runs on Ubuntu will work.

I successfully installed it the other day, but my USB wifi is not supported by Zorin. So while I wait for a supported wifi unit to arrive, I'm doing some more recon.

Which adapter do you currently have? Maybe you've unchecked installation of third-party binary blobs(drivers)?

 

[Deleted member 232534]

it will be fine.

You can dual boot systems and run them side by side from different disk partitions or even USB drive, no need for dramatic switch.

 

[AleXXX666]

So, I am more or less fed up with Microsoft's sneaky attempts to trick me into upgrading to Win11 or backdoor my install at 4 am when I'm sleeping (machine stays running as a Plex server).

ZorinOS has been suggested, as I do some gaming and need some Windows ability. I have three Ryzens, a 1700 with 32GB DDR4-2400 HyperX Fury and a Tuf GTX1650S, a 3600X with 32GB DDR4-3600 Ballistix and a Phoenix GTX1650 OC (slot-powered), and my prized 5900X with 32GB Patriot DDR4-3200 and KO RTX3060ti.

My plan is to start with one of my three systems for a simple phase-in. I have selected the 3600X with 32GB of DDR4-3600 and a GTX1650, to be the guinea pig. I successfully installed it the other day, but my USB wifi is not supported by Zorin. So while I wait for a supported wifi unit to arrive, I'm doing some more recon.

I primarily use FireFox and LibreOffice already, which I understand more or less come with ZorinOS. The first step at hand will be to create a new Plex media server, slowly phasing my collection over to it and testing gaming software. Once I verify ZorinOS can do everything I need it to do, I will switch the other two systems, and possibly my father's laptop if he's agreeable.

The two games I primarily play are BeamNG.drive and American Truck Simulator. What I need to know is, will this and Steam run on ZorinOS without using Wine? If so, what other games will run on ZorinOS? I'm aware of some of the capabilities of Wine, but I have heard it's not as widely necessary as some make it out to be. I'm told ZorinOS breaks the mold of needing it or kernel / terminal manipulation for most things.

install windows LTSC and you won't ever "SNEAKY-PEAKY AUTO UPGRADE TO WIN 11" lol.

 

[R-T-B]

I will say I am on linux and happy but the learning curve is undeniably there. Good luck whatever your choice.

 

[An0maly_76]

Zorin is based on Ubuntu, so pretty much everything that runs on Ubuntu will work.

Which adapter do you currently have? Maybe you've unchecked installation of third-party binary blobs(drivers)?

I currently have the ADUP version of what I believe is an AC1200. It's supposed to be plug-and-play, and I actually made sure to allow installation of third-party drivers.
It won't install its own as plug-and-play, and the specs don't mention Linux support, so I ordered this similar BrosTrend that does mention Linux support... Only to find out that INSTALLING THE DRIVER REQUIRES AN INTERNET CONNECTION? Kinda defeats the purpose, why would I need a wifi adapter if I already had an Internet connection?

 

[Frick]

I'm just shocked at the revelation that Microsoft is actively trying to install a backdoor in your Win10 installation specifically when you're asleep. I assume it's hyperbole.

As for the low quality post, I guess it's because it's off topic and/or those LTSC licenses are off dubious legality as the only way to buy them are from those key market sites.

 

[An0maly_76]

I'm just shocked at the revelation that Microsoft is actively trying to install a backdoor in your Win10 installation specifically when you're asleep. I assume it's hyperbole.

As for the low quality post, I guess it's because it's off topic and/or those LTSC licenses are off dubious legality as the only way to buy them are from those key market sites.

Machine runs 24/7. I've disabled updates because they can't leave things that have nothing to do with the updates alone. Turning things on I want off, turning things off I want on.

Several times I've woken up to answer a nature call, and noticed the stupid upgrade pop-up that I've only seen on start-up (my dad's laptop has gotten this BS too). They're literally restarting my system to try to force this, and I'm not having it.

 

[Frick]

Machine runs 24/7. I've disabled updates because they can't leave things that have nothing to do with the updates alone. Turning things on I want off, turning things off I want on.

Several times I've woken up to answer a nature call, and noticed the stupid upgrade pop-up that I've only seen on start-up (my dad's laptop has gotten this BS too). They're literally restarting my system to try to force this, and I'm not having it.

Yeah well then another OS is the way to go. But seeing a popup is hardly backdooring.

As for the drivers, needing wired ethernet until the wifi drivers are installed is an age old custom.

 

[An0maly_76]

Yeah well then another OS is the way to go. But seeing a popup is hardly backdooring.

As for the drivers, needing wired ethernet until the wifi drivers are installed is an age old custom.

My point is that they're needlessly restarting the system to get to the popup, hoping that I won't be paying attention and just click Ok in my hurry to get on with what I'm needing to do.

As the wifi adapter, not one wifi adapter I've used has been like that. They've all been plug-and-play or included a CD that installed the driver. I've never used an EtherNet connection in my life. Seems like a Linux thing...

 

[claes]

You’re missing out ethernet is the truth

 

[gurusmi]

The two games I primarily play are BeamNG.drive and American Truck Simulator. What I need to know is, will this and Steam run on ZorinOS without using Wine? If so, what other games will run on ZorinOS? I'm aware of some of the capabilities of Wine, but I have heard it's not as widely necessary as some make it out to be. I'm told ZorinOS breaks the mold of needing it or kernel / terminal manipulation for most things.

ATS, ETS: Just install the steam client from their website. After that install ATS. No installed wine needed. ZorinOS is based on Ubuntu.

 

[silentbogo]

I currently have the ADUP version of what I believe is an AC1200. It's supposed to be plug-and-play, and I actually made sure to allow installation of third-party drivers.
It won't install its own as plug-and-play, and the specs don't mention Linux support, so I ordered this similar BrosTrend that does mention Linux support...

They both seem to use RTL8812AU, which means that if the problem is the lack of binary blobs - you may get the same issue.
Just in case, here's a link to aircrack-ng fork of the driver.

GitHub - aircrack-ng/rtl8812au: RTL8812AU/21AU and RTL8814AU driver with monitor mode and frame injection

RTL8812AU/21AU and RTL8814AU driver with monitor mode and frame injection - aircrack-ng/rtl8812au

github.com

I think this one supports WPA3 as well.

P.S. But I vaguely remember same chipset was working OOB on my old Ubuntu rig... Check third-party drivers just in case.

 

[An0maly_76]

Success! Well... sorta... For a few minutes, anyway.

I noticed my smartphone can do USB tethering, so I did the driver install process that way.

All seemed well, connected to my router, disconnected the USB tether, and I was able to pull up a site.

Then, ZorinOS gave a popup wanting to install software updates. Okay, I figured it couldn't hurt...

Several minutes in, the screen went blank, and wouldn't return. After about 20 minutes, I did a hard shutdown and rebooted.

Adapter doesn't show up. Reinstalled driver using USB tether... AGAIN.

Now, the damned thing shows up and sees all the networks available, but refuses to connect. I've checked the passwords, it's just being a PITA.

I've emailed BrosTrend support, but has anyone seen this kind of BS before? I'm seriously having second thoughts if I'm going to have to fight the damned thing to get it to work.

 

[Deleted member 232534]

ip a

lspci -k

or

 lsusb -v

rfkill

wpa_supplicant -v

 

[An0maly_76]

@M440 I'll keep that in mind if necessary. Starting to think the router was being a PITA. Finally connected and working fine now (after three reboots). Posting this from the ZorinOS machine. Nothing ever works for me the way it's supposed to the first time. Well, now that I have THAT little bit of irritation out of the way... Let's see how this thing works as a Plex server, since I've already been assured ATS and BeamNG won't be a problem.

 

[silentbogo]

Glad that you've managed to switch.
Though, i still think that RTL8812AU is a culprit. Realtek chipsets are too unstable, and even on windows may have some issues. Had quite a few customer PCs/laptops that would occasionally drop connection or fail to run BT and WiFi simultaneously.
I'd rather swap it for an internal Intel AX200-based card (or AX201).

 

[SomeOne99h]

Glad that you've managed to switch.
Though, i still think that RTL8812AU is a culprit. Too unstable, and even on windows may have some issues. Had quite a few customer PCs that would occasionally drop connection or fail to run BT and WiFi simultaneously.
I'd rather swap it for an internal Intel AX200-based card (or AX201).

Really Anomaly, with wifi and Ethernet chips if you want an experience without much headache with Linux, get an intel wifi card and have a motherboard with intel ethernet.

 

[An0maly_76]

Really Anomaly, with wifi and Ethernet chips if you want an experience without much headache with Linux, get an intel wifi card and have a motherboard with intel ethernet.

Didn't work too well with my recent attempt for my Tuf B550-PLUS / 5900X rig, wound up sending it back. Of course, I'm not so sure that board doesn't have problems. But I'll keep that in mind.

 

[An0maly_76]

Update. Multiple issues with ZorinOS.

When updating software, screen went blank and I can only presume the system crashed. Took three boot attempts to get video, then the taskbar wasn't present. But it doesn't end there.

Finally got the taskbar back, otherwise, all seemed well. Managed to copy my movie files with the intention of setting up a media server, system is slow to respond and took roughly 90 minutes to copy 1.05TB from a WD Black 8TB Performance HDD with 256MB cache to a WD Blue SN570 PCIe3 2TB M.2. Also, after a restart, for some reason, it can't connect to the router unless I tell it to forget the connection and recreate it, which of course, means entering the password again. I remember seeing an error message about "Secrets required". Not a deal-breaker, I plan to leave it running anyway. But still highly irritating.

Shut down, relocated system. It then refused to boot into ZorinOS again after several attempts, no video unless it showed a pattern of tiny multi-colored vertical lines. Checked all connections and GPU, nothing obvious, and this machine has run fine since I built it a year ago.

"You wanna play? O-KAY!"

So I nuked the ZorinOS install and reverted the 2TB SN570 to Win10. After getting the video files copied and setting up the media server, the next restart had video blackout and when video did show, would go blank as soon as I logged into Windows.

So I reinstalled the 500GB M.2 that had this machine's original Win 10 install. Works fine without issue, like nothing ever happened.

So I have a few theories here. Either the 2 TB M.2 is flaky, or neither ZorinOS nor Win10 like it (seemingly the mostly likely scenario), the board / processor have a support issue with the 2TB M.2, or there is some drive capacity caveat unknown to me. Also possible ZorinOS does not like the Asus Phoenix GTX1650-OC in this machine, but I think that would have been an issue sooner.

Anyone care to shed some light on this? I'm at the end of my rope.

 

[R-T-B]

I don't have much to add regarding WHAT component is failing, but if two OSes have given you issues idependently of one another, the issue IMO, probably lies somewhere in your hardware.

Sorry, I know that's neither very helpful, nor what you wanted to hear. Best of luck finding the culprit part.

 

[An0maly_76]

I don't have much to add regarding WHAT component is failing, but if two OSes have given you issues idependently of one another, the issue IMO, probably lies somewhere in your hardware.

Sorry, I know that's neither very helpful, nor what you wanted to hear. Best of luck finding the culprit part.

I'm in accord, since ZorinOS and Win10 both experienced problems with the 2TB (which is brand-new with no track record of integrity), the problem would seem to point to the 2TB M.2. Also, the rest of the system has functioned fine previously and afterward with a previously-used M.2 of the same brand / model, but different capacity (500GB with Win10 installed).

But even with the issues going away by reinstalling the previous M.2, I'm just not sure that's a 100% valid presumption just yet, and I'm wondering if anyone else has any ideas. Even if the 2TB M.2 is the problem, the burning question would be -- is it a flaky M.2, some sort of lesser-known problem still common to M.2 / SSDs of such capacity? And should that be the case, why?

I'm tempted to install this 2TB in my 1700 rig and see what it does, but I'm not sure that will definitively prove anything.

 

[SchumannFrequency]

Posting this from the ZorinOS machine. Nothing ever works for me the way it's supposed to the first time.

Zorin OS is an operating system that is overrated.
It's not really a 'top 30 Linux system' or anything in terms of features or system quality.

A recommendation:
Easy and for AMD/Intel/Nvidia users: mageia, Nobara Project, Mint, ROSA Fresh, Neptune, openKylin, GhostBSD, siduction, ALT Sisyphus, EndeavourOS
Average and for AMD/Intel users: Devuan, Void Linux, OpenBSD, Clear Linux, FreeBSD, Artix Linux, DragonFly BSD, Alpine Linux
Average and for Nvidia users: Void Linux, FreeBSD, Artix Linux

For desktop environments, I recommend LXQt (for KDE/Qt apps) and XFCE (for GTK apps).
I pesonally think LXQt is very similar to the old windows XP/Vista/7 in general desktop layout.

LXQt and XFCE are much lighter than KDE and GNOME.
And it may look less modern if you use the default look. But if you have basic skills, you can easily change the look how you want it:

LXQT:

XFCE:

 

[An0maly_76]

BTW, for those mods that were not in the loop, I did want to apologize to the mods for a misunderstanding regarding previous (since removed) remarks intended to be a lighthearted joke but misconstrued as something else. As my signature indicates, I have autism and am prone to not realizing how my words / actions might be perceived.