Zorin OS 17: Linux for Windows Users

Zorin OS 17 Linux distro review, including obtaining and installing the Core or Pro versions, and a demo of new and key features.

My video on “PC BIOS Settings” is here:

And if you enjoy this video, you may be interested in some of my other Linux episodes, including:

Linux Mint 21:

Debian 12:

Linux Survival Guide series -- first episode here:

Promoting Linux: A User Manifesto:

More videos on computing and related topics can be found at:

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:36 Getting Zorin OS
03:56 Installation
07:47 Demo
16:38 Zorin OS 17 Pro
21:22 Wrap

#ZorinOS #Linux #ExplainingComputers

[marclamar]

I'm old, my computer is old and so is my printer. I followed your step by step instructions and everything went perfect. I can't thank you enough. Couldn't believe zorin picked up my brother HP110 without any intervention from me.

[dragonknight]

I just wanted to say thank you for stating that the Pro version is mainly for supporting the devs with some added fluff to say "thanks for the support!". Too many reviewers on YT have been sour on it and they should know better!

[paulfaruga]

Hi mate. Being a 73 Yr old numpty who has only ever used windows I have found this to be extremely helpful. Its a shame I can only put one thumbs up on it as I must have watched it about 20 times already as I fully intend, in the future, to fully migrate to this system. Thank you once again.😊

[ffieditor]

I love your overviews. they get to the point and show off all the good stuff!

[DanElgaard]

ABOUT TIME !!!
We haven't seen a single video from you since last year!

[Alan-rtse]

I totally agree--Zorin OS 17 is the best Linux distro for Windows users like myself. It's the first Linux distro I've tried that could be completely installed without any need for Terminal command-line inputs to install drivers or software. Previously I tried Linux Mint and Zorin 16.2, and both of them required a difficult process to install the drivers for my USB wi-fi adapter. Zorin 17 installed the drivers automatically.

[namesakeradio]

I love Zorin. It's gorgeous. I wanted the more Gnome/Mac look, and it worked so well that I paid for the "Pro' version and upgraded. I have since purchased it 4 more times for other PCs and a couple of elderly family members that just need something to see pictures and videos with, etc. And honestly, to find good reasons to support them for such a fantastic desktop linux product.
I was a Linux Mint user for years - always distro hopping trying to find that 'something missing'. PopOS was close, but as much as I liked Gnome, it was flaky the way they had it implemented. Zorin's gnome interface is perfect. Fast, everything is drag and drop groupable, able to be renamed, they have the menu editor right there to add / remove items and it works properly, etc. Just really well done.
Really appreciate you doing this video. So glad someone did this without the poo-pooing on them for offering a paid version. They deserve every bit of it in my humble opinion.

[johncundiff]

I LOVE your Zorin videos!! I'm a diehard Mint guy, but this is the best case I've seen to change over to Zorin!! Thanks Mr. Barnatt!! Happy 2024!

[jimjol]

Wow. Linux has come a long way. I used it about 20 years ago to run some apps that were only available on linux. Splat, a vhf propagation predictor, and Ethereal, now Wireshark. This was on a SUSE distro. It was very difficult to work with for a Windows user. I loaded Zorin 17 last week and was up and running instantly. Well, almost instantly. I am truly impressed. Thanks for your help and encouragement. I now have a tired old Lenovo running like new.

[BenjaminEmm]

Great to see Zorin still going. I remember trying it out in 2017/18 and back then it felt great as well. I'll have to give it another go after many years of improvements!

[SuperFredAZ]

You are a great teacher! I tried Ubuntu a few years ago, it was OK, but I had difficulty with some of my peripherals. Keep up the great work, I look forward to your videos every week.

[camerondean]

Love Zorin. What I run on my 10+ year-old laptop with very, very few issues. Less headaches than Windows, better performance than Windows (given the laptops capabilities), and lower cost (I bought the version to make a donation to the project). Thank you for the video. Love your videos.

[chrisanckaert]

Hi Christopher, I have an older (2014) MacBook Air on which I wanted to install either Ubuntu or LinuxMint. I tried both and both had the same problem, wifi didn't work. Not surprising as Mint is based on Ubuntu of course. I went to both websites and although both had several workarounds, nothing worked. Then I remembered the excellent video about Zorin OS, and I downloaded and installed version 17. And this time, everything worked immediately right after the installation. As the MacBook Air has an i7 processor and 8 GB ram it works absolutely flawlessly. Even Youtube in HD fullscreen without any dropped frames. Very happy with Zorin!

[PhilipBallGarry]

Impressive! Always a fan of Mint, I have checked out Zorin a few times over the years and it's great to see it has matured so nicely. Gone are the days of scratching around for drivers like we used to have to. A Linux distro these days on a decent device really is a relevant windows replacement as a daily driver.

[perrymcclusky]

Linux has definitely matured over the years, as we can tell with Zorin 17. As always, looking forward to your next video!

[jamesdinsmore]

We have a stack of old loaner laptops at my MakerSpace for visitors and classes; most with I3 processors and limited resources; and after your last Zorin video I tried and liked it very much to extend the usefulness of these machines.

[AndyWJP]

A nice feature of the new Linux installers is that it tells you to unplug the USB dongle before rebooting and gives you the time to do it, before you were left guessing when to pull out the USB dongle.

[funkadellicd]

I used Zorin Lite on a decade old laptop as my daily driver for months last year - incredible how modern it feels while only using 500 megs of ram at idle, super useful for revitalizing old laptops for light home use.

[inverter]

great video Chris!...I've also got Zorin OS 17 Pro...I tried the Beta first then upgraded with a fresh install.. thanks for the work you do...keep up the great content.

[klwtherd]

It always makes my day when Chris does Zorin OS videos since it was him directly who is responsible for me switching over to Linux because of this Distro. I have been using Zorin OS 17 beta so i will now be updating to this version. I have noticed that the store manager where you download all your applications is much more smooth in it's operation and they polished all of the smaller details as outlined in the video. Honestly i'm not sure why people rave about Linux Mint so much when i personally believe that Zorin OS blows it away in all categories. Thank you again for promoting such a wonderful Distro that will persuade so many Window's users to switch over to a Linux due to it's ease of use and familiar utility.