Couldn't get zorin vm to work.

Zorin vm usually starts up fine but after adjusting the display memory and ram it gave me this on a black screen during:
[FAILED]Failed to start Log-in service
See 'system1 starts Network Manager service' for details
[OK] stopped Network Manager
Starting Log-in Service

It keeps doing the above over-and-over, so I just powered off virtual box.
Does not shutting down zorin vm properly cause this?

Based on what you've said;

Because you've adjusted the memory for the VM, it sounds like you've set it too low.

Can you at the GRUB screen (the FIRST screen you get when you start the VM) press "e", with the option to start Zorin OS selected (the SAME option you use normally), then at the END of the line below, put "3" at the end of it:

The above line WILL look at least slightly different in your VM. So after you add the "3", it should something SIMILAR (but NOT exactly the same) to the following:

Then press CTRL+X to start the system in runlevel 3 (no GUI) - the "+" is NOT a part of the keyboard combination, so do NOT press it as well.

Login as the "root" user and type the following command:

Post the output of the above command using CODE tags - see my signature below if you're not sure how to use CODE tags.

How much memory/RAM does your real computer have?
How memory/RAM did you allocate to your Zorin VM?
Are you talking about the memory/RAM assigned to your Zorin VM?

I'm thinking you most probably have just set the memory/RAM allocated to your VM too low.

What method did you use to adjust the display memory?

Do you realize that backing up a VM is just copy/paste from one folder into another?

How does this solve the OP's problem ??

So, are you saying that it's bad advice to encourage someone to back things up?

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I agree that it may be your adjustment of the memory which has caused this. I agree that it will be helpful to know what exactly you did. I also agree that if you happen to have a backup of the original VM, it may be likely that you can run that one to reclaim your original status. Meanwhile, if you don't happen to have a backup, a future recommendation is to consider performing a copy of the VM file, prior to making a core adjustment to it.

I used virtual box settings

OK, it sounds like you have allowed too little memory to the VM. VMs are not a magical way to extend a PC. You still have the same amount of total hardware computing power. Older hardware just won't run VMs very well.

Grub is a black screen with Grub header on top? I didn't see Grub upon start up of the vm. I did press 'e' but nothing came of it except this: eeeeeeeeee on black screen and then the zorin os started working normally again at first attempt. Appears to be resolved as I have zorin vm working normally again.

Was I meant to see Grub upon start up on a vm?

8GB
3026MB Ram
Yes

What methods do you employ to back up vm os?

The vm has 3026MB ram.

Normally I would expect to see a GRUB screen with pretty much most, if not any Linux install. It's the very FIRST screen after POST has finished, that asks you which Linux kernel version (or if you want to go into "recovery mode") you want to start. I've taken a screenshot of one for you, rather than trying to explain it to you (My screenshot is one for CentOS in a VM, not Zorin OS, but it's still the same piece of software - GRUB that is - NOT CentOS and Zorin OS).

3 or 4GB's of RAM for your VM should be enough, so it doesn't seem like that's the problem to me - can't say that for sure, given what you said before. Did you increase the memory for your VM after you initially posted/started this thread?

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You can just copy the VM's folder in your "home" folder to somewhere else. You can also use the "Clone..." option in Virtualbox, by right-clicking on the VM in Virtualbox's main screen. Up to you.

If you choose the first option, you have to copy the WHOLE folder, not just the "virtual disk image" file (the .vdi file).

I didn't see a Grub screen.

The ram was increased prior to post. It just stalled on me again had to power off host from the socket, reluctant to approach it again, scouting for new distro.