Ubuntu
ubiquity package

10.10 installation failed on old dell

Asked by steven riddle

using a, i think you call it, a mirror-image or iso but anyway it's a cd/rw i wrote the 10.10 meerkat to months ago but never used. my snafu, when i went to install it in an old borrowed dell, intending to erase windows entirely, changed the boot sequence to D:, inserted the cd/rw, it told me i'd need 2gig of space to install, i actually managed to install it. i thought. maybe because i elected to encrypt my files or some other thing but at any rate i soon lost all functionality. couldn't even shut it down. at least one of my snafu's was, during the first installation attempt, i failed to note that i'd forgotten to disconnect my 250gig ext-hd and my 8gig flashdrive. on the 2nd attempt to install, having disconnected these, it informed me 3 partitions would be erased but now i'd need 60gig of space to install. i went for it. then i get this message not halfway through:

INSTALLATION FAILED

(symbol) The installer encountered an error copying files to the hard disk.

[errno5] input/output error

This is often due tto a faulty CD/DVD disk or drive, or a faulty hard disk. It may help to clean the CD/DVD drive lens (explaining where I can buy one), to check whether the hard disk is old and in need of replacement (it's old but was working fine with windows before the installation), or to move the system to a cooler environment (it's in the basement).

i clicked "close" on that message and indeed did get the next message about where to report this as well as requesting i include or "attach the files /var/log/syslog and /var/log/partman to your bug" but gave no clue as to how i would be able to do this. as i do not believe this to be bug-related per se but neither do i know where else to file it, will file it at http://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubiquity/+filebug as well as here, https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+addquestion -- hopefully someone will send this on to where it needs to go, thanks in advance.

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Ubuntu ubiquity Edit question
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Solved by:
Timothy Mayoh
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Timothy Mayoh (timothy-m-deactivatedaccount) said : 		#1

Hello Steven,

Can you please try burning the latest stable version of Ubuntu (11.04) to a CD, or copying it to a USB flash drive, from the .iso file available at http://www.ubuntu.com/download/ubuntu/download and see if the problem still occurs?

Also, to see if the issue is with the hard drive - can you please open "Disk Utility" from a live session and check the SMART information for the internal hard drive to see whether it passes or not? Can you please also click "SMART Data" on the GUI and then "Run Self-Test" (preferably the "Extended" test) and tell us what the results are for that?

Thanks in advance,
Timothy

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steven riddle (mercysmiles-gmail) said : 		#2

burning a cd now, will attempt a re-installation and let you know.

uncertain, w'out a working o/s at this point, how i'd "open "Disk Utility" from a live session and check the SMART information for the internal hard drive to see whether it passes or not? or also click "SMART Data" on the GUI and then "Run Self-Test" (preferably the "Extended" test), or even how i'd do this if i had a working o/s.

thanks, timothy.

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steven riddle (mercysmiles-gmail) said : 		#3

cd-iso burnt, 11.04 installed okay ... seems to have, anyway. last message was "installation complete. computer must be restarted to access program," there's a button below which says "restart computer," i click it but first i eject the cd as the pc has been set to boot from the cd/dvd drive. now i click it, the bars above and below disappear but now it just seems to be hanging there. should i have left the cd in there? should i kick it back in, so the machine can restart?

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Best Timothy Mayoh (timothy-m-deactivatedaccount) said : 		#4

You should be able to safely do a hard power-off now - there is no need to re-insert the CD.

Make sure you change your boot order to boot from hard disk, and then Ubuntu should start automatically - the installation has finished.

Hope I was of assistance,
Timothy

Revision history for this message
steven riddle (mercysmiles-gmail) said : 		#5

YOU WERE, YOU WERE, YOU WERE! Thanks, Timothy. All is well. Kudos!