12.04 install fails

I'm trying to install the desktop version of Ubuntu 12.04 from a USB stick. The installation proceeds for a short while but grinds to a halt when preconfiguring networking, with the following output:

Begin: Preconfiguring networking... ... [ 73.004468] ata7.00: exception Emask 0x52 SAct 0x0 Serr 0xffffffff action 0xe frozen
[ 73.004501] ata7: SError: { RecovData RecovComm UnrecovData Persist Proto HostInt PHYRdyChg PHYInt CommWake 10B8B Dispar BadCRC Handshk LinkSeq TrStaTrns UnrecFIS DevExch }
[ 73.004543] ata 7.00: failed command: IDENTIFY PACKET DEVICE
[ 73.004543] ata 7.00: cmd a1/00:01:00:00:00/00:00:00:00:00/00 tag 0 pio 512 in
[ 73.004561] ata 7.00: res 40/00:02:00:00:02/00:00:00:00:00/00 Emask 0x56 (ATA bus error)
[ 73.004600] ata 7.00: status: { DRDY }
[ 73.004613] ata 7: hard resetting link

I have only one SSD (a 240GB Intel 520 Series), no HDD. I've checked the integrity of it with Intel SSD Toolbox. Also, Windows 7 installed on it without a glitch. It doesn't yet have a partition for Ubuntu (I want the installer to run properly first).