Cant install Linux Mint on harddrive

Questions about Grub, UEFI,the liveCD and the installer
Forum rules
Before you post read how to get help. Topics in this forum are automatically closed 6 months after creation.
Locked
kiwi48

Cant install Linux Mint on harddrive

Post by kiwi48 »

Hey Everybody, I am new to linux and tried to install mint from the dvd. It failed and I got the following error message:

The installer encountered an error copying files to the hard disk:

[Errno 30] Read-only file system

This is often due to a faulty CD/DVD disk or drive, or a faulty hard disk. It may help to clean the CD/DVD, to burn the CD/DVD at a lower speed, to clean the CD/DVD drive lens (cleaning kits are often available from electronics suppliers), to check whether the hard disk is old and in need of replacement, or to move the system to a cooler environment.

Is this a problem that can be fixed? I am trying to install on a Dell inspiron 1525.

Thanks for any help
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 4 times in total.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
User avatar
kyphi
Level 9
Level 9
Posts: 2735
Joined: Sat Jul 09, 2011 1:14 am
Location: The Hunter Valley, Australia

Re: Cant install linux min on harddrive

Post by kyphi »

Keeping in mind that the Inspiron 1525 is rather ancient (at least 7 years old), a faulty hard drive as mentioned in the error messages cannot be discounted.

First I would question if the downloaded Linux Mint DVD has undergone the usual integrity check via md5sum.
Secondly, did the DVD run OK as a live DVD prior to attempting to install.
Linux Mint 21.3 Cinnamon
kiwi48

Re: Cant install linux min on harddrive

Post by kiwi48 »

Yeah, I think the hard drive has probably had it. The MD5 checked out. The live DVD is working and is currently my main operating system now. heaps better than vista
User avatar
Pjotr
Level 23
Level 23
Posts: 19888
Joined: Mon Mar 07, 2011 10:18 am
Location: The Netherlands (Holland) 🇳🇱
Contact:

Re: Cant install linux min on harddrive

Post by Pjotr »

You might test the hard drive with free diagnostic software from your hard disk manufacturer:

Seagate:
http://www.seagate.com/support/download ... os-master/
(select SeaTools for DOS, because then you can download a bootable iso which you can burn onto a CD)

Western Digital:
http://support.wdc.com/product/download ... =6&lang=en

Hitachi:
http://www.hgst.com/support/downloads
Tip: 10 things to do after installing Linux Mint 21.3 Virginia
Keep your Linux Mint healthy: Avoid these 10 fatal mistakes
Twitter: twitter.com/easylinuxtips
All in all, horse sense simply makes sense.
Eddie4

Re: Cant install Linux Mint on harddrive

Post by Eddie4 »

Hello,
First time posting. I have a similar problem with "install". I got 17.1 downloaded onto a DVD and have been exploring it. I could not follow the instructions for checking md5sum. Still can't after a careful re-reading.
When I felt ready to install, I plugged in an ethernet cable, found the driver manager and changed to the right driver for wireless on the old laptop I'm using. I opted to wipe the drive (I had Ubuntu 14.04 on it which I've been using for a while). There was no progress reported. I left it alone for a good long while.
In the middle of filling out a screen that asks for my name, displays the PC name, etc. it seemed to stall in the middle. I wasn't sure if it installed or not. I went to bed.
Now it will not boot without the DVD in the drive, yet if I try "install" again, it reports that 17.1 is already there. I still cannot finish the question screens.

Feeling pretty stuck and frustrated. I had no trouble like this with Ubuntu.

I have the output from inxi -Fxz if anyone would care to read it.
kiwi48

Re: Cant install Linux Mint on harddrive

Post by kiwi48 »

Thanks Pjotr, I have found out I have a WD hard drive and tried to download the DOS file but not sure how to extract and save it on USB in Linux. I have tried to format it on Disks and got this error message "Error synchronizing after initial wipe: Timed out waiting for object (udisks-error-quark, 0)"

Hi Eddie14, maybe you may have more luck than me and you could try and format the hard drive in Disks which I found in the menu while running the live DVD and start again. I dont have any idea what I am doing though. I used terminal on a macbook pro I had borrowed to check MD5.
gold_finger

Re: Cant install Linux Mint on harddrive

Post by gold_finger »

@Eddie4,

Welcome to the forum.

Please make a new post of your own -- your problem is different than the original poster's. Read through this post please, especially #2: How to get help.

In your new post, describe problem as best you can and include the terminal output from inxi -Fxz command. Thanks.
gold_finger

Re: Cant install Linux Mint on harddrive

Post by gold_finger »

@kiwi48,

Does sound like it may be problem with hard drive. Just for the hell of it, try using GParted from live Mint to wipe out the drive and put a new partition table on it. (If you've got important data on drive that needs to be saved, don't do this.)
  • Open GParted -- Menu -> Administration -> GParted.
  • Make sure the correct drive is showing in the window (if you have more than one). Use drop-down menu in upper-right corner to select it.
  • Go to Device -> Create Partition Table -> "msdos" -> OK.
  • Close GParted and try running the installer again to see if that made a difference.
kiwi48

Re: Cant install Linux Mint on harddrive

Post by kiwi48 »

Thanks to everyone who helped. After trying to wipe the drive with gparted and re-partition the disk and then downloading and running and the diagnostics from WD and getting a "too many errors contact vendor" and not even being able to complete a full wipe of all data. It is time to relent and admit the harddrive is just past it.
On the plus side in the few days since trying linux I have learnt more and done more with a computer than i ever have and impressed with the help available in the forum.

Thanks again
kiwi48

Re: Cant install Linux Mint on harddrive

Post by kiwi48 »

Sorry to carry on with this. But today I was mucking around and managed to install CentOS on my computer. So I decided to try to install Mint and had the same problem. Why can CentOS install but Mint wont? I have checked the MD5 and it matched.
Locked

Return to “Installation & Boot”