Installation Problems

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kaitlynh1988

Installation Problems

Post by kaitlynh1988 »

Hi,

Could someone please help me? I have searched all over the internet and can't figure out what to do. I had a dual boot system of Windows Vista and Mint, to test out Linux since I have only ever used Windows before. I liked how Mint is much faster than Vista, with more options and free. So I decided to try and make Mint the sole OS. I mounted the Mint .iso to a CD to install the operating system. I didn't understand the advanced partition part so I chose the delete the two partitions and give Mint the full drive. The installation failed though so it never installed and I can't access the two partitions that I had with the dual OS. I tried reinstalling but kept having the same problem. I checked GParted and it is showing that I have 3 partitions now...I guess the Vista, old Mint install and the temporary one I am using now? When I try to install it still says that I have 2 though...and I can't get the computer to work at all without the boot disk.

I ordered Mint on CD to see if that will allow me to fix this. Is there something else I could try to fix this sooner?

The error message when I install says:

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

[Errno 5] Input/output error

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.

The CD I used is brand new and the copy is good enough to boot up the system so I'm not sure how it could be that. I've never had a problem with the hard disk, and since it worked before as a dual system that shouldn't be a problem?


Thanks for you help, I don't know what else to do. At least I'm learning. :)

Kate
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
viking777

Re: Installation Problems

Post by viking777 »

Hi Kate,

You are quite right in saying that if your live cd has been used to install Mint in a dual boot system then it should be equally capable of installing on a stand alone system on the same disk - unless it has been damaged in the meantime, is that possible? Of course you will find that out for sure when you get the disk you ordered.

When you run your disc as a live cd can you still see the files and folders of your old Mint install? If you can this suggests that your hard disk has not been formatted. This may be why it is having problems installing. Although this is only a guess. You can use gparted on the live cd to remove the partitions that you see on your hard disk and then try the installation again - but this is only what the installer should have done anyway, so I can't guarantee that this will work. Please note that this process is not reversible, once you have deleted the partitions they are more or less gone for good. Note that the partitions you are trying to remove with gparted must not be 'mounted' if they are you can use gparted to unmount them before removing them - just right click the partition and select 'unmount', then highlight the partition/s and select 'delete'.

Try that if you wish but I can't guarantee it will work. I can guarantee it will nuke the existing partitions on your hard disk, but as long as you have already decided that is what you want to do, that shouldn't be an issue.
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