Once the DVD-ROM has booted in live distro mode, and you're run the installation program,
you may get error messages or experience other difficulties. This article offers some solutions
to common installation problems.
Problem
I've partitioned my disk and clicked to start the installation, after which the Installing System progress bar appears. However, it stops at a certain percentage with an error message.
If I click the Continue button, everything continues, and at the end, I’m offered the chance to reboot into the new installation. However, when I reboot, the Ubuntu desktop doesn't appear. Instead, all I see is a black screen with a text-mode login prompt.
Solution
For some reason, vital Ubuntu software hasn't been correctly copied to the machine. At the login prompt, type your username, and type your password when it’s requested. Then, at the command prompt, type the following:
sudo apt-get update
[At this point you'll need to type your password; do so]
sudo apt-get –f install
sudo apt-get install ubuntu-desktop
You should ensure the DVD-ROM is inserted. If you find this doesn’t work, re-install Ubuntu using the alternate installer.
Problem
When the Ubuntu installation program gets to the Starting Up the Partitioner stage, it reports that it can't find any hard disk in my computer.
Solution
There are many possible reasons for this, but here are three potential solutions that you might try in sequence:
1) Select Manual and click the Forward button. You should see a list of hard disks with each of its partitions displayed, and you should then be able to follow the instructions to do it.
2) Ensure the jumpers are set correctly on the hard disk (consult the hard disk's documentation
if necessary). This is particularly worth checking if you have more than one hard disk. If this doesn't solve the problem, and your second hard disk is non-bootable (that is, it's used only for data storage), try temporarily removing it, and then install Ubuntu. Reconnect it after installation has completed.
Problem
When I try to install Ubuntu, the Prepare Disk Space screen shows one (or several) additional small hard disks, usually identified as /dev/sda followed by a number.
Solution
If you have a USB memory stick inserted, or a photographic card reader, it will be identified by the Ubuntu installer in this way. You can ignore this or, if you want to avoid confusion, quit the installer, remove the memory stick or card reader, and restart the installer program.
Problem
When manually partitioning, I see an error message to the effect that I can't have more than four primary partitions.
Solution
This is a limitation in how hard disks work and not an issue with Ubuntu. You will need to create logical partitions instead of primary partitions to have more than four partitions in a hard disk. On a technical level, Ubuntu creates an extended partition to contain your new logical Ubuntu partitions. To resolve the problem, when creating a new partition, select Logical as the type of partition.
For more details about primary and extended hard disk partitioning, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disk_partitioning.
Common Ubuntu installation problems and solutions
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