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joetrece
November 18th, 2009, 11:09 PM
Hi. A question about CD defects. For the latest desktop release (9.10), I booted up the install CD, which I'd burned from a downloaded iso image file. I ran the Check CD for Defects tool, which found _1_ single defect. I decided not to install Ubuntu because of this. My main concern is that my Windows system might get corrupted. Am I being too cautious? I really want to install Ubuntu. Do you think I can install it with just the one error?

In the worst case scenario, even if the install doesn’t work, could my Windows system be corrupted?

Thanks for your help.

Joe

whoop
November 18th, 2009, 11:28 PM
Well, I wouldn't install it with a defect disc in any case.
The chances that your windows partition gets corrupted and is irrecoverable are very small (although you have to ask yourself how savvy are you in recovering data). This because a defect in the disc will cause processes to work or not to work; they won't start to behave differently. So as long as you do not resize/touch (but this happens more often than you might think) your windows partition it won't corrupt the data on the partition.
What is most likely to happen is that the cd will not boot properly or the installer will complain during install.
What also could happen is that grub will fail to install, leaving you with an unbootable machine. You can fix that with the windows cd (so you can boot windows again).

Just don't do it, is my advice. Get a working cd or put it on usb (that's what I do, I don't like to waste disks) to install ubuntu on your machine.

joetrece
November 18th, 2009, 11:39 PM
Thanks for the fast reply. I'm not going to install Ubuntu on my main hard drive--yet. I have an old hard drive I'm going to try to install Ubuntu on. If it works there, I may try to install it on the main drive.

I was able to use the CD to run a live session yesteday: browse the Internet, etc. so the CD seems 99% okay. In any case, your USB idea seems a good one.

Thanks again.

Joe.

dhavalbbhatt
November 18th, 2009, 11:44 PM
Thanks for the fast reply. I'm not going to install Ubuntu on my main hard drive--yet. I have an old hard drive I'm going to try to install Ubuntu on. If it works there, I may try to install it on the main drive.

I was able to use the CD to run a live session yesteday: browse the Internet, etc. so the CD seems 99% okay. In any case, your USB idea seems a good one.

Thanks again.

Joe.

Why do you even want to install - if you just want to play with Ubuntu, just use LiveCD to play with the OS. Of course, with your broken CD, I am guessing you won't be able to do that though.

whoop
November 18th, 2009, 11:54 PM
I'm not going to install Ubuntu on my main hard drive--yet. I have an old hard drive I'm going to try to install Ubuntu on.


Well you could always do that, that as close to risk free as you can get.
Still I wouldn't use a defect cd to install onto a production machine, even if I tested it and it seemed to work, but maybe I am too paranoid ;)