20.04.... installer failed to create a partition table on ST9160310AS...?

[anotherChris]

Previously: no problems installing Lubuntu 15.x and 17.10...

Just now, I tried to install Lubuntu 20.04 on my laptop Dell Inspiron 1545 2GB RAM 160GB memory.
I was using an .iso verified by med5sum on a USB drive: erase disk, not partitions.

It failed immediately, and I got the message in the title of this thread:

installer failed to create a partition table on ST9160310AS

Then...

Create a new partition table (type: msdos) on '/dev/sda'

Then...

Command: sfdisk /dev/sda

I have no idea what these things mean. Can anyone tell me what to do to install 20.04?

[CelticWarrior]

Unless this is a new bug - possible but very unlikely -, what it means is your very old drive is now defective.

[oldfred]

Post this:
sudo parted -l

You can in Disks and icon in upper right corner is Smart Status. That will tell info on drive.
Since Lubuntu, you may not have Gnome Disks app, but can install it.

[anotherChris]

Unless this is a new bug - possible but very unlikely -, what it means is your very old drive is now defective.

I'm really not knowledgable about computers. I don't know what it means that my old drive (it probably is) is defective. Can I fix it? Or, I can't fix it, so I can't install a new Ubuntu, and I need a new computer..? No idea...

[anotherChris]

Post this:
sudo parted -l


Model: ATA ST9160310AS (scsi)
Disk /dev/sda: 160GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: msdos
Disk Flags:


Number Start End Size Type File system Flags
1 1049kB 160GB 160GB primary ext4 boot





You can in Disks and icon in upper right corner is Smart Status. That will tell info on drive.
Since Lubuntu, you may not have Gnome Disks app, but can install it.


I don't understand this. Sorry.

[oldfred]

sudo apt install gnome-disk-utility

Attached are my old screen shots from Disks, but newer versions are similar.

[CelticWarrior]

Please follow the suggestion to check the drive before jumping to conclusions.
The HDD is surely old as in more than 10 years old, maybe 15... However, age alone says nothing, much older hardware still works. But all hard drives will fail, sooner or later, and some fail after 1-3 years of normal use.
The drive can be replaced but I'm not sure it's wise.

A Dell Inspiron 1545 with the maxed out of RAM (4GB) is still capable for most things one would use a laptop for nowadays but it must be said that it can easily become a bottomless pit of money for parts and repairs, even worse - proportionally - than a second-hand German luxury car. The original battery died a long time ago, a replacement is hard to find and will be expensive; RAM can also fail anytime now, it's harder to find and more expensive than current types; the screen and screen's backlight may fail anytime and everything else. The point being: The cheapest laptop you can find in the market nowadays runs circles around yours and is more energy efficient.

[anotherChris]

sudo apt install gnome-disk-utility

Attached are my old screen shots from Disks, but newer versions are similar.

I ran the commands you suggested from the terminal. But I'm sorry, I don't really understand the rest of your posted, including your screenshots. I'm not knowledgeable enough about Ubuntu/Linux to figure out my solutions from your hints. I need more explicit and concrete instructions/advice. Sorry.

Thank you.

[CelticWarrior]

The instructions are for you to open the Disks software/utility in order to test the HDD.
Make sure it is selected in the list of drives in the left panel then click the 3 dots button in the top right corner and select "SMART data & Self-Test". Another Windows will open. Use the bottom left corner button to start tests, choose the shortest one, wait a few minutes. The utility will tell if there's something wrong with the HDD.

[anotherChris]

Please follow the suggestion to check the drive before jumping to conclusions.

Really, I do appreciate the help and advice on these forums, but I'm not sure what this means.



The HDD is surely old as in more than 10 years old, maybe 15... However, age alone says nothing, much older hardware still works. But all hard drives will fail, sooner or later, and some fail after 1-3 years of normal use.
The drive can be replaced but I'm not sure it's wise.

A Dell Inspiron 1545 with the maxed out of RAM (4GB) is still capable for most things one would use a laptop for nowadays but it must be said that it can easily become a bottomless pit of money for parts and repairs, even worse - proportionally - than a second-hand German luxury car. The original battery died a long time ago, a replacement is hard to find and will be expensive; RAM can also fail anytime now, it's harder to find and more expensive than current types; the screen and screen's backlight may fail anytime and everything else. The point being: The cheapest laptop you can find in the market nowadays runs circles around yours and is more energy efficient.


Thank you. I really appreciate your advice as well as your humor. I have been thinking about getting a new computer for a while, but it is financially difficult. (I live in Japan, and whatever you think a cheap computer should cost, it's more...) I don't have a battery anymore, and I only run off a power cable, but my old laptop running Lubuntu 17.10 was working very well for me until just a couple months ago, when I noticed many things on the Internet stopped working, which I assume has to do with an old browser, which I can only fix by upgrading the OS from 17.10... Anyway, I thought the computer was old but very solid until I had this failure to install...

Is there any way to install 20.04 and get around buying a new computer/parts at this point? (Even a "bad" install that would make an unstable computer would be better for me right now than either (a) staying with current OS or (b) buying new computer...)

Thank you.

[anotherChris]

The instructions are for you to open the Disks software/utility in order to test the HDD.
Make sure it is selected in the list of drives in the left panel then click the 3 dots button in the top right corner and select "SMART data & Self-Test". Another Windows will open. Use the bottom left corner button to start tests, choose the shortest one, wait a few minutes. The utility will tell if there's something wrong with the HDD.

Okay... Everything seems checked out as "OK" except for airflow temperature. I have no idea what this means, though. It means I have no problem with the hard drive and should be able to install? but if that's true, then why did installation fail?

[anotherChris]

I also did the mid-length "Extended" self-assessment. It said that Overall Assessment was: FAILED. However, the only specific instance was, again, airflow temp...

Can I fix this by trying to install while blowing air-conditioned air over the computer while installing?

[oldfred]

That may mean you need a cleaning.
I have found lots of dust and back with cat, cat hair.

Check all the filters on front of case, around drive & power supply.
If it is running warm, it will not last as long.

[CelticWarrior]

No, you can't. That drive, as expected, needs to be replaced.

[guiverc]

Did you read the release notes?

https://lubuntu.me/focal-released/

If so you'll note there is a Known bugs section :


Replace Partition on Certain Partition Schemes With Calamares Fails

Installs replacing a partition may fail with this bug (https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/calamares/+bug/1864787). As a workaround; reboot, use KDE Partition Manager to delete the ‘unknown’ partition that exists, create the partition using the format you want (ext4, btrfs were tested & worked), deactivate swap partitions & exit KDE Partition Manager. Calamares can then use the prepared partition.

There a couple of bugs that exist with `calamares` (eg. if your box is old enough; boot with a floppy in the drive and you'll have problems, or closer to yours is likely https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/calamares/+bug/1851188 which says fix released, alas it still occurs), but I'd always recommend reading releases note for any system. PS: If you don't want to use ext4, btrfs, it was also tested with reiserfs, xfs .. at different times in the release cycle; release notes were based on last day(s))

Note: this 'comment/reply' does not reflect the health of your [fan] drive, which others have addressed

[anotherChris]

Good news. I got it to install properly.

I do notice that my fan runs pretty much all the time. Is there anything I can do to keep the temperature down?

[anotherChris]

I was able to get it to install. I don't exactly remember what I did because it was so late, I was falling asleep as I was doing the installation. My recollection is that I did something multiple times, and it just eventually worked. Maybe I made a partition and then re-installed with disk erase? I don't remember, but it's working now!!

EDIT:

I'M SORRY TO EVERYONE WHO READS THIS THREAD THAT I CANNOT GIVE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT I DID. I HAVE REALLY BEEN TRYING TO REMEMBER, BUT I CAN'T. AS I SAID ABOVE, I BELIEVE INSTALLED 20.04 MULTIPLE TIMES THAT NIGHT BY BOOTING FROM THE USB AND INSTALLING OVER AND OVER AND EVENTUALLY IT JUST WORKED.

IN FACT, WHEN I HAD 17.10, I HAD STARTED GETTING MESSAGES I DON'T UNDERSTAND ON START-UP AND SHUT-DOWN ABOUT THE BOOT SYSTEM, AND AFTER MULTIPLE INSTALLATIONS OF 20.04, THESE HAVE STOPPED AS WELL. SO EVERYTHING SEEMS TO BE WORKING GREAT NOW...

SO I WILL MARK THIS THREAD AS SOLVED. TRY MULTIPLE INSTALLS, MAYBE A PARTITION AND THEN A COMPLETE ERASURE.

[Yellow Pasque]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1IpBZJkz1I

[anotherChris]

Cool, thanks!