Although somehow I was able to get to the installer before, I can't get to the installer now; I run into:

hda: ide_intr: huh? expected NULL handler on exit

Buffer I/O error on device hda, logical block 357566

I think what you said before has something to do with it, considering it says "Buffer I/O error on decive hda...".

Did you have 'irqpoll acpi=ht' added to the boot? You have to do that EVERY TIME you boot, not just once (you won't have to add it every time once you get it installed, of course)

Thanks, I'm doing that, but I'm still getting the Buffer I/O error.

Things to try (although not necessarily in this order):

1) Reburn Ubuntu
2) Redownload and Reburn
4) Try a different IDE cable
5) Try a different IDE channel (eg, if you have two IDE ports on your motherboard, try plugging it into the other one)
6) Check the jumpers (Your CD drive should be set as "Master no slave") and make sure its on the very end of the IDE cable (not the one thats half-way to the end)
7) Try a different CD drive, as it sounds like it might be bad

EDIT: Oh, and please list your COMPLETE computer specs, as things like it being a SATA drive instead of a PATA drive can lead to wrong advice

And try looking through the boot options, and adding ones like 'doscsi' and 'dosata' - if they exist

OK, thanks.

I ended up just waiting, and after a while, Ubuntu started up with the desktop, and I was able to run the Install program. It's installing right now; hopefully it will go well.

Thanks again for all of your help.

EDIT: I have a 3400+ AMD Semperon CPU, a decent hard drive, 1024mb dual-channel DDR2 RAM, and a decent CD drive (I'm not sure of some of the the specifications because I have the boxes and manuals for the components laying unorganized all over my room). How long do you estimate that it will take to install?

The installer (in step 6 out of 6) says that it will install GRUB on hd0.
Sould I change that to sd0 because my hard drive uses Serial-ATA, not ATA?

Is there some way to change the type of hard drive to install to from ATA to SATA in the terminal or some other way because there doesn't seem to be a spot that let's me change it from hda to sda?

Sounds like you've got a PATA hard drive, if it installed to /dev/hda. And no, you want to install GRUB to hd0. GRUB uses a hdx notation for drives, while Ubuntu uses hd[a-z] for PATA, and sd[a-z] for SATA.

It works! I added some boot options:

noacpi noapm noapic pci=noacpi

And yet he said earlier he had a SATA drive - I don't think he has any clue WHAT he's got

Hey, I never said I had a PATA hard drive....

Anyway, it turns out that it uses Firewire.



I might switch to XUbuntu because I here that it is faster. And I don't know enough about KUbuntu yet, but it seems interesting, so I might try that out also. I'm just happy for now that Ubuntu works.

Xubuntu is meant for very low spec computers in third-world countries. It lacks the features and graphics of Ubuntu, but go ahead if speed is that important to you.

Kubuntu is Ubuntu with the KDE desktop instead of gnome. I much prefer gnome, but there are people who like KDE better. Best to make your own decision here. I always found KDE to be...well, sort of childish.

Hooray, firewire: Now it's just like every other new computer these days...

Uh... chip? I hope you were being sarcastic, because Firewire is both uncommon AND only for external drives....

@BFR: Stick with the regular ubuntu. XUbuntu isn't any faster unless you are running a PC with such low ram that it must use the swap often. You also don't want to switch to KUbuntu, because you can just install the KDE-Desktop from within Ubuntu and just tell GDM (that thing you log into every time you turn it on) whether you want GNOME or KDE for that logon (its the reason there is that little 'sessions' button )

Ditto for XFCE (which is what XUbuntu runs), although I am uncertain whether or not that is in the apt repository....

AND BFR, remember that PATA and SATA are not the same. SATA uses a thin, usb-used connector and cable. PATA uses that big ol' IDE ribbon cable (40 wires wide)

No, I guess I was just wrong. I'm judging from all the new computers that I've seen with it. I guess it rarer than I thought.

It's not only for external drives. My sisters camera uses firewire...Unless you want to call that an external drive, but then what isn't?

...an internal drive, which is what we were talking about? You know, all them things inside your comp like CD/DVD drives, harddrives, etc... that are all internal and not connected with firewire?

and as for it being only for external drives, please remember that the context was about harddrives. It would be comparable to you saying that his internal harddrive was connected with USB. Sure USB works with a whole lot more than just harddrives, but given the context, I think it would be safe to say that USB is only for external drives

And FYI: Your new computers harddrive is SATA, which is what all new computers are running (hell, I think it even has an eSATA port so that you can hook up an external harddrive with the super fast SATA connection)

I'm aware of the difference between internal and external. I didn't reread the posts before yours and read it out of the context of harddrives. I read it purely in the sense that you said that it can only connect to external drives, instead of reading it with the correct emphasis: external drives.

I know what SATA, PATA, Usb and Firewire are. I just mistook the popularity of Firewire.

Ah, gotcha. I'm glad you know the differences

Note that I'm not saying Firewire is unpopular, just that it really doesn't have a place anymore. Its slower than USB 2.0, has less market support (think about it. Motherboards come with like 6 USB 2.0 ports, but only 1 firewire - if that), and is a pain. Windows XP by default will run all firewire connections at 100mbit, rather than the 400-800mbit that it might be capable of.

<apple dig>Its just some stupid Apple invention that only Apple uses </apple dig>

true, the only benifit I saw with using my iPod on firewire vs USB was a faster charge, but that was all really. Also, Sony uses firewire a lot also.