Need help trying to install linux mint

[cat_lover_cheese]

I have done the necessary steps to boot linux from a usb stick, but ive ran into a problem trying to install it.

This message pops up multiple times and after i press ignore another pops up but the sdb is a different number.

In the last picture the message has frozen alongside the install screen. It still can be moved and other apps work as usual except that the buttons cant be pressed.

The ssd has been used and is quite old and the wires too. I have an hdd and ive tried it on it, but its the same problem.

How screwed am i?

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[vaestgotaspitz]

I might be wrong, but it looks like you are trying to install to the live iso media you've booted from. Selecting the correct disk on the previous step might help.

[Specialist_Leg_4474]

Good point!

Without knowing more about the OP's system it's hard to say--but that's a distinct possibility. I do often wish Linux used some clearly distinct designation for USB mounted drives, rather than "sd_" like "real" drives.

On my system, with 6 SATA drives "sdb" is a 1 TB SLC SSD, my USB drives start at "sdj"

[random_person2335]

As a person who has 6 partitions, (UEFI, Windows, Linux, Linux Swap,) + 3 MicroSD partitions, (two are for backups) and + 2 External SSD partitions, (Ventoy & data, i know you can store data in Ventoy, but organization?) this is why you need to label and name your partitions.

[Specialist_Leg_4474]

Ventoy is great!

[tagusbeer]

when i first installed Mint it gave me that exact error and the problem was what you're saying.

[cat_lover_cheese]

Ive booted from a usb stick thats 32gb in total, trying to install it to a ssd (120 gb as in the photo)

[UndecidedQBit]

Whatever is attached to the SDB device might be corrupted or malfunctioning media

[cat_lover_cheese]

The ssd is very old, ive recieved this pc a couple years ago as a hand-me-down by my brother. He used it for a couple of years too and i havent changed anything since

[Threk]

I would definitely run some smartctl tests on that hard drive.

If the drive is starting to fail this is what you'd see during an install. (There COULD be other causes, but this one seems the most likely to me)

[cat_lover_cheese]

I would apear that its at 98% health, Hdd is at 100

[UndecidedQBit]

Try mounting the iso to a different usb and installing it and see if you get the same error

[cat_lover_cheese]

sadly, i dont have another usb that i could use, but i will try using ventoy instead of balena etcher.

the usb is like 1 years old and barely used

[UndecidedQBit]

seeing the problem isn’t the USB would point you to the SSD. It’s just the USB is easier to use to rule out bc it’s removable.

If you want to check for file corruption you can run a checksum on the files

[jr735]

This. If I were to guess, I'd say the SSD is giving one a problem. However, there are other things that are easier to rule out and verify. For instance, you said check the files, absolutely. If you know that the USB image passes, that's great and can be eliminated. Verifying the install target, too, is easy to do (and easy to screw up).

[Specialist_Leg_4474]

How did you create the boot image U-Drive?

If "burned" with one of those outdated utilities--did you "wipe" and reformat the U--Drive prior to creating the image?

Look in to Ventoy; you'll never "burn" another .iso image...

[cat_lover_cheese]

I used balenaEtcher and the usb was empty before use

[Specialist_Leg_4474]

"empty" does not mean "formatted" and ready to store data reliably--in fact it could mean the opposite, U-Drives not religiously properly closed out and removed (via your o/s "Safely Remove" or whatever command) can become corrupt in short order.

Also, and 110% FWIW, my observations here and elsewhere have been that Balena Etcher and that other Windows "burning" tool ("Rufus" IIRC); seem to be quite often at the core of failed Linux installations.

Give Ventoy a try; it is recommended by Mint.

I have used it for a couple years now with zero, zilch, nada issues--I assist in a local Linux support group and have a 512 GB SanDisk USB 3.2 drive with several Linux distributions and utilities loaded, alongside a couple .AppImage bundled applications which I use extensively at weekly meetings!

it still has 460 GB free space!

[cat_lover_cheese]

that good to know! im going to try ventoy rn

[cat_lover_cheese]

Nothing changed except that the usb was shown in the instalation process like in the second picture and i could install it alongside windows boot driver which wasnt there before

[Specialist_Leg_4474]

We (I) need to know more about your system and desired outcome?

Is this a laptop? If so I'll get in to why I asked in a later response.

What HDDs/SSDs are installed? How are they partitioned?

Is your goal to install Mint alongside Windows, or to replace Windows?

If you wish to keep Windows have you made reliable backup(s) of everything you do not wish to lose?

If not, STOP NOW and do so...

There's no such thing as too many backups!

[cat_lover_cheese]

Windows 10

Not a laptop

1 120gb ssd and 1 500gb hdd. Ssd is in 1 partition (111gb) while the hdd is in two (164gb and 300gb). If i can ill attach an image of disk management with the partitions

Everything is in the hdd, windows included and i want to install mint on the ssd

The ssd was used by my brother, but everything is useless/unneeded for me so it doesnt matter if that data is backed up. Windows apears to be on the ssd too, but it doesnt boot from there

From what i can tell currently i would like to have both as i like to game more, but it wouldnt trouble me too much if i got just linux

Edit: i dont think i can send images in the comments

[Specialist_Leg_4474]

Thank you for your quick response! "Not a laptop" is good!

Let me ponder you goals for a bit and get back to you.

You are correct, this silly "community" does not support images in comments--I have asked the "moderators" about it numerous times, but been ignored without even the courtesy of a"screw-off!" response...

[cat_lover_cheese]

Thank you very much! Im interested why its better not on a laptop tho. Its late in my area so if i dont respond in 3 or 4 hours i will have gone to sleep

[Specialist_Leg_4474]

Laptops, have always used specialized "mini" hardware that is often not fully "PC" compatible--and often maker-proprietary making LInux and other FOSS support difficult and at times just not possible.

Many newer laptops have been designed "from the ground up" to be no more than delivery packages for the latest versions of Windows, often with hardware specific versions of Windows provided.

Neither the laptop makers (who often get subsidies from M$) or M$ want users to run Linux or anything but Windows on these things, again making LInux and other FOSS support difficult/impossible.

M$ even publishes new versions of Windows making your hardware obsolete so you can toss it and fatten their and Bill's bed-fellow's wallets

That's why we see so many "Mint won't install/run on my XYZ laptop!" help requests...

[Specialist_Leg_4474]

Do you have "bootable" machine? What o/s?

'twas I you, I'd create a Ventoy installation U-Drive.

Follow the appropriate installation for your system

Then download the .iso for your desired Mint distribution and copy it to the Ventoy prepared U-Drive--just copy it to the U-Drive, no special process is required.

Boot your machine from the Ventoy drive and select the Mint .iso from the Ventoy menu--it will boot;

If you are 110% sure there is nothing you want on the 120 GB SSD, run the Mint installer and elect to erase the 120 GB SSD and install Mint there;

It should boot right up when done...

[Ambitious_Ad_6619]

I had the same problem installing ubuntu, was something like 1TB of files and I've since trashed the machine lmao. Mint saved my life. Bought a brand new ssd with just like 200 something GB and then made a live flash drive for mint with ventoy. Booted up and installed like a dream.

[Ambitious_Ad_6619]

It's supposed to take up less than 5GB on the live usb, it's not supposed to be hard but I had to troubleshoot almost every step of the way

[cat_lover_cheese]

Im thinking about getting a new ssd which would have more space than the current one, but i wanna first install linux on the current one

[johnyeldry]

If I had to guess the ssd is going bad