Member Avatar for victor1244

Hello, Here's my story and I hope someone can help me. I purchased a brand new 320gb sata hard drive for a Compaq laptop. I want to have the original drive with Windows and have another (different drive)that I can swap out and run Ubuntu. I removed the old drive and installed the new drive. I then tried to install Ubuntu and I got to a page that said I had enough room on the drive and I had power hooked up. But, it said that I did not have an internet connection (wireless)and would not let me continue. So, I shut the computer down and moved it closer to my router and hooked up a cable connection. I then started the computer up and got to the same page, it now told me internet o.k., power o.k., not enough space on my hard drive. I have tried to do this with Ubuntu 10 and 11 with the same result.
I do not know what to do next. Any help will be appreciated. victor1244

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by Stefano Mtangoo

Dani AI

Generated

A few targeted checks that usually clear this particular installer behavior (where the installer first reports enough disk space and then later reports not enough): the installer is failing to see or use the raw disk space. Common root causes are a missing/corrupt partition table, leftover RAID/volume metadata, a corrupted install image, or optional install options that increase temporary space needs. This expands on ’s media suggestion and on ’s partition question.

From a Live session ("Try Ubuntu") inspect what the kernel and partition tools see. Run:

sudo fdisk -l
sudo parted -l

Confirm a device like /dev/sda shows ~320GB. If the disk does not appear, check BIOS/firmware detection and SATA/AHCI mode. If it appears but shows no usable partitions (all "unallocated"), create a fresh partition table (msdos) and at least one ext4 partition with GParted (this erases the drive).

If partitions exist but the installer still refuses the space, stray RAID or filesystem signatures can confuse the installer. Useful checks/commands:

sudo dmraid -r         # list RAID signatures
sudo wipefs -a /dev/sda   # destructive: remove filesystem signatures

Only use destructive commands if the drive is expendable or already empty.

Also rule out media problems: use the Live boot menu option "Check disc for defects" or verify the ISO checksum before reburning or making a USB installer. During the "Preparing to install" step, uncheck "Download updates while installing" and "Install third-party software" so the installer doesn’t raise temporary space requirements; updates can be applied after a successful install.

On a truly blank drive, creating a new partition table with GParted or removing stray metadata almost always gets past the "not enough space" blocker.

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Member Avatar for mlesniak

What type of source media are you using to install Ubuntu?
I would have thought that you did not need an internet connection to initially install Ubuntu. I have installed Ubuntu on my netbook without a problem (I can't recall if I used a memory stick or a CD/DVD). I have also dual booted a Dell laptop to run Windows XP and also Suse Linux 10.

Member Avatar for victor1244

I am using cd's that I downloaded from the Ubuntu website. I can't understand that either. victor1244

Member Avatar for Stefano Mtangoo

I am using cd's that I downloaded from the Ubuntu website. I can't understand that either. victor1244

can you present exact message and screenshot?

Member Avatar for victor1244

I don't know how to get a screenshot. The message on the screen says:

internet o.k., power o.k., not enough space on my hard drive.

victor1244

Member Avatar for mlesniak

The only thing I can think of suggesting is obtaining a new installation for Ubuntu and burning a new DVD or writing it to a memory stick. Then try again.

Member Avatar for victor1244

I will try that. Thank You, victor1244

Member Avatar for Stefano Mtangoo

I don't know how to get a screenshot. The message on the screen says:

internet o.k., power o.k., not enough space on my hard drive.

victor1244

It seems hard disk is full. Can you tell us how your disk is partitioned?

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