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I'm trying to install Ubuntu desktop for the first time. I've never worked with Ubuntu or Linux before.

My installation appears to be failing partway through and I'm not sure why. The PC I'm loading it on had (I believe) Windows 2000 server on it previously, but was partially wiped prior to entering my possession. I formatted the hard drive I intend to install on in order to prevent any issues.

I loaded the Ubuntu ISO to a CD and set my PC to boot from CD. It sees the CD and goes through a series of pages where it seems to be running the programs on the disk. I see an Ubuntu loading screen and then the typical black PC load screen where it seems to be running through POST and checking specific OS requirements on the disk. This section is set up as a step by step process; it lists steps 1 - 4 completed and shows an asterisk for step 5. At that the monitor goes black; I still see activity on my CD ROM for several minutes, but my install never goes beyond this point. My PC remains on.

Of particular note: I never reach any menus requesting me to select options. No language options, no install options, nothing.

Any thoughts on why I'm hitting this glitch and what I can do to try to troubleshoot past it?

ubuntu version - 18.04.4 desktop

bookydedreamer
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  • Is your PC 32 (x86/i386/i486/i686) or 64 bit (x86_64/amd64)? – MaxSilvester Aug 24 '20 at 20:28
  • Which version of ubuntu did you try to install? – MaxSilvester Aug 24 '20 at 20:28
  • I double checked my ISO since it's been a while since I burned it. It actually is 18.04.4 desktop and not server as I originally thought. I have a 64 bit processor. – bookydedreamer Aug 24 '20 at 22:51
  • It's been a long time since the iso fit on a CD. Have you got a USB flash drive you can use instead? The process you describe does not sound like installation - the live system is not even booting. See karel's great answer to this question on how to create installation media. – Zanna Aug 25 '20 at 04:19
  • I don't believe it's a sizing issue. It's technically on a DVD, not a CD. It's an approx 1.9 GB ISO (obviously I see it as a series of files and folders) and the DVD is capable of holding 4.7 GB. I actually did go through the install process on Ubuntu's site once already; nothing I see on my DVD or am experiencing matches the ISO issues they describe. – bookydedreamer Aug 25 '20 at 16:19
  • I'll try verifying the checksum and installing with RUFUS on a USB before testing with another PC. Those are steps I skipped. – bookydedreamer Aug 25 '20 at 16:37
  • yes, I was hoping you would clarify that it was a DVD. I would have expected you to get some critical error at the stage of trying to write to some medium with insufficient space. I suppose what you are doing ought to work. But still, it does seem to be one of those hard-to-pin-down problems with the installation media and I always suggest trying a USB because it seems to work, although we then lose the opportunity of finding the real issue... – Zanna Aug 26 '20 at 08:20

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