I have a HP EliteBook Folio 1040 g with a 128GB SSD that used to have Windows. I have successfully replaced it with Zorin OS. Then I thought I'd like to try Elementary OS. However, when I try to install Elementary OS the installer doesn't seem to recognise my hard drive?
First Scenario
If I choose "erase disk and install" it fails. On the details screen I see the following error:
partitioning error: disk commit error: failed to commit libparted changes to "/dev/sda": No such file or directory (os error 2)
Second Scenario
If I start with "custom Install" I see no coloured partitions in the partition selector screen. When I run gparted I start seeing messages like:
Input/output error during write on /dev/sda
and
The backup GPT table is corrupt, but the primary appears OK, so that will be used
I'm able to create my partitions, but when I click apply I see the above 2 messages multiple times. After the operations are complete and I close gparted and go back to the installer, then I still see no coloured bars in the partition selector.
Interlude with gdisk
At this point in time, I ran gdisk
to find out more info:
sudo gdisk /dev/sda
Initially it tells me that MBR is "protective" and that GPT is "damaged". If I choose the "v" option, it tells me that the CRC for the backup partition table is invalid. Using the main partition table to restore the backup doesn't seem to make a difference. The last option I chose was to "convert GPT into MBR and exit"
Scenario Three
If I start with Custom Install and an msdos partition table, I am able to run gparted without error and create my partitions. Back on the selection screen I am able to nominate a boot/EFI partition (fat32), a linux-swap partition and an ext4 partition. However, the install fails. If I look at the Details section, it says:
Install error: partition validation: EFI installs cannot be done on disks without a GPT partition layout
Extra Info
After searching around I found references to a couple of things that might prevent the install:
- I made sure that the drive isn't setup as RAID
- Secure Boot (in my BIOS) is set to "Legacy Support Enable and Secure Boot Disable"
- I did try to boot in legacy mode, but UEFI is the only option for my USB key
I'm a little out of my depth here. I don't quite understand why I'm able to install Zorin OS (and I've successfully installed Linux Mint) and I can't install Elementary OS?