Help installing mandrake 10.1

**TaTonkax** · 10-09-2005

I have tried installing mandrake 10.1. After i accept the license agreement, it comes to a screen saying:
"An error occurred"
"An error occurred - no vaild devices were found on which to create new filesystems. Please check your hardware for the cause of this problem."

I have no clue what could be wrong. I can't install Redhat 9 on it either, i get an error saying "in/out read error in dev\hdc" Can any1 tell me what could be wrong?

--Also, my mouse stops working at the beginning of mandrake installtion, is that normal?

**smolloy** · 10-09-2005

The error on dev/hdc sounds like an error on the cd -- did you check the md5sum of the download??

The error on installing mandrake 10.1 sounds like you didn't partition your drive before trying to install. You need a free partition on the hard drive to install linux on, since linux and windows will not play well together on the same partition

Is there a partitioning section in the mandrake install?? If not (if you didn't come across one, then there musn't be), then you'll have to do the partitioning yourself before installation.

**TaTonkax** · 10-09-2005

yes, i partitioned the drive using the windows disk, all i did was partition it. nothing else. but its still giving me that error

**smolloy** · 10-09-2005

I'm not sure what you mean by the "windows disk". Is the failure happening during partitioning or installation??

**TaTonkax** · 10-09-2005

ok i partitioned my hd using the windows xp disk. then i put mandrake in and tried to install it. i get that error after the license agreement

**smolloy** · 10-09-2005

Originally Posted by TaTonkax

ok i partitioned my hd using the windows xp disk.

Are you sure?? I didn't think that was possible! Do you mean the XP install disk??

**TaTonkax** · 10-09-2005

yes im talking about the windows xp install disk lol

**smolloy** · 10-09-2005

Originally Posted by TaTonkax

yes im talking about the windows xp install disk lol

I think, and correct me if I'm wrong, that it's not possible to partition your disk in a way that linux would be happy with using the XP install disk. If it was then no one would buy Partition Magic!!!

You need to defrag your drive, and then partition it using Partition Magic (which you'll have to pay for), or qtparted (which will require downloading the knoppix livecd). Check out this thread from earlier -- I've gone over this already

**TaTonkax** · 10-09-2005

im not dual booting. im just trying to put linux itself on this hd. i need a way for this

**smolloy** · 10-09-2005

OK, I think I'm beginning to understand now. If you are sure you don't wanna dual boot, then you should just format the entire drive and let Mandrake take care of it. I'm not familiar with the Mandrake install, but if it's like other distros it will give you the option to do this. After this you'll have to set aside a swap partition, and then make the rest the "/" partition -- or be fancy and make separate partitions for /home, /boot, etc. It's up to you.

But it won't work until you get rid of the NTFS partition that is presently occupying your entire disc.

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