OS (Win 7 and Ubuntu) problems with different drives

It mounts the drive. Ubuntu runs the install but well into it, it gets a read error. And Windows fully installs but runs into a read error at the start up screen.

So no one knows if a defective on board drive controller can cause multiple drives to pass diagnostics but fail due to a read error during an Ubuntu install or result in a read error when Windows 7 is started?

There are 3 drives I'm referring to...the WD that came with the PC. That was damaged and out of use. The second is a 1TB Seagate that resulted with the problem I described. The third is a 250GB Seagate drive that I used just as a test to see if the issue was with the first Seagate drive. Since the results were the same for both drives, I've concluded that I don't have an issue with the 1TB Seagate drive. (Unless there is an issue with Seagate drive in general or that both drives have a bad sector...that would be a real fluke since they are both new) That seems to leave the motherboard. I'm trying to see if a problem with the motherboard could cause this type of behavior. My file system is NTFS. The Acer install disks aren't standard Windows install disks in that when you boot from the CD/DVD you don't get the standard options that a Windows install CD gives you...i.e. no Repair option or system recovery tools. I'm not using an SSD.

I've tried installing a retail version of Windows but the install requires drivers that are unique to Acer. But again, Windows does complete its install with the Acer disks but fails to load Windows because of a read error and Ubuntu fails to install at all due to a read error. This occurs with both Seagate drives.

Thanks,

Randy

I'm not sure what you are addressing. I don't have a problem changing boot options. Right now I have it set to boot from the CD/DVD drive and if there is no disk present, boot from the hard drive. I'm trying to see why a Windows system created by my Acer recovery disks reboots at start up and installing Ubuntu from a CD begins an install but fails. It sees the drive. Someone mentioned mounting the drive but the drive is there. The install runs but crashes. I have run PC Doctor on the entire system and everything passed. So I have a system that passes all diagnostics but doesn't allow me to get a functioning operating system...either Windows 7 which is what I need or even Ubuntu which I'm only trying to install to see if I can get something to install properly.

Again, I don't have a problem with designating boot devices. And I have repartitioned, reformatted and re-installed Windows with Acer's recovery disks multiple times. I always wind up with a Windows system that gets a read error at the Windows start up screen. If I install Windows with a regular Windows 7 Home Premium install disk, I am prompted for proprietary drivers. (I work with computers and have access to all versions of Windows).

Right now, I have downloaded the drivers for the 3450 and am going to try to install Windows from a standard install disk...bypassing the ridiculous Acer disks...and inserting the CD's with the downloaded drivers when asked for Acer drivers.

The Acer recovery disks present a real paradox. When I first used them to re-install Windows, a power failure stopped the process. I figured either the installer would be smart enough to pick up where it left off or at worst, I'd have to start over. At the time, I was installing the Language disk which is the last of 5 disks (1 system, 3 recovery and a language disk). At this point Windows was installed but needed to have some processes completed. Since the Language disk is not bootable, it kicked over to the hard drive. I got the message that Windows could not start and that I need to insert the system disk, (Keep in mind the Acer supplied system disk is NOT the same as the system disk of a standard Windows install disk). When I inserted the Acer supplied system disk, instead of getting a menu with choices to re-install, or repair or complete the install, the message was "You must complete the set up in order to use this disk." At that point you're dead in the water. I pulled the drive out and partitioned and reformatted the drive on another PC before being able to run the install again. And the install ran to completion. Windows was completely installed but then I ran into the rebooting loop that prompted this thread.

I'm really stuck. How do two different programs get a read error on two different drives that pass all diagnostics?

I never said I installed Ubuntu onto a disk that had Windows. It was repartitioned before every install. The PC came with Windows 7 installed and the recovery disks came from Acer for that machine. This was not a private purchase. From the sticker on the machine: Windows 7 Home Prem OA
Acer Group
Product Key: (I'm not going to type it)

If the Acer disks were not Windows 7 then why would they start up bring up a Windows 7 start up screen? (Before it reboots)
Check this link (which is one of many) to see what it comes with. In fact I never heard of a PC that only runs Linux. But that isn't my issue.
http://reviews.cnet.com/desktops/acer-aspire-m3450-ur30p/4505-3118_7-35054893.html

Thanks for trying. Maybe someone else has run into the behavior I'm experiencing.

Thanks again.

This is from an earlier post:

"I never said I installed Ubuntu onto a disk that had Windows. It was repartitioned before every install. "

?? I don't know why you are saying that I'm trying to install Ubuntu into the same partition as Windows?

To repeat the earlier post: I am not installing Windows and Ubuntu side by side. I only try to install Ubuntu, on a newly partitioned drive to see if I can install anything to the drive. It's true that you don't install the two systems in one partition but since I wasn't doing that it doesn't matter.

Here are the steps in condensed form:

Install Windows from the recovery disks on a newly partitioned drive.
It runs to completion. No errors.
Windows starts and reboots on a read error at the start up screen.

The drive is repartitioned and I run the Ubuntu install (nothing is side by side)
The installer starts, copies files and then crashes due to a read error.

I pull the drive and replace it with another clean drive.
Install Windows from the install disks.
Again, it runs to completion but when Windows starts up it reboots at the same point as the first drive, with the same error.

I repartition it and run the Ubuntu install
The installer begins the install and copies files but then crashes due to a read error.

It sees the file system. If it didn't it wouldn't begin copying files nor would I get a read error. I'd get a message that I don't have a file system mounted. So files are being written to it. But at some point it reports a read error and the installer crashes.

Regarding memory...I said that I ran PC Doctor and it passes every test. With all of this, I get back to the original question which is: Could a faulty onboard controller cause this behavior? (even though PC Doctor does not report an error when I run diagnostics.)

Again, no multiple OS's side by side; installations are always done on freshly repartitioned drives.

Thanks.

Something I am wondering...the drive is in RAID mode which was fine with the original Western Digital drive. Both new drives are Seagate Barracuda drives. I'm not aware of issues with Seagate drives and the 3450 but who knows? I'm running PC Doctor again for the heck of it. When it's done, I'm going to switch the mode to AHCI because I'm out of ideas and as of now I have a very expensive paper weight.

That would be true if I had a functioning Windows system but I didn't. I have said several times that my installs were on newly partitioned drives. That means there was no registry yet. The install disks ran to completion but Windows wouldn't boot which meant set up didn't run.

As it turns out, it did work. I'm posting this from the Acer I've been talking about. After I changed the mode, as I was advised to do by Seagate, Windows did not hang up which allowed Set up to do its job and Windows is now up and running. So the registry was set up with the mode already set to AHCI.

I'm not clear as to why the Western Digital worked fine with the mode set to RAID but the Seagate drives I was using needed the mode to be AHCI. In any case I finally have working system.

Thanks for taking the time to give me a hand. This has been extremely frustrating but I do appreciate everyone's effort to assist me.

Randy