Installer gives unhelpful error messages when it can't read from the CD

I too tried to install from the pressed CD's and encountered the same error, I
did some looking and found that this was the file causing the problems
/pool/main/w/wireless-tools/libiw27_27-1ubuntu1_i386.deb
(In reply to comment #0)
> I recently received my brand new Ubuntu cds from Shipit and was going to once
> again start spreading the word. I did however decide to install a new Ubuntu
> installation on my test machine from the new cds, but was unsuccessful.
>
> I tried form three different cds and every single one of the fails at the same
> point of installation, every time. The given alert is:
>
> "Base system installation error
> The debootstrap program exited with an error (return value 1).
> Check /var/log/messages os see virtual console 3 for details."
>
> console 3 tells me right after failing to load a module for floppy drive (my
> machine doesn't have one):
> "File descriptor 3 left open
> File descriptor 4 left open
> File descriptor 5 left open
> File descriptor 6 left open
> No matching physical volumes found
> File descriptor 3 left open
> File descriptor 4 left open
> File descriptor 5 left open
> File descriptor 6 left open
> No volume groups found
> Reading all physical volumes. This may take a while...
> cp: Read error: Input/output error"
>
> Then there is nothing to be done :(
>
> Now what I do know is that my hardware is ok. I tested the memory and tried to
> install Ubuntu from an older pressed Hoary cd and a cd I burned right after
> Hoary was released. Both installed OK, so the problem is only with the newer cds
> or at least with the batch I got.

 I have the same symptom on a SiS AMD Socket A machine.

Breezy installs.

(In reply to comment #1)
> I too tried to install from the pressed CD's and encountered the same error, I
> did some looking and found that this was the file causing the problems
> /pool/main/w/wireless-tools/libiw27_27-1ubuntu1_i386.deb

I'm having the same problem, on a Thinkpad T43. Out of curiosity, is there a
work-around? Or will I have more luck in downloading an iso and burning a cd?

The errors indicate a problem reading the CD media, which can be caused by
defective media, dirty media, a dirty drive, or various other hardware-related
problems.

If a pressed CD is defective, we'll need to send it to the manufacturer for
analysis. Does it work in other computers?

With writable CDs, this problem is usually worked around by burning the disc at
a slower speed.

(In reply to comment #4)
> The errors indicate a problem reading the CD media, which can be caused by
> defective media, dirty media, a dirty drive, or various other hardware-related
> problems.
>
> If a pressed CD is defective, we'll need to send it to the manufacturer for
> analysis. Does it work in other computers?
>
> With writable CDs, this problem is usually worked around by burning the disc at
> a slower speed.

In my case, the problem was repeatable with different ShipIt CDs, both "new".
THe install failed in the same place.

The problem is systemic but it is not the physical condition of the media.

More likely the software environment changes at or near the end of the base
install and the new software cannot read the CDs.

In my case Breezy installed and I lost interest in pursuing the problem.

The box in question (SiS AMD) had problems with installing Mandrake 10.1 until
the directive noapic was added. That didn't resolve the problem with hoary.

I know of at least three other machines that had a similar problem, all had
differing software and hardware architectures. These machines would begin or
even complete an install but fail later in the install or after a reboot. In one
case, I installed the OS one one machine, transferred the drive to a second and
stumbled through. In another, I copied the ISO to the disk using a live CD and
then installed from the image on hard disk. In yet another hoary installs but XP
will not.

I've installed Hoary successfully at least 50 times from ShipIt CDs so I too am
inclined to attibute the failures to hardware variance but the problem becomes
manifest when the kernel/module set changes during the install.

> > If a pressed CD is defective, we'll need to send it to the manufacturer for
> > analysis. Does it work in other computers?
>
> In my case, the problem was repeatable with different ShipIt CDs, both "new".
> THe install failed in the same place.

I also encountered the problem with a number of cds that i received in the mail.
 I ended up resolving it by using the expert install method instead of the
default method.

(In reply to comment #5)

> In my case, the problem was repeatable with different ShipIt CDs, both "new".
> THe install failed in the same place.

While the pressed CDs are much more reliable than CD-Rs, this does happen. I
have on my desk here a stack of 20 shipit CDs which fail in a similar way, but
work when read at a slower speed (using hdparm) or in certain CD-ROM drives.

> I've installed Hoary successfully at least 50 times from ShipIt CDs so I too am
> inclined to attibute the failures to hardware variance but the problem becomes
> manifest when the kernel/module set changes during the install.

Neither the kernel nor the modules change during the base install, only when the
system is rebooted.

I've just received breezy pressed CDs, and have this same problem. The
installation fails during the base system installation, at the point where
linux-386 kernel is to be installed. So whatever problems that are causing this,
are still there in Breezy and the current ShipIt CDs. Might it be that the CDs
are of poor quality (even though they are error-free), and fail with many
CD-ROM-drives? Or is it something that could be fixed on the software side.

Matt, if you have those CDs, please try to find a fix to the problem. It's
serious that people have installation failing even when they order the pressed
CDs. Furthermore, this failure of installation leaves the system in unbootable
stage if tried to be installed besides Windows, as the installer seemingly takes
the "bootable" flag away from the Win partition.

Assigning to the debian-installer. Even if these errors are the results of bad hardware/CD's it would be nice to get a better error message for extraneous conditions such as these.

 Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. You reported this bug a while ago and there hasn't been any activity in it recently. We were wondering if this is still an issue for you. Can you try with the latest Ubuntu release? Thanks in advance.

We are closing this bug report because it lacks the information we need to investigate the problem, as described in the previous comments. Please reopen it if you can give us the missing information, and don't hesitate to submit bug reports in the future. To reopen the bug report you can click on the current status, under the Status column, and change the Status back to "New". Thanks again!