Linux installation problem

[Corvette]

I'm trying to get linux back up on my testing computer, but we're having problems with every distbution's installer, they keep faulting in some way. If a hard drive hasn't been used in awhile (lets just say, since November 2002), are these things normal..or is it a bad burn on my Ubuntu downloaded discs? I did try my RH9 discs, they worked before but not now!

[SensoVision]

hi Corvette! I've splitted topic as it would be easier to find it later.
As for your problem I've never used harddisks which have rest for more than 3 years. From what I know keeping it in inactive state is not very good thing for mechanical parts... Anyway have you try to test it with some programs like http://mhddsoftware.com/ (I didn't use this particular program but one I've used has Russian interface so wouldn't be useful for you I guess)?
Also is installer report some particular errors, if so can you let know which ones?

BTW it's good thing to check IDE cable, as when I got my new ASUS motherboard(it was long ago when I had dual boot system with Windows and Linux) I decide to replace my old IDE cable with one shipped in the box. It's look new and not so dirty as mine, and when I plug it my HDD was successfully found, Linux loaded but reported some strange errors about HDD, I've work about week without any problems but when I decide to install Windows(just in case if I need to print some photo, in those times I wasn't able to print out without borders under Linux) but I failed, all the time installation just reboot my PC in the middle of the process or finish it but Windows wasn't able to boot.
I thought that it was my new motherboard at first, but later when I finally read what kind of errors Linux was reported I find out that problem could be in IDE cable, and when I put back my old one all problems are gone Just told this story to tell how weird could be situation with a damaged IDE cable and how hard to identify it(Windows never told me of any problem so without Linux I'd probably try to replace my motherboard to see if it's not cause of the problem).

[Corvette]

That part was an accidental mentioning:

But, while it was partitioning the root section on Ubuntu, it stalled at 33%, and then went to a blank screen (with a typable prompt..at the bottom!) But something did change, ever since my RH9 attempt I had SMART errors pointing to its drive, even though Ubuntu failed, it did get arid of those errors in some magical way!

Also I forgot to mention, I got in the RH9 attempt, an Inupt/Output error in the GUI installation.

[SensoVision]

than my best guess is that your hard drive is slowly dying, but before throwring it to trash I'd recommend to check some utility for diagnostic and HDD repairing like one I've recommend. I know about HDD which has numerous bad sectors and other problems but work around 7 year till this day(although drive I'm referring was old and permit you to perform "low format" which is impossible on the modern drives), and it was saved by me using to similar program(I'll try to search for the link, it also was made by Russians but has English interface)

[Corvette]

Unallocating the drive using Windows Disk Managment worked, and I can't beleive it did!

[SensoVision]

so do you solve all the problems with your hard drive by this?

[Corvette]

Yes, now my second drive runs Ubuntu 5.10!