I installed Linux Mint last night, but after shutting down the computer it no longer boots into the system. For several hours I've been seeing different error screens and command prompts. The most frequent message says "failure reading sector 0x74706da0 from hd0," after which I'm dropped into a command prompt. The BIOS reports that Ubuntu Linux is installed, which I assume is normal because Mint is based on Ubuntu. What should I check to determine whether this is an installation problem or a failing drive?
3 Answers
The sector-read error is the most important clue. It usually points to a failing hard drive or SSD, a bad connection, or corrupted disk structures—not necessarily a Linux Mint problem. If the drive contains anything important, avoid repeatedly trying to boot and back up the data from a live USB first. Then check the drive’s SMART health data and run a read-only disk test. If SMART reports errors or the test cannot read sectors, replace the drive and reinstall Mint on the new one.
Seeing “Ubuntu” in the BIOS or boot entries is expected for a Mint installation, since Mint uses Ubuntu’s boot and package foundations. That entry by itself does not mean the wrong operating system was installed. The repeated failure to read a sector is more concerning than the name shown in the firmware menu.
More installation details would help: whether the ISO checksum was verified, how the USB installer was created, and whether the system uses UEFI or legacy BIOS mode. Also check the SATA cable and power connection if this is a desktop. If the disk passes its health tests, boot from the Mint USB, use the live session to inspect the partitions and bootloader, and repair or reinstall only after confirming the hardware is reliable.
I’ll check the drive health before wiping or reinstalling anything. I didn’t realize the sector message could indicate a hardware problem.