[Bug 306581] Re: confusing install partition resize error

[Launchpad Bug Tracker]

[Expired for ubiquity (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60
days.]

** Changed in: ubiquity (Ubuntu)
       Status: Incomplete => Expired

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/306581

Title:
  confusing install partition resize error

Status in “ubiquity” package in Ubuntu:
  Expired

Bug description:
  Tried installing ubuntu on a brand new dell laptop with vista.  Vista
  was barely used (just installed openoffice and firefox).  Then I fired
  up the ubuntu installer and tried to resize the partition and this is
  where problems started:

  1) The message that says that changes are irreversible was itself
  almost incomprehensible.  I have been a linux user and programmer for
  many years, I do not understand the first sentence in the message and
  my wife did not understand it either.  I figured it probably meant
  something to the effect of "Changes are irreversible!  Are you sure?"
  But I couldn't be sure.

  2) The resize failed with an error message (it did not tell me what
  error, no output from the resize command, no log, no show details, no
  nothing), just leads to head scratching especially after the first
  almost threatining irreversibility message.

  3) Then the installer did something weird.  It continued as if things
  were partitioned I assume and put me into a partition editor to pick
  where root/swap was going to be.  That was strange.  Should it not
  stay on the same page after the error to let you pick another of the
  three options?

  4) After a long think, I remembered that defragmenting sometimes
  helped.  So I defragmented, and then not trusting the installer
  anymore did the partition resize using gparted live CD which worked
  then.

  Suggestion:

  1) The first message could be shorter and in actual english and should
  reflect what the user is asking to do.  It seems to be a message left
  over from some totally different GUI.

  2, 3) Error should give some way of finding out more information about
  what happened and I would assume it should not jump to some other page
  in the install process unless I asked it to.

  4) Most importantly, it should suggest common things to do to fix
  this, which appears to be to defragment the hard drive.  Telling the
  user "error" without any suggestions of 1) what went wrong 2) what
  could possibly be done to fix this, is completely wrong UI design.
  Especially if this is not so hard to fix just add "Maybe try
  defragmenting the harddrive first."  Would have saved me a lot of
  time.  If my wife was installing the thing, this error would have led
  to ubuntu not being installed on her computer.

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