This is a very well-known Ubuntu problem. There's a long thread at the Ubuntu forum where people have compared their hardware to try and find what causes it, with no luck. The bug-tracking service says it's been fixed, but the latest version still has the problem on my desktop. This is the first time I've heard of it in Mint, though.

If you must have Ubuntu, get the alternative installation disk. The installer on that is not Ubiquity, so it will work, although it has no option for encryption. You might like to try Arios. That's an Ubuntu re-spin with Gnome 3 and a working version of Ubiquity. If you want encryption, make sure you have /home on its own partition, or that will lock up Arios's Ubiquity! See my review:
http://www.linuxquestions.org/review...page/15/sort/7

Pinguy is very similar to Arios.

I have checked the HD, which is a Maxtor, using Seatools which did not reveal any problems. Someone recently gave me a DVD with four Linux distros on and I tried installing each one in turn but was not able to install any of them on the Shuttle so I can only conclude that the Shuttle has something the matter with it that is preventing anything being installed on it. What it might be, I have no idea.

It seems that the best thing would be to get rid of it rather than waste any more time on it.

Thanks to everyone for their help and suggestions