Some time ago, I tried to install Ubuntu in my brand new HP pavillion. Ubuntu has some trouble but, I finally was able to get to the place where you partitionate and format the Hard Disk. But it can't. So I try two, tree times then I gave up.

A week later, I tried to install Mandriva, everything went nice untill I got to the part where I have to partitionate the hard disk. But it can't! Tried two, three times and then I gave up.

Then I tried to use partition magic. Bzzzzzz! No, not even partition magic can partitionate the hard disk! While I never tried to wipe out the hard disk clean and format it altogheter, I'm wondering, why my hard disk can't be partitionated? It is locked? How do they do that?

I just want to know.

Welcome to LQ!

Perhaps you can check in your BIOS?
There might be an option such as not allowing
you to write to it, preventing virus from
writing to it, etc. I can't remember the exact
wording.

Otherwise, do you think you could post some of
the exact error messages you're getting? That
will help one of the bots to answer better...

No such option. Somehow I'm amazed because I thought I could find people with the same problem as me. But as I browse the linux forums searching for topics related to the zv6000 nobody has this problem.

Mhm... Looks like I'll have to search my Ubuntu disk and I'll post that later. I really want to know what is so special about my HD.

I just thought about this. Perhaps that HP Pavilion is one of those pre-built computers, and they have some software designed to prevent the user from destroying the computer the way they built it? If you have HP Recovery CDs, that's a high probability. You might want to search Google for this, and even HP's website. They might even have a Live Chat or something where the people will explain it to you.

If it's running Windows XP or 2000, you should be able to right-click on My Computer, choose Manage, then Disk Management, and see your partitions. If what I suspect is correct, you will probably have a small partition before C: where they have this software stored in the MBR. I'm not certain if it's visible in this manner, but I think that might be your issue.

1st, the word is partition, please drop the "ate" is doesn't belong.

Now, to try to help: Do you have knoppix? Could you post the results of fdisk -l (That's Linux fdisk, Win fdisk.)