error fsyncing/closing/dev/sda: input/output error - hdd not detected in BIOS after this error

So here's what happened: I created a ubuntu gnome bootable usb using unetbootin and selected to replace my windows and install a fresh copy of ubuntu. But as soon as ubuntu finished cleaning up windows and formatting i got the error error fsyncing/closing/dev/sda: input/output error

I had no choice so I restarted my system and now my HDD is not detected in BIOS and also not in ubuntu live boot mode.

I have a Sony vaio.

Any ideas how I can fix this?

Solution 1:

I/O errors usually (but not always) indicate failing hardware. My guess is that your disk (or some other disk-related component, like a cable or your motherboard's disk controller circuitry) was on its last legs, and the "exercise" involved in installing Ubuntu caused it to fail. You don't say what prompted you to install Ubuntu, but if you were having problems with Windows reliability, it's possible that this was an earlier symptom of the problem.

You might try unplugging your disk (from both ends of the cable if it's a desktop system) and plugging it back in again. You could also try running a SMART test from an Ubuntu live CD -- but if the disk isn't detected by your firmware, it might not even show up in Ubuntu, which would make such a test impossible.

If you've got a spare disk, you could try using it instead. If it works, then you can pretty much conclude that your old disk is dead. If the replacement disk fails, too, then chances are the problem is with your computer motherboard's circuitry.

Solution 2:

Try to replace older cables and defective HDD

It worked for me. However, similar happened when I was performing Debian 10 installation.