Crash on installing Ubuntu Christmas

Binary package hint: ubiquity

Here's the info that I got on the crash trying to install the Ubutunu 6.10 Christmas install CD on my HP laptop (Pavilion ZD7000):

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/bin/ubiquity", line 166, in ?
    main()
  File "/usr/bin/ubiquity", line 161, in main
    install(sys.argv[1])
  File "/usr/bin/ubiquity", line 57, in install
    ret = wizard.run()
  File "/usr/lib/ubiquity/ubiquity/frontend/gtkui.py", line 305, in run
    self.process_step()
  File "/usr/lib/ubiquity/ubiquity/frontend/gtkui.py", line 856, in process_step
    self.progress_loop()
  File "/usr/lib/ubiquity/ubiquity/frontend/gtkui.py", line 628, in progress_loop
    raise RuntimeError, ("Install failed with exit code %s\n%s" %
RuntimeError: Install failed with exit code 1
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/share/ubiquity/install.py", line 1404, in ?
    install.run()
  File "/usr/share/ubiquity/install.py", line 375, in run
    self.remove_unusable_kernels()
  File "/usr/share/ubiquity/install.py", line 1297, in remove_unusable_kernels
    self.do_remove(remove_kernels, recursive=True)
  File "/usr/share/ubiquity/install.py", line 1258, in do_remove
    if not cache.commit(fetchprogress, installprogress):
  File "/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages/apt/cache.py", line 204, in commit
    res = self.installArchives(pm, installProgress)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages/apt/cache.py", line 179, in installArchives
    res = installProgress.run(pm)
  File "/usr/share/ubiquity/install.py", line 200, in run
    res = pm.DoInstall(self.writefd)
SystemError: E:Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)