[orca-list] Installing Ubuntu help please

[Glenn <glennervin cableone net>]

Hi,
I'm trying to install Ubuntu 13.10 onto my laptop.
XP is on /dev/sdb, and I am trying to install it on /dev/sda.
The install keeps telling me that there is no partition table defined.
I press space bar on /dev/sda, and tab to "partition now".
I go into that, and it tells me that I am about to partition a device and 
all previous partitions will be gone, and I read that it is using /dev/sda, 
so I tab to continue, and then it goes back to the window with "install 
now".
When I try to "install now", it keeps telling me that no partition table is 
defined, please select partition tables.
This should not be so difficult, I have installed Ubuntu 10.04 on /dev/sda 
on this laptop.
/dev/sda has been cleared out, I used the 13.10 live session to wipe its 
partitions.
The sighted folks I may find to help don't seem to understand what I am 
doing, and aren't much help.
Any ideas?
Glenn