Trying to install Qubes 4.2 onto an SSD, but when I install it from the USB stick onto the drive, the install completes, then restarts.
After it restarts, it goes into the same configuration screen it showed before and then repeats the install and fails.
Does anyone know what I’m doing wrong?
Does it ask you to pick the installation drive and timezone both times?
… and can you share, how does it fail?
The second time it opens, it only asks me to configure what software to install.
I usually get other errors like ‘pool already exists’, and I am able to boot into qubes, but there are no templates or anything.
Is Qubes the only OS on the drive?
Do you use the automated/default partitioning?
Yeah Qubes is the only OS on the drive, and I used automatic partitioning.
So the first “install” ends with
Qubes OS is now successfully installed and ready for you to use!
Go ahead and reboot your system to start using it!
[Reboot System]
and after the reboot, you are asked to select between the boot-options:
(?) - and after booting Qubes, you are asked to “Please complete items marked with this icon 
before continuing to the next step” (where you can select Templates Configuration)?
Yes that is what happens.
If you get the “select templates to install”, then it sounds like a normal install … where the first part creates the filesystem on the drive, copies the files for dom0 to the SSD and the reboots to finish the initial setup.
Which template(s) did you select to install?
I installed just standard Debian, fedora and Whonix, but when they install I get an error message saying ‘error occured unpacking rpm package malcontent libs’, and then it makes me exit.
So you have a working dom0, but the installation of templates is failing?
Could you try the install again and only select to install eg. Debian (an rpm-error sounds like something broken wrt. Fedora)?
Maybe your installer ISO or image written on USB stick is corrupted.
Verify the ISO and re-verify installation media after writing: