# [how-to] installer: write failed, filesystem is full



## ororo (Jun 3, 2009)

In the last days, I had some problems in installing FreeBSD 7.2.
I will post here the solution that I found.
The problem: the CDs did not even load, nor the "i386-boot-only", nor the "i386-disc1".
They both halted with the error:

```
/: write failed, filesystem is full
kernel panic: going nowhere without my init!
```
and then the laptop rebooted.

I googled for a while, but did not find any solution. I think that the "filesystem" claimed to be "full" is the RAMDISK, but I am not sure of this.

Anyway, the problem was due to the main hard disk. The disk was /not/ full of course:
/dev/ad0s1   FAT32  20Gb (Windows)
/dev/ad0s2   FAT32  20Gb (data)
/dev/ad0s3   unformatted  12Gb  (to be used with freeBSD)
/dev/ad0s4   extended partition, containing other logical partitions

The solution, for me, has been: delete slice 3, /move/ the 2 FAT32 partitions right, then create again slice 3, thus obtaining:

/dev/ad0s3   unformatted  12Gb  (to be used with freeBSD)
/dev/ad0s1   FAT32  20Gb (Windows)
/dev/ad0s2   FAT32  20Gb (data)
/dev/ad0s4   extended partition, containing other logical partitions

At this point, the installer CD loaded correctly!!! Mysteries of computer science...
I used a Knoppix LiveCD and the "Partition Editor" to move the two partitions right. I have lost no data.
Now, my partition table is not well-ordered, but that's ok, otherwise Windows would have some problems to load.

I hope this can be useful to somebody.


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