# my computer freezes after installing FreeBSD



## jaobz (Nov 23, 2012)

My computer freezes after installing FreeBSD in the BIOS, the HDD is set as IDE. It recognizes the disks, but not advance, just freezes on bios screen. To recognize the hard drive, I need erase FreeBSD slices from another computer. My mainboard is http://www.pcchips.com.tw/PCCWebSit...ailID=358&DetailName=Feature&MenuID=1&LanID=0


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## mamalos (Nov 23, 2012)

If it freezes _before_ it tries to read the OS from disk, then your problem is not FreeBSD but your hardware.


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## Deleted member 30996 (Nov 23, 2012)

It would have been easier to diagnose your problem if you had provided the error message you're seeing.

Have you got more than a total of 3GB RAM installed? This includes the RAM of your video card.  If so, it may be an ACPI issue and may not boot till you remove as many sticks as it takes to get it down to 3GB RAM or under.


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## NewGuy (Nov 23, 2012)

mamalos said:
			
		

> If it freezes _before_ it tries to read the OS from disk, then your problem is not FreeBSD but your hardware.



No, this is a FreeBSD bug, introduced in 9.0. It's fairly well known (searching around the forums turns up several similar reports). Unfortunately the developers seem to feel it can be ignored.


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## wblock@ (Nov 23, 2012)

NewGuy said:
			
		

> No, this is a FreeBSD bug, introduced in 9.0. It's fairly well known (searching around the forums turns up several similar reports). Unfortunately the developers seem to feel it can be ignored.



Which bug, exactly?  There are several things that can cause this problem, including bad BIOS misdetecting GPT partition as something BIOS related, BIOS AHCI/IDE mode, and old graid(4) metadata on the disk.  Probably others.

The fixes for these vary from easy (switch AHCI/IDE mode to the opposite--it's not consistent for different hardware), to not so easy (use MBR on Lenovo when the BIOS is so badly done that it can't handle GPT), to dangerous.

OP does not mention the make or model of computer, which makes diagnosis more difficult.


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## Deleted member 30996 (Nov 23, 2012)

NewGuy said:
			
		

> No, this is a FreeBSD bug, introduced in 9.0. It's fairly well known (searching around the forums turns up several similar reports). Unfortunately the developers seem to feel it can be ignored.



Not necessarily. The link to the motherboard OP provided led me to believe the problem might be related to the one I encountered:



> P25G is one of the most advance and unique modules of PCCHIPS production. It can also support latest Intel Pentium 4...


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## kpa (Nov 23, 2012)

This has been beaten to death on other threads here, many older motherboard have serious BIOS bugs that makes them choke on GPT partitioned disks.


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## jaobz (Nov 23, 2012)

Well, I was using gentoo linux  and before that debian, ubuntu 10.04 and never had problems booting disks.
This is the frozen screen:
http://www.subirimagenes.net/show-image.php?id=61e7a7c8bf10f54d9ca1ad64bbcbb9dd
http://www.subirimagenes.net/show-image.php?id=6779bf13d695a22b705bd46a3593dbab

After installing FreeBSD, these numbers appear next to the drives, they are:

```
HDD 1.00
 CD  20.00K20
```


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## wblock@ (Nov 23, 2012)

Gentoo, Debian, and Ubuntu are all variations of the same thing.  FreeBSD is very different from all of them.

Are there other operating systems on the same computer (same disk or other disks)?

If so, suspect the boot loader.

If this is a BIOS problem with GPT partitions, the only option is to install as MBR.


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## jaobz (Nov 24, 2012)

no i dont have any other OS and i now it is diferent have installed FreeBSD on may laptop an y traieed install in MBR partitions in may PCdesktop


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## nakal (Nov 25, 2012)

This problem appeared since FreeBSD installs on GPT. There are a few mainboards (the firmware on it) that try to figure out things in MBR which is really a bad behavior. Sometimes a firmware update helps. Sometimes the only option is to use MBR instead of GPT.

Whatever you do, you should *always yell at manufacturers*. If you don't they will keep being ignorant. It is really a bad solution to implement specific workarounds, if the hardware itself is bad. They should rather fix the hardware and they won't, if you don't complain.


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