# Installing 9.1 can't start bootable media



## sameer_indirock (Aug 1, 2013)

I have decided to try FreeBSD and for this purpose downloaded the USB image of 9.1. I am currently using Arch Linux. To create the installation disk I did `dd if=FreeBSD-9.1-RELEASE-amd64-memstick.img of=/dev/sdc bs=64 --conv=sync`. This gave no error. When I try to boot the media however _[ what is missing here? -- Mod. ]_ the computer I am using the HP Probook 4341s.

To select boot device I press F9 at startup and select my USB drive. A screen flashes (too fast to read anything but if you do it enough times you get a glimpse of a few words like bootloader and FreeBSD) and the HP startup screen reappears.


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## wblock@ (Aug 1, 2013)

Use bs=64K, not just 64.  If it still has the same problem, I'm not sure what to suggest.  Check for BIOS options, maybe.


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## sameer_indirock (Aug 1, 2013)

> Use bs=64K, not just 64. If it still has the same problem, I'm not sure what to suggest. Check for BIOS options, maybe.



I used 64k just mistyped on this forum.


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## sameer_indirock (Aug 1, 2013)

Could this have anything to do with AHCI mode being enabled for SATA in BIOS?


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## wblock@ (Aug 1, 2013)

Not likely.  With AHCI disabled, it will still work.  Enabling AHCI just makes it go a little faster.

HP systems have a lot of possibilities for problems.  It could be an ACPI problem, a BIOS problem, or something else.  Does that system have a UEFI BIOS?


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## sameer_indirock (Aug 2, 2013)

> Does that system have a UEFI BIOS



I am not entirely sure. If I press F10 at startup I enter the BIOS. If I press F2 I enter a "system diagnostics" software which has UEFI written in huge letters. I also have an HP_TOOLS partition. So I thought my BIOS was UEFI.
But from following these intructions http://kb.parallels.com/en/115815 I got the following. 

```
2012-12-04 12:49:59, Info       IBS    Callback_BootEnvironmentDetect:FirmwareType 1.
2012-12-04 12:49:59, Info       IBS    Callback_BootEnvironmentDetect: Detected boot environment: BIOS
```
Also the Arch Linux install media never boots into the UEFI mode on this computer (going by the installation manual on the Arch wiki).

So I am confused.

Just posting the BIOS version in case it might be relevant: Hewlett-Packard 68IRR Ver.F.40 29-01-2013.

Edit:

I looked around more and apparently the first line is supposed to appear if Windows Vista is booting with the BIOS. And the second line should appear in Windows 7. So that is a confusion created by Windows. But so far we can say that neither Windows nor Linux is detecting UEFI so I doubt FreeBSD is doing so as well.


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## sameer_indirock (Aug 12, 2013)

No ideas?


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