# FreeBSD Installs with a Broken Terminal



## Keith Z (Nov 15, 2015)

I took the DVD (FreeBSD-10.2-RELEASE-amd64-dvd1.iso) that I have been using for all of my install attempts and put it in one of my laptops. It installed just fine and delivered me to the shell prompt (white rectangle). Typing on the keyboard yields characters on the screen. I have booted in repeatedly. It works fine. Just like the Youtube videos.

When I power on I get the autoboot countdown timer and then eventually


```
login:
```

I enter

`root`


It appears on the screen followed by the cursor (white rectangle). 

hitting
`[ENTER]`

yields

```
Password:
```

With a cursor. Entering the password and`[ENTER]`

delivers me to a working system.


```
root@thnkPd:~ #
```


`ls [ENTER]`

yields


```
.cshrc       .k5login      .login      .profile
```


My desktop machine just won't work with the same CD. The first clue that something is wrong is that when the FreeBSD banner appears with its six choices there is no countdown. This is booting from the CD. Also pressing the space bar has no effect.

Then it installs just like the laptop except that the shel prompt is gone and there is this strange buffer between the keyboard and the screen. If I choose live CD instead of install the behavior is the same. If booting from CD after a full install if I choose shell then I get # and a normal shell prompt at first. With a prompt.


```
root@Work1:~ # man hier
```

has a prompt until I hit`[ENTER]`

Then I get the correct result except that the terminal is broken at the end of the display output.

I'm using all defaults. I've used several other FreeBSD iso's including FreeBSD-10.2-RELEASE-amd64-bootonly.iso. They all install the same on my system. The terminal is broken.

No cursor appears. Eventually I can manage to login and I am delivered to


```
root@Work1:~ #
```

with no cursor.`ls[ENTER]`

produces on the display


```
root@Work1:~ #
root@Work1:~ #
```

`[ENTER]`

produces on the display

```
root@Work1:~ #ls
```

`[Enter]`

produces on the display


```
.cshrc      .k5login     .login      .profile
root@Work1:~ #
```

with no prompt.

The behavior is the same with a PS2 keyboard as well as a wireless keyboard.

My desktop is:
MSI Motherboard K9VGM with SATA hard drive and IDE optical drive

Phoenix – Award Workstation BIOS

Total Memory 2559 MB

BIOS Version V1.1

CPU: Athalon ™ 64 X@ Dual Core Processor 4200+

CPU ID/uCode ID 0FB2/00

CPU Frequency 2200 MHz

Is there any way to install FreeBSD on this system?


----------

