# install on a usb stick



## DemoDoG (Jan 7, 2009)

IÂ´m trying to install FreeBSD 7.1 on a usb stick from sysinstall. It show up as da0 and I can go through the whole process downloading from ftp and installing on it. But when I try to boot from it, it canÂ´t find any kernel and just gives me a prompt for entering command.

Have I missed something here, do I need to prepare the usb stick somehow before installation?


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## Oko (Jan 7, 2009)

DemoDoG said:
			
		

> IÂ´m trying to install FreeBSD 7.1 on a usb stick from sysinstall. It show up as da0 and I can go through the whole process downloading from ftp and installing on it. But when I try to boot from it, it canÂ´t find any kernel and just gives me a prompt for entering command.
> 
> Have I missed something here, do I need to prepare the usb stick somehow before installation?



Oh yes. You do have to prepare USB stick. To give you a head start USB stick is more or less the same thing as bootable floppy.
You can find how to by Googleing.


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## DemoDoG (Jan 7, 2009)

Okay I just thought that the sysinstall did it for me. But I will check it out then.


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## DemoDoG (Jan 7, 2009)

Trying this now and installing it again.


fdisk -BI /dev/ad0
bsdlabel -Brw /dev/ad0s1
bsdlabel -e /dev/ad0s1

You just want to add an a: listing
before it, and give it the same values that the c: entry has, except
change "unused" to "4.2BSD". Save and exit.

Now you need to give it a filesystem:

newfs /dev/ad0s1


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## DemoDoG (Jan 7, 2009)

this didnÂ´t help either, I guess I have to google more


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## graudeejs (Jan 7, 2009)

use sysinstall go to fsisk and make partitions make one active
press W to write them to disk, exit sysinstall

create labels with bsdlabel as i suggest in FreeBSD + Geli (in guides)

after that use newfs
when done make usb image on HDD with dd
attach image with mdconfig and mount it
then fallow this guide to install basic system:
http://daemonforums.org/showthread.php?t=1538
if you can't can't set env variable as in article, run sh as root and then set it

i have no time atm to explain more verbosly, but steps are covered....
I have done this few times


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## DemoDoG (Jan 7, 2009)

Okay thanx, I also found this guide that uses and ISO image, seems pretty promising too:
http://typo.submonkey.net/articles/2006/04/13/installing-freebsd-on-usb-stick-episode-2


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