# FreeBSD 12 can't find '/boot/entropy'



## the_real_man (Nov 17, 2018)

Hello

I want to install FreeBSD-12.0-RC1-amd64-memstick on a Lenovo 100-15IBY Laptop but I get the following error after pressing enter to boot to multi user:

`Loading configured modules...
can't find '/boot/entropy'`


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## ShelLuser (Nov 17, 2018)

FreeBSD 12 hasn't been officially released yet and it's in beta stage. I'd suggest using 11.2 for now and upgrade later.


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## SirDice (Nov 21, 2018)

It doesn't exist at first boot. It might fail to get created if you have a read-only root filesystem. Did you enable any of the security options?


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## jhfoo (Dec 14, 2018)

I'm seeing the same problem with the RELEASE v12, on my Dell 1850.


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## nwarner (Dec 16, 2018)

I created a 'boot only' disc from "12.0-RELEASE amd", and I'm seeing the same thing, "can't find /boot/entropy"

I can't even boot the 'boot only' CD.


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## ipyakuza (Dec 24, 2018)

Same issues here.  Tried the boot only image and full blown DVD image.  Tried burning them to multiple USB sticks on Windows 10 (using Rufus) which failed because it claimed the image had some unique compression or boot image, MacOS (Mojave) by converting from ISO -> IMG then DD to the usb stick.  Also tried on native ArchLinux client using iso -> USB via dd.  The 12.0 images always boot with can't find '/boot/entrophy' and the spinner just hangs.  So three different operating systems, three different methods, using two different USB sticks.


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## ipyakuza (Dec 24, 2018)

Did another test to validate the ISO itself.  Burned to an actual DVD (first time in years) with the exact same results.  Something leads me to believe the issue is unique to how the image was created or structure of the bootable partition.


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## ipyakuza (Dec 25, 2018)

SOLVED:  Final verdict required flipping a few BIOS settings in order to get the image to boot properly.  Worked just fine off the original USB stick I created on my Mac using dd.  I tested again and both BIOS settings were required in order for it to boot properly:
1. SATA MODE = IDE (instead of AHCI)
2. BOOT MODE = UEFI

This system is a Dell WYSE N03D thin client (comes with Windows 7 by default).  I have a stack of these and they always require Boot Mode = LEGACY COMMON when I run ArchLinux or CentOS on them.  I noticed with these changed bios settings it fires up in framebuffer mode and it still shows the same error (can't find '/boot/entrophy') but at least it drops right into the installation wizard as expected.  Hope this helps for someone else.


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## Spartrekus (Dec 27, 2018)

ipyakuza said:


> SOLVED:  Final verdict required flipping a few BIOS settings in order to get the image to boot properly.  Worked just fine off the original USB stick I created on my Mac using dd.  I tested again and both BIOS settings were required in order for it to boot properly:
> 1. SATA MODE = IDE (instead of AHCI)
> 2. BOOT MODE = UEFI
> 
> This system is a Dell WYSE N03D thin client (comes with Windows 7 by default).  I have a stack of these and they always require Boot Mode = LEGACY COMMON when I run ArchLinux or CentOS on them.  I noticed with these changed bios settings it fires up in framebuffer mode and it still shows the same error (can't find '/boot/entrophy') but at least it drops right into the installation wizard as expected.  Hope this helps for someone else.



This solution is ugly, because we shall not need to have UEFI. 

Bill gates will be happier to read this .


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## Spartrekus (Jul 7, 2019)

A solution is into the boot loader to remove the ACPI

So that it states : ACPI  off

this is important, once it fails with entropy. it will continue.

However, I tested on an usb harddisk.
With the following:  https://download.freebsd.org/ftp/sn...-STABLE-i386-20190705-r349749-memstick.img.xz
With booted memdisk with bsdinstall and installed on entire disk.

Note that this kernel has this issue. The trick is to copy the older working /boot on a newer release, it will boot, but it lacks of features such as wireless. 

The issue is coming from /boot/kernel actually more specifically.

There is no entropy issue for r328126. this one does has too /boo/entropy
There is an entropy issue for r349749 but it will be ok so far without ACPI.

It would be great if there is a fix.

13.0 freebsd has not yet legacy, and likely all will hang on machine without microsoft efi.


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## Phishfry (Jul 7, 2019)

Spartrekus said:


> 13.0 freebsd has not yet legacy


Are you sure FreeBSD 13 has no Legacy? I had not heard that yet. So you are saying FreeBSD 13 is EFI only?
I have not tried 13-CURRENT so I do not know.


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## Spartrekus (Jul 7, 2019)

Phishfry said:


> Are you sure FreeBSD 13 has no Legacy? I had not heard that yet. So you are saying FreeBSD 13 is EFI only?
> I have not tried 13-CURRENT so I do not know.


I have not a single machine with EFI. I run only free, libre, legacy machines (PI, PC and notebooks.

If a notebook has Windows MS on it, I will not buy it.

If I buy a notebook, I buy only with FreeDOS on it.

Furthermore, it is then cheaper.

So far, I heard that  13.0 have no legacy support.

As you wrote, I suspect that 12 supports for Intel only EFI.

I would like to especially thank you for your great help !! thank you


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## SirDice (Jul 8, 2019)

Spartrekus said:


> So far, I heard that 13.0 have no legacy support.


Stop propagating FUD please.


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## Barney (Nov 17, 2019)

Stuff that boots freebsd 9 won't boot freebsd 12. Anyone see a problem here?

In the old days, the major reason for upgrading  was support for more and newer hardware. Older stuff ALWAYS worked. Now they're moving in the other direction, for no good reason. Making the boot process more complicated serves no purpose other than to make life more difficult and waste people's time.


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## miguelc (Apr 27, 2020)

So I bumped into this after using `freebsd-update -r upgrade`, It gets stuck after "/boot/entropy" line! But the USB img also gives "can't find /boot/entropy" and since this is a "barebone" with a MSI motherboard I don't really have any advanced BIOS options!

This was on the first of several "workstation" machines I want to update mostly to get better drm-kmod support, but so far no luck, I of course would like to update the others too.

FWIW If I disable ACPI on the boot menu I get a panic; I also trying `unload` followed by `load /boot/kernel/kernel` and `boot` (since in some posts it was suggest it could be a bad module) but no luck!


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## gpw928 (Apr 29, 2020)

I would do this:

get the system booted into single user mode with the new root mounted writable (either from the release media of the new system itself);
dd if=/dev/random of=/boot/entropy bs=4096 count=1; 
chmod 600 /boot/entropy; and
sync and reboot multiuser.
Getting the root mounted writable in single user mode depends on how you boot it (release media or existing root), and the type of file system (ufs or zfs).


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## miguelc (Apr 29, 2020)

Turns out I was able to enable uefi on the board after all it just wasn't a super clear setting! But that might be handy in future after freebsd-update  upgrade. I would just need a older release to boot from which should be trivial with UFS, but for ZFS it might be more complicated depending on the features used I suppose.

In any case thanks for sharing


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## vmb (Jul 16, 2021)

ipyakuza said:


> SOLVED:  Final verdict required flipping a few BIOS settings in order to get the image to boot properly.  Worked just fine off the original USB stick I created on my Mac using dd.  I tested again and both BIOS settings were required in order for it to boot properly:
> 1. SATA MODE = IDE (instead of AHCI)
> 2. BOOT MODE = UEFI
> 
> This system is a Dell WYSE N03D thin client (comes with Windows 7 by default).  I have a stack of these and they always require Boot Mode = LEGACY COMMON when I run ArchLinux or CentOS on them.  I noticed with these changed bios settings it fires up in framebuffer mode and it still shows the same error (can't find '/boot/entrophy') but at least it drops right into the installation wizard as expected.  Hope this helps for someone else.


This caught me today. The monitor and cables I usually use are 200 miles away and the system being reloaded had only DVI graphics. I tried a number of different monitors and cables with DVI-A to VGA and still no luck, video stopping at the entropy message but clearly continuing when trying to boot from DVD. I also tried pfSense media, same result. The BIOS was set to dual mode, Legacy AND EFI. After switching it to EFI ONLY it worked. I booted and installed without problem.


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