# Fresh FreeBSD 9.1 installation reboots when trying to boot for first time



## blackout24 (Mar 12, 2013)

Hello,

unfortunately the lack of information I get did not allow me to do some research on my problem before starting this thread.

I'm trying to get FreeBSD 9.1 installed from USB (`dd`'ed the memstick image in Linux) on to this machine:

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...foCategory&cc=de&dlc=de&lc=de&product=3444032

I installed 2 GB RAM and a Crucial M4 64 GB SSD into this laptop.

Since it is fairly old (2007) and uses NVIDIA graphics (which should have good support on FreeBSD) I did not check any hardware compatibility lists and just tried my luck. My only experience with FreeBSD comes from installing it on a very old PC (from 2001) just to play around for an afternoon and set up SSH on it.

I used the automated guided installation for partitioning. I did not enable crash dumps thinking won't need them immediately. I enabled the services SSHD, NTPD and POWERD. Added one user and rebooted and removed my USB stick.

BTX Loader comes up. I hit Enter. Screen goes black and before seeing anything it does a reboot. I tried switching Single User, Safe Mode, Verbose and ACPI on and off but get the same result.

Anyone got an idea what might be the problem and what I might have to change to get it to boot?

Regards,

blackout24


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## blackout24 (Mar 12, 2013)

This is related to the same problem:

http://forums.freebsd.org/showthread.php?t=38354

If I insert my USB stick and let BIOS boot from hard drive it boots up like expected. Why does it care about the USB stick? Have not tested if any USB stick will do.

Can't try to install it from a CD/DVD since I don't have any CD/DVD-Rs at home.


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## glitchcowboy (Mar 12, 2013)

Ultimately, that's the same thing I had:
http://forums.freebsd.org/showthread.php?t=38354
 But no fix. 

Anyone?


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## blackout24 (Mar 12, 2013)

I noticed something strange. When I have my USB as No. 1 boot device and let it boot straight into it to start the installation the loadermenu also causes the PC to reboot. I can only get into the setup when I press "Esc" at the beginning and specify the boot device directly. 

I have the feeling that during the installation it might use the USB stick (da0) and incorporate it into the system somehow. I can't remove it from the Partition Editor during installation (Device Busy). ada0p1 freebsd-boot is on my SSD though. After I'm in the system is there some way I can find out if the USB stick is used in the loaders configuration somehow? I have no understanding how to loader works at that point. I thought everything for the system is just dumped to the disk.


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## blackout24 (Mar 12, 2013)

I installed a FreeBSD 10 Snapshot from memstick to find out if it also happens. It does. When I boot without USB stick it doesn't even get to the loader menu it stops after the kernel text=somenumbersandstuff line. When I reboot and press Esc to tell the laptop to boot from Hard Drive I get into the menu and can boot up.


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