# [FreeNAS] Problems with USB Boot on Dell Optiplex GX270



## Nick2253 (Nov 21, 2010)

Hey all.  I need some help!  I'm having problems booting off of a USB drive.  BTX is throwing errors.  The whole story is below.  Thanks.

I am trying to install FreeNAS (which is a FreeBSD derivative OS for all those not in the know) on an old Dell Optiplex GX270.  Prior to install, I upgraded the BIOS to the most recent version, A07.  The current system set up is: 1 IDE Cdrom drive, 2 IDE hard drives, and 1 USB 2GB Patriot Thumb Drive.  The goal is to install the OS on the USB drive and put data on the two IDE drives.  I am successfully able to boot off the UBCD installed an a 2 GB Kingston Thumb drive.

So far, I have successfully installed (or I believe to have successfully installed) FreeNAS on this USB drive in a number of ways.  However, when I boot the computer from them, I get the following message:



```
BTX loader 1.00  BTX version is 1.02
Consoles: internal video/keyboard
BIOS 640kB/1038784kB available memory

FreeBSD/i386 bootstrap loader, Revision 1.1
(imp@81-386.ixsystems.com, Fri Nov 12 07:34:54 PST 2010)
Can't work out which disk we are booting from.
Guessed BIOS device 0x80 not found by probes, defaulting to disk0:

can't load 'kernel'

Type '?' for a list of commands, 'help' for more detailed help.
OK _
```


Obviously the computer can read something from the USB drive as it is launching the BTX loader.  The computer boots sucessfully to FreeNAS from a CD drive, but it doesn't work from USB.  From the OK prompt, if I run a few of the commands, I get the following output:



```
ls
open '/' failed: device not configured

lsmod
<no output>

lsdev
cd devices:
disk devices:
pxe devices:
```


I've tried enabling/disabling Legacy USB Support in the BIOS, different versions of FreeNAS (and therefore FreeBSD), however I don't know what to do now.  I've read a lot about this subject using Google, trying different permutations of the error, but to no avail.  Most of the posts are people having problems with no solutions.  Hopefully, there is a better solution than "it's your BIOS, get a new computer".

Thanks,
Nick


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## wblock@ (Nov 21, 2010)

For USB booting on FreeBSD 8.x, add a setting in /boot/loader.conf:

```
kern.cam.boot_delay=10000
```


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## DutchDaemon (Nov 21, 2010)

Also note: Topics about PC-BSD / FreeNAS / DesktopBSD / m0N0WALL / pfSense.


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