# Install FreeBSD 9.0 rc1 from USB Flash (Grub4Dos or others..)



## valsorym (Nov 4, 2011)

Hi all. 
Tell me please.

I am installing FreeBSD from USB Flash (using Grub4Dos), Gentoo Linux and Other Os.
Very handy (and CD disks that (pitifully/sorry) - sorry for my English).

Description of the action written in my HOWTO.

Now I'm trying to install FreeBSD 9.0 rc1 from USB Flash using Grub4Dos. 
But I did not get. (Maybe someone knows another method to install FreeBSD 9, USB Flash).

Starting with a USB Flash I get:

```
da0: 3824MB (7831552 512 byte sectors: 255H 63S/T 487C)
ugen1.4: <CN023VXT724870680FX7> at usbus1
Trying to mount root from cd9660:/dev/iso9660/FREEBSD_INSTALL [ro]...
mountroot: waiting for device /dev/iso9660/FREEBSD_INSTALL ...
Mounting from cd9660:/dev/iso9660/FREEBSD_INSTALL failed with error 19.

Loader variables:
    vfs.root.mountfrom=cd9660:/dev/iso9660/FREEBSD_INSTALL
    vfs.root.mountfrom.options=ro

Manual root filesystem specification:
    <fstype>:<device> [options]
        Mount <device> using filesystem <fstype>
        and with the specified (optional) option list.

      eg. ufs:/dev/da0s1a
          zfs:tank
          cd9660:/dev/acd0 ro
            (which is equivalent to: mount -t cd9660 -o ro /dev/acd0 /)

    ?               List valid disk boot devices
    .               Yield 1 second (for background taska)
    <empty line>    Abort manual input

mountroot> _
```

Okay, thought I. I unpacked FreeBSD9 to the root of USB Flash.
The idea is that my USB Flash has a FAT32 file system, and should be defined as /dev/da0

Now I quote:

```
...
mountroot> msdosfs:/dev/da0s1
```

- but the computer just restarts.

Then I began to try different options:

```
...
mountroot> msdosfs:/dev/da0s1a
...
mountroot> msdosfs:/dev/da0
```

* Even fully loaded ISO image into memory.

Where am I wrong?


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## wblock@ (Nov 4, 2011)

Why are you trying this instead of using the memory stick images that are already available?  There's a Handbook section on it.


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## valsorym (Nov 4, 2011)

The first preparation of USB Flash with FreeBSD 8.2 I drove out of the system under Windows! It was the best option! ..
 I am still a bit lost and now I use Gentoo - and that the variants working again! ...
Because I could not use the earlier version proposed by you! That used Grub4Dos.

But this time I was a little oriented to Unix, and your proposed option (option proposed by the developers) - suits me, it was good! 
This time I try it! Thank you.


A few minutes later added:
Besides using Grub4Dos I added a USB flash drive following items:
1. Hard disk boot - (it let me reboot system without removing the USB flash).
2. FreeBSD 8.2 Install
3. Frenzy - allowed in case of failure to go to device)
4. Acronez.

In addition to all USB flash be collected by folders - it allows you to conveniently manage the files on it (such as a local repository, or install scripts / setup).


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## Beeblebrox (Nov 4, 2011)

Try this thread: http://forums.freebsd.org/showthread.php?p=153192#post153192


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## valsorym (Nov 4, 2011)

Thanks, I'll watch it.


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## valsorym (Nov 4, 2011)

wblock@ said:
			
		

> Why are you trying this instead of using the memory stick images that are already available?  There's a Handbook section on it.



Yes, i download  FreeBSD-9.0-RC1-i386-memstick.img

And work it:
`# dd if=FreeBSD-9.0-RELEASE-i386-memstick.img of=/dev/da0 bs=64k`

All Ok, but after reboot:


```
Try (hd0,0): non-MS: skip
Try (hd0,1): invalid or null
Try (hd0,2): invalid or null
Try (hd0,3): invalid or null
Try (hd1,0): non-MS: skip
Try (hd1,1): invalid or null
Try (hd1,2): invalid or null
Try (hd1,3): invalid or null
Try (fd0): invalid or null
Cannot find GRLDR
Press space bar to hold the screen, any other key to boot previous MBR ...
Timeout: Boot error
```



			
				Beeblebrox said:
			
		

> Try this thread: http://forums.freebsd.org/showthread...192#post153192




This post is closed by! (undecided)


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## wblock@ (Nov 4, 2011)

The FreeBSD image doesn't have any grub components on it.  Use the BIOS boot menu to boot it directly.


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## valsorym (Nov 4, 2011)

I recreated:

```
# dd if=FreeBSD-9.0-RELEASE-i386-memstick.img of=/dev/da0 bs=64k
```

only in the field "bs" I write 128K, etc.

```
# dd if=FreeBSD-9.0-RELEASE-i386-memstick.img of=/dev/da0 bs=128k
```

and all ok.. reboot my PC and all ok too.

Thank you!
Although the method Grub4Dos liked me more!


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## wblock@ (Nov 5, 2011)

The bs parameter should only affect how long it takes to write the memory stick image.  128k really shouldn't be any different than 64k, either in speed or in the data that's written.

It might not be a bad idea to use md5(1) to check the data after write:

```
# md5 FreeBSD-9.0-RC1-amd64-memstick.img
MD5 (FreeBSD-9.0-RC1-amd64-memstick.img) = 07f83c8015a1907953b826b0c65069f0
# dd if=/dev/da0 bs=681361408 | md5             # set bs= to size of whole file
1330784+0 records in
1330784+0 records out
681361408 bytes transferred in 2.988883 secs (227965231 bytes/sec)
07f83c8015a1907953b826b0c65069f0
```


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## valsorym (Nov 5, 2011)

Ok, Thank you!


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## Maisondouf (Nov 5, 2011)

wblock@ said:
			
		

> set bs= to size of whole file



Yes, indeed! For a long time I look for a checking method for ISO on USB stick with dd and never I had thought to set the block size to one big block. Shame on me 

Thanks a lot.


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## wblock@ (Nov 6, 2011)

The "one big block" thing was just off the top of my head.  It will use that amount of memory, too.  Less brute-force and more efficient would be to divide the file size by some even multiple that can be used in bs= and count= options.


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