# FreeBSD & netbook, need help



## dns_86 (Dec 26, 2010)

Hello everybody! 

I have 8.1 release on memstick.
But have a problem... .




What's wrong?
Help me please... . 


I used unetbootin-windows-471 to create memstick.
Netbook samsung n127.


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## dns_86 (Dec 27, 2010)

So... if no ideas, i get to know something.
Netbooks based on:

chipset Intel 945GSE + ICH7M
processor IntelÂ® Atomâ„¢ processor N270 (1.60GHz, 533MHz, 512KB)
graphic Intel GMA 950 (Int. Graphic)



N110
N120
N127
N128
N130
N138
N140
N308
N310
NC10
ND10 

Its difference only soft, OS, HDD. It seems... .

WLAN, WebCam, FN-keys, card reader not important for me.
I want install FreeBSD, Matlab, OpenOffice, something torrent client and ICQ.


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## lme@ (Dec 28, 2010)

Look for a menu entry called "rescan devices" or similar. After that your USB stick _should_ get recognized.


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## wetcoast (Dec 28, 2010)

I used the standard v8.1 i386 memstick image, dd'd directly onto a stick, and it works fine with my Intel N270/ICH7/945GSE-based box (Aaeon 6831).  Can you see if the boot messages show the USB hub detected?  Look for a pile of messages like this:


```
uhci0: <Intel 82801G (ICH7) USB controller USB-A> port 0xfe00-0xfe1f irq 23 at device 29.0 on pci0
uhci0: [ITHREAD]
usbus0: <Intel 82801G (ICH7) USB controller USB-A> on uhci0
```

I would check your BIOS settings, and double-check the stick image after that.  Do you know how to go from the installation menu to the "Fixit" console?  You can use this to check the boot messages as well.


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## dns_86 (Dec 29, 2010)

> Look for a menu entry called "rescan devices" or similar.


This?



It's doesn't work... . 


> I would check your BIOS settings





Change "DOS" to 'Other".
Change flash drive, change unitbootin 471 to 494.
Fat lot of good it did me... .


> and double-check the stick image after that


Cheek MD5, match.


> Do you know how to go from the installation menu to the "Fixit" console?


No... .


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## dns_86 (Jan 1, 2011)

Ololo. .
I did it.
Nearly... .
Select a "DOS partition".
But have a new errors.



All ended with same error. 
Truing safe mode, minimal installation.

May it be because HDD samsung? 
In bios doesn't exist HDD sittings... .


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## wblock@ (Jan 1, 2011)

The last time I looked at a FreeBSD memstick, the install files were just in a directory on the already-mounted memstick.  So the choice would not be USB, but "File System  -  Install from an existing filesystem".  The files are in a subdir named for the version, like "8.2-RC1".  Can't recall whether you have enter the path, but it would just be /8.2-RC1.


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## dns_86 (Jan 2, 2011)

It is not assured that has understood... .

Create subdir with "8.1-RELEASE" add "packages" inside. 
Use "File System - Install from an existing filesystem". ( /subdir, yeah?)
It has given nothing... .


Sorry fo my english. 
Correct, if it is necessary.


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## wblock@ (Jan 2, 2011)

dns_86 said:
			
		

> It is not assured that has understood... .
> 
> Create subdir with "8.1-RELEASE" add "packages" inside.



No, the memstick image already has all of the install files on it.  This is ftp://ftp.freebsd.org/pub/FreeBSD/releases/i386/ISO-IMAGES/8.2/FreeBSD-8.2-RC1-i386-memstick.img, for example.  

Just tested this, from the real memstick image, NOT something created by unetbootin.

It appears to run from memory, the filesystem isn't mounted until told.  When it gets to Choose Installation Media, selecting USB comes up with "Message: Using USB device: da0a".  Then it runs.  If the memstick isn't found, go to the Options screen, highlight Re-scan Devices, and press space (Enter does nothing).

I would guess that unetbootin isn't creating the partition layout the installer expects, but don't know.

If you don't have a FreeBSD install to create the memstick, you can use Linux's dd or try this: http://www.chrysocome.net/dd.  (Untested by me, but it should work.)


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## dns_86 (Jan 2, 2011)

> the memstick image already has all of the install files on it


I know.


> Re-scan Devices, and press space


I did it earlier.

I tried make a flash with universal boot manager GRUB4DOS. 
Manager  worked, but FreeBSD not.

In opennet.ru  i read about problems with samsung and WD HDD.


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## wblock@ (Jan 2, 2011)

dns_86 said:
			
		

> I tried make a flash with universal boot manager GRUB4DOS.
> Manager  worked, but freeBSD not.



The installer may be expecting a certain partition layout on the install media, and unetbootin and grub4dos may or may not create the right kind.  Have you tried the actual, real, unsimulated, nonduplicated, genuine FreeBSD memstick image installed on the USB stick with dd?


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## dns_86 (Jan 2, 2011)

> Have you tried the actual, real, unsimulated, nonduplicated, genuine FreeBSD memstick image installed on the USB stick with dd?


Still isn't present, tomorrow i'll do it... .


So difficult... .
Damn... where developers?

On VMware it's easy.
On PC it's easy too.

On netbook some bugs... .


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## dns_86 (Jan 2, 2011)

Unbelievable!
It's totally crazy!

Wrote flash, put 8.1-release and packages folders on flash.
Installation was complete.
FreeBSD-8.1-RELEASE-i386-memstick-ONLY-FOR-UNIX.img ???


 8.1-release and packages extract from disk 1.

For some reason mbr have 3 OS. (2 win XP)
But on HDD only one Win XP and one FreeBSD.
Must be editing... .


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## dns_86 (Jan 2, 2011)

Install from DOS partition.


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## dns_86 (Jan 4, 2011)

I find a second way.
Wrote boot manager with grab4dos.
Load folders from 7.3 DVD on flash. (without boot folder)
Boot bootonly.iso.
Install from DOS partition.
Installation  7.3 DVD was successfully.


So, FreeBSD-8.1-RELEASE-i386-memstick.img  not for windows. 
Unetbootin-494+windows XP = error.

Maybe developers make 8.2 memstick capable of working? 
Later i download 8.2 RC memstick.


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## wblock@ (Jan 4, 2011)

It appears that your problems are caused by using Linux tools to copy a FreeBSD image to a USB stick (or at least that's how I read it, there may be translation problems).  Since FreeBSD Is Not Linux, this is not guaranteed to work.

Did you try the Windows dd I pointed out above?


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## dns_86 (Jan 4, 2011)

> Linux tools


Unetbootin for windows officially support FreeBSD 7.2/8.0.
But memstick not work. DVD.iso too.



> Did you try the Windows dd I pointed out above?


Until no. 
Must i have DVD or memstick for dd?
How it works? Help me to understand... .

Maybe it third way. )))


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## dns_86 (Jan 4, 2011)

Find this. http://www.ehow.com/how_7487139_use-windows-make-bootable-usb.html
Load memstick.img with dd.
Have a "boot error'.


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## wetcoast (Jan 4, 2011)

*try rebooting?*

How many times did you try rebooting?  Sounds silly, but after my first reply to you I experienced the same problem and "fixed" it by rebooting.  

When I tried to use a USB stick to go to the Fixit console, it could not find any USB devices.  This was on a Atom N270-based box, with a USB stick containing FreeBSD v8.1 i386 memstick, created with dd on another FreeBSD box.  It did not recognize any devices even after a "rescan".  So I powered down, rebooted, and the USB was recognized on the second try.

I have no idea if it was a hardware or software fault, and I wasn't able to capture any boot messages at the time. :\


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## dns_86 (Jan 4, 2011)

> I have no idea


I think, FreeBSD not support ICH7M on 100%.
Maybe other problem.
Developers can give answer, but them keep silence.

I find 2 way to install freebsd on netbook. 
(i describe this above)


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## dns_86 (Jan 4, 2011)

> How many times did you try rebooting?


Very many... .


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## wblock@ (Jan 4, 2011)

Using dd for Windows

Download dd for Windows from http://www.chrysocome.net/dd.  Extract on your Windows system.  Copy dd.exe to the desktop.
Download the FreeBSD memstick image onto the Windows desktop.  In this example, it will be FreeBSD-8.2-RC1-i386-memstick.img.
Connect the USB memory stick to the Windows computer.  Determine the drive letter Windows calls the USB memory stick.  In this example, it will be F:.
Use dd to write the image to the memory stick (paths may have to be adjusted if you use Vista or Windows 7):
[cmd=">"]cd desktop[/cmd]
[cmd=">"]dd.exe if=FreeBSD-8.2-RC1-i386-memstick.img of=\\.\f: bs=1M[/cmd]

Disconnect the USB memory stick, it's ready to use.


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## wblock@ (Jan 4, 2011)

..or maybe not.  I'm seeing a "Boot error" on the stick I just made with the procedure above.  Not sure why yet, and that stick had some experimental fdisk and gpart stuff a little earlier.  I'll follow up later.


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## dns_86 (Jan 4, 2011)

*wblock*, already used 8.1.
Latter try 8.2 RC.


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## dns_86 (Jan 4, 2011)

> I'm seeing a "Boot error" on the stick I just made with the procedure above.


I see too.
See my message #18


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## wblock@ (Jan 4, 2011)

Same memstick, same procedure, but I wiped it out with dd if=/dev/zero first, and it works.  I'm guessing this was due to leftover GPT stuff at the end of the volume, because this is an 8G stick and it's only a 1G image.

dd for Windows has a /dev/zero pseudo-device that should also work.

For the example above, it would be
[cmd=">"]dd.exe if=/dev/zero of=\\.\f: bs=1M[/cmd]

Do that before writing the image onto the stick.


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## dns_86 (Jan 4, 2011)

Result: "Boot error".


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## wblock@ (Jan 5, 2011)

I have just tested FreeBSD-8.1-RELEASE-i386-memstick.img.  It produces the "Boot error" message, even after supposedly dd-ing zeros over the whole drive.  The partition table is clearly wrong.  It still shows

```
# file -s /dev/da0
/dev/da0: x86 boot sector; partition 1: ID=0xc, active, starthead 1, startsector 63, 15647247 sectors, code offset 0x31
```

That's what it was before dd supposedly overwrote it--twice!

And the actual image shows

```
# file FreeBSD-8.1-RELEASE-i386-memstick.img 
/tmp/FreeBSD-8.1-RELEASE-i386-memstick.img: x86 boot sector; partition 4: ID=0xa5, active, starthead 0, startsector 0, 50000 sectors, code offset 0x3c, BSD disklabel
```

This could be a Windows "virus protection" feature, preventing overwriting the boot block.  Or it could be a problem with the dd for Windows utility, or something else.  When I use FreeBSD's dd to write the memory stick, it works perfectly.

Update: dd for Windows works, but drive letters refer to partitions, not bare disks.  So to use dd.exe to write the memory stick, you need to use the --list option, then figure out which of the entries refers to the memory stick and use that as the write target.  For my USB stick, it was \\?\Harddisk5\Partition0.  I think, USB 1 on that test system so I didn't write the whole stick.

Another option I've found but have not tried is http://www.winimage.com/winimage.htm.


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## wblock@ (Jan 5, 2011)

Found a (maybe) better alternative: https://launchpad.net/win32-image-writer

Simple to use, no install, the virus checker didn't complain about it.  And it worked to install the 8.1 memstick image to a drive letter.  Only used it once, and haven't searched for other references.


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## dns_86 (Jan 5, 2011)

Win32-image-writer is working. 
I'm dancing! )))

Image wrote very fast. (about 2  minutes )
Installation about 10  minutes. (from USB, not for DOS partition or other)

It is the fastest way to install FreeBSD!!!


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