Installation CD boot issue

[operator]

Hello,

i'm trying to install the FreeNAS-11.3-U5 from CD. My system uses 120 GB SSD and external USB DVD drive. But after i start from the CD the installation will be halted before the "Shark Menu" with following message:

Code:

FreeBSD/x86 bootstrap loader, Revision 1.1
(Mon Sep .... ixsystems.net)
\
can´t load ´kernel´

Type ´?´for a list of commands, ´help´for more detailed help.
OK

 

[operator]

Can nobody help me ???

 

[Samuel Tai]

Please supply more info about the specific hardware involved.

 

[operator]

Please supply more info about the specific hardware involved.

Hello Samuel,
no problem. Here is my config:
- Mainboard: Asrock E350M1
- 4GB RAM 2x Crucial Ballistix Sport 133MHz 9-9-9-24 1.5V PC3-10600U -> BLS4G3D1339DS1S00.16FMR
- 120 GB SSD PNY CS900 SSD
- 2x WD 3 TB HDD WD30EFRX

The older Version of FreeNAS (9.x) was working before on this system for some years.

 

[Samuel Tai]

Yes, this appears to be a conflict between the earlier UEFI BIOS on your board and the later UEFI compliant BTX boot loader inherited from FreeBSD. Looking through various Reddit posts, FreeBSD forums, etc., there may not be any work-around. You could try:

• Making sure all your drives have GPT partition tables, instead of MBR
• Disconnecting drives until the BTX loader can find the kernel on CD

If these measures don't work, then your board is essentially older (2014 vintage) than what BTX can support.

 

[operator]

Yes, this appears to be a conflict between the earlier UEFI BIOS on your board and the later UEFI compliant BTX boot loader inherited from FreeBSD. Looking through various Reddit posts, FreeBSD forums, etc., there may not be any work-around. You could try:

• Making sure all your drives have GPT partition tables, instead of MBR
• Disconnecting drives until the BTX loader can find the kernel on CD

If these measures don't work, then your board is essentially older (2014 vintage) than what BTX can support.

Hello Samuel,
now i disconnected all drives and get still the "can't load kernel" message like on screenshot from post #1

 

[Samuel Tai]

Yes, unfortunately, you're going to need different hardware. Yours is just too old for BTX to support.

 

[operator]

Yes, unfortunately, you're going to need different hardware. Yours is just too old for BTX to support.

Can i maybe install older version and update then to current FreeNAS? Or can be the BIOS flash a solution?

 

[operator]

Yes, unfortunately, you're going to need different hardware. Yours is just too old for BTX to support.

????

 

[pschatz100]

I am not familiar with old AMD boards (I run an older Intel-based board) but I can think of some things to try:

1. If your bios allows to boot from a BIOS boot device (some motherboards refer to this as LEGACY boot), try configuring your FreeNAS installation to create a "BIOS" boot device. On older motherboards, UEFI environments were a bit fussy. This may do the trick.

2. Try creating a FreeNAS 11.1 boot device. They changed the way the system boots after version 11.1, so you might be able to install the older version, then upgrade from there.

3. If you have an older working FreeNAS install, you can try updating to the latest version - but I would do it one step at a time: go from your existing version 9 to the latest version 9.10, then to version 11.1, then to 11.3. It would be a bit tedious, but ought to work. There are some forum posts that discuss this.

Regardless of the approach you take, I would get your system running before mounting your data volumes. This will prevent you from damaging your data by mistake. Once you have the the new version of FreeNAS running and stable, you will be able to mount the old data volumes.

Also, I would go into the motherboard bios and disable features that you won't be using, such as the audio.