HELP!!! Can't install pfSense
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Ah well that's good news.
Does it correctly detect the two PCI cards under IPCop?
It probably can boot from USB, it's not that old.So, it won't boot because of some FreeBSD bootloader quirk. Solution: Use a different bootloader.
Grub presumably works if IPCop loads (are they using grub? It's been a long time) so you can use that. Alternatives are suggested in the boot troubleshooting page I linked to.Steve
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Now you've lost me.. not really sure about the bootloader thingy.. is grub what is installed with pfSense?? It is a blank hard drive, so i havent installed anything, or have the know how to install a different bootloader..
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By far the easiest thing you could do is use a PATA drive.
The bootloader is what first runs after the bios. It loads and runs the OS.
FreeBSD is complex and has several stages of loading. The output you are seeing "option F1 Freebsd" is from the first part of the loading sequence. It should automatically load and run the next part but for some reason it's not doing that. Probably because it can't find the code on the sata drive.
By using a different bootloader that knows about SATA you should be able to get pfSense running. It's not easy though! ::)Steve
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I see, not easy and FreeBSD makes it really not easy for me then :)
I just tried doing the install to a 8gb Thumb drive formatted to NTFS.. didn't work either.. But this one didn't even get as far as the reboot.. maybe cant use thumb drives either. I'll have to see if i can get an IDE drive then. Do you know how i might try to load a different bootloader?
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Theoretically it would be something like:
Install pfSense.
Boot from a linux live cd, like Ubuntu.
Install grub.However it's not something I've ever tried myself so I can't offer any advice on the specifics. I've just been Googling the topic and there doesn't seem to be much directly helpful info out there.
Steve
Look at this post about using the GAG loader. Looks pretty straight forward.
Instruction on this blog. Not quite the same problem but hopefully the same solution. -
Sometimes some linux flavours seems to have trouble with apci, maybe you could disable this in your bios and try again, but as said before you must check all settings in your bios, because it can be tricky sometimes. Please check if your bios gives option to set sata/pata to automatic and change it to sata only if you still try this with the original disk.
http://www.techtalkz.com/freebsd/114125-how-disable-acpi-bootup.html
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I'm starting to think there might be something wrong with the hardware here.. I have just installed Ubuntu on it and it still freezes from time to time..
The BIOS doesnt give any SATA/PATA option.. just IDE or RAID.
Going to get someone to check out the hardware for me now.. then i'll come back and let you know how its going. Thanks for all the support!!
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Did you disable the ACPI?
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The first option in the bios should look something like this:
If you have selected the IDE option for SATA does it appear on that screen?
If so you should be able to move the highlighted area down to it and press enter. Then you'll get some options, auto, manual, LBA, CHS, etc.It seems like you are having a very hard time. I hope it doesn't put you off using pfSense.
Steve
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Yes i have tried it with and without ACPI..
On my BIOS, the only options i have for IDE or RAID (for the SATA Drive)
So my screen reads something like:
IDE Primary Master [DVD Drive]
IDE Primary Slave [None]
SATA 1 [Hard Drive]
SATA 2 [None]More or less that anyways.. I have run a memtest today and that passed fine, so hardware does seem to be ok. Have successfully been able to install Ubuntu 10.10 also.
I have tried changing ll the options in the BIOS that i can think of..
I am about to try another hard drive.. I am definately not put off using pfSense, i REALLY want this working.. Just starting to wish i had a better/newer box at hand to do it on..
EDIT: I just tried one last installation with the existing hard drive, but this time i selected to do a custom install, and when it asked which kernel to use (Multiprocessor, Singleprocessor, custom) i selected the Custom one which said something about embedded vga and keyboard..when rebooted, this time it goes a little further that where i press F1 or Enter.. bust it still stalls a few lines after this. here is a what it says:
F1 FreeBSD
Boot: F1
/boot.config: DBTX loader 1.00 BTX version is 1.02
Consoles: internal video/keyboard serial port
BIOS drive A: is disk0
BIOS drive C: is disk1
BIOS 639kb/457664B available memoryFreeBSD/i386 bootstrap loader, Revision 1.1
(sullrich@FreeBSD_7.2_pfSense_1.2.3_snaps.pfSense.org, Sun Dec 6 22:34:04 EST 2
009)Loading /boot/defaults/loader.conf
And thats where it stalls.. any ideas?
I am unable obviously here to install 1.2.3.. i dont have and blank cd's and its night here so is it possible for be to use the pfsense 2 .iso and create a bootable thumb drive to try installing that again? I am using windows 7 also here..
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Only thing i can come up with is install this drive in other machine maybe nics as well and install there, then after install swap disk back and see if it will boot then, sorry no more ideas other turn the acpi off :-(( hmmmm, just think of pnp turn this of in the bios!! remove all unnecessary hardware like soundcard! and so on… turn of in bios ser port and paralel port..
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Depending on what you selected the output may have switched to the serial console at that point. It may have continued to boot correctly. You certainly seem to be past the first stage bootloader.
Do you have a serial cable suitable for looking at the console?Steve
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Hey guys, getting further here but still having issues..
Changed to an old IDE hard drive and the install goes through, and boots up to where i then need to create vlan's and whatnot.. but then the keyboard didn't work.. so i rebooted and tried another one but now it won't boot, goes to that mountroot> and no further.
So i thought with the different keyboard i would do the install again from scratch, but when starting up to get into the install part, it says it can't find the cd image (same as i had when another disc didn't burn right). and ends at that mountroot> again.. so i dunno how the cd went from good to bad, but i will get another one from the shop tomorrow and try again.. still, more promising than it was a couple days ago.. must have not liked that SATA drive..
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Could you try it with another cd-rom/dvd player, just in ccase something is wrong with that one?
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Ok guys, so here is where i am at now.. Still not wanting to give up on pfSense, but more than a week just trying to get it installed is becoming annoying!
I changed to an old IDE hard drive, and got a new cd to reburn the iso slower..
I ran through the install, and it booted through from the hard disk all the way (first i got an LBA error so i disabled that in the bios) to where it asked if i wanted to create vlans.. but here, the keyboard no longer works.. although it did for me to press F1 to boot, and then to press enter at the first menu!!
So i restarted the computer to see if it works now, and i now get the following, please see the screenshot/photo attached.. Mentions that the file system is dirty and something, its a clean install!! I even zero's the hard drive before doing anything with it..
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Dirty file system just means the file system was not unmounted cleanly. In your case, I presume you weren't able to issue the shutdown command to unmount the file systems.
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Correct.. I couldnt do anything as the keyboard wouldnt work.. as you see on that screenshot, thats where i am stuck at.. how can i get this working? Why would the keyboard (PS2) work to boot into pfsense but then not work when i get to the point of creating the vlans?
I rebooted and now i am stuck with the following screenshot.. man, seriously is it possible to actually get this installed? Can't possibly be this dificult!
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Hmmm, maybe you could download again the pfsense.iso file and burn it low speed?
nuke the HD first before you install, it might be your download is a bit corrupt, just maybe… -
Sure i could.. i have however downloaded that iso twice and burned it 3 times at slowest speed my drive can burn it at(8x). have also tried 2 hard drives..
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Then it might be a issue with the hardware, i am sorry no other ideas how to test that, maybe with some benchmark software on the Hiren cd
Are you able to post screendumps of your bios settings?