Installing FreeBSD 8.0 from USB flashdrive into Thinkpad X40

[pds21676]

Dear Friends,

I have recently adquired a Thinkpad X40 in a reasonable good condition and I want to install FreeBSD on it, instead of XP that come installed.The X40 do not have a builtin CD-ROM drive and therefore FreeBSD can be installed via USB flashdrive. I need help on this matter...

My daily use machine is a Macintosh. So the USB flashdrive will be prepared on the macintosh.
I have downloaded the iso image of FreeBSD from the servers.
Using the instructions found here
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/FromUSBStick I have transformed the iso into a img file and loaded the img into a 4G flashdrive using dd.
However, the flashdrive is not recognized during the boot and the X40 loads XP instead of running the FreeBSD bootloader. The BIOS is instructed to check USB ports before reading the hardDisk.

Can you help on this step.

Best,

[SirDice]

Download the memstick image and dd that to the thumbdrive ;)

http://ftp.freebsd.org/pub/FreeBSD/ISO-IMAGES-i386/8.0/

[pds21676]

Download the memstick image and dd that to the thumbdrive ;)

http://ftp.freebsd.org/pub/FreeBSD/ISO-IMAGES-i386/8.0/

I also done that, and although the X40 booted and sysinstall took off, I could only access to the FlashDrive for installing FreeBSD, not the hard-disk.
Any clues?

[pds21676]

I have tried many times and it really do not work. I can only access to the USB drive and not to the hard disk where I want to install FreeBSD.

Best.

[fronclynne]

You need to make sure you disable the second ATA channel: http://freebsd.monkey.org/freebsd-mobile/200411/msg00135.html

Also, as of 8.0, ipw is non-functional: http://www.freebsd.org/cgi/query-pr.cgi?pr=kern/142766

[pds21676]

Thanks fronclynne!
The problem is considered as solved!
Pedro