Solved Installer freezes and makes computer unusable

G

Grenouille

Hello,

I have a very big problem at the time. I am a Linux user and I wanted to try FreeBSD. So I downloaded the "DVD1" install media of the latest release, burnt it on a DVD, and booted the installer. I began then a standard installation on my laptop : setting up keyboard map, selecting packages to install, an so on. About partitioning, I had previously created 300 GB free space on my 500 GB; I chose the standard automated partitioning, telling the installer not to use the full disk but the remaining place on it. As expected, I was suggested to create a new 300 GB FreeBSD partition ; that is what I chose. Then I began the installation.

Here comes the problem : the installer seemed to have copied the files correctly, but once it was over, I got a command line asking me for a new root password, but... at this moment the computer freezed. No single key had any effect, and nothing seemed to happen anymore. I had no other choice than switching the laptop off. But since I switched it on again... nothing works anymore ! The only thing I get is the HP boot logo, with the usual text "Press ESC to stop normal booting". The computer freezes at this point, and I cannot do anything ! I am not able to boot on any HDD, CD or USB stick. Pressing any key does not have any effect, and after a while comes a moment where any key I press gives me a "beep" from the computer.

What the hell has happened ? What can I do ? Please help me...

Thank you,

Grenouille

P.S. My laptop is a HP Pavilion dv6 and does not have UEFI.
 
If you are truly not able to boot from alternate media such as CD, DVD or USB flash, but were able to prior to now, I suspect a hardware problem with your laptop. Nothing FreeBSD does on install would prevent your hardware from booting a working CD, DVD or USB flash media following the install.
 
That's what I thought as well, but if true, it's incredible ! Some hardware breaking down just during installation...

Could it not have something to do with the BIOS ?
 
Can you enter the BIOS setup screen? On my HP the hotkey (press while turning PC on until setup message appears) is F10.
 
Some UEFI systems have safe boot enabled. Some systems made by Lenovo and--I think--HP have stupid firmware that can't deal with a GPT disk without thinking it is UEFI. We have had reports here of people seeing that problem and recovering by removing the disk. I don't have any of those systems and can't suggest much else.
 
To find out if it is the "stupid firmware" issue, simply take out the hard drive and try to boot the machine. If booting works, and you can get into the BIOS / UEFI fine, you know that the problem is on the hard drive / ssd that you removed.
In most cases, the problem is simply that the install process changed which partition is marked "active". If the newly installed system doesn't boot, people get confused.
 
user123 said:
Can you enter the BIOS setup screen? On my HP the hotkey (press while turning PC on until setup message appears) is F10.
Click to expand...
No, I cannot. Pressing the ESC key or the F10 key gives me a "beep".

I will try removing the HDD and I will tell you the result then.
 
I removed the HDD and... the computer boots without any problem. I'm writing right now on this computer, using a live USB Linux system.

I suppose this computer won't be able to run a FreeBSD system, so I have thought about a possible solution to "repair" my HDD: booting without it, then when the live USB system has started, connecting it again and deleting the FreeBSD partitions. What do you think about it ?
 
As long as you use a connection that supports hotplug you are fine. You might be fine without hotplug too, but YMMV.
 
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