Bootstrap loader hangs after version info

[cen1]

I am trying to install FreeBSD 9.1-RELEASE i386 from a CD on my old Pentium II PC.

The loader hangs very soon after the start, this is the output:

Boot from ATAPI CD-ROM:
CD Loader 1.2

Building the boot loader arguments
Looking up /BOOT/LOADER/... Found
Relocating the loader and the BTX
Starting the BTX loader

BTX Loader 1.00 BTX version is 1.02
Consoles: internal video/keyboard
BIOS CD is cd0
BIOS drive A: is disk0
BIOS drive C: is disk1
BIOS 639kB/97280kB available memory

FreeBSD/x86 bootstrap loader, Revision 1.1
(root@obrian.cse.buffalo.edu, Tue Dec 4 06:18:06 UTC 2012)

It won't go any further than this.

I probably have to do some changes in the BIOS but I have no idea what is the problem. The box still works normally (I have Windows XP installed on it at the moment), the only thing that is bust is the CMOS battery, which causes datetime to reset on every reboot.

Any help is appreciated.

 

[Jay F. Shachter]

I have the same problem as you had -- how did you fix it?
I am able to boot OpenBSD and 3 dialects of Linux from the same hardware, but FreeBSD stopped booting.
If I changed something in the BIOS that rendered my FreeBSD system (and only my FreeBSD system)
unbootable, I don't know what it was.
jay at m5 dot chicago dot il dot us

 

[ShelLuser]

I have the same problem as you had -- how did you fix it?

Keep in mind that this thread is almost 5 years old. Considering the post amount of the OP I don't think he's still around anymore.

So if you have the same problem (unable to start FreeBSD 9.1) then my suggestion would be to grab a more recent version. Version 9 has been EOL for years already.

I am able to boot OpenBSD and 3 dialects of Linux from the same hardware, but FreeBSD stopped booting.

What FreeBSD version, what hardware and what boot medium do you use? What errors does it give you, etc, etc.

You're not giving us enough information to address any of this.