Installer won't even start - infinite PC restart loop when installing

Hi everyone,
apologies if this is trivial, but I guess I have exhausted my knowledge and capabilities.

I managed to install FreeBSD in a virtualbox under Kubuntu 20.04 with KDE so I thought I could just try and use FreeBSD on the PC directly. But as you can imagine, I want to have the real experience.
However, whenever I try to run the installation from the USB media, my PC boots to the part when you select multiuser / single user and reboots instantly leaving me in an infinite boot loop.
The issue is the same when trying GhostBSD. This affects only my PC, I tried on a friends pc and we get to the next step. I tried different USB media, but the issue is the same

I have done some research and people say it appears to be linked to amdgpu driver. I have a Radeon HD7770 graphic card.
I have also observed that I can select the option to use serial console instead of video or dual console (serial first). If I select that, it does not reboot and I get to the step when you proceed with the isntallation, but ... I tried reading the handbook and I don't really understand what a serial console is. I imagine it is somethign when I am attached via a serial port talking to a mainframe without a video output? ... I am afraid I would mess up something when I wouldnt be able to boot after the install is finished.

I read somehwere that there is an issue with amdgpu so I ought to hw.syscons.disable=0 ( here https://forums.FreeBSD.org/threads/install-freezes-at-consoles-efi-consoles.61243/post-490519 ) but I don't understand where I should do this. I tried typing it in the terminal of the installation but then I don't know how to proceed. Maybe to edit some file on the installation media?, however I have no idea where.

I also tried removing all peripherals except keyboard, and montior, but the issue persists. My CPU is Intel Core i5 2300 Sandy Bridge, and this motherboard (https://support.hp.com/us-en/produc...ries/5035344/model/5069084/document/c02668523 )
if it helps. Windows 10 and Kubuntu boots fine.
Thanks a lot for any kind of suggestions, nudge... insight or even explaining some terminology. I am no computer science guru, but I am very curious :)

PS: I am not a native english speaker and it may be that I am not being polite enough by anglosaxon standards. However, I tried my best to be polite. If it does not seem that way, let\s blame it on my east european background :)

A little background:
In my social bubble I am considered someone who can solve everyone's PC and Apple issues, however when I started looking into Linux I was literally crushed to earth with information overflow. It is literally overwhelming, it takes so much reading to figure out that Linux is just a kernel (I think I now know what it actually means but that took time and time googling) and that the rest is a collection of additional software around it. RHEL, Debian, rolling relase, system.d Alpine, KDE, GNome, xfce... cinnamon...wayland xorg (you name it).... U want to try a desktop system other than Windows and are literally hammered with terminology overflow... And I thought perturbation approaches to quantum theory were hard :))

And then I read about the yellow bikeshed and got to know about FreeBSD. I looked at the handbook and thought: this is so well documented, so well explained where I can learn so much. Tthis is where I can learn how everything works together, where I know that this does not apply to debian or red hat only...
So I am all eager to try it, but keep failing running it on my own PC :) Unfortunatelly I dont have a second PC where I could try it so I guess I am overlooking some setting or what not :)

Thanks a lot for nudging me into the right direction or where I need to edit what file because... my problem appears to be nowhere documented :)
 
First off, welcome! I'm also not the best at diagnosing these strange boot issues, but I have 2 thoughts for you to try:

1. Are you certain that secure boot is off? And if so, have you tried setting your computer to legacy boot only or allowing UEFI boot? I remember computers having a horrible UEFI at that time that I struggled with

2. Since you have an i5 2300, have you tried removing your GPU and connecting your display via integrated graphics?

No rudeness detected, no need to worry :) hope this gives you some useful guidance
 
However, whenever I try to run the installation from the USB media, my PC boots to the part when you select multiuser / single user and reboots instantly leaving me in an infinite boot loop.
Which image did you use and how did you write it to the stick?

I have done some research and people say it appears to be linked to amdgpu driver.
The install media doesn't have or load this driver.
 
Back
Top