SOLVED FreeNAS 9.10.2 install does not boot on HP Microserver

[Natalie Cooper]

Hi can someone please help me here.. I am struggling to get FreeNas installed on my server... I made the image from ISO using Win32Imager and put the memory key in to boot.. However the system does not boot, Just after POST the message on the screen says "no Signal" which looks like its not seeing the thumbdrive AS BOOTABLE. I have tried everything Used RUFUS, Win32Imager and even tried different USB Keys, but to no avail.

I have been able to successfully boot other OS's in the same way, Linux, Windows 2012 Server, as well as even NAS4Free but for some reason it just does not even get to a stage where it can allow me to continue.


The server I am using is an HP MicroServer G7 N36L. Its from about 2011. I have just this weekend updated the bios to the latest it had (2013) but still nothing.

PLEASE HELP I am new to this and very confused.

#destresseddamsel

 

[styno]

I guess you just booted into a Linux live environment. Gparted is an application that you need to start first. See if you can select it from the list of applications in the GUI or open a terminal and just type 'gparted' on the shell prompt.

Once you are 'in' the application, you have to navigate to the FreeNAS USB stick and change the boot flags as described above and then save the changes.

All this is assuming you are hitting the same issue as we did, maybe now is a good time to ensure this is the case before you start to fiddle with partition parameters on your box.

 

[Natalie Cooper]

Well my problem is similar I think. Although I have tried it with FreeNas 10 (Corral) Esentially no matter what I do it just does not even boot from the memory stick. I have tried several of them (like 4 or 5 all of which know boot fine because I used them to boot windows iso) i have literally tried everything and no matter what I do I cant even get the stick to boot.

I have tried using Rufus to make the stick and done it several times selecting like every option there is from the dropdown, and no matter what I do , I cant even get the stick to boot at all. Its just frustrating for me

 

[styno]

This sounds familiar, there is a good chance you are indeed hitting this issue.

 

[rogerh]

Once you open gparted (which will be a program on your live CD) it will list the disks and partitions. I haven't got it in front of me but you will be able to select the USB stick with FreeNAS on and go to a main menu item in gparted where the boot flag can be altered. If this does not work, select the boot partition on the USB stick and try to alter the boot flag on this.

BTW, exactly what Microserver are you using? 9.3 installed uneventfully on my N54L.

 

[Natalie Cooper]

Ok I literally give up. I have spent hours and hours on this and still nothing is working .. It just will not boot from the stick no matter what I do. Booted the machine with Gparted and made the changes, but still nothing is working .. Why the heck is this so complicated. I have never had so many issues trying to get things working... I say bring back floppies, they just worked

I am not the most experienced IT person in the world, but I know IT is a male dominated world, but for us Girls who want to get up to speed with this world, they are not making it any easier.

The Microserver I am using is an ML110 (from about 2011) so no UEFI boot but the older versions of FreeNAS worked just fine.. I can also boot into almost every other OS on the planet from a memory stick .. So surely should be able to boot FreeNas as well.

Are there any (Pre Made Boot disks out there I can get hold of that will work ... I just dont have the patience to spend any more time on this)

 

[styno]

I may not know much, but I can assure you that your gender has nothing to do with your system not been able to boot from an USB stick.

You say that you can boot and install older FreeNas versions, so maybe you are hitting a bug with the new installer. If you really want FreeNas 10, you can install an older version and upgrade from the GUI.

 

[Natalie Cooper]

I may not know much, but I can assure you that your gender has nothing to do with your system not been able to boot from an USB stick.

You say that you can boot and install older FreeNas versions, so maybe you are hitting a bug with the new installer. If you really want FreeNas 10, you can install an older version and upgrade from the GUI.

Thanks.. But I dont see any older versions in the downloads section. I no longer have the iso from the older versions, do you know where I can get it from

 

[Natalie Cooper]

I dont even know if I am using the gpart thing right.. Its telling me all sorts about things overlapping etc

Just not sure what the heck to do here.

 

[styno]

You can download both FreeNAS 10 (Corral) and FreeNAS 9.10 from here: http://www.freenas.org/download-freenas-release/
9.10 can upgrade to Corral from the GUI.

It is really hard to give you advice on how to proceed with the gparted procedure with the information you are providing.
A screenshot or picture would come in handy but as you said that you can install older versions, the 9.10 install path is waaaay less effort.

 

[Natalie Cooper]

Thanks.. To be honest its doing EXACTLY The same thing on 9.10. Just does not boot (I know everything works (usb keys etc because as I said they work on other OS's just fine. ) I have made a stick with 9.10 and 10 and neither of them boot.. I used RUFUS .. Should I use something else to make the keys ?

I used a version a few months back that just installed a treat.

 

[Natalie Cooper]

Ok update on this . I have just tried making a key with the latest 9.10 using the Win32 Imager as suggested in the install instructions (I know this key works. because its the same one I used for gparter live, and also is the same one I used for Windows iso) both of which boot just fine.. So I know the key (and the server have no issues)

Now I just used Win32 Imager changed the dropdown from .img to all files, selected the ISO image and created the key (with 9.10.2-U2.iso) and it said successful. Put USB key into server, and boot and nothing happens. I have 2 hard drives in the Server and 1 USB key.. STILL NOTHING.. DOES NOT BOOT at all.. Screen just goes off and nothing happens.

Getting so frustrated now.. why is this so flipping complicated. :-(

 

[wblock]

gpart is a FreeBSD command in FreeNAS, used for modifying partition tables. GParted is a Linux boot disk with a graphical partition editor/resizer that attempts to do all things for partitions, including nondestructive resizing, at which it sometimes succeeds.

Neither of these should be used without a full backup, including partition tables.

 

[wblock]

Oh, and booting with either 9.10 or Corral is probably much easier with the computer set to legacy/BIOS rather than UEFI.

 

[Natalie Cooper]

gpart is a FreeBSD command in FreeNAS, used for modifying partition tables. GParted is a Linux boot disk with a graphical partition editor/resizer that attempts to do all things for partitions, including nondestructive resizing, at which it sometimes succeeds.

Neither of these should be used without a full backup, including partition tables.

Ok well when you say gpart is a FreeBSD Command in FreeNAS.. How do I use it if I cant boot into FreeNAS. The memory stick does not even boot, so I am not even getting to a screen where I can get into FreeNAS.

 

[Natalie Cooper]

Oh, and booting with either 9.10 or Corral is probably much easier with the computer set to legacy/BIOS rather than UEFI.

This computer does Not have UEFI.. Its very old. (2011) and only has a BIOS, so should not make a difference. Do I need to do something to the USB Key to have it boot in an OLD BIOS mode (other than what has already been tried). There is no option in Win32 Imager to change the mode it boots from

 

[wblock]

Ok well when you say gpart is a FreeBSD Command in FreeNAS.. How do I use it if I cant boot into FreeNAS. The memory stick does not even boot, so I am not even getting to a screen where I can get into FreeNAS.

I'm just saying that gpart is not the same as GParted. There are bootable FreeBSD systems like mfsBSD, although since this thread started three years ago and was originally about long-obsolete versions of FreeNAS, I'm not sure how much of it still applies.

Just to add: some vendors do stupid things (like not booing) when they find custom partition types. IBM and then Lenovo did that, HP did that, Acer did on some systems. If that is the case, make sure the computer has the latest BIOS and try again.

 

[Natalie Cooper]

I'm just saying that gpart is not the same as GParted. There are bootable FreeBSD systems like mfsBSD, although since this thread started three years ago and was originally about long-obsolete versions of FreeNAS, I'm not sure how much of it still applies.

Just to add: some vendors do stupid things when they find custom partition types. IBM and then Lenovo did that, HP did that, Acer did on some systems. If that is the case, make sure the computer has the latest BIOS and try again.

Ok thanks.. So just to make you aware, I download and (Successfully) installed FreeNas on this very same server about 2 months ago and all I did was make the USB key and it installed successfully, however sadly I had to use this server for something else and so have lost that installer. So I KNOW for a fact it does work on this server .. I cannot for the life of me remember though what version it was that worked.

To be honest I think I am just going to abandon this and find something that works, it really should not be this complicated to get it working . All I want to do is use this product but this is giving me so much stress because I KNOW it works on this server .

 

[styno]

Ok thanks.. So just to make you aware, I download and (Successfully) installed FreeNas on this very same server about 2 months ago and all I did was make the USB key and it installed successfully, however sadly I had to use this server for something else and so have lost that installer. So I KNOW for a fact it does work on this server .. I cannot for the life of me remember though what version it was that worked.

Here are all the previous versions from 9.10: https://download.freenas.org/9.10/STABLE/

Code:

9.10.1/			04-Oct-2016 07:06
9.10.1-U1/		 27-Sep-2016 02:33
9.10.1-U2/		 07-Nov-2016 23:47
9.10.1-U3/		 07-Nov-2016 23:49
9.10.1-U4/		 10-Nov-2016 00:48
9.10.2/			20-Dec-2016 18:13
9.10.2-U1/		 17-Jan-2017 03:38
9.10.2-U2/		 06-Mar-2017 20:01

You can look at the timestamps to have a rough idea (or alternatively start with the 9.10 release version from march 2016 - https://download.freenas.org/9.10/RELEASE/x64/FreeNAS-9.10-RELEASE.iso)

I am now convinced that you are not hitting the issue that has to be fixed with gparted. Give it a few more tries please, it should be really that simple and not so frustrating at all. I can't figure out what going on other than it being a strange compatibility issue.
(Also, are you working on a G5, G6 or G7 HP system?)

 

[Natalie Cooper]

Here are all the previous versions from 9.10: https://download.freenas.org/9.10/STABLE/

Code:

9.10.1/			04-Oct-2016 07:06
9.10.1-U1/		 27-Sep-2016 02:33
9.10.1-U2/		 07-Nov-2016 23:47
9.10.1-U3/		 07-Nov-2016 23:49
9.10.1-U4/		 10-Nov-2016 00:48
9.10.2/			20-Dec-2016 18:13
9.10.2-U1/		 17-Jan-2017 03:38
9.10.2-U2/		 06-Mar-2017 20:01

You can look at the timestamps to have a rough idea (or alternatively start with the 9.10 release version from march 2016 - https://download.freenas.org/9.10/RELEASE/x64/FreeNAS-9.10-RELEASE.iso)

I am now convinced that you are not hitting the issue that has to be fixed with gparted. Give it a few more tries please.
(Also, are you working on a G5, G6 or G7 HP system?)

Thank you so much for your help. and I am sorry for getting frustrated .. I just really want it to work.

I am going to try a couple more times, but I may need some help with the gparted.. LIke step by step because I am really out of my depth when it comes to that

The Server I am using is like a really old HP Micoroserver (Think it may even be an ML115) I am not sure how to tell the only thing on the bezel is HP ProLiant Microserver.

The Specs of the machine are :
BIOS ID 041
Bios Version 01/17/2011

Processor AMD Athlon II Neo N36L Dual Core Processor.
16GB Ram
1 x 2TB hard drive

Thats all I can really See.. I am going to try an earlier version now. It would have been Oct/Nov of last year or could have even been this year that I installed it.. But definately within the last 5 months