Invalid Partition Table

DKentoy

Dabbler
Joined
Mar 9, 2019
Messages
12
Hi.
I'm sorry for being a n00b, but I have downloaded the freeNAS.iso file and I used Win32 Disc Imager to installing it to a USB key.

I then trying to boot on the USB key, but I just get a Invalid partition table.

What did I do wrong?
 

jlpellet

Patron
Joined
Mar 21, 2012
Messages
286
What Windows version & which Disk Imager version? I've had less success in Win7-32 with versions of Win32DiskImager later than 0.95. Hope this helps.
 

DKentoy

Dabbler
Joined
Mar 9, 2019
Messages
12
I'm using windows 10 and Disk Imager is v. 1.0

Just for the reccord. I'm just trying to install freeNAS on a laptop to see what it is.
 

DKentoy

Dabbler
Joined
Mar 9, 2019
Messages
12
Is there someone who can help me to install the iso file on a bootable usb stick?
I don't know what I do wrong.
 

jlpellet

Patron
Joined
Mar 21, 2012
Messages
286
3 things: Try an older Win32DiskImager or Rufus. Try a differnt USB stick. Burn on a USB 2 port rather than USB 3.
 

DKentoy

Dabbler
Joined
Mar 9, 2019
Messages
12
I have now tried with v. 0.95 of Win32 Disk Imager and I tried Rufus. Tried with other sticks that was USB2, but I still get the same error.
It should be possible to install freeNAS on a laptop with only 1 hdd installed, right?
 

anodos

Sambassador
iXsystems
Joined
Mar 6, 2014
Messages
9,543
I have now tried with v. 0.95 of Win32 Disk Imager and I tried Rufus. Tried with other sticks that was USB2, but I still get the same error.
It should be possible to install freeNAS on a laptop with only 1 hdd installed, right?
That's generally not a good idea. If you want to try FreeNAS out, then VMs work fine (just provide two virtual hard drives). If you want to put it on physical hardware, then you should choose something appropriate hardware-wise (with at least two storage drives to form a mirrored zpool).
 

jlpellet

Patron
Joined
Mar 21, 2012
Messages
286
Can you try on another computer? May be a hardware isssue with the destination rather than the USB stick. Have you confirmed the laptop hardware is supported by FreeBSD? On the laptop, check the BIOS config to see if there are options regarding USB boot support/options? Also, try a different FreeNAS version iso from https://download.freenas.org/. Good luck!
 

ThreeDee

Guru
Joined
Jun 13, 2013
Messages
698
I ended up burning the ISO to a blank DVD disc I had laying around and installing that way .. I would get errors when booting up installing from USB even though FreeNAS would load and seem to work ok .. no errors now
 

DKentoy

Dabbler
Joined
Mar 9, 2019
Messages
12
Why are the project showing us a guide to install the installer on a USB key, if it is not working?
 

JaimieV

Guru
Joined
Oct 12, 2012
Messages
742
Because it does work. I've done two in the last few days, with no problems.

I was using dd on macOS, but I've used Rufus on win10 before with no issues.
 

r-p

Cadet
Joined
Dec 30, 2017
Messages
9
Sorry for resurrecting an old thread, but trying to get to the bottom of my (fairly) identical problem and landed here through searches.

HP server that ran Freenas 11, but still in the process of setting everything up (over the course of a few months). Switched it off manually. Would not start up the next time (it has no keyboard or monitor, but could not find it in my IP-addresses within the router, so obviously some problem with booting).
Hooked up monitor and keyboard and just says "Invalid Partition Table".
Previous install was (afaik) done with Rufus, the first iso and the same laptop as below.

Dutch forum blaims this on me corrupting the USB sticks due to manual switch off. (While not impossible, I wonder if this is the server solution I should trust my files to if a power outage crashes the complete system, won't start from boot-USB nor from mirror copy of said boot-USB)

Have since tried:
Rufus with 11:3:U1 ISO and an 8GB new USB stick: I get "Invalid partition table". (And the USB-stick seems fried, won't properly format anymore in WIN10).
Win32diskmanager with a new 1GB USB stick and the 11:3:U5 ISO and I get "Invalid partition table" again.
I press F7 to get into the bootmenu so I can boot from the correct install USB, the message appears a few seconds after selecting this USB.

Any ideas? I will try another computer to make the install-USB.
 
Joined
Jul 2, 2019
Messages
648
A couple of suggestions:
1. Validate the checksum of the downloaded ISO. I have had them corrupted during download occasionally.
2. Try using Etcher. It seems to work best for me (on Linux and Windows).
 

r-p

Cadet
Joined
Dec 30, 2017
Messages
9
Thanks!

Checking it (the second ISO, didn't download the key to the previous ISO) with Kleopatra gives this:
gpg: Signature made 09/29/20 16:12:36 West-Europa (zomertijd)
gpg: using RSA key C8D62DEF767C1DB0DFF4E6EC358EAA9112CF7946
gpg: Can't check signature: Geen publieke sleutel
([No public key])

I don't have a clue what that means exactly, but the fact it couldn't check the signature can't be good.
I'll give Etcher a try...
 
Joined
Jul 2, 2019
Messages
648

r-p

Cadet
Joined
Dec 30, 2017
Messages
9
Thank you, it checked out. I thought I had already posted this, but appearantly not...

Eventually, I got FreeNas installed again, but it was a pain. New USB-sticks (give-aways, but still never used) gave issues: a 1GB with the installation iso on it would not work (which you only find out after ruling out all other problems), 8GB was deemed too small (? I know it (USB2 stick) is a few bytes short compared to another 8GB (USB3) as previously I got an error from FreeNas that it could not use that specific kind of 8GB to mirror the slightly bigger 8GB bootstick onto, but 7.45GB is not enough for a fresh install either?), etc.
I used Etcher, WIN32diskimager and Rufus. I don't know which one eventually did the trick. In the bootmenu, often only one USB would show up. It almost seemed random which option within the USB biosline I should pick (auto, harddisk, FDD). So I could not make heads nor tails from what worked and what didn't but it's installed now.

Both old USB3 sticks are now out of commission (the boot 8GB and the 16GB mirror from the previous install). Even with Active@ Killdisk I could not get them to a state where they could be used as the bootdevice again.

I'm probably buying two 250GB 2.5" drives to replace the USB-boot-stick as I have pretty much lost all confidence in USB-sticks.

Next test is to restore the pool I had before. It's still empty (the six 3TB drives), but still, if I can't restore it, I'm out of my depth here and the solution (a home server with ZFS2 for dataprotection) may be causing more problems than it solves. And I should just hook a USB-harddisk to my wifi-router that I mirror manually once a month for shared file storage.

I did copy the encryption key from the previous install, but not the configuration file.
From within the GUI I cannot find any way to import it ("sixtimes3TB" doesn't show up anywhere), so I'lll read up on the commandline possibilities.
 
Last edited:

JaimieV

Guru
Joined
Oct 12, 2012
Messages
742
60gig cheap SSDs ftw for the boot device mirrors, even random Chinese ones. Do a full 'surface' check before using.

"RAIDZ2" not ZFS2, btw.

In the GUI it's under Pools, Add, Import an existing pool. There's a big manual that covers this, why flail around in the dark?
 
Top