I have downloaded and tested the CD ISO files for version 4.9 as well as 4.6.2 (with intent of upgrading) and neither appears to boot. In both cases, my computer completes POST, accesses the CD drive and hangs without any messages.
Worried that my ability to create a bootable CD-ROM, I purchased the commercial boxed set of 5.1 (�Power Pac� with handbook). While this version still does not install properly, it does provide the following message before it hangs:
CD Loader 1.01
Building the boot loader arguments Looking up /BOOT/LOADER... Found
Having eliminated my options for CD install, I purchased a USB floppy drive and attempted a floppy boot disk. Again, the system hung without any message.
The computer is able to boot other operating systems from CD. Testing shows Microsoft as well as Fedora project Linux boot and install properly.
The computer is an IBM NetVista 6645 W2U with an Intel Celeron 566MHz processor, 128MB RAM, a 7.5GB hard disk, a 32x CDROM, and an Intel Express Pro 10/100 PCI network adaptor. What makes this system unusual is that it is �legacy free� which means it has none of the traditional I/O ports (no serial, parallel, PS/2 or even floppy interface). All I/O is via one of the five USB ports on the case. I have flashed the BIOS to the latest version.
Since I can not install, I have no operating FreeBSD systems at my disposal. Therefore, I can not customize my own kernel.
I have executed a Google search for my problem and located another person with the same type of computer and exactly the same symptoms when attempting to install Redhat Linux. While their problems are not your problems, the following suggestions were made in that forum and may be valuable in my case:
> I don't know anything about this particular machine, but > I used to be a BIOS programmer. Your BIOS should have > a setting to enable "legacy USB keyboard/mouse support". > Basically, this makes your USB keyboard look like a PS/2 > keyboard for "legacy" OS's (OS's that don't have USB > keyboard drivers). As soon as the OS loads the USB > drivers, the BIOS disables its USB support, and the OS > takes over. > > If the OS is loading USB support but not USB keyboard > support, that would explain your problem. Try building a > kernel with absolutely no USB support.
The OS should either be built with USB keyboard support so that when the USB host controller driver disables legacy emulation you still have a working keyboard, or the OS should be built with _NO_ USB support, so that the BIOS will continue providing legacy emulation support for your keyboard & mouse.
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