Install issue, boot failure on Live ISO: "Enter full pathname of shell"

thebozz

Hello GhostBSD community,

I am reaching out for some assistance as I'm hitting a wall trying to boot the GhostBSD Live ISO on bare metal and install it on a mini PC I have. I've had a great experience testing GhostBSD in a VM on a different machine, I really like the look and feel of Gershwin, and wanted to give it a go on bare metal.

The Issue:

Whether I use the current new release or the previous release, the boot process reaches the loading screen, detects an Ethernet connection (and appears to download some software), but then fails with the following error:

Enter full pathname of shell or RETURN for /rescue/sh

A prior message mentions being unable to perform an action on the file system right before dropping to this prompt.

Hardware Specs:

CPU: Intel N200
RAM: 8 GB (in another thread with a similar error, it was mentioned that there is an 8 GB RAM requirement for GhostBSD).
Storage: 120 GB SSD (currently has Linux Mint installed).
USB Media: Tested with both SanDisk and Kingston drives, ranging from 16 to 64 GB.

What I've Tried So Far:

Imaging Methods: I've written the ISO using the Fedora ISO Image Writer and also tried dd on macOS to rule out a bad flash.
Versions: Tried both the latest (all 3 ISOs) and a previous release with the same result.
BIOS Settings: When selecting the boot device, the USB shows up with "(UEFI)" next to it. I noticed in this thread - https://forums.ghostbsd.org/d/568-live-iso-full-pathname-why, that some users suggested Legacy BIOS mode, but I am unsure how to force that on this specific hardware.
Downloading the ISOs from a different location (I've used both Canada and France), verified the shasum matches with the shasum file on the download page. I've tried the following ISOs: GhostBSD 26.1-R15.0p2, GhostBSD 26.1-R15.0p2 - XFCE, GhostBSD 26.1-R15.0p2 - Gershwin Community Preview, GhostBSD-25.02-R14.3p2.

Questions:

Could the existing Linux Mint installation on the SSD be somehow interfering with the Live ISO's ability to mount the file system?
Is there a specific kernel boot flag or setting I should try at the loader menu to get past the mount failure?
Is the CPU underpowered for GhostBSD?

Any guidance or troubleshooting steps would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

vpx

The iGPU is probably using some of the 8 GB system RAM.
You could try reducing the reserved RAM for the iGPU in the BIOS if there is such an option.
Or you have to upgrade the memory.

You should also try booting FreeBSD 15.0, when it has the same error we could rule out insufficient memory.

This post says it it caused by booting into single user mode: Solved - Enter full pathname of shell or RETURN for /bin/sh:

But I don't see why the Live ISO would do that.

I just thought again and it's probably the RAM as the GhostBSD Live ISO is loading everything into it, and you are below 8 GB because it is shared with the iGPU. The installed Linux Mint can't be the issue then.

thebozz

I ended up swapping out the 8 GB stick and replaced it with a 16 GB one, sadly the same issue happened. Could the issue be that the mini PC is just underpowered for GhostBSD?

The specs are:

CPU: Intel N200 (4) @ 3.700 Ghz
GPU: Intel Alder Lake-N (UHD Graphics)
RAM: 16 GB (DDR4)

I tried the same set of USB sticks with the GhostBSD ISO written to them via dd, and I end up at the same place with the prompt for rescue.

Not sure what else to try here, I will give FreeBSD a go and see if it will boot and report back.

me12345

Hi,

Your hardware is certainly not under powered for GhostBSD. Keep in mind low-end modern hardware is generally much faster then mid-range hardware from 5+ years ago.

Can you provide a screenshot or video showing the details ?

I suspect your boot image is likely corrupt. Try redownloading the image and run checksum. What exact dd command did you use and from what OS ?