XigmaNAS

Machine type: MSI Wind Nettop 130 w/ Atom 330, 2 GB DDR2 533 RAM, No HDD installed yet. Only CF card. Connected to the router via wired connection. Has a intel wireless card (don't remember the exact model number)
NAS4Free version: NAS4Free-x86-LiveUSB-10.2.0.2.2235


I decided to use my old wind nettop and use it as a NAS. I have 2x HGST 2TB SATA drives lying around. Before mounting the HDDs, I decided to do a dry run. Booted off the LiveUSB and let it boot normally. Started getting this message:

init: getty repeating too quickly on port /dev/ttyxx, sleeping 30

(Don't remember the xx above.)

The screen would go blank and the machine would just reboot. After a few tries, I booted into safe mode and all went well. I installed into the CF card and rebooted.

Again normal mode gave me problems. Would go to (or maybe past) the brining up the LAN interface and the machine will just reboot. In comes cases the boot up will finish, I can see it get an IP address and then boom: a reboot. After a few reboots, I decided to go to safe mode. No issues in safe mode. Stable and I am able to access all features.

Any insights? Help appreciated. Thank you.

will it boot without the CF card?
if so there is confusion over the boot source
if it cannot be sorted out in the bios boot preferences try loading to the CF with other hardware
ie, live CD rather than live usb flash or move to another computer to install to the embedded OS
then move the CF back to the target hardware

not all boot hardware works
I have used IDE connected flash and sata connected flash small laptop drives and SSDs
the small lap top drives are set to spin down after the boot

Thanks for the reply. I am not sure I understand your instructions very well.

I do not have a problem booting up. Booting from LiveUSB worked fine. And after installation onto CF card too it boots up fine. But when finishing up the boot sequence, it just reboots.

I don't want to try remove the CF card, since its in a slot beneath the motherboard. I have to to take the entire unit apart to remove the CF card. Also I don't have any other machine that has a CF slot.

Anything else that I can try? Or any way for me to extract the logs, after these catastrophic reboots?

I assume it is only when booting from the CF, with all other drives disconnected, that the reboot occurs.
that it boots other OS from the CF. that it will boot N4F from a Hdd. that the bios will recognize the CF as the primary boot drive,
it is big enough, and that you have loaded the embedded OS. if all are answered yes the CF is likely not compatible. [IMHO]
lastly both of my atom boards support 64 bit but try 32 bit, mine are not MSI. if you are using 32 bit try 64

The reboots happen not just while booting from CF. If I boot in normal mode with LiveUSB, I get reboots.

I doubt the CF card compatibility angle. I have previously installed FreeNAS on this CF, many years ago( 2009 if I remember correctly).

On the 64bit vs 32bit: Though the atom 330 supports 64bit, the MSI wind nettop motherboard uses the Intel 945GC chipset, which is 32 bit memory addressing only. I found this out when I was setting this machine as a email / web browsing Ubuntu computer for my parents.

I appreciate your suggestions and the help.