# Clean Installation of F5OS-A on rSeries After Drive Erasure or Console Loss **URL:** \ **Category:** F5 Technical Articles\ **Tags:** rseries\ **Created:** [February 5, 2026, 1:00pm UTC](https://community.f5.com/t/clean-installation-of-f5os-a-on-rseries-after-drive-erasure-or-console-loss/76856 "2026-02-05T13:00:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![VishnuG](https://d1p9zq3aats0t8.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/community.f5.com/vishnug/32/4946_2.png) [@VishnuG](https://community.f5.com/u/VishnuG)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2026, 1:00pm UTC](https://community.f5.com/t/clean-installation-of-f5os-a-on-rseries-after-drive-erasure-or-console-loss/76856/1 "2026-02-05T13:00:00Z")
## Overview This guide provides step-by-step instructions for performing a clean installation of F5OS-A on rSeries appliances using a USB flash drive. This method is typically used when the system is unrecoverable or when you need to start from factory defaults. ## Prerequisites - Physical Access: You must have physical access to the appliance to connect a console cable and insert a USB flash drive. - USB Flash Drive: Minimum 8GB capacity. Note: The USB drive will be completely erased during the bootable drive creation process. Back up any existing data before proceeding ## Console Configuration - Default Serial Console Settings: - Baud rate: 19200 - Data bits: 8 - Stop bits: 1 - Parity: None - Flow control: None **Troubleshooting Console Issues:**  If you see scrambled output, verify your terminal emulator matches these settings. If issues persist, try changing the baud rate to 9600 (refer to K000133428 and K000138117). 1. Software Requirements 2. Enable the Front-Panel USB Port - AOM Menu Access 3. Create a Bootable USB Flash Drive 4. Perform the Clean Installation 5. Post-Installation 6. Alternative: PXE Boot (If USB Not Allowed) 7. Important Notes a) A clean installation will erase all data and configurations on the appliance.          b) If the system remains inaccessible after a clean install, hardware failure may be present and               an RMA may be required ([K000150961](https://my.f5.com/manage/s/article/K000150961)).          c) For drive erasure before RMA, see [K000134775](https://my.f5.com/manage/s/article/K000134775). ## References - [F5 rSeries Systems: Installation and Upgrade - Clean Install Using USB](https://techdocs.f5.com/en-us/f5os-a-1-2-0/f5-rseries-systems-installation-upgrade/title-install-upgrade-software.html#clean-install-usb) If you’ve encountered similar issues such as console access problems, drive failures, or challenges during a clean installation, please share your experience. ---
**Author:** ![Norman\_Madeira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Norman\_Madeira](https://community.f5.com/u/Norman_Madeira)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2026, 4:53am UTC](https://community.f5.com/t/clean-installation-of-f5os-a-on-rseries-after-drive-erasure-or-console-loss/76856/2 "2026-03-07T04:53:36Z")
The Linux command in your guide: **dd if=\ of=/dev/sda bs=1M oflag=sync status=progress** writes the F5OS-A ISO image directly to a USB device in raw mode, creating a bootable USB. Windows does not have a native dd command, but there are several equivalents. **1. Recommended (Windows GUI) – Rufus** This is the simplest and most commonly used tool for creating bootable USB drives in Windows. Steps 1. Download and open Rufus. 2. Insert the USB drive. 3. In Device, select your USB drive. 4. Click SELECT and choose the F5OS-A ISO file. 5. Leave default settings (usually fine). 6. Click START. Rufus will write the ISO to the USB in a way equivalent to the Linux dd process. Why it’s preferred • Very reliable for bootable media • Shows progress and errors • Prevents selecting the wrong disk **2. Command-line Equivalent – Win32 Disk Imager** This behaves very similarly to dd. Steps 1. Install **Win32 Disk Imager**. 2. Insert USB drive. 3. Select the ISO file. 4. Choose the correct device (e.g., E:). 5. Click Write. Internally this performs a raw block write, similar to dd. **3. True dd on Windows – Cygwin or Windows Subsystem for Linux** If you want the exact same command syntax, install WSL or Cygwin. Example in WSL: **sudo dd if=F5OS-A-1.8.0.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=1M status=progress** Where /dev/sdX is the USB device.