# Initial setup with /boot/firmware/inital.zip **URL:** \ **Category:** openHABian\ **Created:** [July 15, 2025, 8:20am UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/initial-setup-with-boot-firmware-inital-zip/164961 "2025-07-15T08:20:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![schup011](https://community.openhab.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@schup011](https://community.openhab.org/u/schup011)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2025, 8:20am UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/initial-setup-with-boot-firmware-inital-zip/164961/1 "2025-07-15T08:20:36Z")
I just set up a new openHABian system on a Raspi 4 with 4GB, new SD card. And wanted to share my experience: - According to the documentation / tutorial, I activated the option to restore my backup: ```auto # the file needs to be a zip archive created from openhab-cli backup and placed # in the directory of the first SD partition # ATTENTION: keep /boot/firmware as the directory if you provide an absolute path ``` - After I wrote the SD card, a drive “bootfs” was mounted on my Windows Laptop as drive D. So I assumed this is the boot partition. Therefore I created a directory “boot” in it and in that a directory “firmware”. In that I put my backup zip file and renamed it to initial.zip. Thus, the file was at (Windows-Path): `D:\boot\firmware\initial.zip` I also correctly removed the SD card. - Now during the setup of the system, the backup could not be found. What did I do wrong? - Restore from the backup folder triggered by openhabian-config went without problems. - I wanted to directly have 5.0 M4. This is not possible initially, would it be worth spending an option at openhabian.conf to install latest release / latest milestone / latest snapshot? ---
**Author:** ![mstormi](https://community.openhab.org/user_avatar/community.openhab.org/mstormi/32/55857_2.png) [@mstormi](https://community.openhab.org/u/mstormi)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2025, 8:29am UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/initial-setup-with-boot-firmware-inital-zip/164961/2 "2025-07-15T08:29:25Z")
You should not have created `boot` but should have placed the .zip in the _existing_ `firmware` folder. Also set `debug=maximum` in `openhabian.conf` to generate a meaningful debug log. ---
**Author:** ![schup011](https://community.openhab.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@schup011](https://community.openhab.org/u/schup011)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2025, 8:32am UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/initial-setup-with-boot-firmware-inital-zip/164961/3 "2025-07-15T08:32:37Z")
Sorry, there was no firmware folder. Otherwise I would have seen it und would have done it. Could that have something to do with what was mounted in Windows? Is “bootfs” the right partition? ---
**Author:** ![mstormi](https://community.openhab.org/user_avatar/community.openhab.org/mstormi/32/55857_2.png) [@mstormi](https://community.openhab.org/u/mstormi)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2025, 9:04am UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/initial-setup-with-boot-firmware-inital-zip/164961/4 "2025-07-15T09:04:12Z")
then create it (I mean `firmware`, not `boot`) if that does not work put `initial.zip` right on D:\ root ---
**Author:** ![schup011](https://community.openhab.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@schup011](https://community.openhab.org/u/schup011)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2025, 9:28am UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/initial-setup-with-boot-firmware-inital-zip/164961/5 "2025-07-15T09:28:26Z")
Installation guide says currently: > ATTENTION: keep /boot/firmware as the directory if you provide an absolute path So I would propose to add: > So use the existing `firmware` folder in the boot partition or create it and place the backup file named `initial.zip` in that folder. Maybe that makes it a tiny bit clearer. I have to admit that I could have read somewhere else that the path of openhabian.conf is /boot/openhabian.conf. But I didn’t and therefore I missed that the partition “bootfs” in Windows corresponds to /boot/ in Linux. Maybe that could also be mentioned somewhere. Then it is idiot-proof 🙂 . ---
**Author:** ![mstormi](https://community.openhab.org/user_avatar/community.openhab.org/mstormi/32/55857_2.png) [@mstormi](https://community.openhab.org/u/mstormi)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2025, 10:47am UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/initial-setup-with-boot-firmware-inital-zip/164961/6 "2025-07-15T10:47:04Z")
I don’t know which Installation Guide you are referring to, but then help with improving that yourself please. Create a Pull Request. There’s a small link at the bottom of the docs web page to do that. ---
**Author:** ![schup011](https://community.openhab.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@schup011](https://community.openhab.org/u/schup011)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2025, 11:09am UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/initial-setup-with-boot-firmware-inital-zip/164961/7 "2025-07-15T11:09:21Z")
OK, done: [https://github.com/openhab/openhabian/pull/2017](https://github.com/openhab/openhabian/pull/2017) Can you approve?