my problem was related to using the usb 3.0 sticks and the port i was using.
i changed how i boot to freenas going from 2 usb 3.0 sticks(Patriot) to a single ssd.
next thing i figured out was that plugging the sata adapter into a USB3.0 port on the back(by the I/O shield) would not work. i would get
Code:
middleware loading pludgins [2/32]
and it would hang for a log time.
What worked for me was to connect my adapter to an onboard USB2.0 header on my MOBO.