I tried updating my Intel N5105 box to 26.7 but its hanging on boot at this point (see linked image).
https://imgur.com/oqbZz3E
https://www.reddit.com/r/opnsense/comments/1uwz7y9/comment/oxo7bx0/
I am having the same issue... System hangs on boot at "masks"
I finally got the 26.7 upgrade to install. I had to remove the "os-cpu-microcode-intel" plugin and reboot. Then I tried the upgrade again and it worked...
OK... So I tried enabling the "os-cpu-microcode-intel" plugin again after upgrading to 26.7 and it caused the system to hang on boot again in the same spot "masks"... So I would suggest that if you have this plugin installed that you remove it before attempting the upgrade and don't re-install it afterward...
@franco is there an official method to select early or late loading of the microcode updates when using the plugin?
We'd have to change the plugin to late loading, which would be a step backwards. We can try to see if that makes a difference, but OTOH the situation is a bit ridiculous for consumers stuck between their hardware and microcode and freebsd ports and src.
A ticket would help.
Cheers,
Franco
See: https://forum.opnsense.org/index.php?topic=52441.0