Using FreeBSD to migrate Windows XP?

[John]

On Tue, Feb 08, 2005 at 09:03:58AM -0600, John wrote:
> On Tue, Feb 08, 2005 at 02:17:56PM +0100, Erik Norgaard wrote:
> > John wrote:
> > > OK - I've finally come to the realization (a little slow, I know)
> > > that a 5.8Gb disk drive is just not enough to support a desktop
> > > environment (including JAVA) for both Windows XP and FreeBSD on my
> > > laptop. :(
> > > 
> > > I have used dump(8) to dump out my filesystems.  I am wondering
> > > if I can just use "dd" to dump out all of /dev/ad0s1 also,
> > > and then use "dd" to put it back again when I'm done.  Then
> > > I'd boot the installation CD into "fixit" mode, build a new
> > > MBR, make sure that the new s1 was the same or very slightly larger
> > > than the old s1, and use dd to put it back again.  Can anyone
> > > speak to either the "doomed to failure" or "I've done this and
> > > it works" scenarios?
> > 
> > Not doomed, but don't expect to read data on other than FBSD systems. 
> > This is described in the handbook under using removable media (CD/DVD) 
> > for backups.
> 
> Oh, yeah, actually, that's no problem.  The "media" are files on an
> NFS share...

I thought I'd give everyone an update: - this worked QUITE WELL!


I did a dd copy of the Windows XP fdisk partition (slice) onto my NFS
server. (dd if=/dev/ad0s1 of=/backups/pearl-winxp-0-0 bs=64k)

I did a dump of all the FreeBSD partitions (with a and L and all
that good stuff).

I pulled out the old disk drive, and put in the new one.

I booted FreeBSD from CD, and created a 20Gb DOS partition, then used
the rest of the disk for FreeBSD.  I deleted the DOS partition and
created a type "7" partition that was the size of the original
WinXP partition.  This left a gap where I wanted it, between the
WinXP fdisk partition and the new FreeBSD parition.

(OK - I did have to do some fiddling with the disk geometry to get
the partition exactly aligned on the new hard drive, but I suspect
I could have just picked the least size greater than the old one
and been just fine.)

I installed a minimum FreeBSD on the (new) hard drive.

I booted from the (new) hard drive.  FreeBSD came up!

I mounted the backups export via NFS and used dd to copy the
WinXP parition onto the new hard drive.

I booted WinXP - no problem!  It came up just fine.

I used WinXP to create an extended partition (this is the space
that I left between WinXP and FreeBSD) and I am creating two
new NTFS filesystems in it.  That's going just dandy.

When Windows is all done, I will reboot into a FIXIT situation, wipe
out the minimal system I installed, and use the FIXIT environment
to restore from the dump images on the NFS export.  I anticipate
no problems with that.

I could have done everything from FIXIT rather than installing a
minimum FreeBSD and booting it from the hard drive, except for two
things:
1) FreeBSD doesn't like the Compaq MultiBay CD-ROM.  4.x booted and
   installed from it, but wouldn't see it when booting from the
   hard drive.  5.x will boot from it, but not even install from it.
   Therefore, to get to the FIXIT environment, I will have to take
   out the CD drive and put in the floppy drive.  Booting from floppies
   is a certified PAIN.
2) I mucked with the disk geometry.  This was partly to get the
   fdisk partitions lined up, and partly because the geometry came
   up with 255 heads, which is questionable.  I faked it to 60
   heads, because that worked out nicely with the size of my old
   hard drive (15 heads - cylinders were all multiples of 4 - sometimes
   you get lucky!), and because it is below the 63 that I believe to
   always be safe.  Anyway, having mucked with the disk geometry, I
   always like to know that I can create a bootable system quick,
   in case I have to go back and undo something or do it differently
   at that more basic level.
3) I wanted to do all the Windows work before I fully restored the
   FreeBSD system, because Windows has been a bad neighbor in the
   past.

> Best of luck,
> 
> Andrew Gould

Thanks!  It seems I had good luck.

> 
> I'll use FreeBSD booted from the CD to put it back.
> -- 
> 
> John Lind
> john at starfire.MN.ORG
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-- 

John Lind
john at starfire.MN.ORG