FreeBSD Instalation question

Polytropon freebsd at edvax.de
Tue Mar 30 21:48:58 UTC 2010


On Tue, 30 Mar 2010 17:41:53 -0300 (CLST), pvidales at uc.cl wrote:
> Hello. I am interested in installing FreeBSD OS on my Notebook, which has at
> this time Windows 7 with a hard disk partitioned into 2 primary partition (C:
> and D:).
> I read the installation instructions, but I was clear:
> How can I install FreeBSD OS on partition D: without deleting the contents of
> C: (Windows 7 and other files) so you can choose when starting the OS with my
> Notebook which to work (Windows 7 or FreeBSD)?
> Thank you!

During the installation (usually involving the sysinstall
installation program), you are entering the slice editor.
This is where "primary partitions" are mentioned. Delete
the partition corresponding to the "drive letter" D:, I
would assume it's the second one on the disk. Then create
a new slice for the (now) free space and make it a FreeBSD
slice. After that, you can install the FreeBSD boot manager.
I'm not familiar with "Windows", so I would assume that
it won't harm the "Windows" installation on the disk if
you add this boot manager. After that, you continue in
the normal way partitioning your FreeBSD slice, selecting
things to install, and so on.

The FreeBSD boot manager will then allow you to select
to boot FreeBSD or "Windows" at system startup.

Before:

	{ [ "Windows" partition C: ]  [ "Windows" partition D: ] }

First step in slice editor (delete second "Windows" partition):

	{ [ "Windows" partition C: ]  -free-                     }

Second step in slice editor (create FreeBSD slice):
	
	{ [ "Windows" partition C: ]  [ FreeBSD                ] }

Third step, after slice editor (install boot manager):

	{M[ "Windows" partition C: ]  [ FreeBSD                ] }

Keep an eye on which partition you mark "active" inside the slice
editor. As I said, I'm not familiar with how "Windows" handles
things, and I'm not a multi-booter, so excuse me for being quite
generic in my answer. :-)

Don't miss the excellent documentation in the FreeBSD handbook,
esp. ch. 2.6, to be found here:

http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en/books/handbook/install-steps.html



-- 
Polytropon
Magdeburg, Germany
Happy FreeBSD user since 4.0
Andra moi ennepe, Mousa, ...


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