creating entry for PC-BSD

luap52

New Member
Hi

While I am not new to Linux, I do not have a geek background, and this is the first time I have downloaded PC-BSD or FreeBSD. My experience with Linux is just on my own, using my own computer. I currently have windows 7, and xp as a dual boot, which was created automatically when win 7 was installed. I have two drives on this computer, and would like to install Pc BSD, that I just downloaded, to the boot menu If I add the entry of Pc BSD to Easy BSD, and install Pc BSD will it create an option, like I currently have for xp and win 7 for Pc BSD?
 
It would probably be best to install PC-BSD on the second hard drive as first in the boot sequence of BIOS, in case the installer doesn't have the option of not installing its bootloader to the MBR (which would end up rendering your W7 and XP unbootable), which it probably doesn't. Though I have never installed FreeBSD before, I have installed PC-BSD, and understand that they are similiar as far as underlying architecture is concerned (and I think PC-BSD is actually based on FreeBSD, so its probably like an updated version of it). Note on my system I installed it on an external hard drive, so my main hard drive's MBR was not touched at all by the installer (though that was a while back, and I only booted the OS a couple times, so I don't remember much about it). I also was not using the MS boot manager to chainload its bootloader, but was using a 3rd party boot manager instead. Due to this fact, I have not tested booting it with the help of EasyBCD adding an entry for it to the boot menu. I would assume it would detect it on another hard drive just fine, but its probably best to create the entry after the OS is installed (not before), since I don't know how the internals work.

Cheers. :smile:

Btw, now that you reminded me of PC-BSD, I'm considering hooking my computer up to my external hard drive right now, and see if I can load it through my W7 boot manager (after first adding an entry for it in EasyBCD, of course). I'll let you know how it goes.
 
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We actually worked in close cooperation with the PC-BSD team in adding support for it to EasyBCD. The PC-BSD setup wizard will not add PC-BSD to the bootloader by default in an existing Windows installation - it's meant so you can then boot back into Windows and use EasyBCD to configure the dual-boot (a click away)
 
Btw, now that you reminded me of PC-BSD, I'm considering hooking my computer up to my external hard drive right now, and see if I can load it through my W7 boot manager (after first adding an entry for it in EasyBCD, of course). I'll let you know how it goes.
Hmm...well due to a problem with Windows not reading my external USB hard drive correctly, and not seeing the 3 partitions (one of which is the one which contains PC-BSD) on there, EasyBCD (and Windows Disk Management both) only see a single (RAW) volume being the same size as the hard drive itself. And so I could not boot my PC-BSD OS with the Windows 7 boot manager on my new computer. Note that testdisk sees all 3 partitions under disk Analyze, though it didn't initially until I ran a quick search which located the partitions, and then hit Write to write the partition structure to disk. But I am able to boot PC-BSD still with BootIt NG (on my older computer which has a multiboot system), though BING itself reports the PC-BSD partition has an invalid structure for some reason (I'm still working on that problem), so I was able to look around a little bit, though I didn't explore PC-BSD in length at this time since I have more important stuff to do right now.
 
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It sounds like you may have installed PC-BSD with the GUID partition type instead of MBR?
 
It sounds like you may have installed PC-BSD with the GUID partition type instead of MBR?
You know what? Now that you mention it...I'm starting to think you may be right.
I do seem to have a vague memory of using GUID when installing PC-BSD, though that was a long time back, and can't be sure.
If that is the case, what could I do to solve the problem? Is there some way to change the partition type to MBR instead of GUID after-the-fact
(WITHOUT damaging the PC-BSD installation)?
Also note that from BootIt NG, when I look at the properties of the partition, it shows the start position as having a higher number than the end position?!
 
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Yeah, when GUID enter the picture, all apps based on MBR will act oddly. GUID has some very rudimentary MBR emulation to protect the partition from being overwritten. Basically, it'll show the entire drive as one partition of unknown type (instead of free or unformatted).
It's theoretically possible to switch from GUID to MBR, but I don't know of any tools to automate the process (you'd have to manually create the partition table). Testdisk *might* be able to do it if you force it to see the disk as MBR.
 
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