From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Fri Mar 15 02:37:47 2013 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.FreeBSD.org [8.8.178.115]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 9D18C81C for ; Fri, 15 Mar 2013 02:37:47 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from leeoliveshackelford@surewest.net) Received: from rc1.surewest.net (rc1.surewest.net [66.60.130.50]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 7943AA2A for ; Fri, 15 Mar 2013 02:37:47 +0000 (UTC) Received: from smtp1.surewest.net ([66.60.130.145]) by rc1.surewest.net ({dfaaa318-551d-4a0a-8038-7c31cf31c4f6}) via TCP (outbound) with ESMTP id 20130315023405153 for ; Fri, 15 Mar 2013 02:34:05 +0000 X-RC-FROM: X-RC-RCPT: Received: from ms5.mc.surewest.net (hansolo.surewest.net [64.30.98.104]) by smtp1.surewest.net (Postfix) with ESMTP id 0B30F893C3 for ; Thu, 14 Mar 2013 19:34:05 -0700 (PDT) Received: (from ms5.mc.surewest.net [192.168.60.101]) by ms5.mc.surewest.net (MOS 4.1.10-GA) with HTTP/1.1 id DEM52311 (AUTH leeoliveshackelford@surewest.net); Thu, 14 Mar 2013 19:34:04 -0700 (PDT) From: Subject: Installing 9.1 without re-partitioning hard drive To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailer: Mirapoint Webmail Direct 4.1.10-GA MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Message-Id: <20130314193404.DEM52311@ms5.mc.surewest.net> Date: Thu, 14 Mar 2013 19:34:04 -0700 (PDT) X-MAG-OUTBOUND: surewest.redcondor.net@66.60.130.145/32 X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.14 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 15 Mar 2013 02:37:47 -0000 Good afternoon, FreeBSD enthusiasts. I am attempting to install FreeBSD 9.1 on a dual-boot configuration with Windows XP. I am using bsdinstall. I do not wish for the partition table to be changed. How do I instruct bsdinstall to skip the re-partitioning step? It gives an error message that it cannot write a certain file because the medium is write-only. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Yours truly, Newby Lee I forgot to mention some additional facts: The FreeBSD operating system is being installed from a d.v.d. I partitioned the hard drive into two equal partitions before re-installing Windows XP. Also, the following cryptic instruction was given to me by the bsdinstall program: "When finished, mount the system at /mnt and place an fstab file for the new system at tmp/bsdinstall_etc/fstab. Then type "exit". Please, can anyone explain to me what this instruction is telling me to do, and give me some details as to how to perform these tasks? Perhaps, also explain to me why I am supposed to do these things? How do I mount the system at /mnt? How do I compose an fstab file? How do I place the fstab file at tmp/bsdinstall_etc/fstab, a directory that does not exist until the filesystem is built? If the answers to any of these questions are explained in writing anywhere, please tell me where to look. Thank you. Again, yours truly, Newby Lee