Date: Mon, 14 Feb 2005 11:05:18 -0500 From: Marty Landman <MLandman@face2interface.com> To: Jerry McAllister <jerrymc@clunix.cl.msu.edu> Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: how to set up a dual boot system Message-ID: <6.2.0.14.0.20050214104157.03952230@mail.face2interface.com> In-Reply-To: <200502141520.j1EFKVD13483@clunix.cl.msu.edu> References: <6.2.0.14.0.20050213205129.01dfab48@mail.face2interface.com> <200502141520.j1EFKVD13483@clunix.cl.msu.edu>
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Does this mean I should start over, installing fbsd first and setting aside a slice on the first disk (second slice say) for windows? If I do that, will windows be able to format that second slice, i.e. will it see it as a partition? Marty At 10:20 AM 2/14/2005, Jerry McAllister wrote: > > > > I must've goofed somehow. Left windows 98 on the primary master ide and > > installed fbsd 5.2 on the other two ide's; installation seemed to go well, > > and I installed the bootmgr on the first of the two ide's that fbsd is on. > > However when I reboot from the hard drive go right into windows. > > > > Where did I go wrong, and how do I fix it? > >The MBR has to be installed on the first disk found in the boot list >which will most likely be the one with Winxxx on it - your description >sounds like that and anyway MS doesn't like to be installed anywhere >else. The MBR should also be on the other two disks, but definitely >must be on that first one. Then you have to install a boot sector >on those two disks. The MS MBR doesn't know how to boot anything >but an MS system. > >Basically, when the system boots, it starts with the BIOS. The BIOS >looks at its list of boot devices according to how it is configured >and begins to check them in order. It tries to boot from the first >device in its list that has an MBR. That MBR is what then may look >at the other disks for a bootable slice. The MS MBR doesn't know how >to recognize any other type of system or boot anything but MS stuff. >So, you have to make sure that the first device that the BIOS finds >with an MBR has a FreeBSD (or other intelligent) MBR that knows how >to boot anything. > >The FreeBSD MBR will boot any of the systems with a standard boot sequence, >but it is a little limited in its ability to label them. It has labels for >a few, such as FreeBSD, MS-DOS, some LINUXen. But it doesn't have names >for many others such as MS with an NTFS slice. It will boot any of these >including the ones it doesn't have names for, but it just puts up ??? for >the name in the boot menu of ones it doesn't have names for. That is not >really a problem, though it can be confusing on a machine if you have >one FreeBSD slice and three bootable slices with system that say ??? for >the name. You have to remember which ??? is which... > >For that reasonable reason plus other prejudices many people install >a third part MBR/loader such as Grub. But, it isn't essential to >get things to work. > >The second thing you did wrong is installing F-5.2. If you want 5.xxx >then install 5.3 (or at least 5.2.1). FreeBSD 5.2 was almost immediately >supplanted because of problems - probably not related to your current >situation, but you don't want it anyway. > >////jerry > > > > > Marty > > > > > > Marty Landman, Face 2 Interface Inc. 845-679-9387 > > Search & Sort Easily: http://face2interface.com/Products/FormATable.shtml > > Web Installed Formmail: http://face2interface.com/formINSTal > > > > _______________________________________________ > > freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list > > http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions > > To unsubscribe, send any mail to > "freebsd-questions-unsubscribe@freebsd.org" > > Marty Landman, Face 2 Interface Inc. 845-679-9387 Search & Sort Easily: http://face2interface.com/Products/FormATable.shtml Web Installed Formmail: http://face2interface.com/formINSTal
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