FreeBSD multiboot with Ubuntu/Windows

Q

quocnam

Hi guys, I am a newbie. I installed in my computer two operating systems, Ubuntu 10.10 and Windows 7. Now I want to install FreeBSD 8.2 booting with Ubuntu and Windows 7. Can you show me how to? I want to learn about FreeBSD. I should start with which version of FreeBSD? Thanks.
 
Windows 7, Linux, FreeBSD? BE CAREFUL. Sorry about that; you are trying to do something I did.

Re Win 7 and FreeBSD: I failed when I tried installing FreeBSD on the Windows 7 system (I subsequently destroyed the drive and set up Linux and FreeBSD). This happened because I set up the FreeBSD boot loader, and it messed with the Windows boot loader (Windows sometimes uses some drive on it, mounted as \BOOT; it did in my case) and I failed to restore it.

Re Linux and FreeBSD: No real problem, except slicing. Slicing is also called partitioning, where you cut or slice your disk into parts. FreeBSD and GNU/Linux see these differently, but addressing or calling the disk is similar. They are similar in that both locate some devices in /dev, others via sockets, and still others in other fashions (disks are found in /dev). They are different because in FreeBSD, you set up the partitions as slices then you part those. In Linux, whatever slices you make, those are the partitions.

One way Linux and FreeBSD are similar: Crypto and LVM. LVM in Linux is kind of like slicing in FreeBSD, except the slice of LVM in Linux REQUIRES a /boot partition to use (this boot cannot be a part of the Logical Volume; it has to be its own slice!). Crypto is something I am not sure about, except the earlier thing applies: a separate boot-able slice!

How to install Windows, Linux, FreeBSD (basic recommendation):
1: Install Win7 first; use one partition (you need all four to utilize this if you work off one disk)

2: Install Linux; tell it that you want Win7 on the boot menu; set Linux boot partition to 'Boot' or 'Active'; reboot

3: Install FreeBSD; do not put boot loader on there or put it to the FreeBSD partition (take care); reboot

4: Edit boot menu in Linux boot loader to reflect FreeBSD boot option

5: Reboot

You should have all three systems working off one disk. Be careful; this is just one bit of advice. Hope this helps
 
I suggest sharing a standard GPT disk.
I have five systems on one drive and my drive looks like this:

Code: 
MacPro:~ vinkler$ diskutil list
/dev/disk0
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *500.1 GB   disk0
   1:                        EFI                         209.7 MB   disk0s1--> EFI
   2:                  Apple_HFS SnowLeopard             148.6 GB   disk0s2--> MacOSX10.6.7
   3:                  Apple_HFS Lion                    48.8 GB    disk0s3--> MacOSX10.7DP2
   4:       Microsoft Basic Data                         107.4 GB   disk0s4--> Win7
   5:       Microsoft Basic Data                         8.6 GB     disk0s5--> Ubuntu /
   6:       Microsoft Basic Data                         96.6 GB    disk0s6--> Ubuntu /home
   7:                 Linux Swap                         2.1 GB     disk0s7--> Ubuntu /swap
   8:               FreeBSD Swap                         2.1 GB     disk0s8--> FreeBSD /swap
   9: 516E7CBA-6ECF-11D6-8FF8-00022D09712B               85.3 GB    disk0s9--> FreeBSD - zfs

On the drive I have two bootloaders.
1. Chameleon is run MacOSX, Win7, Grub2
2. Grub2 is run Ubuntu, FreeBSD
 
If you have already Windows and Ubuntu and you want to install FreeBSD, I think that you should/could use EasyBCD. But like sk8harddiefast wrote - I think that maybe first you should try FreeBSD via VM?
 
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