How do I install BSD 3.3 from an old CDROM?

J

Jessica

Hi Everyone!
My boyfriend says I will never in a million years be able to work out how to install BSD from the 3.3 version CDROM he's had since he was 15.
He's a computer technician and he says if I manage, he will write :
"I know nothing about computers." And he'll let me take a pic and post it on here.
I really want that picture... :)
If I can't do it, I have to do whatever he wants... :(

Please can anyone give me an idiot's guide to installing it on a new computer?

Thanks!
Jessica
 
boot

probably the most difficult thing about this is doing it on a _new_ computer.
first i would check if you can insert the cd into the computer and boot from it.
although i doubt this works with a recent pc, you can try.
 
warinthepocket said:
http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en/books/handbook/
Click to expand...
Your RTFM cry is unjustified and won't help.

@Jessica: There's a reason why your boyfriend is asking you to try this. The original 3.3 CD has a bug that prevents it from booting on the most common type of CD-ROM drive. You need to make floppies (instructions are on the disc) and boot from those. But new machines are likely to no longer have a floppy drive so you may be stuck.

So, in short follow these steps:
  1. Check whether the computer can boot from the CD. It probably won't, but try it nonetheless.
  2. If it works, follow the instructions on the screen. Don't worry too much about the various options, you just need to get it installed period.
  3. The computer most likely won't boot the CD (as I suspect that's part of your boyfriend's "challenge"). In that case, check for a floppy disk drive. If there is one, call back here. If there isn't, you're out of options. Tell your boyfriend that you've found him out and that it can't be done. Not without downloading an updated version of the CD at least.
Hope this helps,

Alphons
 
an external usb floppy should be cheap to obtain anyhow :)
but... her friend will hate us forever if we f!$* up his show... xD
 
The CDROM is a real problem. I installed it in a virtual machine with an ATAPI cdrom-drive, so the FreeBSD archive only serves the fixed version.
(strange, it is the #0 release. Did they fix it without an official update?)

Installed it without any problems, though. The old csh quite sucks, but the network card works instantly.

Code: 
FreeBSD  3.3-RELEASE FreeBSD 3.3-RELEASE #0: Thu Sep 16 23:40:35 GMT 1999      
       jkh@highwing.cdrom.com:/usr/src/sys/compile/GENERIC  i386
 
Thank you...

for all your advice - especially Alphons.
I have no idea what MG is talking about lol!

I'm going to try to boot from the CD.
But first I have to google how to do that!
I did read the manual, but it made absolutely no sense to me.

If that works I still have to configure it too, apparently, so I'll be back soon, hopefully :)
Jessica
 
Hello Jessica...

Booting from the CD should be very easy.

Normally you just insert the CD and reboot the computer.
If you boot from the CD, you _will_ notice, because wired text is appearing on your monitor telling you technical stuff.

One thing to keep in mind:
If there is already something on your computer, BACKUP ALL YOUR DATA, because you computer may be quite empty if something goes wrong.

Nevertheless, if in the first step you only boot from CD and do nothing else than switching the PC off again after the boot, nothing can happen.

If your computer does not boot from CD, post here, you will be helped.

Gr33z, Tino

P.S.: MG did a great job for you, he verified that basically what you want to do should work. ;)
 
In case you can't get 3.3 installed at all, you should install a recent version of FreeBSD (7.2-RELEASE will suffice), edit /usr/src/sys/conf/newvers.sh to say 3.3-RELEASE, rebuild, and install. Then try to see if he notices any differences when uname shows that this computer is running 3.3-RELEASE. ;)
 
jrick said:
in case you can't get 3.3 installed at all, you should install a recent version of freebsd (7.2-release will suffice), edit /usr/src/sys/conf/newvers.sh to say 3.3-release, rebuild, and install. Then try to see if he notices any differences when uname shows that this computer is running 3.3-release. ;)
Click to expand...
ftw!
 
jrick said:
In case you can't get 3.3 installed at all, you should install a recent version of FreeBSD (7.2-RELEASE will suffice), edit /usr/src/sys/conf/newvers.sh to say 3.3-RELEASE, rebuild, and install. Then try to see if he notices any differences when uname shows that this computer is running 3.3-RELEASE. ;)
Click to expand...
Well, if he can't tell from a simple [cmd=>]df[/cmd] he deserves to lose.
 
elgrande said:
One thing to keep in mind:
If there is already something on your computer, BACKUP ALL YOUR DATA, because you computer may be quite empty if something goes wrong.
Click to expand...

My advice is to install it on an unused computer. Just override all the existing data. This sometimes simplified matters and lowers risks.

Try following the Handbook's section about installation step by step.

Edit: The 3.3-RELEASE version of the Handbook might be useful.
 
You can also get another version of the CD-ROM (i.e. 3.2, and probably also recent 6.x or 7.x versions) and change the RELEASE name in the sysinstall options.

If you fetch the distribution sets from FTP there should be no problem as long as you remember to format the disk to UFS1 (Since UFS2 won't work with FreeBSD 3.3).

If the sets aren't available from FPT anymore, you can still get them from a 3.3 ISO by using a second CD-ROM drive or a local FTP server.
 
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