Installing FreeBSD on Windows disk

B

balanga

I've just acquired a 'new' computer with a 500GB disk with Windows installed on it. I want to install FreeBSD on the disk but before doing so, I want to preserve the Windows installation, just in case I ever need it. The installation on uses 23GB.

What's the best way to archive it in a form that I can easily restore it in a bootable form?
 
balanga said:
I've just acquired a 'new' computer with a 500GB disk with Windows installed on it. I want to install FreeBSD on the disk but before doing so, I want to preserve the Windows installation, just in case I ever need it. The installation on uses 23GB.

What's the best way to archive it in a form that I can easily restore it in a bootable form?
Click to expand...
Pull the hard drive, you computer was shipped with, out of the machine and put it in a refrigerator. Then put the newly purchased hard drive in and just install FreeBSD on it.
 
balanga said:
What's the best way to archive it in a form that I can easily restore it in a bootable form?
Click to expand...

1. Boot into the Windows OS. :cringe:
2. Install and run Disk2vhd.
2b. 'Use Volume Shadow Copy'
2c. Select which volumes to include.
2d. Create.

End result will be a VHD you can boot up in a virtual machine, or can restore from to the physical disk. Use EasyBCD to backup the boot-loader.

You can even back up to a network drive with Disk2vhd.
 
Oko said:
Pull the hard drive, you computer was shipped with, out of the machine and put it in a refrigerator. Then put the newly purchased hard drive in and just install FreeBSD on it.
Click to expand...
Ok, but let's not moan if the system freezes! :D
 
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linux->bsd said:
1. Boot into the Windows OS. :cringe:
2. Install and run Disk2vhd.
2b. 'Use Volume Shadow Copy'
2c. Select which volumes to include.
2d. Create.

End result will be a VHD you can boot up in a virtual machine, or can restore from to the physical disk. Use EasyBCD to backup the boot-loader.

You can even back up to a network drive with Disk2vhd.
Click to expand...

Can I mount a VHD file under FreeBSD?
 
Oko said:
Pull the hard drive, you computer was shipped with, out of the machine and put it in a refrigerator.
Click to expand...

Really? Why? I've heard of people doing that to get a flaky drive working long enough to retrieve some data from it, but I've never heard of that for storing drives. Any URLs on that I can browse through?
 
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Reactions: Oko
PacketMan said:
Really? Why? I've heard of people doing that to get a flaky drive working long enough to retrieve some data from it, but I've never heard of that for storing drives. Any URLs on that I can browse through?
Click to expand...

Pretty sure it's a joke; a play on "preserve the Windows installation." In your country, what method do you use to preserve food over long periods of time?
 
With 6 billion + people on this planet nothing surprises me anymore. As absurd as something may sound I ask question, get the fact, and go from there.
 
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