Multiboot on an External

[Apocalypse]

Hey all. Sorry that my first post is basically a "somebody throw me a line" post...but here goes!

I'm currently running 3 OS's (2x linux distributions, 1x windows os) on my laptop. I also connect a 1TB external HD to it. On this External HD, I want to run FreeBSD and likely a couple linux distros or possibly MAC.
The External has about 275GB of free unallocated space (the rest is NTFS which is being used for storage)

I downloaded the full freebsd memstick and burned it to my thumbdrive.
Booted and attempted to go through the process of installation, getting stuck at the partitioning.
I tried to make the first partition on this space a TYPE: "freebsd-ufs", MOUNT POINT: "/", SIZE: 1GB

Freebsd installtion basically said: "Do not pass go, do not collect 200$"
"Invalid Argument"
I tinkered with just about everything to get past it...but it didn't want to bite. So, in essence, I guess I'm doing something wrong....or it's just not really a configuration that freeBSD wants.

So, I want to install FreeBsd on the external (preferring to use a partitioning scheme with /, swap, /tmp, /var, /usr, /home and be able to boot it from....if possible....my grub menu when that external happens to be plugged in.
I don't want it to mess with my current internal system (other than possibly adding freebsd to my grub list?), nor to delete the storage from my external system.
Grub2 on MBR.
My External has room a couple primary partitions.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[balanga]

I managed to create a FreeBSD based multiboot disk which works fine either as in internal disk or as a USB disk...
Here is a thread I started a while back showing what I did to get it working. Not sure if you will be able to make any sense of it...

Thread 61077

I've since added a number of Linux distros which boot from ISO and hope to add more in due course. An import point to remember is to create a GPT disk so you are not hamstrung by four primary partitions.

 

[Apocalypse]

Hey Balanga, thank you much!
I appreciate your thread. I hope to get started on that this upcoming week. If I have any questions that I can't figure out, would you mind if i bug you about it? haha
Thanks again.

 

[balanga]

Hey Balanga, thank you much!
I appreciate your thread. I hope to get started on that this upcoming week. If I have any questions that I can't figure out, would you mind if i bug you about it? haha
Thanks again.

You're quite welcome to ask, but I'm no expert. A lot of things worked after much trial and error...

I noticed in that thread that I missed a lot out as far as adding various Linux distributions. I set up a script for this, which I thought I had posted in that thread, but hadn't. If I find it I will add it on at the end.