# My first question on FreeBSD.



## rpk2006 (Jan 7, 2011)

I already have Windows 7 installed. On what type of other partition I can install FreeBSD?


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## SirDice (Jan 7, 2011)

rpk2006 said:
			
		

> I already have Windows 7 installed. On what type of other partition I can install FreeBSD?



You can only install on UFS or ZFS. But only UFS is available with the normal sysinstall setup. It also has to be installed on a primary MS-DOS/BIOS partition (which is called a slice on FreeBSD).


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## rpk2006 (Jan 7, 2011)

I have four partitions on my hard-disk, 2 NTFS and 2 FAT32. All four are packed with data. To install FreeBSD, how should I proceed? I don't want to loose any information on my partitions. Is it possible to install it on a USB hard-disk?


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## Bunyan (Jan 7, 2011)

A better idea is to move your data to a partition on the USB hard drive
and free up enough space for a FreeBSD slice - 40-50 Gb.


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## rpk2006 (Jan 7, 2011)

How much space a minimum installation of FreeBSD needs?


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## UNIXgod (Jan 7, 2011)

rpk2006 said:
			
		

> How much space a minimum installation of FreeBSD needs?



FreeBSD requires a 486 or better processor and at least 24 MB of RAM. You will need at least 150 MB of free hard drive space for the most minimal installation.


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## Pushrod (Jan 8, 2011)

Forget all the dual boot headache and all that, and run FreeBSD under a VM, such as OracleSun Virtual Box. The performance penalty is minimal, and you can use snapshots to roll back any big mistakes that you might make.

Then, if you really find a need for FreeBSD, use a separate machine for it.


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## shitson (Jan 8, 2011)

Did you use the entire disk for the Win7 Install?


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## rpk2006 (Jan 8, 2011)

@shitson:

No, there is plenty of room on other partitions, but I wanted to know how much minimum space FreeBSD is going to take.

@Pushrod:

I have VirtualBox installed and I try to run Fedora from a live .iso on my hard disk, but it sucks the entire CPU power. Is FreeBSD lighter?


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## shitson (Jan 8, 2011)

Have a read of the Handbook. A FreeBSD install can be very small, but is generally not going to be very usable as a Desktop system. A small install can be anywhere down to 300-512MB. But i would be looking at leaving maybe 10/15GB even 25-30GB if you can spare it. 

Will you be compiling anything from Ports?


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