# Windows 8 FreeBSD 10 dual boot



## bulent (Sep 3, 2014)

Hello,
 I installed FreeBSD 10 on Virtualbox. Now ı want to install it on a PC with *W*indows 8 working on it. Is there a manual for dual booting Windows 8 and FreeBSD 10 without reinstalling *W*indows 8?


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## beastDemian (Sep 3, 2014)

If you install FreeBSD (in a partition or in another HD), the FreeBSD bootloader should be able to detect both operating systems, letting you choose which one you want.


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## wblock@ (Sep 3, 2014)

The FreeBSD multiboot loader only handles MBR.  Windows 8 is going to be on GPT and probably expecting SecureBoot.  Grub2 can multiboot off GPT partitions, and it is possible to disable SecureBoot with Windows 8, but I have not done that.


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## kpa (Sep 3, 2014)

The boot0cfg(8) multiboot loader does work with GPT disks but only in the case that there is more than one disk, the standard BIOS booting is used and the boot loader is only used to select which disk to boot from. Selecting GPT partition to boot from is not possible with the boot0cfg(8) loader. Overwriting of the so called "protective MBR" is not an issue because the protective MBR is just a standard MBR boot code combined with a specially crafted partition table with the "protective" MBR partition that covers the whole disk.


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## bulent (Sep 3, 2014)

http://www.michielovertoom.com/windows/ ... ex.php#end

This says it is possible on one disk with XP and FreeBSD 8.


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## wblock@ (Sep 3, 2014)

XP is easy.  It uses plain old MBR slices.  Windows 7 usually does also.  Windows 8 is a different matter.


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## bulent (Sep 4, 2014)

kpa said:
			
		

> The boot0cfg(8) multiboot loader does work with GPT disks but only in the case that there is more than one disk, the standard BIOS booting is used and the boot loader is only used to select which disk to boot from. Selecting GPT partition to boot from is not possible with the boot0cfg(8) loader. Overwriting of the so called "protective MBR" is not an issue because the protective MBR is just a standard MBR boot code combined with a specially crafted partition table with the "protective" MBR partition that covers the whole disk.



If I have another disk, is it possible? Windows 8 and FreeBSD 10 on different disks with dual boot?


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## wblock@ (Sep 4, 2014)

With two disks, there is no reason to mess with multiboot loaders at all.  Use the BIOS boot menu.


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## bulent (Sep 4, 2014)

As I don't have another disk I will try on one disk and see what happens...


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## ColdfireMC (Sep 4, 2014)

Surely you have EFI, so use refind 
http://www.rodsbooks.com/refind/

Chain a bootloader like GRUB.


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