# Installing FreeBSD 11 along with Windows 10 on to the third part of hardrive



## chiqui (Feb 7, 2017)

Hello Everyone,

This topic might be little bit weird but I am having problem with the partitioning FreeBSD on my PC. Here is the problem:

I have divided my hdd in to 3 parts (but maybe 4 because windows 10 puts the very first part as special booting sector or sth like that). So I have C:\, D:\ and E:\ on my hard disk. I have windows 10 on C:\ and using D as a ntfs storage and I want to install my FreeBSD system on the third part E:\ drive. However I cant partitioned in the way that I want to such as  /boot, /home, /(root), swap, /var etc. 

Is that technically possible? If not why? If so how can I achieve this?

Thanks,

PC,


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## AHR Inc (Feb 7, 2017)

Please try to boot the machine with FreeBSD memstick image or a cdrom. thereafter, run a

`gpart show`

the output will tell you a lot and I think is a good starting point. post the output here.

Note if the disk is MBR type, you are limited to 5 partitions (i guess)


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## chiqui (Feb 7, 2017)

You are limited to 3 primary plus one logical which I have (including windows boot). However, even though I have logical partition, I cant reformat my logical part for separate BSD file formats. Thats all the problem I have. 
Any idea?

PC,


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## ShelLuser (Feb 7, 2017)

I don't use Windows 10, don't plan to, so I'm not 100% sure what partitioning scheme it uses (to my knowledge it supports GPT) but with the new GPT partitioning scheme you're no longer bound to the classic primary and extended partition rules and limits.

SO unless you used MBR for Windows 10 (which is probably the standard, but please note: this is an assumption on my part) then you can probably set this up the way you intended.


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## asys (Feb 7, 2017)

As you've mentioned, you will need a primary partition to boot and it's limited to 4 primary partition on MBR partitioning scheme. Keep in mind that partition in Windows is equivalent to BSD slice and BSD partition has no equivalent in Windows. 

Correct me if i'm wrong, but I assume you wanted to have the traditional file system layout with separate partition for different mountpoints(/usr, /var, /tmp,etc..). If this is your goal, you just need one primary slice(partition in Windows). You can then make 8 different partition a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h for this slice. By convention, a is used for /root filesystem and b is for swap space. Partition c is used to refer to the entire slice. The rest can contain different file system to be mounted to the root file system.


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## chiqui (Feb 7, 2017)

OK, I dont want to be mean or rude however, I still dont get the answer how to achieve my first problem in the first place. 
What I have done even, I have changed the primary type to logical type of my E partition in Windows (windows boot, C and D are still primary). And tried to install BSD but It didnt work. The second thing I have done is still keep the windows drive as primaries (C,D and I wond be writing boot for windows because its fixed), and  reformat and partitioned the E in FreeBSd formats and separated my own file systems under windows with a third party program and by doing that I have got /, swap, /var etc. But this solution didnt work either. 
For the third one I have changed again (ofcourse with a third party software) my D to logical and keep E primary (I thought that may be I can achieve in primary partition by keeping the primary numbers minimum), and still I couldnt out my file system and reformat them under BSD installation process. So I now about to try the fourth way which will be the merging D and E (I havent decided yet whether or not to keep them primary or logical), and try to install BSD on it. However, then in windows I wont have my storage partition D. So I dont want to go for this solution which I think it would probably work. Thats why guys I am asking some kind of alternatives without deleting my D or merging it with my E under windows. 

Please note that I Have been trying to write it doesn very carefully and detailed so you can understand my problem in a better way.

I hope to see some ideas for solution. or may be there is a very easy way to do that which I dont see right now.

Thanks,

PC,


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## ANOKNUSA (Feb 7, 2017)

Back up your data, wipe the disk, and start over with a clean GPT table on the disk. That is my personal stance, because GPT was invented by some very smart and hard-working people precisely so people didn't have to waste their time with this sort of nonsense. If you are going to insist on putting 83 partitions on a disk then do it right.


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## chiqui (Feb 7, 2017)

Anoknusa, thanks for the advice...How come I didnt think about that wiping my job PC, then do it everything right...Thats very smart. 
You are not to tell me what is nonsense and what is not. 
I want this way. Period.

PC,


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## asys (Feb 7, 2017)

chiqui said:


> OK, I dont want to be mean or rude however, I still dont get the answer how to achieve my first problem in the first place.
> What I have done even, I have changed the primary type to logical type of my E partition in Windows (windows boot, C and D are still primary). And tried to install BSD but It didnt work. The second thing I have done is still keep the windows drive as primaries (C,D and I wond be writing boot for windows because its fixed), and  reformat and partitioned the E in FreeBSd formats and separated my own file systems under windows with a third party program and by doing that I have got /, swap, /var etc. But this solution didnt work either.
> For the third one I have changed again (ofcourse with a third party software) my D to logical and keep E primary (I thought that may be I can achieve in primary partition by keeping the primary numbers minimum), and still I couldnt out my file system and reformat them under BSD installation process. So I now about to try the fourth way which will be the merging D and E (I havent decided yet whether or not to keep them primary or logical), and try to install BSD on it. However, then in windows I wont have my storage partition D. So I dont want to go for this solution which I think it would probably work. Thats why guys I am asking some kind of alternatives without deleting my D or merging it with my E under windows.
> 
> ...


I understand that you've tried your best to describe the situation but technical situation like this demands precise explanation for others to comprehend and usage of established terminology really helps.

There cannot be any mistakes when choosing type of slice. I kept repeating the word "slice" here because it is what you refer to as partition. When you make a partition under MBR scheme, it's a "slice". With that in mind, you don't need to change the type of slice to logical or primary or extended. You will need a primary partition. Period. No logical or extended if you wanted to boot the slice.

I tried my best to get the idea of your situation but pardon me if I got it wrong. Currently you said that you have 3 partitions C:\, D:\, and E:\ right? And you also said that you might have another partition for Windows boot. Now, at most, you have 4 partitions which can all be primary partition. Let it be. This  is all you're going to need. You said you have E:\ partitioned using third-party software isn't it? First, you don't need to partition the E:\ from outside. Just delete partition E:\ and left it unallocated. You can then proceed to use the guided partition included with bsdinstall. In short, you will have 3 primary partition(Windows Boot, C:\, D:\) before proceeding to install FreeBSD. The rest is unallocated space which you will partition from within bsdinstall.


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## michael_hackson (May 3, 2018)

asys said:


> I understand that you've tried your best to describe the situation but technical situation like this demands precise explanation for others to comprehend and usage of established terminology really helps.
> 
> There cannot be any mistakes when choosing type of slice. I kept repeating the word "slice" here because it is what you refer to as partition. When you make a partition under MBR scheme, it's a "slice". With that in mind, you don't need to change the type of slice to logical or primary or extended. You will need a primary partition. Period. No logical or extended if you wanted to boot the slice.
> 
> I tried my best to get the idea of your situation but pardon me if I got it wrong. Currently you said that you have 3 partitions C:\, D:\, and E:\ right? And you also said that you might have another partition for Windows boot. Now, at most, you have 4 partitions which can all be primary partition. Let it be. This  is all you're going to need. You said you have E:\ partitioned using third-party software isn't it? First, you don't need to partition the E:\ from outside. Just delete partition E:\ and left it unallocated. You can then proceed to use the guided partition included with bsdinstall. In short, you will have 3 primary partition(Windows Boot, C:\, D:\) before proceeding to install FreeBSD. The rest is unallocated space which you will partition from within bsdinstall.



Hi! So if I get things right I first make sure I have 1 free partition (out of 4 [MBR]) on Windows and then use the install media to install FreeBSD into that partition? 
And the second thing I need then is to install grub on Windows and it should work?


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