# How much space for full FreeBSD install?



## devildog (Aug 25, 2009)

Getting ready to install FreeBSD to my new laptop.  Have installed Vista64, openSUSE (64), Slackware (64), and also want to install FreeBSD (64).

How much HDD will a full install, plus a little room to be comfortable, take?  Don't really have a "limit" on size, but at same time don't want a bunch of HDD going unused.

I've never used FreeBSD before.  (Coming from Linux).  So mainly I'll just be tinkering around and getting familiar with FreeBSD.

Thanks.


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## Voltar (Aug 25, 2009)

What will you be using it for? Desktop? Also, do you plan on using packages or using the ports system and compiling from source?


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## devildog (Aug 25, 2009)

Hi,

Desktop.  Probably be compiling from source whenever possible, so will need all the libraries and stuff...


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## Voltar (Aug 25, 2009)

I've got away with 20 GB or so before on my old laptop, I found space a bit tight though before moving package building off to a build machine. The base system is fairly lean, it's when you get X and KDE/Gnome installed is where your space gets eaten up.


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## devildog (Aug 25, 2009)

Gotcha.  That sounds good.  I'll give 'er 40GB.  Installing FreeBSD sounds like a project for tomorrow now though.  Got Suse/Slack on for tonight, plus still in the long process of cleaning Vista up.   Its the Vista that came with the laptop, so have to make recovery DVD's so can delete that stupid HDDRECOVERY partition, uninstall Norton and the rest of the junkware, install a real AV, install and config Firefox, config desktop to personal likings, etc, etc, etc!  

Thanks!  Can't wait to get FreeBSD installed too.

I'm using Boot-US as a boot loader in the MBR.  I'm assuming FreeBSD is similar to Linux in that it will allow it's own boot loader to be installed in the FreeBSD partition and then the boot loader in the MBR can call it up?   Got Boot-US backed up on a bootable CD just in case, but assuming don't have to worry about FreeBSD wiping out the MBR.  Its Windows that you have to worry about since that is a "feature".


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## aragon (Aug 25, 2009)

devildog said:
			
		

> I'm assuming FreeBSD is similar to Linux in that it will allow it's own boot loader to be installed in the FreeBSD partition and then the boot loader in the MBR can call it up?   Got Boot-US backed up on a bootable CD just in case, but assuming don't have to worry about FreeBSD wiping out the MBR.


Yes, when you (or the installer) creates a FreeBSD disklabel it stores its 2nd+ stage boot loaders in the disklabel, so any boot manager that chain loads to the start of a partition should work.

And yes, the FreeBSD installer won't touch your MBR boot code if you tell it so (you get prompted).


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## fronclynne (Aug 25, 2009)

devildog said:
			
		

> Gotcha.  That sounds good.  I'll give 'er 40GB.



40G should be _way_ enough.

```
> df -h
/dev/ufsid/49897af369f08098    358M     62M    268M    19%    /
/dev/ufsid/49897af35d21ed0b    142G     83G     47G    64%    /home
/dev/ufsid/49897afadac659ce    989M     76K    910M     0%    /tmp
/dev/ufsid/49897afadf0276b3     29G    4.3G     22G    16%    /usr
/dev/ufsid/49897afbdc034aff    1.9G     68M    1.7G     4%    /var
```


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