# Can't seem to type "/" as mount point when installing.



## Cleaver (Aug 31, 2014)

Hi,

I'm wanting to try FreeBSD for the first time ever on a multiboot system. I already made a primary partition for it in NTFS, and can boot the installation from a USB. However, when I go to the partition editor to set the mount point, it won't let me type in a "/" or anything else, for that matter in the blank. It *does* let me click the blank and highlights it in blue when I do so, but no characters appear. Any ideas? Thanks in advance! I look forward to checking out this OS.


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## scottro (Sep 1, 2014)

It can be a little tricky.  I'm pretty sure @wblock fixed up the documentation to further explain that, but I can't find it right now. 


This might help https://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO88 ... oning.html

Usually, you highlight the partition and create.  That's when you see the part  you mention,  I don't have a sample install in front of me and have to get to sleep, but if memory serves, you then select OK.  You'll see, under your BSD partition, another partition.  For example, something like figure 2.16 in the link I gave above, but with a partition underneath it, something like, if the first partition was ad0, ad0s1.  Now, highlight THAT partition and again select create, and on this one, you'll be able to get to the place to select a mount point. I think you have to tab to it, that just using the arrow keys won't work.


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## Cleaver (Sep 7, 2014)

Thanks for the quick reply! Would've gotten back to you earlier, but job stuff has had me rushing to fill a quota lately...

I'm pretty sure I've gotten to the point you described now, but now it's inexplicably giving me this "No space left on device. index '5'" message, even though the NTFS partition I have set aside for FreeBSD is 50GB and is empty. Is this a common problem? Any known solutions?

Thanks again!


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## kpa (Sep 7, 2014)

FreeBSD can not use an NTFS partitions for install. Delete the partition and try again.


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## bsdkeith (Sep 8, 2014)

As @kpa says, delete the NTFS partition, then create a  FreeBSD slice (partition) in the free space, then you will be able to create a partitioning scheme to suit.


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## Cleaver (Sep 9, 2014)

Thanks to both of you for your replies! An otherwise very helpful GParted tutorial incorrectly portrayed NTFS as being an acceptable file system. Though that was weird when I saw it.

When I use GParted, though, UFS is greyed out, and ZFS isn't even an option at all. Is there a partition editor that may be a better fit for FreeBSD? I tried Cfdisk as well, but it seemed to do nothing at all.


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## kpa (Sep 9, 2014)

GParted is a fine tool for other purposes but not for creating partitions for FreeBSD. Leave the space unallocated and let the installer suggest the partitioning.


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## Cleaver (Sep 9, 2014)

Right. I took the earlier response about deleting the partition out of context, and thought it simply meant to delete and reformat it as some file type.

I just completed the installation process, but it's not showing up in GRUB at all. It's possible my Mint partition is messed up now, but I'll double and triple-check that before assuming so. I have my data backed up, so it's not the worst possible disaster even if I do have to reinstall one or more distros.

Do I need to somehow reinstall GRUB now, or is there some other reason FreeBSD isn't an option at boot? This is a multiboot system(my machine is far too slow for me to put up with VM, and I have other reasons for not going that route.)

Edit: Mint is fine, as expected!


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## scottro (Sep 9, 2014)

If I remember correctly, FreeBSD isn't an option that it will see, you have to manually configure it.

I have a GRUB2 page that may be out of date, but the custom.cfg that I mention should work. 

http://srobb.net/grub2.html

Just do a search for FreeBSD on the page, or if you don't feel like going there, create a /boot/grub/custom.cfg and add

```
menuentry "FreeBSD" {
set root='(hd0,3)'
chainloader (hd0,3)+1
}
```
(That would be if it was on the third partition of the first disk, adjust accordingly)


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## Cleaver (Sep 12, 2014)

Forgive my ignorance--I'm still very new to anything that isn't Windows. Regarding the text you last pasted: What drive would this particular /boot folder be in, and how would I access it? If it's on the individual boot partition, I'm not sure how to access that in this way. Thanks.


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## scottro (Sep 13, 2014)

You are using Linux Mint, correct?  I don't have an install handy to check, but there should be a /boot/grub directory. In there, there should be some files, including one called grub.cfg.  

Assuming there are, create a file called custom.cfg.  The name is important because the grub program should check for that file.


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## Cleaver (Sep 19, 2014)

I use 5 distros plus Windows 7 when I have to. Yes, Mint is probably best described as my "main" distro currently.

I did what you said, and it created the file, but I'm having trouble figuring out what to enter in place of hd0,3 or whatever my appropriate identifier would be in this case. GParted lists FreeBSD's slice as being on /dev/sda3. I spent the past few days looking up tutorials for how to identify the right one with naming conventions, but haven't had luck yet. Any suggestions?


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## scottro (Sep 19, 2014)

In Mint, what does cfdisk show?  If it's on /dev/sda3 then the hd0,3 should work.)


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## Cleaver (Sep 19, 2014)

Whoa. I just typed `cfdisk` and this is all I got: FATAL ERROR: "Cannot open disk drive"
                               Press any key to exit cfdisk

I say "whoa" because it's worked before. Hopefully this is a minor error here....


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## scottro (Sep 19, 2014)

```
sudo cfdisk /dev/sda
```

See if that gives a better result.  Otherwise, still not to worry, cfdisk may choke if it doesn't recognize a partition, and it probably doesn't recognize the FreeBSD one. 

What about `sudo fdisk /dev/sda`

We're just trying to find out the partition--it sounds as if it's the 3rd partition on the disk, in which case, the hd0,3 should work.


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## bsdkeith (Sep 19, 2014)

I think you probably need,
/boot/grub/grub.cfg - section custom40 :-

```
menuentry "FreeBSD" {
set root=(hd0,3)
chainloader +1
}
```


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## Cleaver (Sep 19, 2014)

Thanks. The `cfdisk` command returns this:

"sda3          Boot         Primary    ufs"

Is it OK that it has the word "boot" in that flags column?

I tried pasting the text you suggested, bsdkeith, but nothing has changed upon rebooting--the menu is as it was before.


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## scottro (Sep 20, 2014)

Is it Mint's grub that is being used?  If you installed another version of Linux _after_ installing Mint, that is probably the grub that is being used. 

The /boot/grub/custom.cfg file should be read.


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## bsdkeith (Sep 20, 2014)

Possibly the grub you are using does not support UFS. Look in /boot/grub for ufs_stage1_5, or something similar.

Edit: Having the boot flag set should be OK.


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