# How to install Unix + GUI



## eason123deng (Oct 12, 2019)

Hey I managed to install FreeBSD 12.0 on Windows 10 via virtualbox, but I am not sure how to install a GUI for it. I am completely new to Unix and can anyone please offer some help on installing any GUI for FreeBSD?

Thanks


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## tingo (Oct 13, 2019)

It's all written in the Handbook https://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/
The chapter you want is Chapter 5 - The X Window System, https://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/x11.html
There, now I did your homework for you.


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## CraigHB (Oct 13, 2019)

There's also some helpful threads in the forum, though setup varies somewhat depending on graphics hardware;









						Beginners Guide - How To Set Up A FreeBSD Desktop From Scratch
					

I'm going to guide you though the process of getting a fully functional FreeBSD 13.0-RELEASE desktop up and running, complete with system files and security settings, step-by-step as if you've never used UNIX or the command line. Now let's get started:  Insert your boot media and at the Welcome...




					forums.freebsd.org
				












						HOWTO: Setup Xorg with NVIDIA's driver
					

If you are following the handbook on configuring Xorg, ignore what the handbook says about running Xorg -configure.  Don't run Xorg -configure  If you already followed the handbook and created an xorg.conf make sure to remove /etc/X11/xorg.conf or /usr/local/etc/X11/xorg.conf before proceeding...




					forums.freebsd.org


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## 20-100-2fe (Oct 13, 2019)

Basically, installing a GUI boils down to (as root): pkg install xorg-minimal mate
(replace 'mate' with the Desktop Environment of your choice if different).

Also make sure D-BUS is enabled (there should be a dbus_enable="YES" line in /etc/rc.conf).
Being new to Unix, if you're not familiar with any available text editors, you can just type (as root):
echo 'dbus_enable="YES"' >> /etc/rc.conf
and reboot your VM.

Then, log in as the non-privileged user you've created during installation
and type (only need once): echo "exec mate-session" > .xinitrc
then: startx.

In a VirtualBox VM, it will work without further configuration, except maybe for the keyboard layout if you don't have a US QWERTY one (click System/Preferences/Hardware/Keyboard).

Of course, you'll need to install more applications, depending on your needs. However, before going any further, I recommend you read (at least) Chapter 3 of the FreeBSD Handbook, it's one of the best introduction to Unix I've ever seen.

Note that on bare metal, more configuring and troubleshooting is usually needed and it's a good idea to search the forum for supported hardware beforehand.


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