FreeBSD Handbook
: Installing FreeBSD
: Installing FreeBSD
Previous: Before installing over a network
Next: MS-DOS User's Questions and Answers
2.3. Installing FreeBSD
Once you have taken note of the appropriate
preinstallation steps, you should be able to install
FreeBSD without any further trouble.
Should this not be true, then you may wish to go back and
re-read the relevant preparation section above
for the installation media type you are trying to use,
perhaps there is a helpful hint there that you missed the
first time? If you are having hardware trouble, or
FreeBSD refuses to boot at all, read the Hardware Guide
provided on the boot floppy for a list of possible
solutions.
The FreeBSD boot floppies contains all the on-line
documentation you should need to be able to navigate
through an installation and if it does not then we would
like to know what you found most confusing. Send your
comments to the FreeBSD documentation project mailing list
<[email protected]>
.
It is the objective of the
FreeBSD installation program (sysinstall) to be
self-documenting enough that painful ``step-by-step''
guides are no longer necessary. It may take us a little
while to reach that objective, but that is the objective!
Meanwhile, you may also find the following ``typical
installation sequence'' to be helpful:
- Boot the kern.flp floppy and, when asked, remove it and
insert the mfsroot.flp floppy and hit return. After a boot
sequence which can take anywhere from 30 seconds to 3
minutes, depending on your hardware, you should be
presented with a menu of initial choices. If the
kern floppy does not boot at all, or the boot hangs at some
stage, go read the Q&A section of the Hardware Guide
for possible causes.
- Press F1. You should see some basic usage
instructions on the menu system and general
navigation. If you have not used this menu system
before then PLEASE read this thoroughly!
- Select the Options item and set any special
preferences you may have.
- Select a Novice, Custom or Express install, depending on
whether or not you would like the installation to help
you through a typical installation, give you a high degree of
control over each step of the installation or simply whizz
through it (using reasonable defaults when possible) as fast
as possible. If you have never used FreeBSD before then the
Novice installation method is most recommended.
- The final configuration menu choice allows you to
further configure your FreeBSD installation by giving you
menu-driven access to various system defaults. Some
items, like networking, may be especially important
if you did a CDROM/Tape/Floppy installation and have
not yet configured your network interfaces (assuming
you have any). Properly configuring such interfaces
here will allow FreeBSD to come up on the network
when you first reboot from the hard disk.
FreeBSD Handbook
: Installing FreeBSD
: Installing FreeBSD
Previous: Before installing over a network
Next: MS-DOS User's Questions and Answers
[email protected]
Updated March 2, 1999