On 04/05/13 18:04, Andrew Gould wrote:
I am a new to OpenBSD. (I have installed OpenBSD 5.2 once on an old
computer with xdm and xfce enabled.) I would like to install OpenBSD on a
laptop that already has an active partition setup by Windows 7 and a
partition containing Windows 7. I have successfully upgraded the hard
drive, so approximately 500GB are available at the end of the drive.
1. I have read the installation and dual booting sections of the FAQ. I am
unsure about installing OpenBSD without altering the existing MBR. Is it
simply a matter of not marking the new partitions as active?
2. easybcd forum suggests that easybcd can find OpenBSD if OpenBSD's
bootloader is installed on the partition MBR. Does anyone have any advice
on whether easybcd should be used? If so, how would I install the
bootloader to the partition MBR?
Thanks,
Andrew Gould
Hi Andrew,
I installed 5.2 on a netbook by first shrinking the windows 7 partition
inside windows and then installing OpenBSD with the FAQ as my guide. If
properly read, which I luckily did, it should just work as it is
written. It's generally a wise idea to make backups first, but to be
totally honest I don't think I did as my data was expendible if it
screwed up somewhere. What you may want to have handy though is a
memstick to transfer the PBR from the OpenBSD install to the Windows
partition, which you need it to boot OpenBSD on hd.
AFAIK you don't touch the MBR at all, I don't remember whether that was
an option in the installer but if there was I said "no, don't install"
or similar. I remember however I was very nervous initially until I did
it and it turned out to work.
Regards,
-peter
