I need to get the bootmanager to move :-)

[Broodjegehaktmetmayo]

Hi all

I have a dual box XP and FBSD 8. Somewhere in the process of installing FBSD 8 (which was after XP, and both are on different HDDs) I managed to have FBSD and XP dual boot, with FBSD taking care of the boot menu (you know, the F1, F5, choices), thanks to the excellent FBSD-books I have. Now I am experimenting with Truecrypt and I want it to encrypt the XP-partition (C:\). On installing that, it starts complaining:

Truecrypt does not support multiboot where the bootloader is non MS. Try to moving the bootloader to a partition, the TC bootloader will recognize your second OS

(practical summary by me :-)).

So I went into sysinstall and at least as far as I know I told FBSD to not install the bootmanager on drive 1 but to install it on drive 2, but nothing happens; the bootmanager is still there. I don't know how to solve this.

Of course, I could just simply restore the windows bootloader on drive 1 (thereby removing the FBSD menu 'hard handed') and then Truecrypt will encrypt without problems I guess, but I want TC also to recognize FBSD on disk 2, and for that as far as I can tell the FBSD bootloader needs to be on disk 2 first, no?

Could anybody perhaps shed a light?

I am in your debt as always

Thank you & bye,

B.

[Beastie]

I don't see any choice but to reinstall Windows' bootloader. Use the fixmbr utility that is available from the Recovery Console.

But I wouldn't trust fixmbr to save your partition table if I were you though and I'd make a backup of the MBR with dd(1) just in case.

For using the NT loader to dual-boot, this might help.

Since I've never used Truecrypt, I can't tell how it works, but I doubt it'll understand and encrypt the FreeBSD slice. However there are other methods available on FreeBSD for encrypting disks.

Oh yeah, and Truecrypt is a true POS for requiring the Windows bootloader. Sorry I couldn't resist.

[Broodjegehaktmetmayo]

Originally Posted by Beastie

I don't see any choice but to reinstall Windows' bootloader. Use the fixmbr utility that is available from the Recovery Console.

But I wouldn't trust fixmbr to save your partition table if I were you though and I'd make a backup of the MBR with dd(1) just in case.

For using the NT loader to dual-boot, this might help.

Oh yeah, and Truecrypt is a true POS for requiring the Windows bootloader. Sorry I couldn't resist.

Thanks Beastie

However, as I wrote above: I know I can restore the win boot manager, but in order for TC to understand there is another OS the FBSD bootmanager should be installed on HDD2, and this is what I tried but can't seem to accomplish.

[Beastie]

As I said in my edit (but you may have missed it), there are other methods available for encrypting disks on FreeBSD, such as geli(8). You can still use Truecrypt for Windows if you want.

To install the FreeBSD boot manager use boot0cfg(8).

[Broodjegehaktmetmayo]

Well, despite your explanations it didn't work

That is: boot0cfg was to complicated for me as a noob

But since I messed up my FBSD installation anyway I reinstalled it (on the separate, second, HDD). Since I want to arrive at dual boot XP and FBSD and taking into account that Truecrypt doesn't like anything else but the windows boot loader, this is where I stand now:
1. fixboot & fixmbr fixed the XP boot up on HDD1.
2. Reinstalled FBSD 8 on HDD2, choose 'standard' for the boot manager meaning no bootmanager on the HDD1. So FBSD 8 is on HDD2 although I can't boot it right now.

According to the attached picture I now need in some way achieve that I have a bootmanager on a partition (on HDD1 I assume), but I have no clue how to do that. The picture talkes about grub, but actually I don't understand it, since a boot manager has to be in the MBR, not in partition, in order to work

Could you - or anybody else - suggest me how I proceed to keep the normal XP boot loader since TC requires that, and in addition to get 'a boot manager in a partition' that will recognize FBSD? Of course, I am yet again in dept for help

EDIT: the board wants only very tiny pictures so I have to use an external host for the screenshots:

[Beastie]

How about selecting No, since you now boot using Windows' loader?
But don't try TrueCrypt until both Windows and FreeBSD are booting successfully!

Have you tried using the NT loader to dual-boot yet?

I'm not 100% sure I understand the way TrueCrypt works, but I think the idea is to have Windows' loader (later replaced with TrueCrypt's) on the primary master (default boot device) and FreeBSD's boot0 on the second disk, and use Windows' NT loader to both boot Windows and load FreeBSD's boot0, which in turn boots FreeBSD.

When I come to think about it, you don't really need boot0cfg since you'll only have FreeBSD on the second disk. So use # fdisk -B ad1 from a livefs. Change ad1 if you need to. But this was probably done by your step 2.

[Broodjegehaktmetmayo]

Originally Posted by Beastie

How about selecting No, since you now boot using Windows' loader?
But don't try TrueCrypt until both Windows and FreeBSD are booting successfully!

Have you tried using the NT loader to dual-boot yet?

I'm not 100% sure I understand the way TrueCrypt works, but I think the idea is to have Windows' loader (later replaced with TrueCrypt's) on the primary master (default boot device) and FreeBSD's boot0 on the second disk, and use Windows' NT loader to both boot Windows and load FreeBSD's boot0, which in turn boots FreeBSD.

Thanks for your reply: appreciated

From what I understand the XP bootloader shall be used for XP only, because, as it says in the screenshot, "you can later on hit escape to use a different boot loader such as Grub (which installed in a partition which I also don't understand) to boot the other operating system".

Your suggestion makes sense to use the NT-bootloader, I will test this; thanks very much

Originally Posted by Beastie

When I come to think about it, you don't really need boot0cfg since you'll only have FreeBSD on the second disk. So use # fdisk -B ad1 from a livefs. Change ad1 if you need to. But this was probably done by your step 2.

I had to think about this for a long time to even understand it

But even if you have the boot0 on HDD2, how can you then boot? I mean, assume PC boots, boot loader on HDD1 loads XP with truecrypt. Suppose I hit escape to bypass the TC-bootloader, nothing will happen? The computer doesn't know that there is a boot0 on HDD2 without a boot manager? True?

Sorry for asking stupid questions but I just don't understand it.

[Beastie]

Originally Posted by Broodjegehaktmetmayo

But even if you have the boot0 on HDD2, how can you then boot? I mean, assume PC boots, boot loader on HDD1 loads XP with truecrypt. Suppose I hit escape to bypass the TC-bootloader, nothing will happen? The computer doesn't know that there is a boot0 on HDD2 without a boot manager? True?

When you follow the FAQ solution it will (or at least, should) boot the way you want it. The chain-loading process will be something like the following:

Windows MBR code (later replaced by TrueCrypt's)
|
Windows boot record code
|
NT loader
|
|\____ FreeBSD's boot0
|
Windows XP

[Broodjegehaktmetmayo]

Thanks again for your help; appreciated

So I went for your suggestion to use the NT Bootloader. I followed the FAQ, booted with the FBSD8 install disk, went into sysinstall and made sure the FBSD boot manager was installed on HDD2.

And now for the part: I need to get boot0 out of FBSD but for that I need to be able boot into FBSD first. And I was sort of expecting the FBSD install disk would allow me to boot the installed FBSD on HDD2, but it doesn't. So I have it installed on HDD2, but no way to boot it up to get boot0

Still, there will be a day when I will be a FBSD-guru (sweet dreams ).

[Beastie]

Originally Posted by Broodjegehaktmetmayo

made sure the FBSD boot manager was installed on HDD2.

I think you could've installed the bootloader (instead of boot manager) since you have nothing else on that disk. But the manager won't hurt anyway.

Originally Posted by Broodjegehaktmetmayo

for that I need to be able boot into FBSD first. And I was sort of expecting the FBSD install disk would allow me to boot the installed FBSD on HDD2, but it doesn't.

Which is why livefs discs exist. Or if you used the DVD to install FreeBSD, use the Fixit option from the main menu.

[Broodjegehaktmetmayo]

Originally Posted by Beastie

I think you could've installed the bootloader (instead of boot manager) since you have nothing else on that disk. But the manager won't hurt anyway.

Thanks "Monkey do" stuff: I just did what the manual explicitly told me to do.

Originally Posted by Beastie

Which is why livefs discs exist. Or if you used the DVD to install FreeBSD, use the Fixit option from the main menu.

Thanks again. I will check the fixit-option, it didn't come to mind that the boot an installed system-option would be hidden in there. Stupid me (don't laugh to hard about me: I had my brain removed by a surgeon some years ago ).

[FBSD]

There is an alternate way of booting the second HD. Just change your bios to select 2nd HD as device to boot from.

The thing to keep in mind is that the 2nd HD where FBSD is must have no boot manger installed of any kind. What ever boot manger you use has to be installed on HD1 only because that is the device your bois is currentlly configured to boot from.

[Broodjegehaktmetmayo]

Originally Posted by FBSD

There is an alternate way of booting the second HD. Just change your bios to select 2nd HD as device to boot from.

The thing to keep in mind is that the 2nd HD where FBSD is must have no boot manger installed of any kind. What ever boot manger you use has to be installed on HD1 only because that is the device your bois is currentlly configured to boot from.

Thanks for your suggestion

I also browsed through your FBSD manual: I am sure there is something in it for me to learn; thanks for your efforts

[Broodjegehaktmetmayo]

Well shoot me

I have no clue what happened, but FBSD is booting without me copying boot0 to the root of C:\ in XP

As per:

http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO...#NT-BOOTLOADER

I did:

needs to be installed using sysinstall(8) by selecting the FreeBSD boot manager on the screen which asks if you wish to use a boot manager.

The XP-partition was already encrypted with TC.

Next I was still breaking my brain on how to get boot0 out of FBSD, and so when TC booted I hit escape just to see what would happen and voila, there FBSD boots.

So it seems for some reason or so TC boot loader/manager on hitting ESC scans other HDDs to see if there is an OS it can boot

Or something like that

Anyway, this for now works, so now I will go and try to encrypt the /home on FBSD, after I have found out how to resize /home to create space for a new partition, since during install I just told the installer to use the whole disk which, on second thought, wasn't that smart. Funny thing is in both my FBSD books there's no story about resizing a partition; google here I come.