2.3.1. Express installation

The express installation is not too much different than the Custom one except that it leads you through the required stages in the proper order and presents you with various helpful prompts along the way.

1. The first step is the `Partition Editor', which allows you to chose how your drives will be used for FreeBSD. If you are dedicating an entire drive to FreeBSD, the `A' command is probably all you need to type here.

2. Next, with the `Label Editor', you can specify how the space in any allocated FreeBSD partitions should be used by FreeBSD, or where to mount a non-FreeBSD partition (such as DOS). If you want the standard layout, simply type `A' here.

3. Next, the `Distributions' menu allows you to specify which parts of FreeBSD you wish to load. A good choice is ``User'' for a small system or ``Developer'' for someone wanting a bit more out of FreeBSD. If none of the existing collections sound applicable, select Custom.

4. Next, the `Media' menu allows you to specify what kind of media you wish to install from. If a desired media choice is found and configured automatically then this menu will simply return, otherwise you will be asked for additional details on the media device type.

5. Finally, you will be prompted to commit all of these actions at once (nothing has been written to your disk so far, nor will it until you give the final confirmation). All new or changed partition information will be written out, file systems will be created and/or non-destructively labelled (depending on how you set their newfs flags in the Label Editor) and all selected distributions will be extracted.

At this point, you are generally done with the sysinstall utility and can select the final `Quit'. If you are running it as an installer (e.g., before the system is all the way up) then the system will now reboot after you press return one last time. If you selected the boot manager option, you will see a small boot menu with an `F?' prompt. Press the function key for BSD (it will be shown) and you should boot up into FreeBSD off the hard disk.

If this fails to happen for some reason, see the Q&A section of the Hardware Guide for possible clues!