Hardware configuration - Dual boot Win 7

[Phil Demand]

Noob here.
When building my system, I bought a board with 7 SATA III ports. Asrock FM2A85X extreme6. I bought 4 2TB Western Digital Red drives which I intended to raid in FreeNAS, and a 32gb SSD which I intended to use to boot into Windows 7 from time to time.

So I installed Windows on the SSD, then installed FreeNAS on a USB stick. Everything setup as planned (raidz on the NAS drives, and I didn't touch the SSD), but when I tried to F-11 boot using the SSD, the message on screen was something about the drive being used by FreeNAS, even with the USB stick unplugged.

I understand running FreeNAS in a virtual environment within Windows is not desirable. Do I need a separate raid card to dual boot?

 

[jkh]

I would use the SSD as an L2ARC for the FreeNAS install and boot windows 7 on an entirely separate system. You're only robbing peter to pay paul in setting up a dual boot system, and as you've already found out, trying to get the BIOS configured to boot back and forth properly will be... challenging!

 

[Phil Demand]

I don't have an entirely separate system, and I don't have unlimited funds to expand this system. Any other tips?

 

[jkh]

I don't have an entirely separate system, and I don't have unlimited funds to expand this system. Any other tips?

The only other option I can think of is to devote the system to FreeNAS, since a NAS really is something unto itself (what good is a file server when it's not providing file services?), and set up VirtualBox to run in a Jail. Then install your Windows7 system under virtualization running under the jail. It can have the added benefit of mounting file services from the NAS without going over the wire, so that should at least be fairly fast, as will the virtual disk image for Windows 7 (since, presumably, you could stripe it across multiple drives). Setting up Virtualbox is left as an exercise for the reader - I don't use it (I use VMWare), I just know it works and is fully capable of running in a Jail (what you're trying to do is fairly unconventional, so you'll basically be sort of off-roading it solo the whole way!).

 

[pirateghost]

First of all, what is your need to boot into Windows 'from time to time' on this computer? What purpose does that serve? You will not have access to your FreeNAS data when you are booted into Windows. If it is to use Windows applications (that there are no alternatives for on whatever OS you are currently using), then I will agree with using VirtualBox, but I don't necessarily agree with setting up VirtualBox in a Jail. I would simply run it on whatever system you are using as your desktop/laptop.

Also note, a 32gb SSD will not last long for a Windows install....the updates that Windows downloads bloats up pretty well, and if you utilize this as a desktop, you will fill it quickly (remember, you wont have access to your FreeNAS storage while booted into Windows, so where do you store your data while booted into Windows?)

if you truly need this machine to be a windows workstation/desktop, then you should not even be looking at FreeNAS. a NAS is an appliance intended to run 24/7. if you dual boot a NAS, you are no better off than just sharing out your drives from within a Windows install.

 

[jkh]

I will agree with using VirtualBox, but I don't necessarily agree with setting up VirtualBox in a Jail. I would simply run it on whatever system you are using as your desktop/laptop.

I think the point he was making is that he doesn't *have* a desktop/laptop, he has just the one computer and is poor. :) In such a case, running VirtualBox as a VM host in a jail is probably his best bet if he only has the one computer. FWIW, the question does come up from time to time since people often build their NAS out of fairly beefy hardware and then see the bulk of the CPU resources go unused, so running VMs inside a jail isn't the worst idea in the world. It's not the best idea, either, since one would generally prefer one's NAS to be stable and predictable in its performance, but if money is an object then sometimes you have to do... questionable things... :)

Also note, a 32gb SSD will not last long for a Windows install

No, it won't, which is why I suggested he would put it to better use as a ZIL or L2ARC device.

- Jordan

 

[Phil Demand]

First of all, what is your need to boot into Windows 'from time to time' on this computer? What purpose does that serve? You will not have access to your FreeNAS data when you are booted into Windows.

I think Jordan hit the mark on why I want to use Windows occasionally. I bought a nice mainboard, a decent CPU and a fair amount of ram. I'd like to take it out for a spin, simply because I can.

Also note, a 32gb SSD will not last long for a Windows install

I have an additional 320gb HDD that I intend to install for this purpose, but I can't justify installing one if I can't use it.

It sounds like there is no conventional reliable method for dual-booting. Right? Just lots of disagreement about different ways to do it that are less than ideal. This build's main purpose was to store data with some redundancy, and playing Call of Duty is really secondary.

But on the other hand, couldn't I just power down, unplug my FreeNAS drives from their sata ports and plug in my SSD and HDD and run it that way? That's obviously a lot of work, and I probably wouldn't do it, but it hypothetically possible right?

 

[cyberjock]

Hypothetically, yes. You could also dual boot just by going into your BIOS and changing the boot order. You'd want to be REAL careful not to format the wrong drives in each OS. It's not something I'd ever recommend anyone do. Besides, FreeNAS should be used with an Intel NIC, ECC RAM, and a cheap low power video card(things you probably don't have in your current system). There's no reason to run a high powered video card with FreeNAS since its all text based. Can anyone say hooray for accelerated text mode? :P

 

[pirateghost]

I think the point he was making is that he doesn't *have* a desktop/laptop, he has just the one computer and is poor. :) In such a case, running VirtualBox as a VM host in a jail is probably his best bet if he only has the one computer.

Jordan,
If someone didn't have a second computer, and only one in the house, how in the world would they:
A. Configure FreeNAS?
B. Use a VM located in a FreeNAS jail?
C. Use FreeNAS at all?

@op, obviously the bias in these forums is to just install FreeNAS and use it, I have to suggest you just build a windows desktop and share out your files that way. It doesn't sound like you NEED a NAS. It sounds like you want a gaming computer and a toy to play with.

Save yourself the hassle.

If you really want to go this route then it is just a matter of selecting the right drive at boot time. Decide which OS you want it to boot into by default, set that as boot device in bios and when you want to switch you simply push whatever key combo your board recommends to get the boot menu.




Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

 

[russnas]

You just install the disc image to usb and boot like that, if you installed it then you would of disconnected the ssd prior, I have similar setup on my spare nas and can boot either fine, but windows is barely used, I haven't tried booting it via virtual box yet,

 

[survive]

Hi Phil,

FreeNAS puts an MBR on it's drives that displays a message similar to what you describe when you try to boot off a data drive...I'm going to say that you simply booted the wrong drive. To confirm I would just disconnect the HDD's & pull the USB key and confirm that everything is working correctly with your windows install, then start connecting drives back up. Simplify, then add complexity.

-Will