Backing Up Existing Filesystems

Before you go any further, back up any existing filesystems that you want to maintain. Although the next section will show you how to nondestructively create space for FreeBSD, mistakes can still happen, and programs can cause errors. It is best to have a backup of anything you want to keep.

Caution

If you are not taking regular backups of your system, it is a good idea to get into the habit of doing so anyway. Hard disks are mechanical devices. They can and do fail sometimes. When they do, you will want a backup to restore your data from.

Media that can be used for backup purposes include recordable CDs, Zip or Jaz disks, tape drives, or—if the amount of data you need to save is small—floppy disks. Backing up ...

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