Installing PC-BSD

    I chose to cover PC-BSD first because not many people are familiar with it.  Unix is the bastard stepchild of desktop operating systems.  And yes, I know Apple OS is based on UNIX, but don't tell Apple fanboys... they get upset when you mention that.
    So, PC-BSD is a very attractive, polished, modern desktop alternative that is easy to use, and does everything Windows does.  You can download it for free HERE.  Or if you want the full DVD installation for your collection of obscure stuff to show off when your friends come over, you can buy it HERE for $29.95.  It's a great conversation starter.  So, just choose the Intel/x86 or 64 bit version to download or purchase, and away we go.
     If you've never installed an OS before, trust me when I say, it's really quite easy.  There are thousands of tutorials and tips available to help.  Unless you have a really old laptop with some oddball hardware, such as modem/NIC combo adapter or a laptop modio, you won't have to worry about your hardware being compatible.  But if you want to check anyway, (I did) you can check here.  I've installed this OS on several machines and only run into one problem with a modem/NIC combination card that was in an old IBM Thinkpad.
    Before you get started, if you have more than one hard drive, do yourself a favor and disconnect all drives except the drive you are installing PC-BSD on.  Unless you are familiar with the UNIX partitioning scheme, I'd recommend using a small hard drive that won't be shared with other operating systems, or have any additional storage partitions on it.  In short, dedicate the whole drive to PC-BSD when installing.
     Assuming your system is configured to boot to your DVD ROM, upon initial boot, you will be given several choices, the two we are concerned with are #1. Boot Installer, and #3.  Boot in Live Mode.  Choose #3 if you want to test the system, and see what the finished product is going to look like.  This is another way of checking compatibility.  Make sure your sound, video, and internet adapters are installed ok.  Choosing this option makes no changes to your hard drive, the whole OS in run from your system's memory.  The speed of Live Mode is not an indication of the speed of the OS after full installation.  I tried it on a Pentium 3 laptop with 256mb of RAM, and it was almost unusable, compared to my multi core desktop with 4 gigs of RAM, where it ran quite well.
    If option #1 was chosen at boot, the next screen you will see is the hard drive selection screen.  choose the drive you want to install to, and use the entire disc, then confirm to continue.  When prompted, INSTALL THE BOOTLOADER.  BSD will not boot without it.  You will be given choices of which software to install, then another confirmation prompt, then the installation process begins.  Depending on your hardware, this will probably be about a 15 to 20 minute wait.
     After installation, you will be asked for 2 passwords.  The first is the "root" password.  This is the password you will use to make major  changes to the OS after installation.  If you are a casual PC user, you will probably never use this password, but DO NOT FORGET IT just in case.  The second is your username, and user password.  This will be used every day.  If you want PC BSD to start and log in to your desktop automatically when you boot, check the "Auto Login" option.  I like logging on to my OS with my password, and it's an easy extra layer of protection from would-be hackers.  Confirm changes, and wait for installation to finish.
    After removing the disk and restarting your computer, PC-BSD will start for the first time.  It doesn't boot as fast as Windows or Linux, but it's not irritatingly slow either.  The fireball in the lower left hand corner is the "start button", you will find all the applications and configuration there.  You will also find the "Software and Updates" under System.   From there, you can install Your chat client, Facebook, Skype, or whatever other internet services you use.
    Poke around, explore.  see what PC-BSD has to offer you, as a casual user.  You won't be disappointed.  There is an application for everything, and it's all free.