.\"	$NetBSD: prep,v 1.5 2000/10/29 14:08:05 lukem Exp $
.
First and foremost, before beginning the installation process,
.Em make sure you have a reliable backup
of any data on your hard disk that you
wish to keep. Repartitioning your hard disk is an excellent way to
destroy important data.
.Pp
Second, read and perform the instructions in
.Pa \*M/ Ns Ar platform Ns Pa /prep
that are specific to your platform for partitioning and booting (even if you're
dedicating a device to
.Nx ) .
.Pp
Finally, when you are happy with your
.Nx
installation, do whatever
is necessary to restore order to the partition you took space away from.
This will most likely involve restoring files, but might involve some
other
.Dq house-work .
.Pp
Your hard disk is now prepared to have
.Nx
installed on it, and you should proceed with the installation instructions.