2

I'm trying to dual boot Ubuntu and OSX on my macbook (MacBookPro8,2). As per the usual guide, I downloaded rEFIt (the .dmg) and installed it. Then I rebooted about 12 times and still always just get brought to the OSX login screen. I've never seen any rEFIt menu.

Here's the output of rEFIt's partition map:

*** Report for internal hard disk ***

Current GPT partition table:
 #      Start LBA      End LBA  Type
 1             40       409639  EFI System (FAT)
 2         409640    716757759  Unknown
 3      716757760    718027295  Mac OS X Boot
 4      718027296    976510983  Mac OS X HFS+

Current MBR partition table:
 # A    Start LBA      End LBA  Type
 1              1    976773167  ee  EFI Protective

MBR contents:
 Boot Code: None

Partition at LBA 40:
 Boot Code: None (Non-system disk message)
 File System: FAT32
 Listed in GPT as partition 1, type EFI System (FAT)

Partition at LBA 409640:
 Boot Code: None
 File System: Unknown
 Listed in GPT as partition 2, type Unknown

Partition at LBA 716757760:
 Boot Code: None
 File System: HFS Extended (HFS+)
 Listed in GPT as partition 3, type Mac OS X Boot

Partition at LBA 718027296:
 Boot Code: None
 File System: HFS Extended (HFS+)
 Listed in GPT as partition 4, type Mac OS X HFS+
terdon
  • 234,489
  • 66
  • 447
  • 667
n0pe
  • 9,411
  • 13
  • 60
  • 108
  • 1
    Ahh yes... Might i humbly suggest you read [this, as well](http://www.rodsbooks.com/ubuntu-efi/)? It is written by the author of `rEFInd` - which is one of the two active `rEFIt` forks since that package went belly up several years ago. The other of the two - and the more Mac focused one, honestly - is the [Clover bootloader](http://sourceforge.net/projects/cloverefiboot/), though you'll likely find Rod's Smiths documentation better organized. – mikeserv Aug 21 '14 at 02:07
  • 1
    @mikeserv: thanks for the link - I'm giving it a go now and will update when I have more info :) – n0pe Aug 21 '14 at 21:41
  • Rod does a much better job of explaining why the EFI boot scheme should be preferred, but i also once tried [here](http://unix.stackexchange.com/a/146803/52934) if youre interested. – mikeserv Aug 21 '14 at 21:44
  • Oh, by the way, your printout in the question shows your EFI System partition is the first one and it is located between sectors 40 and 409639. What are its contents? – mikeserv Aug 22 '14 at 02:26
  • @mikeserv, I saw another post on Ubuntu.SE that Rod answered where the user had a recovery drive and had to install rEFInd to the ESP. I don't recall enabling encryption but who knows. I ran `./install.sh --esp` and rebooted....into rEFInd! However, there were no entries to boot from - at least we're gaining headway :) – n0pe Aug 22 '14 at 02:30
  • @mikeserv, I appreciate it, but don't go through that trouble just yet. I think I'm on to something here. I'll let you know if I fix it in the next few days (have a busy few days ahead of me). Thanks a ton for your help so far. – n0pe Aug 22 '14 at 02:48
  • Geez i missed the whole Ubuntu is already is installed part - *way easier*. You need the initrd and vmlinuz files located in boot in some directory under `*/EFI/* on your esp. And a refind_linux.conf that tells Ubuntu's initramfs where to locate its root partition. Thats it. It's really easy. Look toward the bottom of the third link i gave you in this comment chain - it describes how to make the rest automatic with /etc/fstab - after that youll need to figure out how to configure refind to load osx - which i dunno. There are probably instructions in refind.conf though. Tons of comments. – mikeserv Aug 22 '14 at 02:50
  • 1
    So basically on the esp: /efi/ubuntu_boot/initrd,vmlinuz,refind_linux.conf. in refind_linux.conf: "Ubuntu" "root=/dev/sda2". And on the esp youll find /efi/boot/refind.conf. you should open it and read it - its basically self-documenting. Best of luck anyway, Max. – mikeserv Aug 22 '14 at 02:53
  • @mikeserv and MaxMackie, I deleted a bunch of comments that are now obsolete, just a heads up in case you're wondering what happened. – terdon Aug 22 '14 at 11:13
  • @mikeserv, I finally got somewhere! I commented out `dont_scan_volumes` from `refind.conf` and removed the `Recovery HD` entry from there as well. I rebooted and OSX was in the rEFInd menu! However, I kept going on with the tutorial and inserted the Grub boot cd and tried looking for the `Detect any GRUB 2 installation (even if MBR is overwritten)` option, but couldn't find it. Instead, I found the installation manually and attempted to boot from it - then the screen went dark and I heard a succession of 3 beeps over and over. Shut it off and rebooted into OSX so I didn't brick anything... – n0pe Aug 22 '14 at 11:28
  • You dont need to do the grub thing for linux - thats easy. Can you boot osx from refind? Thats all im worried about, because its what i dont know. Rod's page there is a couple years old - not updated since 2012 in the main. The linux kernel will always bootload itself nowadays. – mikeserv Aug 22 '14 at 11:51
  • The grub thing also is Rod's way of handling Ubuntus installer by the way - which automatically installs grub and tries to write an MBR at the head of your disk. You dont want that. So he works around it by describing how to create a fake partition and tell Ubuntu's installer its the boot partition. Thats why he says *you can just delete it after*. But you already have Ubuntu installed - thats what i meant by *way easier*. – mikeserv Aug 22 '14 at 11:56
  • @mikeserv, yeah I can boot OSX from the rEFInd menu. That part works. The only thing I'm trying to fix now is to get Ubuntu to show up on the same menu. I figured his tutorial was a little outdated as the latest version of SGD2 changed its menu items. Do you know how to get Ubuntu to show up on the rEFInd menu? – n0pe Aug 22 '14 at 12:28
  • Yes. That part is easy. Can you access both Ubuntu's partition from OSX and the ESP from the shell? – mikeserv Aug 22 '14 at 12:29
  • @mikeserv, I believe I can (I'm not at home with my laptop right now). If I understand correctly I need to move drivers to the ESP right? – n0pe Aug 22 '14 at 12:50
  • @mikeserv, so I got back to my computer and tried reinstalling rEFInd with `./install.sh --esp --all-drivers` because I thought I needed to install drivers. I tried rebooting and still no linux :( – n0pe Aug 22 '14 at 20:50
  • You don't need the drivers though. I know it's frustrating cause you don't get it quite yet. rEFInd tells the firmware to run an executable - your kernel. The drivers are for the disks - they're so your firmware can read the file on the disk. But if the kernel was on the esp - which the firmware definitely can read or you wouldn't be looking at refind - it would be a different story - it would just start it right up. That's how I keep mine - all systems get their own boot folder in /efi/. And I just 3 files in there - the kernel, initramfs, and refind_linux.conf. That's it. – mikeserv Aug 22 '14 at 23:24

0 Answers0