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Dual Boot Mac OSX and Linux - Grub2 working now

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GA-Z490 Elite
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Intel Core i9-10850
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RX 6800XT
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  1. MacBook
  2. MacBook Pro
  3. Mac mini
Mobile Phone
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I have been combing forums everywhere trying to find the solution to the Linux/OSX dual boot problem.

After looking high and low for an answer, I found a post that recommended a fix for pointing grub2 towards the OSX partition. I tried it by editing the /etc/grub.d/40_custom file (obviously while I was booted into Linux) where you are supposed to manually put user entries. I then ran update-grub (as root) to create the boot menu. To my absolute surprise, there were two OTHER grub entries put there automatically by the grub os-prober. The version of grub2 that comes with Ubuntu 10.10 automatically finds my Snowleopard partition and places an entry for OSX 32 bit and OSX 64 bit. It seems that the maintainers of Grub2 have solved the problem for us. I tried booting into both and they both worked! My manual entry did not.

The boot is ugly. It is non-graphical, BUT it boots right into either environment without a hitch. In fact, I'm typing this from OSX booted via grub2.

I have seen hack that refer the grub entry to chameleon and then boot from there. From what I can see, that doesn't always work. Grub2 not now handle the dual boot and it automatically sets it up. In fact all you should have to do is put Ubuntu 10.10 on the primary drive in your system (I put each OS separately on a different disk). Set grub2 to boot form the MBR of the primary drive (with linux on it). Then disconnect it. Install Mac OSX as usual on its drive and get it working. Then disconnect that one and install Windows7 on it's drive if you want. Then connect linux to the SATA0 (first) connection or set it to boot first in your BIOS, them connect the others in the order you want them to appear in your boot menu (Grub2 is ugly, you'll just have to live with a text based boot menu). Select the one you want and it will boot. Or at least it did on mine with NO hacking required.

I didn't know it would work until I tried it! Good news.
 
tofuconfetti said:
I have been combing forums everywhere trying to find the solution to the Linux/OSX dual boot problem.

After looking high and low for an answer, I found a post that recommended a fix for pointing grub2 towards the OSX partition. I tried it by editing the /etc/grub.d/40_custom file (obviously while I was booted into Linux) where you are supposed to manually put user entries. I then ran update-grub (as root) to create the boot menu. To my absolute surprise, there were two OTHER grub entries put there automatically by the grub os-prober. The version of grub2 that comes with Ubuntu 10.10 automatically finds my Snowleopard partition and places an entry for OSX 32 bit and OSX 64 bit. It seems that the maintainers of Grub2 have solved the problem for us. I tried booting into both and they both worked! My manual entry did not.

The boot is ugly. It is non-graphical, BUT it boots right into either environment without a hitch. In fact, I'm typing this from OSX booted via grub2.

I have seen hack that refer the grub entry to chameleon and then boot from there. From what I can see, that doesn't always work. Grub2 not now handle the dual boot and it automatically sets it up. In fact all you should have to do is put Ubuntu 10.10 on the primary drive in your system (I put each OS separately on a different disk). Set grub2 to boot form the MBR of the primary drive (with linux on it). Then disconnect it. Install Mac OSX as usual on its drive and get it working. Then disconnect that one and install Windows7 on it's drive if you want. Then connect linux to the SATA0 (first) connection or set it to boot first in your BIOS, them connect the others in the order you want them to appear in your boot menu (Grub2 is ugly, you'll just have to live with a text based boot menu). Select the one you want and it will boot. Or at least it did on mine with NO hacking required.

I didn't know it would work until I tried it! Good news.
All nonsens...install Chameleon on your OSX HD, connect it to SATA(0) and make it your bootdevice in Bios. On Chameleon boootscreen all your bootable drives will shown up
 
karacho said:
All nonsens...install Chameleon on your OSX HD, connect it to SATA(0) and make it your bootdevice in Bios. On Chameleon boootscreen all your bootable drives will shown up
That only works if you put Grub on something other than the MBR. That isn't hard to do, BUT Ubuntu tends to mess that up EVERY time you update Grub2. That also leaves you with a linux install that won't boot without the other drive that holds Chameleon in the MBR.

I would rather have a standalone Linux install booting from the MBR that can be referenced from Chameleon. As far as I know that can't be done yet. So it isn't nonsense.
 
tofuconfetti said:
karacho said:
All nonsens...install Chameleon on your OSX HD, connect it to SATA(0) and make it your bootdevice in Bios. On Chameleon boootscreen all your bootable drives will shown up
That only works if you put Grub on something other than the MBR. That isn't hard to do, BUT Ubuntu tends to mess that up EVERY time you update Grub2. That also leaves you with a linux install that won't boot without the other drive that holds Chameleon in the MBR.

I would rather have a standalone Linux install booting from the MBR that can be referenced from Chameleon. As far as I know that can't be done yet. So it isn't nonsense.
Of course it is. Just install Grub into the rootpartition from linux. When grub updates arrives they would be installed into the rootpartition too.
 
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