Guide: MultiBooting UEFI

[Going Bald]

I have just completed an installation of OS X, Windows 10 and Ubuntu 16.0.4 LTS on a single 1Tb HDD on an Asus P8Z77i-Deluxe. It is amazing how easy it is today to Multiboot these 3 OS's on UEFI systems.
Here is what you need:


Here is how it goes:
Create your USB installers and have them ready.

Insert the OS X USB in a port and boot to the OS X installer. At the install screen, select Disk Utility. ID your drive:

as you can see, this is an unititialized drive - no formatting.
I formatted the entire drive for OS X:

Install OS X and create user, but do not run MultiBeast yet - still things to do first. Open disk utility and make some room for Win10 (put pointer in ring at top of pie, drag counterclockwise to create some free space:

Click in the free space and format it for Win10.

Shutdown, remove the OS X install USB, insert Win10 install USB and boot the system. Click Install now button, enter your key code or click skip, accept license terms. At the next screen select Custom install:

At the next screen, select the partition created in OS X Disk Utility and delete it - you wind up with all the free space at the end of the drive:

Click Next - Windows installer will take it from here, creating/formatting partitions as needed.
When installed, go through all the user setup and get to desktop. Right click on start and select Disk Management:


We need to create some space for Ubuntu, so click on the Windows partition to select it, Click Action-> All actions->Shrink and cut the partition size as you want - I used about half the Win10 partition or about 1/3 of the drive:

 

[Going Bald]

Adding Ubuntu is a matter of shutting down Windows, removing the Win10 USB installer, inserting the Ubuntu installer and booting it. When you get to the Grub2 screen, select the first option to try Ubuntu and hit enter or let it time out and boot.
At the desktop check your access to the internet. Hopefully it works. Double click on Install Ubuntu icon on the desktop, select a language and, if your network is working and fast, click to select the update and install 3rd party drivers, click continue. Next screen, select Install Ubuntu alongside Windows Boot Manager. This ensures the Ubuntu boot files are added to the UEFI partition in an Ubuntu Folder, just like the Windows folder. Click Install Now.

Ubuntu installer will create your swap and Root for you - click Continue:

And install Ubuntu.

 

[Going Bald]

Now, to make everything work right, shutdown Ubuntu, insert the OS X USB installer again and boot to OS X desktop. Mount the EFI partition and rename the Windows boot manager file:


Run MultiBeast to install Clover, networking and audio and reboot to UEFI and set the OS X partition as first in boot order:


Save&Exit and continue boot to Clover - select an OS to boot:


And that, my children is just how simple it is.

 

[KS1771]

Dear

You are the Greatest !!! ....... I have been reading a lot of stuff for Dual Boot with 10.11.x and Win ... Copying Boot Files to x64 Folder ...Clover ....blah ... blah ..... and you come along and make it so effortless with this Superb Guide !!!! Once again ....
Way to Go !!! Keep it up and Thanks a Million !!!!

 

[Flaxh]

Hello!

First of all thanks for your contributions! I have this rig right now:

i7 6700k
asus z170-pro
msi gtx 970
crucial mx100 120gb ssd
wd 1tb HDD
xfx 650w pro

Windows 10 is on the SSD and I use the HDD to install most of the games and store all my media. I wanna start using OSX now and I'm looking for some feedback on the best way to do it. You used the same HDD to install the 3 OSs but I'd like to keep my current setup and maybe add an extra 120 or 240 SSD for OSX. Will I have to format Windows again? That's not that big of an issue for me tbh, I'm only worried about my media files on the HDD.

I only have one 16GB USB stick so I'll probably need another one as well.

 

[ppohio]

So does the Windows 10 installer overwrite the EFI boot partition and then installing Clover fixes things up? I have a working system on an SSD (10.11.5) and I am curious if I could, in theory:

• Back up current working EFI partition
• Create free space to install Win 10
• Reboot with the USB installer
• Install Windows 10
• Boot to OS X with my Clover USB
• Copy the contents of my previously working EFI back to the partition to get Clover running again

Alternatively I suppose I could just clone my working Mac install, install fresh OS X and Windows to a blank SSD, and then clone my working install back onto the Mac partition.

 

[Going Bald]

Hello!

First of all thanks for your contributions! I have this rig right now:

i7 6700k
asus z170-pro
msi gtx 970
crucial mx100 120gb ssd
wd 1tb HDD
xfx 650w pro

Windows 10 is on the SSD and I use the HDD to install most of the games and store all my media. I wanna start using OSX now and I'm looking for some feedback on the best way to do it. You used the same HDD to install the 3 OSs but I'd like to keep my current setup and maybe add an extra 120 or 240 SSD for OSX. Will I have to format Windows again? That's not that big of an issue for me tbh, I'm only worried about my media files on the HDD.

I only have one 16GB USB stick so I'll probably need another one as well.

It is actually recommended and preferred to install OS X on separate SSD/HDD from Windows or Linux. I wrote this guide mainly because people kept asking how to install on a single drive and it sort of reprises the Snow Leopard Win7 Ubuntu triple boot guide I wrote years ago ( http://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/guide-multibooting-for-the-novice-updated-3-12-see-log.18658/ ).

Just install your OS X-to-be drive, boot the USB installer, format your OS X-to-be drive (being very careful not to format the Win10 drive by mistake - do not laugh, it has happened - and install OS X. Or disconnect the Win10/Media drives first.
If you want to choose the OS to boot from a boot loader, make the OS X drive first in BBS boot order.

 

[Flaxh]

It is actually recommended and preferred to install OS X on separate SSD/HDD from Windows or Linux. I wrote this guide mainly because people kept asking how to install on a single drive and it sort of reprises the Snow Leopard Win7 Ubuntu triple boot guide I wrote years ago ( http://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/guide-multibooting-for-the-novice-updated-3-12-see-log.18658/ ).

Just install your OS X-to-be drive, boot the USB installer, format your OS X-to-be drive (being very careful not to format the Win10 drive by mistake - do not laugh, it has happened - and install OS X. Or disconnect the Win10/Media drives first.
If you want to choose the OS to boot from a boot loader, make the OS X drive first in BBS boot order.

Ok, I'll buy an OCZ Trion 150 240GB then. Is it ok? I read the guide and didn't found it there but I'd say it's ok. Price is the same of a 850 evo 120gb but twice the capacity with almost the same performance.

So you're saying I can keep my Windows 10 installation without a need to uninstall?

 

[irrationalJohn]

Ok, I'll buy an OCZ Trion 150 240GB then. Is it ok?

Depends on how deeply you care about the details and want to dig into this.

The first place to start is with the assumption that any performance specs the manufacturer highlights almost certainly put their product in its best possible light. They will emphasize what looks good and either not mention or obscure any specs which are "less special".

This is why the number most often highlighted for an SSD is the sequential read/write. Certainly that is one piece of the performance puzzle. But sequential transfers of large amounts of data is probably not what most people do most often. The numbers for the random 4K transfers is probably a better reflection of that.

Other difference between the OCZ and the Samsung device are the firmware they use and their manufacturing tech. The OCZ is TLC (Triple-Level Cell) NAND flash while Samsung uses their proprietary 3D V-NAND flash.

 

[Going Bald]

Ok, I'll buy an OCZ Trion 150 240GB then. Is it ok? I read the guide and didn't found it there but I'd say it's ok. Price is the same of a 850 evo 120gb but twice the capacity with almost the same performance.

So you're saying I can keep my Windows 10 installation without a need to uninstall?

Do your research on the SSD and see if you can find a comparative review OCZ vs Samsung. Yes, you can keep the Windows without need to re-install. Double check Windows installation - if it is installed Legacy Mode, install Clover Legacy Mode. If it is installed UEFI mode, install CLover UEFI mode.