Arch Linux

ayr0

Member

Registered: 2010-08-12

Posts: 94

installing arch to macbook 2,1

Hi,

I'm trying to install arch (dual boot with OSX) on my macbook 2,1.  I've install rEFIt.

The partitions that I have setup are
1 OSX boot partition
2. OSX system partition
3. Archlinux
4. Home

I've arrive at the stage where I need to install the bootloader.  But the installer doesn't give the option of installing grub to the Archlinux paritions.  So I exit the installer and manually install grub using grub-install /dev/sda3 (which is where my arch partition is).

I still can't boot into arch.  There are 2 entries now in my rEFIt menu (OSX and "Boot Legacy OS")  How do I setup grub to boot into arch?

bsilbaugh

Member

From: Maryland, USA

Registered: 2011-11-15

Posts: 141

Re: installing arch to macbook 2,1

So, is rEFIT able to boot GRUB but GRUB is not able to find Arch? Or is rEFIT not able to find GRUB?

For what it's worth, I recently installed Arch on my Macbook 5,1. I also used rEFIT (installed using OS X). My drive partitioning was
/dev/sda1: EFI/OS X boot partition
/dev/sda2: OS X
/dev/sda3: Linux Swap
/dev/sda4: Arch

As you mentioned, the new Arch installer doesn't give you the option of selecting primary partitions to install GRUB (the old installer did). So, when I reached the last stage of the installer (installation of the bootloader), I exited the installer, launched GRUB in interactive mode, and installed GRUB to my 4th partition (where /boot is). (It sounds like you did something similar.) When I rebooted rEFIT discovered that my 4th partition was bootable and displayed a Tux logo. Clicking on the Tux logo launched grub. From there I am able to launch Arch.

Some thoughts:
1. Did you make sure your partition tables are synced? I didn't need to do this, but I've heard of other needing to do this.
2. Did you make sure that the grub was configured properly; e.g. you've specified the correct path to the kernel, etc.
3. Did you try prayer and/or other forms of divinity?

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- Good judgement comes from experience; experience comes from bad judgement. -- Mark Twain
- There's a remedy for everything but death. -- The wise fool, Sancho Panza
- The purpose of a system is what it does. -- Anthony Stafford Beer

liticovjesac

Member

From: Stockholm-Belgrade-Köln

Registered: 2008-07-16

Posts: 110

Re: installing arch to macbook 2,1

What exactly do you mean by grub interactive mode? I was installing arch on one macbook two days ago and had a problem to install grub on /boot. Finaly I manage to do it following many instructions from wiki and chrooting but I dont guess that I would be able to repeat process easy. Could you give us howto if you remember how u done it?
While in topic. How did you map keyboard to get @ and [ ] working? I have a swedish keyboard but I cant get those symbols. Changing to USA gives me @ but I am still missing [].

bsilbaugh

Member

From: Maryland, USA

Registered: 2011-11-15

Posts: 141

Re: installing arch to macbook 2,1

By ``interactive mode'' I guess I meant the GRUB shell.

Manual installation of GRUB is outlined here; in particular, see the section "Installing to a Parition".

In regards to keyboard config, I'm using a US keyboard (i.e. the built-in keyboard) and don't seem to have a problem with @, [, or ] keys. For me it "just worked".

Last edited by bsilbaugh (2011-11-21 19:56:39)

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- Good judgement comes from experience; experience comes from bad judgement. -- Mark Twain
- There's a remedy for everything but death. -- The wise fool, Sancho Panza
- The purpose of a system is what it does. -- Anthony Stafford Beer

mjv196

Member

Registered: 2011-11-22

Posts: 11

Re: installing arch to macbook 2,1

I installed Arch on a Macbook Pro and had the same problem at first. In my case the GPT was wrong, since I created the partition in OS X and only formatted using the Arch install, it was marked as HFS in the GPT. I fixed it by booting back into the Arch installer CD, starting up cfdisk and manually setting the partition type as Linux. The I rebooted and selected the partition tool in the rEFIt menu, it gives you the option to sync the GPT and MBR if necessary. Then reboot in the arch installer yet again and installed grub using the manual setup method.