Arch Linux

bergerac

Member

Registered: 2022-01-24

Posts: 10

[SOLVED] installing Arch on a 32 bit EFI MacBook

I managed to install Arch on an old MacBook 4,1 (c. 2008) but unfortunately it won't boot. I followed exactly these instructions to install Grub except that I replaced command

grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=/boot

by

grub-install --target=i386-efi --efi-directory=/boot

I see an icon for the disk when booting and holding down the Option key but nothing happens after selecting it. It's too bad because the installation was straightforward. If anybody has a suggestion I would really appreciate.

Last edited by bergerac (2022-04-10 13:05:35)

ewaller

Administrator

From: Pasadena, CA

Registered: 2009-07-13

Posts: 19,797

Re: [SOLVED] installing Arch on a 32 bit EFI MacBook

https://archlinux.org/news/the-end-of-i686-support/

---

Nothing is too wonderful to be true, if it be consistent with the laws of nature -- Michael Faraday
Sometimes it is the people no one can imagine anything of who do the things no one can imagine. -- Alan Turing
---
How to Ask Questions the Smart Way

jonno2002

Member

Registered: 2016-11-21

Posts: 684

Re: [SOLVED] installing Arch on a 32 bit EFI MacBook

im gathering its a core2duo cpu then ? its probably a 64bit pc with a 32bit efi like an old imac i installed debian on years ago, from memory i had to make a hybrid usb installation using 32bit efi but installed a 64bit os, i really cant remember how i did it sorry, but i do know that i used a dos/bios partition on the disk NOT efi and it still worked. the only reason i had to go through the install hell was because its a mac and the hdd is dam hard to get access to, or i would have just installed the os on the hdd from another pc and jammed it back in.

so yea i would suggest removing the hdd/ssd and installing arch on it using dos/bios method NOT efi and jam it back in and it should work.

bergerac

Member

Registered: 2022-01-24

Posts: 10

Re: [SOLVED] installing Arch on a 32 bit EFI MacBook

Yes it is a 64 bit core2 cpu with a 32 bit EFI firmware. Actually I was wondering how the Arch installation disk could even boot since the EFI on it is 64 bit. It probably reverted to BIOS compatibility mode. I'll try your suggestion.

Thanks!

bergerac

Member

Registered: 2022-01-24

Posts: 10

Re: [SOLVED] installing Arch on a 32 bit EFI MacBook

I finally got it working by blessing the grub efi (/boot/grub/x86_64-efi/grub.efi) file with the OS X installation disk. So I'm not sure any more if the EFI firmware on the MacBook is 32 bit because I installed a 64 bit grub and it works fine.

nl6720

The Evil Wiki Admin

Registered: 2016-07-02

Posts: 596

Re: [SOLVED] installing Arch on a 32 bit EFI MacBook

See https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Unifie … re_bitness.