[SOLVED] Arch Installation on an i386 EFI MacBook with 2012.08.04

bb010g · 2012-08-08 04:45:50

After playing around with Arch on VirtualBox, I decided to install it on my MacBook (Mid 2007). Partions are ready, and I've followed the wiki. However, whenever I boot from the CD running 2012.08.04-dual it gives me a black screen with no keyboard input, built-in or USB:

       1.
       2.
Select CD-ROM Boot Type : _

I've looked around the Forums and Wiki but no one seems to have the same problem. I think it's probably because of my i386 EFI and the new changes on the installation media during the shift to the Install Scripts.

I've tried the USB (as per the wiki) but it won't even move off the bootloader.

Thanks.

Last edited by bb010g (2012-08-17 16:14:26)

tr!x0r · 2012-08-08 06:34:36

bb010g,

How did you create the USB?

Perhaps you can create a USB using the dd if=/home/archlinux.iso of=/dev/sdb *usb* way?

This helped in my case. I created a USB a couple of days ago, it wouldn't boot at first. ( I created it with Unetbootin).
When I created it using my Fedora, it started without problems.

Cheers

bb010g · 2012-08-08 17:51:20

I just tried that again on a Ubuntu live CD I had lying around and nothing happens. It just sits at the greyish initial screen you see without changing whist spinning the fans. I would try installing from that Live CD, but there's a warning banner at the top of the "Install From Existing Linux" wiki page because of pacman 4.

bb010g · 2012-08-09 03:34:26

Ok—I tested both my CD and USB in a HP Elitebook 8530w and they made the initial boot screen, at which you see the HP logo and the boot menu note, completely freeze. No keyboard, no change. I checked the checksum on the ISO and it was fine. What am I doing wrong?

tr!x0r · 2012-08-09 06:37:17

Mmm, I don't really see what you would do wrong...

So wait, currently you have 2 computers with the same problem?

I'll query a friend of mine, he has an Macbook with Arch on it. Perhaps he knows what you're doing wrong.

EmigratePenguin · 2012-08-09 19:23:40

Can i ask again what tr!x0r said? how did you made the USB?

Do you get the syslinux menu and issue happens once you try to boot the installation medium? or your don't even get to it? cause the output looks like EFIs failure to boot the USB, and not the actual Archboot setup.

Last edited by EmigratePenguin (2012-08-09 19:24:30)

bb010g · 2012-08-10 02:55:00

I made the USB with dd (as per the Beginner's Guide) on an Ubuntu 10.10 Live CD. The only place I can get to a menu is the useless one I get with the CD on my Mac, all other cases give me a completely frozen computer, at the spot where it checks for devices to boot to (I think). Should I re-download the ISO or use a development image? I don't think it would help, because the checksum checks out on the ISO I'm using. I might just try that, because I don't have any other ideas. I'm open.

EmigratePenguin · 2012-08-10 15:13:48

Try to create one with Unetbootin.
If its gonna give a whole new issue, try posting it here and we will see

bb010g · 2012-08-11 02:11:17

Ok. Downloaded a fresh ISO and copy of Unetbootin on the Elitebook (Win 7), formatted the USB to FAT32, and told Unetbootin to use the ISO on the drive. It was successful and I then tried it on my MacBook. It wouldn't recognize it. I then tried it on the Elitebook. It boots, acts normally, then this happens:

:: Mounting '/dev/disk/by-label/' to '/run/archiso/bootmnt'
Waiting 30 seconds for /dev/disk/by-label/ ...
ERROR: '/dev/disk/by-label/' device did not show up after 30 seconds...
   Falling back to interactive prompt
   You can try to fix the problem manually, log out when you are finished
sh: can't access tty: job control turned off
[rootfs /]# _

Umm... Now I'm more confused. Is this just me, or is anyone else having the same problems? Can anyone try out what I did and say what they got?

WonderWoofy · 2012-08-11 04:33:33

The new install medias have issues with macs and the uefi /bios auto selector. In order to install Arch w/o resorting to the 2011 install media, you have to install from a chroot from a different distro. See here, as I have discussed this issue recently: https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=146131

bb010g · 2012-08-11 04:47:57

Thanks. But I'm still confused why it failed on the Elitebook.

WonderWoofy · 2012-08-11 05:27:31

I am unsure about the elitebook issue, as I can only speak from experience. But on the install from existing linux page, the pacman 4 warning is only because it does not mention running the pacman-key commands. Otherwise it is totally legit,as I have used those instructions recently. You can always disable package signing by changing the following lines in /etc/pacman.conf

SigLevel = PackageRequired

to

SigLevel = Never

djgera · 2012-08-11 05:52:36

@bb010g: Missing filesystem label (unetbootin does not work right) + missing archisolabel= boot parameter. See official method: https://projects.archlinux.org/archiso. … EADME#n199

the.ridikulus.rat · 2012-08-11 07:28:24

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Un … t_from_ISO

WonderWoofy · 2012-08-11 08:12:55

@the.redikulus.rat - yes, that should solve the problem...

did you post this in the other EFI thread by accident? As it doesn't make total sense there.

tr!x0r · 2012-08-11 18:37:01

So basically, Arch didn't build the ISO image correctly to support EFI boot?
Does anyone know if this only impacts MAC users? Or will this impact all the users with an EFI system?

djgera · 2012-08-11 18:43:31

No, Apple Mac firmware does bad things, or in other words: they do not care about running other OS than Mac OS X

WonderWoofy · 2012-08-11 19:02:27

The images don't work on my Mac, yet they do on my Thinkpad, so I assume that they are Mac specific. It is certainly an issue I have run into in the past with other distros. Upon inspecting rat's link above more closely, he linked to a way to create a uefi only arch install usb. So that should work, though if you have an older macbook/mac core2duo they had an odd implementation of efi that was 32bit, so it won't wrk for that and you will be foreced to use bios emulation to run a 64-bit machine. The coreduo's were actually only 32-bit machines, so you have to do an i686 install there.

bb010g · 2012-08-12 02:22:47

Ok—used the link the.ridikulus.rat gave, and it worked!!! (I'm excited.) Thanks. It still won't go in the Elitebook, but that's ok, at least for now.

Last edited by bb010g (2012-08-12 03:11:38)

tr!x0r · 2012-08-14 10:04:30

You might want to put the topic on solved :-)

Arch Linux

#1 2012-08-08 04:45:50

[SOLVED] Arch Installation on an i386 EFI MacBook with 2012.08.04

#2 2012-08-08 06:34:36

Re: [SOLVED] Arch Installation on an i386 EFI MacBook with 2012.08.04

#3 2012-08-08 17:51:20

Re: [SOLVED] Arch Installation on an i386 EFI MacBook with 2012.08.04

#4 2012-08-09 03:34:26

Re: [SOLVED] Arch Installation on an i386 EFI MacBook with 2012.08.04

#5 2012-08-09 06:37:17

Re: [SOLVED] Arch Installation on an i386 EFI MacBook with 2012.08.04

#6 2012-08-09 19:23:40

Re: [SOLVED] Arch Installation on an i386 EFI MacBook with 2012.08.04

#7 2012-08-10 02:55:00

Re: [SOLVED] Arch Installation on an i386 EFI MacBook with 2012.08.04

#8 2012-08-10 15:13:48

Re: [SOLVED] Arch Installation on an i386 EFI MacBook with 2012.08.04

#9 2012-08-11 02:11:17

Re: [SOLVED] Arch Installation on an i386 EFI MacBook with 2012.08.04

#10 2012-08-11 04:33:33

Re: [SOLVED] Arch Installation on an i386 EFI MacBook with 2012.08.04

#11 2012-08-11 04:47:57

Re: [SOLVED] Arch Installation on an i386 EFI MacBook with 2012.08.04

#12 2012-08-11 05:27:31

Re: [SOLVED] Arch Installation on an i386 EFI MacBook with 2012.08.04

#13 2012-08-11 05:52:36

Re: [SOLVED] Arch Installation on an i386 EFI MacBook with 2012.08.04

#14 2012-08-11 07:28:24

Re: [SOLVED] Arch Installation on an i386 EFI MacBook with 2012.08.04

#15 2012-08-11 08:12:55

Re: [SOLVED] Arch Installation on an i386 EFI MacBook with 2012.08.04

#16 2012-08-11 18:37:01

Re: [SOLVED] Arch Installation on an i386 EFI MacBook with 2012.08.04

#17 2012-08-11 18:43:31

Re: [SOLVED] Arch Installation on an i386 EFI MacBook with 2012.08.04

#18 2012-08-11 19:02:27

Re: [SOLVED] Arch Installation on an i386 EFI MacBook with 2012.08.04

#19 2012-08-12 02:22:47

Re: [SOLVED] Arch Installation on an i386 EFI MacBook with 2012.08.04

#20 2012-08-14 10:04:30

Re: [SOLVED] Arch Installation on an i386 EFI MacBook with 2012.08.04

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