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I've been using all 3 OSes lately, so I'm trying to create the ultimate boot drive: Windows 10 installer, OS X Yosemite installer, and Arch Linux. I've managed to do just that, though it took me an entire day and night of trial and error. Here's the sequence:
-Use YUMI Multiboot to put Windows and Arch on the same boot drive (there are other methods, but for the life of me, YUMI has always been the only one that actually WORKS for me. Even now that I know how to use syslinux, still, only YUMI works for a multiboot setup).
-In Linux, save that multiboot drive's files, because you're about to lose them.
-Have OS X freshly format the entire drive (but format it as FAT32 because that makes Disk Utility use an MBR label instead of GPT), then use createinstallmedia on that fresh partition.
-Put it in Linux and resize and move so that there's a FAT32 partition after the Mac HFS+ partition on the same flash drive.
-Copy over the multiboot files to that FAT32 partition, label it MULTIBOOT, and set the boot and iba flags (or at least that's what GParted calls them: boot,iba. Honestly, I think that's just what GParted says when you set a FAT32 partition as boot).
-Reinstall syslinux on the drive: syslinux -mai -d /multiboot /dev/sdX2 (assuming /multiboot is your syslinux location on the drive)
-But wait! You're not done reinstalling syslinux. Mount the drive and cp -r /usr/lib/syslinux/bios/*.c32 into /multiboot.
-Finally, the way YUMI put Arch on the flash drive is by extracting the ISO and chainloading its isolinux. That's really great, but for me, it wasn't compatible with my new syslinux installation (version 6.03). So, I had to replace Arch with an ISO following the guide at https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Mu … nd_memdisk
So, that's it. Now for the question I made this thread to ask. Currently, this drive can boot Windows or Linux from a PC and Windows or OS X from a Mac. I understand I won't get to boot OS X on a PC without hackintosh, and I'm not looking to do that, but what about booting Arch on a Mac? The MacBook I'm testing this drive on was able to recognize Windows 10 as an "EFI boot" when I held down the option key, so why not also Arch Linux? I want to know how I can make a syslinux 6.03 boot UEFI-compatible in a way that makes it still able to boot Windows and Arch from the BIOS method it currently has, while still being able to boot Windows 10 through UEFI. So, I'd have to make some sort of UEFI boot menu that chooses between Windows 10, and memdisk->Arch Linux ISO. How would I do that? It's too complex to Google.
I suppose this is just a bonus round, though. For repairing a Mac, the OS X boot has its own Disk Utility and Terminal, so I'd only need to boot Arch if I was trying to install Arch. So I could just make a dedicated Arch disk just in the single ocassion that I need that. But, for fun, could I get it all at once on this drive?
Last edited by Cadeyrn (2015-08-21 21:15:49)
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I'm not completely following what you are *actually* trying to do. Are you trying to boot Arch on a Mac? Does https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Ma … Arch_Linux not describe that?
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I've already looked at that page, and it isn't what I want.
At first, I assumed it was a guide on how to make an Arch Linux ISO that OS X can boot from. That wouldn't quite be what I want--I want to know how to, and if it's even possible to, create a boot menu out of grub or syslinux or EFI or whatever that a Mac is willing to boot from that lets me choose between the Linux and Windows installers.
But then when I actually read the guide (don't worry; I read it before making this thread), I can't even find anything explaining how to make an Arch ISO boot on a Mac. So, I can't even find the part of that guide that would almost kinda-sorta help me. It's probably because that guide is about installing Arch once you have the bootable disc/drive, but what I don't know is how to make the bootable disc/drive in the first place (for a Mac, I mean).
Last edited by Cadeyrn (2015-08-22 17:24:38)
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...how to make an Arch Linux ISO that OS X can boot from. That wouldn't quite be what I want
...but what I don't know is how to make the bootable disc/drive in the first place (for a Mac, I mean)
I'm still not following - what is the difference between "bootable disc" and "Arch Linux ISO"? Because to me, they are one and same thing?
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They are, but I'm asking about a bootable disc that is *more* than just the Arch Linux ISO. I've done enough research to figure out how to work with syslinux, but I still haven't managed to find a guide on EFI that actually explains how to do it myself, rather than just giving me special files and telling me to use them. Therefore, I'm using this thread to ask: how would I modify an Arch Linux ISO to have that kind of UEFI bootloader, and how would I set up a flash drive so that its UEFI bootloader has a menu that lets me choose between the Linux and Windows installers?
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