LMDE not booting--how to set boot partition? [resolved]

[este.el.paz]

Folks:

Not sure if the question is correct, I've tried about 5x to install LMDE 64 bit on a MacBookPro from the LiveDVD and fortunately the only thing that has been spent is time. The installer tells me that "the installation was successful" but it doesn't boot up. I found the LMDE tutorial and read through the "how to install manually" . . . which I was doing, and I think I've narrowed the issue to the GRUB bootloader partition, I get a choice of sda or sda1 . . . (sda1 looks to be formatted as fat32??? which might be the boot window for OSX??). I picked both of them in successive installs and neither seems to have made any difference good or bad. I want to install LMDE "next" to my OSX 10.6.8 system . . . and I finally got the main & swap partitions labeled and formatted properly in the Gparted window, but the tutorial doesn't show (as far as I found) how to format the boot filesystem??? and/or how large it should be. In MintPPC the boot partition is 1MB; but I saw a comment in a forum post in a Google search of this question that the boot partition needs to be 100MB for GRUB?? Could someone point me to the tutorial that would give me that "how to format the partition for GRUB bootloader"?? Is that what would be the NTFS? partition?

Or, should I try to go "the easy way" and delete the partitions I have for main & swap in Gparted and try an "install next to another system" method?? and let the installer handle all the partitioning, if indeed it is done automatically with no selections in Gparted being needed, etc. I'd like to be able to boot to OSX or LMDE, but so far that goal is eluding me . . . .

Thanks kindly for your help,

e.e.p.

[The Recorder]

Think this is what you want...

http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/grub ... ocId905459

Section 8.A - GRUB 2 recovery

[este.el.paz]

Think this is what you want...

http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/grub ... ocId905459

Section 8.A - GRUB 2 recovery

@the Recorder:

Thanks kindly for that post, it'll take me awhile to read through it, but it looks like the stuff on "Dual-Boot" systems may have what I'm looking for . . . how much space to partition for the bootloader, etc. I'll post back if it helps, or if it doesn't after I try another run at the install . . . .

e.e.p.

[wayne128]

You may want to follow this tutorial to dual boot Mac OSX with Linux OS

http://scottlinux.com/2011/06/14/how-to ... and-linux/

[este.el.paz]

@the Recorder:
This was closer to what I was looking for which was linked in the GRUB2 stuff, which was ahead of where I was:
http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/dual-boot-windows-7-ubuntu.html


@wayne128:

You may want to follow this tutorial to dual boot Mac OSX with Linux OS

http://scottlinux.com/2011/06/14/how-to ... and-linux/

Thanks, that's more what I'm looking for, from reading the Windows tutorial it looks like only one partition is the "boot" but still don't know what are recommended sizes for LMDE root or home partitions. I see swap should be double the RAM, and still might be grey on the boot thingie; I'd like to boot from the OSX boot window??? But, thanks wayne128, I'll read through the OSX tutorial.

e.e.p.

[este.el.paz]

@wayne128:

Yes, that is putting me in the ballpark, the tip for the rEFIt app looks good & using Boot Camp also is interesting. As the comment at the bottom, it is an interesting question, "why use Boot Camp" when DU could be used? And then having to "delete" the FAT32 partition after making it in Boot Camp?? Anyway, I'll go through the recommendations and see how it all goes.

Thanks to all, it gives me more info to work with.

e.e.p.

[este.el.paz]

Folks:

Update: got the Boot Camp partition thing going, got the rEFIt boot manager installed OK, but after another couple hours spent trying to get LMDE installed, the installer says, "Congratulations, Linux MInt installed successfully" . . . when I click on the Penguin icon in rEFIt I get the penguin image, and then a black screen saying something like, "partition empty, please install disc"???

So, something in the process is not working, the GRUB installer is still only giving me the choice of sda or sda1, I don't get the choice for sda3 which is the root partition for the LMDE . . . but in the scottlinux tutorial he says that "GRUB isn't necessary since rEFIt will dump you into Linux" . . . . I'm manually partitioning the Boot Camp partition in Gparted and labeling the root as ext4 and the swap as "linux-swap" in Gparted. When the question from the installer again asks me to "label the boot partition" I'm double clicking and labeling sda3 as "/" and the installer goes through the progress bar showing the data as being installed . . . but it's not booting. The LiveDVD works to boot up into LMDE, but somehow the installation is not working, can anyone provide some other direction, like, is there a LMDE mini.iso to download and try the install that way?? Is that something to try that would get around the LiveDVD installer??

Thanks again,

e.e.p.

[este.el.paz]

The LiveDVD works to boot up into LMDE, but somehow the installation is not working, can anyone provide some other direction, like, is there a LMDE mini.iso to download and try the install that way?? Is that something to try that would get around the LiveDVD installer??

Folks:

Would there be any follow-up or insights as to why this installation appears to be happening, but then does not boot? Or, is there another option for installer other than the LiveDVD?? I looked last night and couldn't find any other options, the only other option would be to either try to download the GNOME64 file again or try the XFCE64 and see if that works?? I've used GNOME in my MintPPC laptop but not the xfce . . . would that make a difference in getting LMDE installed and running?

e.e.p.

[spandey]

Have you looked at the tutorials in LMDE for MAC http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=197&t=67730

[este.el.paz]

Have you looked at the tutorials in LMDE for MAC viewtopic.php?f=197&t=67730

At the end of the installation process, the installer will ask you where you want to install GRUB. The standard location is the MBR (SDA) do not install GRUB in the MBR. Install it on my main LMDE partition (SDA3).

Reboot when done with the install, and in the rEFIt menu, choose the partition tool. It will attempt to sync the partition tables on your disk. Then SHUTDOWN the computer (not reboot), and start it again. You should be able to boot to LMDE now. If it seems to freeze on the tux logo, completely shutdown again and try one more time.

spandey:

Thanks very kindly for that link, I have read a fair number of tutorials not all of them giving consistent info, but it did provide a few more details in terms of the final process. However, on the GRUB install, I have seen a couple of people mentioning not to install GRUB on SDA, but as I've posted here previously the only choices given when it asks where I want to install are SDA & SDA1 . . . which I've tried both, but it does not give me the choice of what would be the main Linux or SDA3 as a choice . . . that seems to remain as a problem. The info about "choosing the partition tool" in the rEFIt menu is new and might make a difference to the final install, but I don't think that will overcome the GRUB install issue. The other question is about whether we need to make the choice for "logical" format of the Linux partitions rather than "main" as I read on one tutorial linked here . . . that didn't seem to show up in my last attempt to install, but might have something to do with the install failing???

e.e.p.

[spandey]

I don't own a MAC otherwise it would have been easier. but found this link http://www.rodsbooks.com/ubuntu-efi/index.htmlwhich is step-by-step process of installing Ubuntu 10.10 on Mac.

[este.el.paz]

spandey:

Thanks very kindly for that link, it looks very detailed, and, uh, complicated installation process. . . and might explain why the install has not been as simple as it might be. It'll take some time for me to read through the whole instructions to understand what mr Rod is talking about . . . and then try it out. I'll post back when I figure out whether I need to go that way or whether it might be simpler, etc. I definitely don't need Windows to be installed alongside the OSX & Linux systems . . . .

e.e.p.

[este.el.paz]

e.e.p.[/quote]

I don't own a MAC otherwise it would have been easier. but found this link http://www.rodsbooks.com/ubuntu-efi/index.htmlwhich is step-by-step process of installing Ubuntu 10.10 on Mac.

spandey:

Thanks very kindly for that link, it looks very detailed, and, uh, complicated installation process. . . and might explain why the install has not been as simple as it might be. It'll take some time for me to read through the whole instructions to understand what mr Rod is talking about . . . and then try it out. I'll post back when I figure out whether I need to go that way or whether it might be simpler, etc. I definitely don't need Windows to be installed alongside the OSX & Linux systems . . . .

Folks:

Just to follow up on the continuing saga of getting LMDE loaded into my MBP . . . . So far using the links that were provided here gave me maybe a step closer in some ways, but still not able to boot into it. I got a suggestion to look at a link on "Ubuntu & OSX" from a John Atilano?? blog showing how to use the Ubuntu installer and some if it was applicable and others not. The exact problem I still believe is in the GRUB bootloader not loading into the right place; and the Ubuntu installer seems to give the option for what should correctly be selected "/dev/sda3" whereas in LMDE installer the choice is only "/dev/sda" or "/dev/sda1"--which is where the rEFIt app is loaded, and that's where I put it this time.

And,after the install I went into the rEFIt partition manager and "synchronized" the partitions and then I could select Linux or "Windows" as he describes in his blog piece and it loaded the word "GRUB" filling the entire screen; I then shut the computer down and rebooted and then got the single word "GRUB" with an underscore flashing next to it, but it wouldn't load the Linux OS. In another the link from "rodsbooks" recommended by "spandey" the instructions, the guy there used "gdisk" to try to set up a partition or some kind of "hybrid MBR" which would be where the GRUB bootloader was supposed to go; and then I downloaded "SUPERGRUB2" which was supposed to be to clean up the "hybrid MBR" afterward--but using those rather complicated instructions I got stalled at the "gdisk" part--where it wasn't able to run the suggested "sudo gdisk" command in Terminal, and essentially that ended the ability to partition the disk to make a partition for the GRUB bootloader . . . and ending the ability to use those instructions .

It does show that 5GB of data is loaded, so it's "there" . . . and the partitions are "synchronized" . . . just not booting. Thanks for any thoughts that might help get LMDE going on MBP.

e.e.p.

[spandey]

From your description it seems the first option gave you '"GRUB" with an underscore flashing next to it. That's Grub prompt. That's pretty close to booting. Can you please list details of your partitions like sda1 windows, sda1 boot etc. etc.? It will help in giving exact commands to boot your system from 'grub prompt'. Which MacBookPro do you have?

[este.el.paz]

@spandey:

Thanks for the reply, I'm pasting the data from the rEFIt partition inspector and the type of computer is listed in the signature line of each of my posts. Thanks, e.e.p.


*** Report for internal hard disk ***

Current GPT partition table:
# Start LBA End LBA Type
1 40 409639 EFI System (FAT)
2 409640 428144007 Mac OS X HFS+
3 428144640 471959551 Basic Data
4 471959552 488396799 Linux Swap

Current MBR partition table:
# A Start LBA End LBA Type
1 1 409639 ee EFI Protective
2 409640 428144007 af Mac OS X HFS+
3 * 428144640 471959551 83 Linux
4 471959552 488396799 82 Linux swap / Solaris

MBR contents:
Boot Code: GRUB

Partition at LBA 40:
Boot Code: GRUB
File System: FAT32
Listed in GPT as partition 1, type EFI System (FAT)

Partition at LBA 409640:
Boot Code: None
File System: HFS Extended (HFS+)
Listed in GPT as partition 2, type Mac OS X HFS+
Listed in MBR as partition 2, type af Mac OS X HFS+

Partition at LBA 428144640:
Boot Code: None
File System: ext4
Listed in GPT as partition 3, type Basic Data
Listed in MBR as partition 3, type 83 Linux, active

Partition at LBA 471959552:
Boot Code: None
File System: Unknown
Listed in GPT as partition 4, type Linux Swap
Listed in MBR as partition 4, type 82 Linux swap / Solaris

[spandey]

Sorry for delay. Can you boot with Livedvd and post output of command gdisk from terminal?

[este.el.paz]

Sorry for delay. Can you boot with Livedvd and post output of command gdisk from terminal?

Spandey: Thanks from the reply, there might be another delay until I can find the time to boot from the livedvd and run that command; but from my notes of what happened when I ran "sudo gdisk /dev/disk0s3" in the OSX Terminal it looks like the error was: "Error is 2-GPT fdisk (gdisk) version is 0.18.1 ??? (no glasses right now) the specified file does not exist"

As I mentioned I tried to run it a few times another time it was "Error is 10 --specified file does not exist" I assumed it meant somehow it was not finding the disk0s3 that is the partition for LMDE . . . . Does that give any info or do you need it through the LMDE Terminal?

e.e.p.

[spandey]

Hmm.. you are correct problem is GRUB is not being installed into sda3 where your linux stuff is. While installing sda3 is not listed as partitions are out of sync vs refit. So we have to find a way to fix this!!!
Have you tried putting Livedvd content in USB and installing booting from it ?

[este.el.paz]

Hmm.. you are correct problem is GRUB is not being installed into sda3 where your linux stuff is. While installing sda3 is not listed as partitions are out of sync vs refit. So we have to find a way to fix this!!!
Have you tried putting Livedvd content in USB and installing booting from it ?

@spandey: Thanks again for your thoughts . . . I have not tried the USB method, although I recently got a "new" USB flash drive to install MintPPC on my old iMac, but that method looked overly complicated and I've seen that this USB drive seems to lose data in a word document, so I'm planning on getting another FD when I get a free minute. But, are you suggesting that going the flash drive way is known to provide a more thorough installation . . . a more reliable installation??? Or, it's just another alternative and maybe it'll work, etc . . .???

It seems to come down to the GRUB bootloader install drop down menu choices, where each time I've tried the install the only choices are /sda or /sda1 . . . so perhaps that part of the installer is not recognizing that I'm installing next to OSX, even though GParted can see /sda3 and I can set it as "/" . . . the GRUB installer can't . . . . After your post about how the GRUB_ image is close I tried again to boot up into LMDE and I got the whole screen filled with many "GRUB" images, so it seems to move back and forth between one "GRUB_" or many . . . . Is there some way to set the GRUB partition in GParted?

e.e.p.

[spandey]

Before we go USB route let's try something.
After Linux install hope you have done resync partitions in refit. Also make sure to have boot legacy first option.
Now, after confirming these 2 , Boot from your LiveDVD and type the following commands in Terminal.

I guess your linux is in sda3 to make sure

Code: Select all

 sudo fdisk -l


Now the hard part:

Code: Select all

1. sudo mount /dev/sda3 /mnt
2. for i in /dev /dev/pts /proc /sys; do sudo mount -B $i /mnt$i; done
3. sudo chroot /mnt
4. update-grub
5. grub-install /dev/sda3
6. grub-install --recheck /dev/sda3
7. Type CTRL-D on keyboard
8. for i in /sys /proc /dev/pts /dev; do sudo umount /mnt$i; done
9. sudo umount /mnt
10.sudo reboot


Hope you will be able to boot LMDE...