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HIMAN1998

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jan 24, 2013
338
0
Richmond, VA
Does anyone here have any experience with triple booting Windows 7, Ubuntu, and OS X? If so, is it easy to get set up?
 
Use Disk Utility in Mac to create 2 extra partitions. Using Boot Camp Assistant is unnecessary since it only allows one extra partition instead of the 2 you need. If you didn't know, BCA doesn't do anything fancy. Just a pretty front end for Disk Utility.

Make the Windows partition FAT and go ahead and make the Linux partition(which should be after the Windows partition) HFS+.

Reboot and install Windows to the FAT32 partition. You will be required by the installer to format that partition to NTFS. ONLY format that one.

Once it is completely finished, reboot again and install Linux. Once again, the installer will want you to format to ext2/3/4. Be EXTREMELY careful about which partition you format. If it asks, let it install GRUB to the MBR.

Now reboot and hold option. You will see Mac, Windows, and Recovery(if yours has that). Click on Windows and then GRUB will pop up letting you choose between Linux and Windows.

IF you don't see the Windows drive on the final reboot, then chances are, Linux screwed up the Hybrid MBR, so boot into Mac, install gptsync(Google), and then open Terminal and type:

Code:
diskutil list
gptsync /dev/diskX

*replace X with the disk number that your triple boot is on according to the first command

Then reboot and all should be good to go. There is NO NEED for reFIT or reFIND or any of that nonsense. I am running Mavericks, Windows 7, and Arch Linux on my 2009 MBP without issue this way.
 
^^

Agreed. I had a system a while back running Win XP, OSX and Ubuntu...Worked a charm, and you sure have all the bases covered with all the OS options..:) These day's I stick to OSX on my Mac's but my Fiancee still runs windows 7 and OSX on her MBA...Soon to be sold along with our Windows based media / gaming rig for a mac Pro.
 
I used a boot manager called refit when I did mine worked nicely.... but have since taking off ubuntu and just have windows and mac but I never run windows except in parallels now...
 
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