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Booting Linux via Boot Camp

W

washer

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 1, 2004
55
0
I have successfully installed Centos on my MacBook, but now I can't figure out how to boot into it.

Previously, I used Boot Camp to dual boot into Windows XP. I'm pretty sure Centos installed a GRUB boot loader, but when I hold option down on startup the only option is my Mac drive (I deleted the Windows partition to install the Linux side).

How do I boot into Centos on my MacBook, and can I use Boot Camp like I did with Windows?

Thanks a ton!
 
How do you know you successfully installed if you can't boot into it?

You say you deleted the Boot Camp partition

Where did you install Linux?
Did you create a partition for it?

Woof, Woof - Dawg
pawprint.gif
 
Before I installed Centos, I removed the Windows partition with XP on it and zeroed out all my free space. At this point I had one ~150 GB partition on the drive which was the Mac OS.

I then booted the install disc and tried to create a new partition and install Centos. I selected "Create default partition from free space" but the partitioning agent didn't see the free space inside my Mac partition (which took up the whole drive) but the free space on the drive (the space free of any partitions).

I then created a new windows partition with Boot Camp Assistant of the size I wanted for Centos and deleted this new FAT partition from the Centos install disk which created two partitions from the free space. One partition was 12 GB (I am assuming this is the root partition) and the other was 200 MB (I am assuming this is the swap). I thought that there was supposed to be three partitions, one of them a /boot/ partition (which might be part of the problem...).

I thought I successfully installed Centos because the installer continued after I partitioned the drive (instead of saying the partition was too small - it did this before I created and deleted the 12 GB Windows partition) and after cranking through the installation progress bar it said something along the lines of "Installation complete - restart computer".

Does this help at all?

Thanks a ton.
 
Yep. That is how I could tell the two partitions were created. It could be possible that the /boot/ partition was created, but Disc Utility can't see it.
 
It should also be noted that the 12.9 GB partition is of partition type Linux LVM and the 100 MB partition is MS-DOS (FAT 32). So maybe the installer didn't create both, just the big one?
 
Well, I installed Ubuntu using VMware, so this is a very different installation

You might want to look at rEFIt
Not sure it will solve your issue, but it may come in handy when you get it resolved
Read through the documentation and see if it gives you some guidance

Beyond that, you have probably reached the limit of my input, but there are certainly others that will stop by and get you going

Woof, Woof - Dawg
pawprint.gif
 
rEFIt was a good guess, but I think you are right - it had the same problem as Boot Camp in not seeing Centos.

Hopefully there is someone around here or another forum who can help because this is getting a little beyond me and I'm not finding too much help in Red Hat's documentation.
 
I found a Centos form with similar problems, but it is old. I have gotten as far as being able to boot into Centos side by side of Mac. But when I boot, I have the same problem found at this forum. All I get when I chose Centos at the boot loader is a black screen saying "missing operating system". The directions below are supposed to solve that.

My question is, can I modify the directions below so I do not have to delete my Mac partition? Can I dual boot Mac OS 10.5 and Centos 5 side by side?

Thanks a ton.

--

Intel Mac Mini installation instructions for CentOS 5:

1) Boot Mac OS X install CD. Click on "Utilities" in the upper left corner and select disk utilities
2) Click on the "Entire" disk, select partition tab, then select 2 partitions. click the first, choose MS-DOS (I set the size to .1GB to get it smaller than the 8.XX it wants to leave it at). Then click options and select "Master Boot Record" to support booting other OS (3rd option down). Then click, "Partition" when you are done in the "partition" tab. If you click outside of this tab, you'll lose this information.
3) Once you are partitioned this way, when you reboot, hold down "C" to boot off the CentOS 5 DVD (I installed from DVD, so I don't know if it works with CD's or not).
4) Boot per normal. Partition disks, DON'T DELETE THE MS-DOS PARTITION!!!! When it asks about Grub, make sure to select "Advanced" at the bottom of the window and then next. On the next page, it asks if you want to install in the MBR on /dev/sda, select that one. Don't pick an individual partition.

5) Go through the install, select how you want to build the system. After the reboot, it should just "work". It took it a minute to get to Grub, so be patient. If you see a blinking folder, you missed a step and have to "reinstall" the entire system.
 
Trying to install CentOs on my new Mac Pro 8 Core

Hello,

I'm trying to install CentOs on my new Mac Pro 8 Core. I want to install centos on a drive all by itself. OSX will not be needed on the system at all. The computer is goin to be used as a server running CentOs and Cpanel WHM (with any luck...lol). I'm not sure if this is even possibel and have tried but like you i couldn't get it to boot. I have tried all the suggestions and wondered if you where up and running still ? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance for any suggestions, Wayne
 
wburkart said:
Hello,

I'm trying to install CentOs on my new Mac Pro 8 Core. I want to install centos on a drive all by itself. OSX will not be needed on the system at all. The computer is goin to be used as a server running CentOs and Cpanel WHM (with any luck...lol). I'm not sure if this is even possibel and have tried but like you i couldn't get it to boot. I have tried all the suggestions and wondered if you where up and running still ? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance for any suggestions, Wayne
Click to expand...
Have you tried installing rEFIt?

How is the separate hard drive connected to the machine, is it an internal drive over SATA, or an external?
 
Hello,

the drive is an internal sata drive. It is by itself in the #1 slot. I followed your instructions and i have made the 2 partitions. I am at step 4>

4) Boot per normal. Partition disks, DON'T DELETE THE MS-DOS PARTITION!!!! When it asks about Grub, make sure to select "Advanced" at the bottom of the window and then next. On the next page, it asks if you want to install in the MBR on /dev/sda, select that one. Don't pick an individual partition.

I am at the last part and have tried to select MBR on /dev/sda thats where i get an error:

You have noot defined a root partition (/) wich is required for installation of Centos to Continue.

Isn't this the root partition ? /dev/sda

It does that no matter what one i choose.

Thanks for the help, Wayne
 
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