In the wake of my first A to e maclinux conversion, I thought I'd leave a few notes to aggregate googling and to, perhaps, rustle up additional discussion and learning.
Essentially, the task was to complete a linux-only install of xubuntu 14.04.1 (64 bit) onto a MacBook 6,1 (late 2009, nvidia video card, usb isight webcam).
In my case, the MacBook's cd/dvd drive was broken, so in lieu of the LiveCD, I was "compelled" into attempting a "LiveUSB" (stick) install.
The linux box I used as the "source" is a desktop running xubuntu 12.04 (32 bit).
Over the course of the install and afterwards, a few (already fairly widely-reported) issues arose:
i. EFI booting - solved by 64 bit xubuntu .iso having an EFI boot option, which was deployed / preserved during the startup disk creation process (see step 3.)
ii. purple line / blank screen at boot / nomodeset - a video driver-related issue which seems to have been temporarily managed by modifying grub (see steps 15. and 30.)
iii. unable to restart / reboot using any method, including shutdown -r +0. I am only able to shut down using shutdown -h (issue still unresolved)
iv. uneven isight webcam usablility (i.e. works in cheese and not in mugshot - issue still unresolved)
All issues are in various phases of resolution but none have proven to be show-stoppers.
Other familiar "issues" related to touchpad usability / temperature / etc are, in my view, "wonky" fine-tuning pursuits and can be part of any linux install across all hardware platforms - so, I don't count those as Mac-specific issues worth highlighting in my intro. Of course, if folks have suggestions for fixing, please post them, but I have not been bothered during this install by this usual gaggle of difficulties.
So...without further ado:
A. PREPARE A BOOTABLE LIVEUSB ON LINUX BOX
1. Dowload (64 bit) xubuntu .iso
2. Insert (~2BG) USB stick
3. Open Startup Disk Creator
4. Select xubuntu .iso as Source disk image
5. Select USB stick as Disk to use
6. Erase Disk and Make Startup Disk (without adjusting any other settings)
7. Remove newly created / bootable LiveUSB
B. INSTALL XUBUNTU ON MACBOOK
8. Start / restart MacBook and wait for tone
9. Press and hold Alt (or Option) key (to left of space bar) to enter Startup Manager
10. Once "Macintosh HD" and "Recovery-10.x.x" appear as startup options, insert the LiveUSB. It will appear on screen as "EFI Boot"
11. Highlight "EFI Boot" and press enter to select it
12. The GNU GRUB menu will appear
13. Highlight *Try Xubuntu without installing
14. Press e to edit commands before booting
15. Replace quiet splash with nomodeset on this line - to address the video driver start-up / blank screen issue:
16. Press F10 to boot
17. "Try Xubuntu" for while, if you choose. I did so, for pre-install testing purposes; notice the MacintoshHD drive / icon on the desktop
18. Double-click the Install Xubuntu desktop icon
19. Choose standard install options (for the most part) throughout the install process
CRITICAL JUNCTURE: WARNING! ASSUMING YOU WISH TO INSTALL XUBUNTU ONLY AND NOT DUAL-BOOT (as I did):
20. Select Replace Mac OS X with Xubuntu at the installation type options page
21. The installation should complete without issue and when asked, choose to "continue trying xubuntu" and then execute a "halt" shutdown via the terminal, to shut down the MacBook...
...do not restart (via dialog or terminal), as this will most likely cause the MacBook to freeze.
C. BOOT INTO NEW XUBUNTU INSTALL ON MACBOOK
22. With reference to step 15., follow steps 7. - 16. to (re)boot into the LiveUSB environment to tweak the video driver start-up settings of your new xubuntu install - nomodeset needs to be made permanent in the new install in order for it to boot properly (i.e. without purple lines or solid black screens)
23. Once the LiveUSB environment is up, you'll notice that the "MacintoshHD" drive / icon has been replaced by a "xxx GB Volume" drive / icon - this "xxx" drive contains your new xubuntu install
24. Double-click on the xxx drive icon to mount the drive in /media/xubuntu/<uuid> - with uuid being a very long alpha-numeric "universally unique identifier"
25. Open a terminal and cd into the directory into which the new xubuntu install has been mounted - for example:
26. Mount these additional directories from your new xubuntu install into the current ( /media/xubuntu/<uuid> ) directory in the following manner:
27. chroot into the new xubuntu install - to permit editing of the (non-booted) new install environment
28. Edit the grub file (be careful NOT to use / before etc, as you are editing the new install, not the current LiveUSB environment, whose etc directory would take the leading /)
29. Replace quiet splash with nomodeset on the following line:
30. Enter Ctrl+x to exit the grub file and Y then enter to save any changes
31. Update grub
32. Exit the chroot environment
33. Unmount the additional directories
34. Return to the home directory
35. Halt (do not restart or reboot) the LiveUSB environment
36. Power the MacBook back up and you should boot straight (and un-splashedly) into your shiny new xubuntu install!
With all due deference (and with more to come):
chroot nomodeset grub
nomodeset
macbook grub
Good luck to others and thanks for any comments, suggestions or criticisms!
Essentially, the task was to complete a linux-only install of xubuntu 14.04.1 (64 bit) onto a MacBook 6,1 (late 2009, nvidia video card, usb isight webcam).
In my case, the MacBook's cd/dvd drive was broken, so in lieu of the LiveCD, I was "compelled" into attempting a "LiveUSB" (stick) install.
The linux box I used as the "source" is a desktop running xubuntu 12.04 (32 bit).
Over the course of the install and afterwards, a few (already fairly widely-reported) issues arose:
i. EFI booting - solved by 64 bit xubuntu .iso having an EFI boot option, which was deployed / preserved during the startup disk creation process (see step 3.)
ii. purple line / blank screen at boot / nomodeset - a video driver-related issue which seems to have been temporarily managed by modifying grub (see steps 15. and 30.)
iii. unable to restart / reboot using any method, including shutdown -r +0. I am only able to shut down using shutdown -h (issue still unresolved)
iv. uneven isight webcam usablility (i.e. works in cheese and not in mugshot - issue still unresolved)
All issues are in various phases of resolution but none have proven to be show-stoppers.
Other familiar "issues" related to touchpad usability / temperature / etc are, in my view, "wonky" fine-tuning pursuits and can be part of any linux install across all hardware platforms - so, I don't count those as Mac-specific issues worth highlighting in my intro. Of course, if folks have suggestions for fixing, please post them, but I have not been bothered during this install by this usual gaggle of difficulties.
So...without further ado:
A. PREPARE A BOOTABLE LIVEUSB ON LINUX BOX
1. Dowload (64 bit) xubuntu .iso
2. Insert (~2BG) USB stick
3. Open Startup Disk Creator
4. Select xubuntu .iso as Source disk image
5. Select USB stick as Disk to use
6. Erase Disk and Make Startup Disk (without adjusting any other settings)
7. Remove newly created / bootable LiveUSB
B. INSTALL XUBUNTU ON MACBOOK
8. Start / restart MacBook and wait for tone
9. Press and hold Alt (or Option) key (to left of space bar) to enter Startup Manager
10. Once "Macintosh HD" and "Recovery-10.x.x" appear as startup options, insert the LiveUSB. It will appear on screen as "EFI Boot"
11. Highlight "EFI Boot" and press enter to select it
12. The GNU GRUB menu will appear
13. Highlight *Try Xubuntu without installing
14. Press e to edit commands before booting
15. Replace quiet splash with nomodeset on this line - to address the video driver start-up / blank screen issue:
Code:
linux /casper/vmlinuz.efi file=/cdrom/preseed/xubuntu.seed boot=casper quiet splash --17. "Try Xubuntu" for while, if you choose. I did so, for pre-install testing purposes; notice the MacintoshHD drive / icon on the desktop
18. Double-click the Install Xubuntu desktop icon
19. Choose standard install options (for the most part) throughout the install process
CRITICAL JUNCTURE: WARNING! ASSUMING YOU WISH TO INSTALL XUBUNTU ONLY AND NOT DUAL-BOOT (as I did):
20. Select Replace Mac OS X with Xubuntu at the installation type options page
21. The installation should complete without issue and when asked, choose to "continue trying xubuntu" and then execute a "halt" shutdown via the terminal, to shut down the MacBook...
Code:
sudo shutdown -h +0C. BOOT INTO NEW XUBUNTU INSTALL ON MACBOOK
22. With reference to step 15., follow steps 7. - 16. to (re)boot into the LiveUSB environment to tweak the video driver start-up settings of your new xubuntu install - nomodeset needs to be made permanent in the new install in order for it to boot properly (i.e. without purple lines or solid black screens)
23. Once the LiveUSB environment is up, you'll notice that the "MacintoshHD" drive / icon has been replaced by a "xxx GB Volume" drive / icon - this "xxx" drive contains your new xubuntu install
24. Double-click on the xxx drive icon to mount the drive in /media/xubuntu/<uuid> - with uuid being a very long alpha-numeric "universally unique identifier"
25. Open a terminal and cd into the directory into which the new xubuntu install has been mounted - for example:
Code:
cd /media/xubuntu/<uuid>/Code:
sudo mount -t proc proc proc/
sudo mount -t sysfs sys sys/
sudo mount -o bind /dev dev/
sudo mount -t devpts pts dev/pts/Code:
sudo chroot /media/xubuntu/<uuid>/Code:
root@xubuntu:/# nano etc/default/grubCode:
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash"31. Update grub
Code:
root@xubuntu:/# update-grubCode:
root@xubuntu:/# exitCode:
sudo umount {proc/,sys/,dev/pts,dev/}Code:
cdCode:
sudo shutdown -h +0With all due deference (and with more to come):
chroot nomodeset grub
nomodeset
macbook grub
Good luck to others and thanks for any comments, suggestions or criticisms!