3

I would like to install Ubuntu on an older Macbook Pro. The hard drive recently failed so I have a replacement. I'm hoping I can just install Ubuntu and not muck around with MacOS.

The Ubuntu installer (17.10.1) boots without a problem and the install completes successfully. However, upon rebooting I get a folder with a flashing question mark. Holding down the option key to boot does not reveal any bootable devices.

I have seen this answer which led me to this page in which it indicates Ubuntu "requires manual install" on this device, but there don't appear to be links to the necessary manual steps.

Is there any way to get Ubuntu booting on this system (that does not involve installing MacOS)?

larsks
  • 372
  • 2
  • 12
  • Booting the installer, installing refind and running refind-install --root /path/to/actual/root didn't seem to impact the problem. – larsks Feb 04 '18 at 19:17
  • Well so far you have done exactly what you were suppose to do. By default, Ubuntu does not normally boot on Macs. You have to manually complete the final steps. These steps can involve using rEFInd if you wish, but rEFInd is not required. The links you provide are 7-8 years old and therefore contain out of date information. Can I assume you can boot to a live version of Ubuntu? – David Anderson Feb 04 '18 at 23:43
  • Yes, that's how I was fiddling with refind: the installer provides a live environment. – larsks Feb 05 '18 at 00:18

2 Answers2

2

I will update this post here because it affects an Apple Laptop I ended up upgrading from MacOS to Ubuntu 23.04 (and then later to 23.10). This is for old ones

The video experiment about it is here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUSqqx7jjNU

But the takeaway is:

  • There is no problem in installing Ubuntu on an older MacOs that has EFI or a simple BIOS. I have not tested a new one (Have not had one with me), but I was able to test a 2011 model, a 2013 model and a 2015 over the last months.

  • The "Boot to USB" experience changes. Depending on the laptop you have there are key combinations you need to do. On the video I talk for example on the CMD+R which does NOT work in all models. You gotta search for the specific one. There is even an Option+CMD+P+R that I HAD to do in order for the 2013 laptop to recognize the USB and boot Ubuntu from there. Basically if you can find the combination to boot from USB you are golden.

  • All 3 Laptops with different MacOS version ran about 2x to 3x faster on Ubuntu 23.04 than on the original MacOS. The problem on the 2013 and 2015 was the Camera which got solved with a workaround (also found on the video) but this will vary for you.

  • For the Wireless on the 2011 and 2013, I had to do a trick where, I would connect to the WiFI via Bluetooth. Meaning, it connected from the Laptop, to the phone's Bluetooth and from the Phone to the actual WiFI on the house. This was to download the Wireless card and do several changes described on the video. I tried to record every command that I tried and the experience of installing it.

  • After upgrading to 23.10 something happened to the 2013 one. The battery life changed. You see, with MacOS the batter after being "full" actually lasted almost 30 minutes. With 23.04 the batter lasted almost 15 more minutes. But with 23.10 the battery now lasts an hour and half to 2 hours. This is with browsing, coding or using libreoffice. Basic stuff, but I was amazed to go from almost 30 minutes to 2 hours on 23.10.

Overall, the experience is a bit tough compared to what would expect, but it is so far doable, with small hiccups and the end result, specially with the battery blew my mind.

Luis Alvarado
  • 211,503
  • 1
    +1, This is great :-) Recently I tested Lubuntu 23.10 live in a Macbook Air 8.2 (with Intel i5-8210Y so newer that those you tested). I found no way to make the internal keyboard and touchpad work beyond grub, but external keyboard and mouse connected via a USB hub worked, and I could run Lubuntu. In the same way I could run Clonezilla (with an external keyboard) and make an image of the internal drive. (I did not try to install Lubuntu. Maybe I am not patient enough ...) – sudodus Nov 24 '23 at 01:36
0

Below is the sequence of steps needed to finish installing Ubuntu on a Mac. I assume you installed Ubuntu to use EFI booting.

  1. Boot to Ubuntu live.
  2. From the Desktop, press the control+option+T keys to open a Terminal window.

  3. Enter the command shown below.

    sudo  fdisk  -l  /dev/sda

    Below is the output I saw from entering this command.

    Note: For a better view, click on the image or open the image in a new window.

    j0

  4. From the output of the sudo fdisk -l /dev/sda command, determine the device for the EFI System partition. For me, this was /dev/sda1. If you determine a different device, make the appropriate substitutions.

  5. Enter the commands given below to make Ubuntu appear in the Startup Manager.

    sudo  bash
mkdir  efi
mount  /dev/sda1  efi
cd  efi/EFI
mkdir  BOOT
cp  ubuntu/grubx64.efi  BOOT/bootx64.efi
cd  ~
umount  efi
rmdir  efi
exit
exit

  6. Shutdown Ubuntu live.

  7. Startup the Mac and immediately hold down the option key until the Startup Manager icons appear.

  8. Click on the hard disk icon labeled "EFI Boot". Next, while holding down the control key, click on the circular arrow below this icon.

You are finished. Your Mac will now automatically boot to Ubuntu on startup and restart.

David Anderson
  • 952
  • Do you know if there are any issues with installing Ubuntu in EFI mode and the fact that 2012 and earlier Macbooks aren't UEFI compliant? (https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8080187) – Andreas Sep 12 '20 at 15:17
  • @Andreas: The link you posted refers to installing Windows on Mac computers. Both the MacbookPro9,2 and the Macmini6,1 are 2012 models. Apple officially supports the installation of Windows 10 on these models. The Boot Camp Assistant will install Windows 10 to UEFI boot on all Mac models where Apple officially supports Windows 10. Therefore, there would be no problems with the drivers. The link you posted is wrong. The industry converted to UEFI boot Windows in 2011. Apple converted a year later, starting with the 2012 model year Macs. – David Anderson Sep 12 '20 at 18:52
  • @Andres: FYI, many (if not all) 2012 through the present Macs are not fully UEFI compliant. However, they are compliant enough to install Windows 10. Also, Apple starting eliminating the BIOS from Mac firmware staring in 2015. Of the older Macs with a BIOS, the BIOS was not full compliant with the specification. However, the firmware was compliant enough to install certain versions of Windows to BIOS boot. Usually hardware (driver) issues occur when the wrong Windows Support Software (Boot Camp Support Software) is used to install Windows on a Mac. – David Anderson Sep 12 '20 at 19:06
  • @Andres: Some Macs have one version of the Widows Support Software for BIOS booting installations and another for UEFI booting installations. Also, some Macs have additional versions the Windows Support Software that are obsolete. In some cases, the correct drivers are not installed until after Windows and the Windows Support Software is installed. In these cases, the drivers are downloaded from either Windows Update or Apple Software Update. In many cases, Boot Camp itself is updated through Apple Software Update. This is common with older Macs that can use APFS. – David Anderson Sep 12 '20 at 19:14
  • @Andres: Ubuntu is designed to EFI boot on Intel based Macs. Some of the early Intel based Macs had 64 bit processors, but only 32 bit EFI firmware. In this case, there was an Ubuntu for Macs that could BIOS boot so a 64 bit of Ubuntu could be installed. The current versions of Ubuntu no longer provide an installer to BIOS boot Ubuntu. If necessary, an older BIOS booting Ubuntu can be installed, then upgraded to the current version. – David Anderson Sep 12 '20 at 19:33
  • @Andres: There are a few older Macs for which Ubuntu can not be boot live and/or be installed on. Sometimes the problem can be overcome by modifying the boot parameters. The newest Macs use an internal drive which require a driver that your version of Ubuntu may not have. In this case, you have to install Ubuntu to an external drive. – David Anderson Sep 12 '20 at 19:39
  • Wow, that was more than I expected. I created a question to give you an opportunity to format it into an answer: https://askubuntu.com/q/1274684/428527. I also touched upon a few of the points you made. – Andreas Sep 12 '20 at 21:32