MacLinux

singleshot · Apr 24, 2014

2010 Macbook Pro, 10.6.8, Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4, 8G RAM, 500G HD...

I tried to install Linux Mint 16 alongside OS X but it appears to have lost the Mac OS and it won't reboot from Apple DVD.

When I turn the machine on, it makes the familiar Mac sound but then boots Linux.

If I insert the Apple DVD Snow Leopard and restart while holding the "option" key, I get the option of booting Linux from thr HD or from the DVD, I choose the DVD and I get the gray apple and the spinning gear but then the screen darkens (like a shade being pulled down) and it says I must turn the machine off and then back on. And it keeps going in that circle.

How do I get OS X back on my Macbook pro?

harryb2448 · Apr 24, 2014

Did you make a partition to install Linux? otherwise sounds like installing Mint has erased the drive.

singleshot · Apr 24, 2014

harryb2448 said:
Did you make a partition to install Linux? otherwise sounds like installing Mint has erased the drive.

At first I did. I had about 200G partitioned for Linux. It would not load. I changed the format from Mac OS extended to FAT 32 and it still would not load.

I agree, I think the OS X is gone (I do have it backed up on another drive in Time Machine) but now I cannot install Snow Leopard to recapture it.

MBP17•David · Apr 24, 2014

When you boot into Mint, what size and file system do you see? Surely not entire 500GB in FAT32, is it? I'd expect an ext4 partition?

Might be worth booting from live Linux flash drive and checking the drive to see exactly what's there - your OSX might well still be intact...

singleshot · Apr 24, 2014

MBP17•David said:
When you boot into Mint, what size and file system do you see? Surely not entire 500GB in FAT32, is it? I'd expect an ext4 partition?

Might be worth booting from live Linux flash drive and checking the drive to see exactly what's there - your OSX might well still be intact...

The HD is partioned as:

Partition 1: Device: /dev/sda1, Partition Type: BIOS Boot, Contents: Unknown, Size: 1MB

Partition 2: Device: /dev/sda2, Partion Type: Linux Filesystem, Contents: Ext4 (version 1)- Mounted at Filesystem Root, Size: 492GB-480GB free

Partition 3: Device: /dev/sda3, Partition Type: Linux Swap, Contents: Swap (version 2)-Active, Size:8.3GB

Free Space=1.1MB, /dev/sda, Unallocated Space

I have tried to make a bootable USB drive that will work on any of my 3 Macs and that is why I resorted to using the DVD, BUT... the DVD had a 32 bit version of Mint which I just replaced today with the 64 bit edition.

chscag · Apr 24, 2014

Reset the PRAM on your MacBook Pro and then use your Snow Leopard DVD to reinstall 10.6.8. What happened is "GRUB" overwrote your boot partition (EFI). Resetting the PRAM should get you back in business again with OS X.

singleshot · Apr 24, 2014

chscag said:
Reset the PRAM on your MacBook Pro and then use your Snow Leopard DVD to reinstall 10.6.8. What happened is "GRUB" overwrote your boot partition (EFI). Resetting the PRAM should get you back in business again with OS X.

Thanks for the suggestion, dadgummit, I thought that was a real good idea but after 3 tries and I still can't get past the little grey apple with the spinning gear below it.

chscag · Apr 24, 2014

Are you sure you're doing the PRAM reset correctly and is the Snow Leopard DVD the original that came with your MacBook Pro or the retail version? Let me know and I'll see if I can come up with something else if that refuses to work.

singleshot · Apr 24, 2014

chscag said:
Are you sure you're doing the PRAM reset correctly and is the Snow Leopard DVD the original that came with your MacBook Pro or the retail version? Let me know and I'll see if I can come up with something else if that refuses to work.

Pretty sure. Command+Option+P+R at startup, release after second audio signal. That's why I tried it 3 times. Is there any way to check if the PRAM actually reset?
The Apple Snow Leopard disk was purchased seperately, it is 10.6, not 10.6.8. I have used it on all 3 of my Macs without issue. I also made a bootable USB from it.
LOL @ "something else that refuses to work"

chscag · Apr 24, 2014

OK, just making sure.... Next question: Can you boot the machine with the Snow Leopard disk? In other words, will it at least boot to the DVD? If it does, I know of a way that may be able to reset your EFI partition. Let me know.

phjils · Apr 25, 2014

Are you holding down the C key, or holding down the option / alt key a startup to select the DVD as the boot device?

singleshot · Apr 25, 2014

chscag said:
OK, just making sure.... Next question: Can you boot the machine with the Snow Leopard disk? In other words, will it at least boot to the DVD? If it does, I know of a way that may be able to reset your EFI partition. Let me know.

No, it won't boot. It gets to the grey apple with the spinning gear below it, then the shade pulls down and it says to restart.

Strange thing about it, every time I restart (which has been quite a lot, lately) I hear the Apple tone... then it boots Linux. But even linux is not running smoothly. It has locked up on me several times and I keep getting graphics issues, ie: text blocking up, strange lines and shapes appearing (pixelation?)

singleshot · Apr 25, 2014

phjils said:
Are you holding down the C key, or holding down the option / alt key a startup to select the DVD as the boot device?

I hold down the "option" key when booting from the disk.

leadfoot · Apr 25, 2014

possible the reason why it boots into linux first is when grub install the setting for linux. Windows version setting is similar unless you tell it to via gparted. Is the linux a 32 or 64 because if 32 the system will reject it if 64 the issue could be a faulty linux iso. Alternative if you think you have trashed the mac osx try hooking up to a spare mac and use T firewire cable to act as a spare drive. another linux might help Dam Small Linux would a safe option and the best for filesystem is ext2 standard linux usage. ext3/4 are journal filesystem. Windows 7 like an extra 100mb for the bootup which linux uses for grub or lilo. Under linux etc/lilo.conf you can set the boot sequence and the same for grub.
There are a few 64 linux version small enough to get the job started. Most people prefer now the UBUNTU Linux.

chscag · Apr 25, 2014

No, it won't boot. It gets to the grey apple with the spinning gear below it, then the shade pulls down and it says to restart.

That tells me either the disk is the wrong one, defective, or your MacBook Pro's optical drive is acting up. Without getting your MacBook Pro to boot, there's no way we can reset the EFI partition to boot back to OS X.

Do you have an external DVD drive by chance? Or, do you have a spare external hard drive that you can install Snow Leopard on and then use it to boot your MacBook Pro?

singleshot · Apr 25, 2014

leadfoot said:
possible the reason why it boots into linux first is when grub install the setting for linux. Windows version setting is similar unless you tell it to via gparted. Is the linux a 32 or 64 because if 32 the system will reject it if 64 the issue could be a faulty linux iso. Alternative if you think you have trashed the mac osx try hooking up to a spare mac and use T firewire cable to act as a spare drive. another linux might help Dam Small Linux would a safe option and the best for filesystem is ext2 standard linux usage. ext3/4 are journal filesystem. Windows 7 like an extra 100mb for the bootup which linux uses for grub or lilo. Under linux etc/lilo.conf you can set the boot sequence and the same for grub.
There are a few 64 linux version small enough to get the job started. Most people prefer now the UBUNTU Linux.

I'm willing to admit that most of what you said is way over my head but, I did install a 32 bit version of Mint first. It was on a DVD that came with a magazine and had 5 distros on it.
I tried Mint from the DVD, liked it and installed it before I saw that it was 32 bit. That's when all the problems started.
When I discovered this, I went to the LinuxMint.com and downloaded the 64 bit version and made a bootable DVD and installed it, wiping out the 32 bit version.

singleshot · Apr 25, 2014

chscag said:
That tells me either the disk is the wrong one, defective, or your MacBook Pro's optical drive is acting up. Without getting your MacBook Pro to boot, there's no way we can reset the EFI partition to boot back to OS X.

Do you have an external DVD drive by chance? Or, do you have a spare external hard drive that you can install Snow Leopard on and then use it to boot your MacBook Pro?

I've tested the Snow Leopard disk on my Mac Mini and it worked fine.

I loaded the 64 bit version of Mint via the optical drive on the Macbook pro, so I know it works.

chscag · Apr 25, 2014

Well, something is not working right or that Snow Leopard DVD would boot your MacBook Pro. How about the idea of installing Snow Leopard on an external spare hard drive and then boot your MacBook Pro from the external hard drive? Once we can get your machine to boot and run Disk Utility on the internal hard drive we may be able to reset the EFI.

singleshot · Apr 25, 2014

chscag said:
Well, something is not working right or that Snow Leopard DVD would boot your MacBook Pro. How about the idea of installing Snow Leopard on an external spare hard drive and then boot your MacBook Pro from the external hard drive? Once we can get your machine to boot and run Disk Utility on the internal hard drive we may be able to reset the EFI.

I have a bootable USB of Snow Leopard but it won't boot, either.
I have my Time Machine backup on the old 250G HD that I took out of this when I replaced it with a 500G HD. It's in a USB case.
Plus I have an Iomega external as well as a Western Digital external, both AC powered.
I'm guessing that I cannot boot from Time Machine? What about from an AC powered external HD, can you boot from that?

chscag · Apr 25, 2014

What about from an AC powered external HD, can you boot from that?

Sure, as long as it has a bootable version of OS X Snow Leopard on it. And no, Time Machine backups are not bootable.

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