OS X + Boot Camp for Vista & Linux (Ubuntu)

Hatfield

Member
Is it possible?
I want to add Ubuntu to my Macbook and EasyBCD sounds like the right avenue, but I just want to make sure it will work.

I have a MacBook C2D(160GB/2GB RAM) and have used Boot Camp to add Vista(40GB partition/25GB available).
Can I partition part of the the MacBook's Vista partition(using Vista's disk manager) for Linux Ubuntu, then install EasyBCD in Vista, and then install Ubuntu in the new partition and boot it with EasyBCD? Or, better yet, could I install Linux Ubuntu onto a separate external USB drive or thumb drive and boot from that using EasyBCD?

My theory is: at the Boot Camp menu I have a choice b/w MacOS and Windows, I choose the Windows OS and THEN I'll be asked to choose between Vista or Ubuntu. It sounds right, but I just want to be sure before I go messing something up.

Thanks in advance.
 
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Hi Hatfield, welcome to NeoSmart Technologies!

Yep, you can do just that. The first is easy, just like you described it.
As for an external USB drive - that depends on whether BootCamp's BIOS-emulator recognizes your external USB... You'll probably want to stick to an internal partition for the first time.

Here's the linux documentation: Linux - NeoSmart Technologies Wiki
You'll want to follow it all as it says, except everything will be after BootCamp loads and once the Vista bootloader gives you your choices. :smile:
 
Great!
OK. I'm in Vista Disk Management right now and I see 4 partitions(that's the max right?).
200MB>Healthy(GPT Protective Partition)
108GB>Healthy (Primary Partition)
108MB>Unallocated
C: 40.73GB NTFS> Healthy (System, Boot, Page File, Active, Crash Dump, Primary Partition)

I'm assuming I have to Shrink(Action>All Tasks>Shrink Volume) my Windows(C:smile: drive to make the Unallocated drive larger. Is that right?

Do I need to format the Unallocated partition any specific way or just install Linux Ubuntu on it?
 
^ no

ubuntu will do that for you if you are installing it to the partition

HOWEVER

you have to be very very careful with choosing the right partition, linux uses a tricky partition numbers scheme so remember that.

once inside ubuntu Live CD, find system/administration/gpart (i think thats right)

it will tell you everything you need to know, and then you need to find out the exact name of the empty partition..

ei. partition one is called: hda0,1 and then the next one would be hda1,0 and so forth. where hd means HD, a = i think the type of HD, and then 0,1 and 1,0 are the different partitions

when you are in installation, right before it says install, after you have selected, (through manual Partiton selection)

it will say something in the lower right hand corner(im going off memory) and it should be advance, hit that and that is for to where you wish to install Grub.

i dont know what to say after this, ask CG which hda(?,?) to put it in
 
Well crap. I took the advice of How to dual-boot Vista with Linux (Vista installed first) | APC Magazine and went ahead and shrank my windows partition and got 6.34GB of unallocated disk space at the end. Tried to first install using "Manual - use the largest continuous free space", but I got an error: "Failed to partition the selected disk: This probably happened b/c the selected disk or free space is too small to be automatically partitioned."
So I tried "Guided" install using the top option, but it was definitely the wrong one.

Tried to get into Windows from Boot Camp and it says "Operating System Missing.":rage:

Oh well. Now I can start a clean Boot Camp install of Vista with more room to fiddle and partition with and try again. I'll update later.

Thanks for all your help, guys.
 
That sucks :x

I'd advise you to use Bootcamp, install Vista. Run Acronis Disk Director (or another Windows-based partition manager) and shrink the Vista partition and add a new one after the Vista one. Then stick your Ubuntu DVD in the drive and install.

When installing Ubutnu, be sure to choose manual (no guided option). Select the partition you created, tell it to mount as "/" and format as ext3fs (or better yet, ReiserFS) and then install. Like Kahai said - be sure to press that "advanced" button on the last prompt before it begins copying the files to specify the partition that GRUB will be installed to (instead of the drive).

It's very possible that the very last step about where GRUB installs is the cause of your problem.
 
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