rEFIt shows just OSX although MBR ok and 2 linux distribs are installed

[Guest Farfouille]

Hi everybody

 

All my operations were done using a Mac mini on its internal 80Gb HD.

 

I installed for many months a multiboot on my OS X following what most tutorials advice using rEFIt and BootCamp:

1- EFI partition

2- Mac OS X

3- FAT32 partition

4- WinXP

rEFIt showed two icons : Mac OS X and WinXP.

 

Then I replaced WinXP with a Linux distribution and I deleted the FAT32 partition:

1- EFI partition

2- Mac OS X

3- Linux distribution 1

and then here's an empty place where was the deleted FAT32 partition

4- Linux distribution 2 with GRUB

5- Home partition for Linux

6- Swap partition

rEFIt showed two icons : Mac OS X and Linux 2, then came GRUB that allowed me to boot on Linux 1 if I wanted to.

 

Then, using GParted, I moved the Linux 2 partiton next to the Linux 1 partition and I changed the size of the Home partition so that it would make use of the free remaining space, these operations should not be destructive:

1- EFI prtition

2- Mac OS X

3- Linux 1

4- Linux 2 (should have kept GRUB?!)

5- Home partition for Linux now big ^^

6- Swap partition

 

I rebooted, rEFIt showed just an icon for Mac OS X.

Logged in Mac OS X, I used fdisk to set the flag on the partition Linux 2 :

#: id cyl hd sec - cyl hd sec [ start - size]

------------------------------------------------------------------------

1: EE 1023 254 63 - 1023 254 63 [ 1 - 409639] <Unknown ID>

2: AF 1023 254 63 - 1023 254 63 [ 409640 - 20971520] HFS+

3: 83 1023 254 63 - 1023 254 63 [ 21382515 - 20980890] Linux files*

*4: 83 1023 254 63 - 1023 254 63 [ 42363405 - 20964825] Linux files*

 

I reinstalled rEFIt to have the latest version, und used gptsync to sync my MBR with my GPT partitions.

This is what I have now :

*** Report for internal hard disk ***

 

Current GPT partition table:

# Start LBA End LBA Type

1 40 409639 EFI System (FAT)

2 409640 21381159 Mac OS X HFS+

3 21382515 42363404 EFI System (FAT)

4 42363405 63328229 EFI System (FAT)

5 153758115 156296384 Linux Swap

6 63328230 153758114 Basic Data

 

Current MBR partition table:

# A Start LBA End LBA Type

1 1 409639 ee EFI Protective

2 409640 21381159 af Mac OS X HFS+

3 21382515 42363404 83 Linux

4 * 42363405 63328229 83 Linux

 

MBR contents:

Boot Code: None

 

Partition at LBA 40:

Boot Code: None (Non-system disk message)

File System: FAT32

Listed in GPT as partition 1, type EFI System (FAT)

 

Partition at LBA 409640:

Boot Code: None

File System: HFS Extended (HFS+)

Listed in GPT as partition 2, type Mac OS X HFS+

Listed in MBR as partition 2, type af Mac OS X HFS+

 

Partition at LBA 21382515:

Boot Code: None

File System: ext3

Listed in GPT as partition 3, type EFI System (FAT)

Listed in MBR as partition 3, type 83 Linux

 

Partition at LBA 42363405:

Boot Code: None

File System: ext3

Listed in GPT as partition 4, type EFI System (FAT)

Listed in MBR as partition 4, type 83 Linux, active

 

Partition at LBA 153758115:

Boot Code: None

File System: Unknown

Listed in GPT as partition 5, type Linux Swap

 

Partition at LBA 63328230:

Boot Code: None

File System: ext3

Listed in GPT as partition 6, type Basic Data

 

But still, when I boot, rEFIt shows me just one icon, Mac OS X. I don't know how I can boot on two my linux partitions too.

I suppose, the problem may be in the lines "MBR contents: Boot Code: None". I've now everywhere "Boot Code: None"

Here's where I need some help, I have no idea what to do now. Any advices?

 

Thank you for reading

[Guest Farfouille]

I reinstalled one of my distributions without doing any modifications on my disk partitions, and after rebooting, rEFIt recognised the linux partition where Grub has been installed and thanks to that, I can now boot any of my systems. It seemed that Grub just needed to be reinstalled. Be careful and install it on one of the linux partitions and not on the MBR of the whole disk.

sudo grub

> root (hd0,3)

> setup (hd0,3)

> exit