Darwin Bootloader FAQ

[macgirl]

UPDATE 14 July 2008:

 

Can Darwin Bootloader boot another disk?

No, only the first 4 partitions where Darwin is installed.

EDIT: you can boot other Mac Disks wit boot-uuid flag:

http://forum.insanelymac.com/index.php?showtopic=115636

Can I select Darwin Bootloader Default Boot Partition?

No, the default boot is the active partition.

It can not be changed with any configuration file, you can modify the source code if you want a different behaivor.

Which option does the Darwin Bootloader has?

See link:

xnu-1228 / Boot Arguments

[kytzu]

10x as usual for macgirl

I started to feel already about the fact that active partition is always default, getting chain0 file and using it in winxp boot.ini and changing the active partition to xp is a decent workaround. Second workaround is grub or lilo.

[chatsalot7777]

Why can't darwin_boot install in disk0s6?

 

And also, can you give me a way on how to change the partition number?

 

Thanks a lot

[KiTzBiTz]

Darwin support up to 4 partition..more then that..it can't.

[macgirl]

Typically Darwin/Mac OS can't work with Extended/Logical partition, but I seen some that have a working installation on them.

[aster]

After Acronis Bootloader (need it for my wife and her vista). Ive got my darwin bootloader for my Leo4All v3.

Ive got 4 partitions 2 of the are active partitions (0,2 vista / 0,3 Leopard). But when darwin start up ask me to choose the system and always the default partition is 0,2 Vista Ntfs.

 

How do I change default startup disk to 0,3 Leopard??

 

And, after doing that, how do I turn darwin bootloader off (in case I need it afterwards).

 

I have perfectly installed Vista and Leopard with acronis bootloaded. (after more than 10 attemps!)

I can´t screw my vista partition or anything else.

 

Can anybody help me with this??

 

Thanks a lot.

[macgirl]

It is impossible to have 2 active partitions, if your partition manager says so it's weird, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_boot_record

 

If you want to make Leopard the main OS when boot make the Leopard partition active.

 

If you want to do it within Leopard check this: http://forum.insanelymac.com/index.php?showtopic=22844

 

For dual Vista + Leopard: http://forum.insanelymac.com/index.php?showtopic=39253

[emox]

How do I change default startup disk to 0,3 Leopard??

In your same conditions.

Need help too...

[macgirl]

Read post #1 and #7

[Trouble8Me]

I hope I am in the right place with my question. I have been reading throughout this forum but havent seen my same problem yet.

After I partitioned (FAT32) my (new) drive I rebooted to the (Kalyway 10.5.1 ) DVD and it loaded about 5 minutes , then flashed the white screen with a big grey apple for about a half second at most, then machine reboots. I have tried this more than once with the same result. I have tried it with -v although I don't get much chance to look at what the last thing loaded is due to the machine restarting .Do you have any suggestions? Any help you could offer me would be greatly appreciated. Thankyou for your time.

My computer info from EVEREST below:

 

 

--------[ Summary ]-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Computer:

Operating System Microsoft Windows Vista Media Center Edition

OS Service Pack -

DirectX 4.09.00.0904 (DirectX 9.0c)

Computer Name 72ABIT

User Name seven

 

Motherboard:

CPU Type Intel Pentium 4 531, 3000 MHz (15 x 200)

Motherboard Name ABIT IL9Pro

Motherboard Chipset Intel Lakeport-G i945G

System Memory 1024 MB (DDR2-667 DDR2 SDRAM)

BIOS Type AMI (09/17/07)

Communication Port Communications Port (COM1)

Communication Port ECP Printer Port (LPT1)

 

Display:

Video Adapter GeForce 6200 LE

Video Adapter GeForce 6200 LE

3D Accelerator nVIDIA NV44

Monitor Dell 1701FP (Analog) [17" LCD] (06HRM157AP75)

 

Multimedia:

Audio Adapter Intel 82801GB ICH7 - High Definition Audio Controller [A-1]

 

Storage:

IDE Controller Intel® 82801G (ICH7 Family) Ultra ATA Storage Controllers - 27DF

IDE Controller Intel® 82801GB/GR/GH (ICH7 Family) Serial ATA Storage Controller - 27C0

( I did try installing Matrix storage controller both in xp and Vista but I don't think my bios supports it. I re-installed both operating systems twice for that purpose before giving up) - I was hoping to be able to use AHCI mode =(

 

SCSI/RAID Controller Microsoft iSCSI Initiator

Floppy Drive Floppy disk drive

Disk Drive ST3750330AS ATA Device (698 GB, IDE)0

Disk Drive ST3750330AS ATA Device (698 GB, IDE)1

Optical Drive JLMS XJ-HD166S ATA Device (16x/48x DVD-ROM)

Optical Drive Optiarc DVD RW AD-7190A ATA Device

SMART Hard Disks Status OK

 

Partitions:

C: (NTFS) 178848 MB (164867 MB free)

D: (NTFS) 178848 MB (178729 MB free)

E: (NTFS) 178848 MB (178279 MB free)

F: (NTFS) 10001 MB (8387 MB free)

G: (NTFS) 168847 MB (164034 MB free)

---(c,d,e,f, & g are disk 0 )--------

 

K: (FAT32) 341.7 GB (341.6 GB free)*

H: -not formatted- (356.8 gb free)

---(k & h are disk 1)----------------

 

 

Total Size 698.6 GB (678.0 GB free)

 

Input:

Keyboard Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural PS/2 Keyboard

Mouse HID-compliant mouse

 

Network:

Network Adapter Realtek RTL8169/8110 Family PCI Gigabit Ethernet NIC (NDIS 6.0)

 

Peripherals:

Printer Fax

Printer Microsoft XPS Document Writer

USB1 Controller Intel 82801GB ICH7 - USB Universal Host Controller [A-1]

USB1 Controller Intel 82801GB ICH7 - USB Universal Host Controller [A-1]

USB1 Controller Intel 82801GB ICH7 - USB Universal Host Controller [A-1]

USB1 Controller Intel 82801GB ICH7 - USB Universal Host Controller [A-1]

USB2 Controller Intel 82801GB ICH7 - Enhanced USB2 Controller [A-1]

USB Device USB Human Interface Device

[macgirl]

bump for the UPDATE (1st post).

[skavenger0816]

Thank your for information

 

I have just one question: How is it possible to reinstall darwin-booloader?

 

Why i ask this?: I've recovered my files to my boot-drive with "TimeMachine". (TimeMachine Backup was stored on the second partition) After recovering the system is not booting - it hangs while loading bootsector.

What can i do?

 

TIA

skavenger

[anand78]

I triple boot with Opensuse 11, I simply pass the <<makeactive>> command when I select either Leopard or XP.

[loopus]

i have a triple booting situation with 2 xp and 1 macosx on the active partition...

it works with darwin boot loader...by default it boots mac if i want to boot xp i should press a key and then select another partition then i enter the xp boot.ini and select again which one xp i want...

 

problem is that i use xp much more then osx (i use osx only for 1 program) so i tried to change the active partition to the xp partition (apparently this is the only way to change the default boot in darwin until someone will edit the code, hopefully soon..)

then i tried again and ...darwin disappeared no more chance to boot osx....

so i modified the xp boot.ini with the chain0= system and now i have a first boot option menu from windows then i select mac osx , then enter darwin and then i have to press any key and then select AGAIN mac osx...

 

i wonder if there is any more clean solution with just one menu...ok not that big deal but still....

 

thanks

matteo

[iamhappy]

Thank your for information

 

I have just one question: How is it possible to reinstall darwin-booloader?

 

Why i ask this?: I've recovered my files to my boot-drive with "TimeMachine". (TimeMachine Backup was stored on the second partition) After recovering the system is not booting - it hangs while loading bootsector.

What can i do?

 

Same problem here!

 

Lost ability to boot without inserted DVD into Leo4All after Timemachine backup

[macgirl]

OSX86Tools can install different BootLoaders, Darwin included.

[George Wassef]

Dear All,

i am trying to clone my MAC OS X Partition before i am updating my system as a backup, i do this using super duper or carbon copy, as i have both.

 

i do the cloning on my USB2 external hard drive on MBR Partition which i erased it with 0 security option before the cloning.

my problem now that when i finish the cloning and try to restart from the external drive, i got this error

 

Boot 0 = MBR

Boot 0 = MBR

Boot 0 = MBR

 

Boot 0 Error

 

and i do not know how to fix this error

 

Thanks for helping

[upinthecloude]

hey does anybody know how to extend the time for darwin to boot?

I'm trying to enter the flags in, but for some reason, it goes straight to loading OS X.

[Focher]

hey does anybody know how to extend the time for darwin to boot?

I'm trying to enter the flags in, but for some reason, it goes straight to loading OS X.

 

In /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration you should edit the com.apple.Boot.plist file. There is an option in the file for Timeout.

 

Just change the value between the <string> and </string> tags to how many seconds you want to wait.

[Kari_Juhani]

Just a small detail:

 

I have a DualBoot Intel PC and Vista Boot loader works as default. This is only because it's the only way how i get it work.

 

And also, i must set Vista as flagged from fdisk.

 

When i boot, and choose Mac OSX from Vista boot loader, i come to Darwin. That's good, but how can i change Darwin's (Chameleon) behaviour so that it will boot choice number 1 (OSX) instead of choice number 2 (Vista and Flagged).

 

If i make OSX active, Vista wont boot at all.

 

 

Kari

[geoff123p]

Google search a program called gparted live cd.

Boot into the cd

Make your windows partion the boot one.

 

 

Are you able to select mac os x from the XP boot menu?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

i have a triple booting situation with 2 xp and 1 macosx on the active partition...

it works with darwin boot loader...by default it boots mac if i want to boot xp i should press a key and then select another partition then i enter the xp boot.ini and select again which one xp i want...

 

problem is that i use xp much more then osx (i use osx only for 1 program) so i tried to change the active partition to the xp partition (apparently this is the only way to change the default boot in darwin until someone will edit the code, hopefully soon..)

then i tried again and ...darwin disappeared no more chance to boot osx....

so i modified the xp boot.ini with the chain0= system and now i have a first boot option menu from windows then i select mac osx , then enter darwin and then i have to press any key and then select AGAIN mac osx...

 

i wonder if there is any more clean solution with just one menu...ok not that big deal but still....

 

thanks

matteo

[rchapoteau]

This seems like it was answered in the original post but I'm going to ask it just to be sure since I'm not 100% positive.

 

I have a laptop which has SATA, but it can't boot from the SATA port. I can install OSX to the drive but I have no way of booting TO it. Can I make a boot disk (USB key or CD or something) that on boot will point to the SATA drive? Thanx.

[winlinmac12]

I have an seemingly unique issue... I have an HP pavillion laptop. It comes with 2 built in HDDs. One primary which houses Vista Home Premium, and one backup, which I use to hold the Linux distro. Ubuntu.

 

I installed Leo using the Kalyway disk onto my Maxtor portable HDD (190Gb) because I managed to format it to an extended journaled system. It gave me the green success deal at the end of installation and said it had to reboot.

 

Upon rebooting, I interrupted the normal loading, which would ususally bring me to the boot screen for either Vista or Ubuntu, and selected the USB Hard Drive option. Nothing happened except that it began to load the kalyway dvd I left in the tray. I tried it again...this time it just left me on the boot menu for Vista or Ubuntu.  I have booted linux via USB before so I don't think that is the issue.

 

I now pose the two following related questions:

 

One: Is there some program, hopefully open source/free, that I need to use to set up the boot options in order to allow the booting of a non-NTFS formatted drive?

 

Two: Since the HDD with Ubuntu on it is 11.9Gbs and the Leo install only takes around 6 or 7 Gbs, is it possible to format the drive to a Mac OS Extended or other suitable type and install Leo on the second disk (obviosuly after getting rid of Ubuntu) and be able to boot it normally...with or without a program's aid?

 

Thanks! All help is greatly appretiated!

 

Winlinmac12  

[coachabower]

Hey,

 

I just started messing with the osx86 project a few days ago. First thing I want to say is amazing job to all the developers that put the time into getting mac os up and running on pc.

 

 

I picked up the v7 distro from iATKOS and installed it fine.

I then decided to take it a step farther (because I have an intel 5100 wireless card and can't live without the net) and dual boot windows 7 for internet use.

 

I'm a fulltiltpoker.net junky

 

Anyway, I can get the dual boot to work fine using easyBCD from windows to load the appropriate os.

 

My problem is that I'm never satisfied and staring at that ugly ass bootloader when I know darwin is just sitting there waiting for me just makes me sad.

 

I really want to find a way to dual boot using just Darwin. It seems like winblows wont boot properly if it's not on the first partition and the last os installed. I tried loading windows on disk0s2 and mac os on disk0s1 but when I try to load windows it gives me the bootmgr is missing error. So I tried leaving windows on the first partition but installing os x afterward so darwin would be the initial bootloader. Which again worked fine until I try to actually enter windows, then I get the bootmgr error again.

 

So, my idea, which should work in theory, is to have a third partition of around 7gigs just to have an active windows boot, then use easyBCD on that part to load mac os as default with a 0 sec timeout.

 

Idk, i just think that's pretty sloppy, so I'm hoping you guys know a better way.

 

 

p.s. after reading through this post it seems like the bootmgr issue is because windows isn't the active partition? If that's the case I hate windows {censored} little quirks, and if I could get my hands on a driver to support my 5100agn i would kiss windows goodbye forever.

 

Also, I realize some of you may be thinking, just buy a mac and quit bitchin, but I'm a broke college student with poor parents, and I'm using student loans to cover school costs and jobs to barely cover the bills. My computer is the best material item I have and I want to get the most out of it.

[coachabower]

Nevermind...I'm just an idiot...darwin works fine I just needed to boot into a partition called system reserved which apparently is the boot partition for windows.

 

I was trying to boot into windows ntfs thinking the reserve was just for recovery purposes.

 

I'm happy now