How to Install and Dual Boot Linux and Mac OS. Linux can run on many computers, including your Mac. Book. John Coulter / Getty Images. The Mac is one of the most reliable computing platforms available, and can make a great platform for not only running the Mac OS, such as the current mac. OS Sierra, but also Windows and Linux. In fact, the Mac. Book Pro is a very popular platform for running Linux. Under the hood, the Mac's hardware is remarkably similar to most of the parts used in modern PCs. You'll find the same processor families, graphics engines, networking chips, and a great deal more. Running Windows on a Mac. When Apple changed from Power. ![]() PC architecture to Intel, many wondered if the Intel Macs could run Windows. Turns out the only real stumbling block was getting Windows to run on an EFI- based motherboard instead of the then much more common BIOS- based designs. Apple even lent a hand to the effort by releasing Boot Camp, a utility that included Windows drivers for all of the hardware in the Mac, the ability to assist a user in setting up the Mac for dual booting between the Mac OS and Windows, and an assistant for partitioning and formatting a drive for use by the Windows OS. Running Linux on a Mac. ![]() If you can run Windows on a Mac, certainly you should be able to run just about any OS that is designed for the Intel architecture, right? Generally, this is true, though, like a lot of things, the devil is in the details. Many Linux distributions are able to run very nicely on a Mac, though there can be challenges to installing and configuring the OS. Installation and Drivers. The issues I've come across for getting a Linux distribution working a Mac have usually revolved around two problem areas: getting an installer to work correctly with the Mac, and finding and installing all the needed drivers to make sure the important bits of your Mac will work. This can include getting the drivers needed for Wi- Fi and Bluetooth, as well as drivers needed for the graphics system your Mac uses. However, it’s likely you instead have an OEM copy of Windows. OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer, and this label is slapped onto software that comes pre. It's a shame Apple doesn’t provide generic drivers that could be used with Linux, along with a basic installer and assistant, as it has done with Windows. But until that happens (and I wouldn’t hold my breath), you're going to have to tackle the installation and configuration issues somewhat by yourself. I say "somewhat" because I'm going to provide a basic guide to getting a favorite Linux distribution working on an i. Mac, as well as introduce you to resources that can help you track down drivers you need, or help solve installation issues you may come across. Ubuntu. There are many Linux distributions you can choose from for this project; some of the best known include (in no particular order) Debian, MATE, elementary OS, Arch Linux, Open. SUSE, Ubuntu, and Mint. I decided to use Ubuntu for this project, mainly because of the very active forums and support available from the Ubuntu community, as well as the coverage of Ubuntu provided in our own Linux How- To's. Why Install Ubuntu on Your Mac? There are a ton of reasons to want to have Ubuntu (or your favorite Linux distribution) running on your Mac. You may just wish to broaden your technology chops, learn about a different OS, or have one or more specific apps you need to run. You may be a Linux developer and realize that the Mac is the very best platform to use (I may be biased in that viewpoint), or you may simply want to try Ubuntu out. No matter the reason, this project will help you install Ubuntu on your Mac, as well as enable your Mac to easily dual boot between Ubuntu and Mac OS. Actually, the method we'll use for dual booting can easily be expanded to triple booting or more. What You Need. A recent backup. I recommend a clone on an external bootable drive that includes a copy of the Recovery HD volume. I recommend Carbon Copy Cloner, which can create the clone and include the Recovery partition. Once you have a working clone, disconnect it from your Mac to ensure that the clone backup isn't accidentally erased during the Ubuntu install. A Mac with 2 GB of RAM and a 2 GHz dual- core processor. As you might suspect, these are the bare minimums; more RAM and faster processor speeds or additional processor cores can only be helpful. I'm installing on a 2. Retina i. Mac, but the basic process should work for any modern Mac (newer than 2. If you're going to use an older Mac, you should still be able to install Ubuntu but you'll need to pay attention to how the boot process works for older hardware. If you have problems getting your older Mac to work with Ubuntu, stop by the Ubuntu forums and search for install guides for your Mac model.
A 2 GB or larger USB flash drive. The flash drive will be used as a bootable Ubuntu installer that contains not only the basic installer, but a live version of Ubuntu that you can run directly from the USB flash drive without modifying anything on your Mac. ![]() This is a great way to test whether your Mac and Ubuntu can get along. A USB keyboard and mouse. You need a USB- based keyboard and mouse because it's highly likely that the Ubuntu Bluetooth drivers will need to be installed or updated before a wireless keyboard or mouse will work. GB free drive space. This is the minimum size recommended for the desktop version of Ubuntu that we'll be installing; more space to work with can be a benefit. Ubuntu 1. 6. 0. 4. LTS. This is the current stable version of Ubuntu that was available when I started this project. Later versions should work as well, just check the release notes for any specific changes that may affect installation or use on your Mac. Level of Difficulty. This project is for advanced users who have the time to work through issues that may develop along the way, and are willing to reinstall the Mac OS and their data if problems occur during the process. I don’t believe there will be any huge issues, but the potential exists, so be prepared, have a current backup, and read through the whole process before installing Ubuntu. How to Install a Linux OS in Your USB Flash Drive and Turn It Into a Portable App Suite: 6 Steps. Now that we have Ubuntu installed in our flash drive, why don't we take it for a spin? Do know this part gets kinda tricky. So, remove your flash drive and Shut Down your computer. When it's off, plug in your flash drive again then turn on your computer. As soon as you press the power- on button, keep pressing F1. F1. 2, it depends on your computer) to access the BIOS. The BIOS(or Basic Input Output System) may look rather strange because of all the text and complete lack of graphics, and the fact that you have to use your keyboard to navigate around the menus. A WORD OF CAUTION, MESSING WITH THE WRONG SETTINGS IN THE BIOS CAN LEAD TO PROBLEMS. BE EXTRA CAREFUL IN THIS PART. Let's do this step- by- step again. Once you've gotten in, navigate to the "System Configuration" menu. Look for the "Boot Options" or something similar to that. It'll take you to another menu. Then go to "Boot Order" or "Boot Priority" (BIOS'es are all built different depending on your computer's motherboard). Once you've found it, change the order of the system boot with "USB Flash Drive" or "USB Disk Key" or something similar on the very top of the list, meaning it should be the first in terms of boot priority. Check the BIOS's instructions on how to do so. Afterwards, save your changes and restart your computer(take note some BIOS'es boot straight into Windows after exiting, but don't worry, you don't have to go through it again, just restart from Windows). You will then be greeted by the Ubuntu Installer boot menu, wherein you should select the first option, "Run Ubuntu from this USB". After a few loading screens(and some matrix- style messages popping up) you'll be greeted by the Ubuntu desktop, and voila, you have successfully installed and ran Ubuntu from your very very awesome flash drive. You may now pat yourself at the back and gain a few bragging rights. Once you're done tripping around Ubuntu click the I/O button on the upper right corner to see a menu from which you can shut down the computer. Then remove your flash drive afterwards. Now we're done with the first part of the tutorial! Congratulations! Now, on to the part where we install portable apps on your flash drive! Note: The portable apps we're talking about here are different from the apps you may have seen in Ubuntu, meaning these portable apps are actually programs you run in Windows, not Ubuntu. So if you're thinking "Wait, so I gotta go through all that BIOS matrix stuff just so I can run a portable app?" think again. Ubuntu is just there for the purpose of say, your Windows OS borked on you and won't start. Using your flash drive, you can boot into Ubuntu instead of Windows and may have a chance to copy all your important files on a separate drive before completely re- installing Windows or still be able to catch the girl you like online on Facebook through the Firefox app within Ubuntu.
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