Quad-boot A Macbook for multi-boot enthusiasts...

[curtis07 0]

I have spent countless hours and done extensive research on this topic: quad-booting a MacBook with OSX, Win XP, Win Vista, and Linux.

Yes, it is possible. Yes, it is a long process, but it is not too advanced. Anybody with a MacBook, an interest in computers that goes beyond Youtubing, an external hard drive, a rudimentary knowledge of Linux and filesystems, a certificate in T3KN0-5P33K (if you can't read that, you probably aren't nerdy enough), a tremendous amount of patience and troubleshooting ability and many other small things can accomplish the status of a quad-booter. Exciting, really.

1. Apply all of the latest updates for Macespecially any concerning firmware. You will need to do this to avoid a lot of hassle (including inability to update firmware) later down the road.

2. Format your external hard drive using Mac's filesystem (HFS+).

3. Download and install rEFIt (open source and free). This is an amazing tool to boot much more easily.

4. Use Carbon Copy Cloner (a free download, in case you don't already use this handy piece of software) to clone your MacBook disk to the external drive.

5. Reboot from the external disk (there's the option in the rEFIt menu).

6. In Finder, go to Applications, then Utilities, and open the Disk Utility. Repartition your MacBook hard drive using the MBR system (GPT will not work; nothing but MBR). Make a DOS filesystem partition at the beginning (you will reformat this for Win XP later). Then add another DOS partition directly after it (only about 5-10 GB for your Linux root; you will reformat it later as well). Make a Mac (HFS+) partition next, but leave enough space for Win Vista, a Linux home partition and a Linux swap partition after it. You will leave the rest of the partitioning for later.

7. Clone your external drive back to the newly created Mac partition on the laptop's hard drive. Shut the computer down and remove the external disk.

8. Boot with a Linux live CD (I would suggest researching for a distribution that works well with Mac; I have tried SimplyMEPIS, which is okay, and OpenSuSE, which is not okay for Mac). You can choose the CD option from the rEFIt menu.

9. Using a partitioning program in Linux (such as Qparted or Gparted), reformat the first DOS partition into NTFS. Then reformat the second into ext3 (a Linux filesystem). Use all of the remaining space at the end of the disk and make an extended partition. In this, make several logical partitions (as many as you want, really, but for my purposes, this is easiest): First, an NTFS partition for Vista, then an ext3 partition for a Linux home partition, and finally a swap partition for Linux (3GB should easily suffice).

10. Install Linux on your three Linux partitions; the root system should be installed on the first Linux partition, the home folder should go in your logical Linux partition, and of course you need to activate the swap partition. Make sure that when you install the GRUB (not LILO, it is more difficult) bootloader, DO NOT install it in the master boot record! Install it in the Linux root folder. It should have an option to do so.

11. Reboot with a Windows XP disk. Install it on the first partition. It's that easy.

12. Reboot with a Windows Vista disk. Install it on the logical NTFS partition. It will need to install a boot manager on the XP partition. This is okay. Don't worry.

13. Have fun (haha, right...) looking for drivers and tweaking your system! It can get interesting, believe me.

By now, you will either be screaming in the vent forum or elating over your newly acquired status of Quad-Booter Extraordinaire. Install Compiz-Fusion on Linux and you can show off even more to your non-quad-booter friends.

Some notes:

rEFIt currently does not have an option to turn off recognition of extra partitions yet, so you will see about 20 bajillion options when booting. You only ever need to use the first three.

A lot of this is trial and error. Do not erase your external disk until you are positive nothing else will go wrong.

Read up on all the software I've mentioned before installing them. For the sake of conciseness, I have left out details on some pieces (like advanced rEFIt settings).

I have only done this on a MacBook (not Pro), but I would imagine this would work on any Intel-based modern Mac.

I am not to be held liable for anything you do. Don't PM me angrily demanding reparations. This is a do-at-your-own-risk project. For me, it was worth it. It's great for not only showing off, but for cross-platform development, gaming and pure thrills.

I am sure you can do even more with this idea, so go have a blast doing whatever you very well please with your beautiful MacBook. Just be sure to post back here when you've become the icosa-booting king (icosa = 20, just for clarification).

Best of luck,

Curtis

[galexcd 0]

And I thought I had it hard when I was trying to triple boot my macbook pro. When I was working on setting that up I had no tutorial to follow, other than my friend who successfully dual booted his macbook with ubuntu+mac, but pretty much all I learned from him was to get rEFIt. Oh well, it was a very well written tutorial, however with all the pain and suffering getting my current set up through I don't think I want to be changing it any time soon. Besides, what would be the advantage to putting both vista AND xp on your machine (other than to show of how many OS's you can pack into your sleek laptop).

[Saint_Michael 3]

Well that is the whole point to show people you can quad boot a computer with 4 different operating systems at the same time. Of course, it would have help if this tutorial came with pictures or a video tutorial or something to help go through this installation process smoother and quicker.

[curtis07 0]

It probably would have helped to have pictures. Sorry. I spent hours doing this and didn't know it would actually work. The next time I go through the process, I will document it more carefully.

 

Oh, and the point of having XP and Vista on my machine is not just to show off (although that is DEFINITELY part of it), it's to test software and websites on different platforms. I like to know that my websites work everywhere. It can also be to have all your Windows stuff work (on XP) and show how much better-looking a good Linux distribution with Compiz Fusion is than Vista Ultimate with its eye candy. But it's mostly to show off.