[SOLVED] No Bootable Device error after install

[cakeplaterotella]

I'm anxious to install Mageia after the reviews I've read, but I cannot get past a "No bootable device - insert boot disc and press any key" error after installing. I'm using an old, 32-bit Intel MacBook and booting with rEFInd. I've tried installing GRUB to the MBR, to /boot, and to /, but none of these are actually booting the system. An attempt with GRUB2 did not show up in rEFInd at all. Is my system not compatible somehow?

[benmc]

Hi

Welcome to Mageia

If you re-insert your install media into you dvd and press" enter " or reboot, does the Mageia boot splash screen show with options:boot from hard disk
install Mageia
................
hardware test

If " boot from hard disk" is displayed Mageia is on your Macbook and you should be able to access it.

I had a similar problem when my hdd was slave on an ide cable, but this is unlikely to be your problem.

[cakeplaterotella]

"Boot from hard disk" appears whether or not Mageia is installed. It brings me to a "Booting from local disk..." command line message that doesn't go farther. I tried it with installs using GRUB and GRUB2 since the last post.

In what may be relevant info, the hard drive already contains and EFI and Mac OS partition at the front, and I am using the 32-bit install DVD (the dual-arch liveCD/DVDs would stall when booting from the CD).

[benmc]

Hi
try here: https://wiki.mageia.org/en/UEFI_booting

this may be relevant too: http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ ... ology.html.

[cakeplaterotella]

Wasn't that. This computer is too old for that, I think (EFI 1.0, 2006). I can't find a way to access the firmware on a Mac or even check if it's on if it is there. You did sort of point me in the right direction, though. Thanks.

When I accidentally installed GRUB to the MBR on my first Mageia install attempt, I used fdisk -u to get rid of it, and that rewrote the first entry to EFI Protected. Afterwards, none of the distros I tried to install booted. This morning, I used Boot Camp Assistant to make a FAT partition to pretend that I was installing Windows, and it updated the entry to EFI (just normal EFI). Odd sort of fix, but now things boot correctly.

[benmc]

Good news

I hope your experience with Mageia is a great one - I've been using it since Mageia 1 alpha.
If every thing now works ok , please edit the first post with [ Solved ]

cheers

Benmc [ NZ ]