Linux Format forums

[vinodh]

I have a MacBook Pro 2011 13" that currently runs Lion 10.7.3. I would like to install any version of Linux on a partition so that I can dual boot. I've tried using various guides that involve using refit, a combination of USB and CD/DVD installers, custom versions of Ubuntu that are supposedly Mac compatible but it always fails. If I don't get an error about no valid source/file system found, then the installer just gets to a certain point and freezes.

If anyone has any experience with this and can give me any info that can help, I'll really appreciate it.

[towy71]

I'm fairly sure that you don't need a Mac specific version to run on that hardware, although I think that you need to use a different boot loader, is the Mac boot loader called 'boot camp'?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1VezJENet8 describes installing 11.04 on a Macbook Pro
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still looking for that door into summer

[vinodh]

Thanks for the info. I watched that video and it seems as if Ubuntu was installed on the exact same spec MacBook as mine without using any other boot loaders or software except for Bootcamp. I tried using 10.04 LTS and it failed. I'm busy downloading 12.04 LTS beta 2 now to try again.

[heelguru]

You will need reFit (it's an EFI bootloader that allows you to boot other OSes that aren't windows)

Anyway, you can download it from here http://refit.sourceforge.net/

Once you have installed the package you can then boot linux from bootcamp.

Hope this helps!