Run Current on a MacBook

[Rui Paulo]

Joe Marcus Clarke wrote:
> On Fri, 2007-11-30 at 17:30 +0000, Rui Paulo wrote:
>> eculp wrote:
>>> I am a half step away from buying a MacBook based on the following 
>>> assumptions:
>>>
>>>   1. I should run current and it has the SMP problem fixed.
>> The fix was not yet committed.
>>
>>>   2. It can be dual booted between OSX and FreeBSD?
>>>      a. The handbook only mentions that it can be run as a guest OS.
>> The handbook doesn't mention anything about running FreeBSD on a 
>> MacBook. You probably want to read http://wiki.freebsd.org/AppleMacbook
>>
>>>      b. Is there a short list to run both OS's I've done this with
>>>         windows many times over the years but I have on idea where to
>>>         start with Mac.  Example: Clean the disk and start with FBSD
>>>         or somehow compress the MacOSX file system and use the rest
>>>         for BSD, etc. etc.
>> * Partition your drive witht Bootcamp
>> * Install rEFIt. http://refit.sf.net/
>> * Boot FreeBSD install CD and install it to the desired partition. Don't 
>> install an MBR boot manager.
>> * Sync your MBR with the GPT by using the refit tool (available in the 
>> refit boot menu).
> 
> I've tried this procedure twice now, and the results are the same: even
> after selecting "None" for the boot manager, by GPT gets overridden with
> an MBR.  Almost everything works fine after that.  rEFIt allows me to
> boot into MacOS X or FreeBSD, but the gptsync tool does not work, and I
> couldn't upgrade to Leopard until I re-partitioned my drive (which I
> did, and ended up right back with an MBR after installing FreeBSD).
> 
> If there's some trick to this I'm missing, I'd love to know before
> "Puma" comes out.

Well, I think that if you restore your MBR to a PMBR* (a GPT MBR) you 
lose the ability to boot FreeBSD beecause rEFIt seems to expect a 
FreeBSD MBR, IIRC. But on the other hand, you probably need a PMBR (i.e. 
have your disk with operating systems that can boot from GPT) to upgrade 
Mac OS X.

Yes, I know, it's horrible. :-(

* Protective MBR
-- 
Rui Paulo