Mac Pro dual boot goes single boot

Rolf Aalders

 

Linux is gaining my interest again, after using it (Unix, actually) during my study 1994-1999. I always liked Unix/Linux, but I never had to use it in much detail, since my study did not focus on the hard core side / development side of IT.

 

So to start my interest in Linux again, I tried to install Linux on my Mac Pro (2009 model) yesterday.  I had a spare HD mounted in my OSX machine which I could use dedicated for Linux.

After I installed rEFInd and plugged a Linux Mint USB drive, I was able to choose Linux Mint in the boot menu. I booted and I was able to install to the ‘Linux’ HD successfully.

Once installed, USB removed and shutdown the system, I started the machine again and it booted nicely into Linux, which works fine.

But actually I was expecting the rEFInd boot manager to ask me a question, so I could choose for Linux, or for OSX. 

 

Pressing the option key, during boot, I was presented with 2 options: HD1 and HD2 (this is not the rEFInd boot menu, but the apple functionality) 

I choose HD1 and OSX booted correctly. But after that I could not choose to boot Linux again.

 

Can you advice me how to setup my machine so I can choose which OS to start, during boot?

Can it be related to the setting of the ‘Device for boot loader installation’, which can be changed/set during installation of linux (the partitioning part of the installation). Which item in the drop down list should I select? I think I kept it on the default setting.

 

Looking forward to your advice.

Thanks 

saqman2060

I did some reading on this program and realized it really is a boot loader designed to make booting OSes simplier on EFI/UEFI systems. EFI enabled systems will not boot an OS if secure boot is enabled or you don't have the right secure key.

The manual for rEFInd states that rEFInd cannot load an OS that is secured by "secure boot". Give this manual a read. Perhaps there is something in there that might help.

http://www.rodsbooks.com/refind/using.html