mactel-support team mailing list archive

[PeterXw <pxwpxw8@xxxxxxxxx>]

The detailed tests in my previous post confirm that the 810 parted is
not updating the MBR with the partition information needed by apple
intel macs, resulting in the bug.

I repeat here my proposed solution, which was at the end.

Solution:

The refit package should be part of the installation, and a user option provided after partitioning to sync MBR for intel mac MBR loaders. (Not necessary for efi/gpt loaders).
This will improve the install/restart experience for intel apple mac users.
It will still be necessary to run gptsync after any re-partitioning.

But preferably revert to the previous partitioner version for apple
intel macs, unless there are good reasons not to do so.

-- 
Partition Table is cleared during install on Intel Macs
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/222126
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Support, which is the registrant for Mactel Support.

Status in grub-installer: New
Status in Mactel Support: Confirmed
Status in “parted” source package in Ubuntu: Confirmed
Status in “ubiquity” source package in Ubuntu: Confirmed

Bug description:
Binary package hint: ubiquity

Ubuntu 8.04 Final

Intel Macs have an EFI system and a GPT. The installer seems to handle the GPT correctly (as it has in the past), but it has recently come up that the installer is completely emptying the contents of the MBR partition table which is still required to boot Windows and Ubuntu (GRUB relies on the MBR partition table). The two tables are not synced automatically.

When users install Hardy, they are suprised to find that the system is unbootable (the EFI loader cannot "see" the partition as bootable). a tool such as rEFIt or gptsync can copy the information in the GPT into the MBR table thus fixing the issue (for most). 

This is even more serious for users with other working OS installs in addition to Ubuntu (such as other linux distros and Windows) since it completely dumps the information needed to boot these installs as well.

The expected procedure (and how the previous Ubuntu install seems to have handled it) is to 'update' both the GPT and the MBR table with changes instead of completely losing the information stored there.

gparted / parted seemed to update both tables properly previously as well.

I will be doing a full install on my iMac later and will be able to add additional information.