href="mailto:rodsmith@rodsbooks.com">rodsmith@rodsbooks.com</a></p>
<p>Originally written: 3/14/2012; last Web page update:
-12/6/2012, referencing rEFInd 0.5.0</p>
+12/16/2012, referencing rEFInd 0.6.0</p>
<p>I'm a technical writer and consultant specializing in Linux technologies. This Web page is provided free of charge and with no annoying outside ads; however, I did take time to prepare it, and Web hosting does cost money. If you find this Web page useful, please consider making a small donation to help keep this site up and running. Thanks!</p>
<p class="sidebar"><b>Important:</b> A rEFInd zip file, when uncompressed, creates a directory called <tt>refind-<i>version</i></tt>, where <tt><i>version</i></tt> is the version number. This directory includes a subdirectory called <tt>refind</tt> that holds the boot loader, along with another that holds documentation, as well as miscellaneous files in <tt>refind-<i>version</i></tt> itself. When I refer to "the <tt>refind</tt> directory" on this page, I mean the directory with that precise name, not the <tt>refind-<i>version</i></tt> directory that is its parent.</p>
-<p>Once you've uncompressed a rEFInd binary zip file, you must install it to your computer's ESP (or conceivably to some other location). The details of how you do this depend on your OS and your computer (UEFI-based PC vs. Macintosh). The upcoming sections provide details. For Linux and Mac OS X, you can use the installation script, <a href="#installsh"><tt>install.sh</tt>,</a> which provides easy one-command installation on most systems. Occasionally this script will fail, though, so I also provide explicit instructions for <a href="#linux">Linux</a> and <a href="#osx">Mac OS X.</a> Installation under <a href="#windows">Windows</a> also must be done manually. In some cases, you'll have to deviate from the default naming conventions, as described in <a href="#naming">a section on this topic.</a> If you're upgrading rEFInd, see the <a href="#upgrading">section on upgrading.</a> Finally, I describe how to install some <a href="#addons">additional components</a> you might find useful.</a> Note that this page describes installing the main rEFInd program; if you want to use the EFI filesystem drivers included with rEFInd, you should consult the <a href="drivers.html">page on using drivers with rEFInd.</a></p>
+<p>Once you've uncompressed a rEFInd binary zip file, you must install it to your computer's ESP (or conceivably to some other location). The details of how you do this depend on your OS and your computer (UEFI-based PC vs. Macintosh). The upcoming sections provide details. For Linux and Mac OS X, you can use the installation script, <a href="#installsh"><tt>install.sh</tt>,</a> which provides easy one-command installation on most systems. Occasionally this script will fail, though, so I also provide explicit instructions for <a href="#linux">Linux</a> and <a href="#osx">Mac OS X.</a> Installation under <a href="#windows">Windows</a> also must be done manually. In some cases, you'll have to deviate from the default naming conventions, as described in <a href="#naming">a section on this topic.</a> If you're upgrading rEFInd, see the <a href="#upgrading">section on upgrading.</a> Finally, I describe how to install some <a href="#addons">additional components</a> you might find useful.</a></p>
<a name="installsh">
<h2>Installing rEFInd Using <tt>install.sh</tt> under Linux or Mac OS X</h2>
though; because of the popularity of dual boots with Windows on Macs,
the BIOS/legacy scans are enabled by default on Macs.</li>
+<li>On Linux, <tt>install.sh</tt> checks the filesystem type of the
+ <tt>/boot</tt> directory and, if a matching filesystem driver is
+ available, installs it. Note that the "<tt>/boot</tt> directory" may be
+ on a separate partition or it may be part of your root (<tt>/</tt>)
+ filesystem, in which case the driver for your root filesystem is
+ installed. If <tt>install.sh</tt> detects that the filesystem in
+ question is ext2fs or ext3fs, it installs the ext4fs driver, which can
+ handle all three of these filesystem types. This feature is unlikely to
+ work properly from an emergency system, although it might if you have a
+ separate <tt>/boot</tt> partition and if you mount that partition at
+ <tt>/boot</tt> in your emergency system, and the ESP at
+ <tt>/boot/efi</tt>.</li>
+
+<li>If you run <tt>install.sh</tt> on Linux and if
+ <tt>/boot/refind_linux.conf</tt> doesn't already exist,
+ <tt>install.sh</tt> creates this file and populates it with a few
+ sample entries. If <tt>/boot</tt> is on a FAT partition (or HFS+ on a
+ Mac), or if it's on an ext2fs, ext3fs, ext4fs, ReiserFS, or HFS+
+ partition and you install an appropriate driver, the
+ result is that rEFInd will detect your kernel and will probably boot it
+ correctly. Some systems will require manual tweaking to
+ <tt>refind_linux.conf</tt>, though—for instance, to add
+ <tt>dolvm</tt> to the boot options on Gentoo systems that use LVM.</li>
+
</ul>
<p>In addition to these quirks, you should be aware of some options that <tt>install.sh</tt> supports to enable you to customize your installation in various ways. The syntax for <tt>install.sh</tt> is as follows:</p>
<pre class="listing">
-install.sh [--esp | --usedefault <tt class="variable">device-file</tt>] [--drivers] [--shim <tt class="variable">shim-filename</tt>] \
+install.sh [--esp | --usedefault <tt class="variable">device-file</tt> | --root <tt class="variable">mount-point</tt> ] \
+ [--nodrivers | --alldrivers] [--shim <tt class="variable">shim-filename</tt>] \
[--localkeys]
</pre>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><tt>--usedefault <tt class="variable">device-file</tt></tt></td>
- <td>You can install rEFInd to a disk using the default/fallback filename of <tt>EFI/BOOT/bootx64.efi</tt> (and <tt>EFI/BOOT/bootia32.efi</tt>, if the 32-bit build is available) using this option. The <tt class="variable">device-file</tt> should be an <i>unmounted</i> ESP, or at least a FAT partition, as in <tt>--usedefault /dev/sdc1</tt>. Your computer's NVRAM entries will <i>not</i> be modified when installing in this way. The intent is that you can create a bootable USB flash drive or install rEFInd on a computer that tends to "forget" its NVRAM settings with this option. This option is mutually exclusive with <tt>--esp</tt>.</td>
+ <td>You can install rEFInd to a disk using the default/fallback filename of <tt>EFI/BOOT/bootx64.efi</tt> (and <tt>EFI/BOOT/bootia32.efi</tt>, if the 32-bit build is available) using this option. The <tt class="variable">device-file</tt> should be an <i>unmounted</i> ESP, or at least a FAT partition, as in <tt>--usedefault /dev/sdc1</tt>. Your computer's NVRAM entries will <i>not</i> be modified when installing in this way. The intent is that you can create a bootable USB flash drive or install rEFInd on a computer that tends to "forget" its NVRAM settings with this option. This option is mutually exclusive with <tt>--esp</tt> and <tt>--root</tt> (except for implicit use of <tt>--esp</tt> on Linux).</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+ <td><tt>--root <tt class="variable">/mount-point</tt></tt></td>
+ <td>This option is intended to help install rEFInd from a "live CD" or other emergency system. To use it, you should mount your regular Linux installation at <tt class="variable">/mount-point</tt>, including your <tt>/boot</tt> directory (if it's separate) at <tt class="variable">/mount-point</tt><tt>/boot</tt> and your ESP at that location or at <tt class="variable">/mount-point</tt><tt>/boot/efi</tt>. The <tt>install.sh</tt> script then installs rEFInd to the appropriate location—<tt class="variable">/mount-point</tt>/boot/EFI/refind</tt> or <tt class="variable">/mount-point</tt>/boot/efi/EFI/refind</tt>, depending on where you've mounted your ESP. The script also adds an entry to your NVRAM for rEFInd at this location. You cannot use this option with either <tt>--esp</tt> or <tt>--usedefault</tt>, except for implicit use of <tt>--esp</tt> on Linux.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
- <td><tt>--drivers</tt></td>
- <td>Ordinarily <tt>install.sh</tt> does not install drivers; but when you specify this option, it does; it copies all the driver files for your architecture. You may want to remove unused driver files after you use this option, especially if your computer uses Secure Boot.</td>
+ <td><tt>--nodrivers</tt></td>
+ <td>Ordinarily <tt>install.sh</tt> attempts to install the driver required to read <tt>/boot</tt> on Linux. This attempt works only if you're using ext2fs, ext3fs, or ReiserFS on the relevant partition. If you want to forego this driver installation, pass the <tt>--nodrivers</tt> option. This option is the default on OS X or when you use <tt>--usedefault</tt>.</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+ <td><tt>--alldrivers</tt></td>
+ <td>When you specify this option, <tt>install.sh</tt> copies <i>all</i> the driver files for your architecture. You may want to remove unused driver files after you use this option, especially if your computer uses Secure Boot.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><tt>--shim <tt class="variable">shim-filename</tt></tt></td>
<li>Type <tt><b>rm refind_ia32.efi</b></tt> to remove the IA32 binary if you're using an <i>x</i>86-64 (64-bit) system; or type <tt><b>rm refind_x64.efi</b></tt> to remove the <i>x</i>86-64 binary if you're using an <i>x</i>86 (32-bit) system. You can optionally rename the binary you keep as <tt>refind.efi</tt>, but this isn't required. (Note that you must keep the version that's the correct bit width for your EFI; if you've installed a 32-bit Linux on a 64-bit PC with a 64-bit EFI, you'd keep <tt>refind_x64.efi</tt>.</li>
-<li>Optionally, type <tt class="userinput">rm -r drivers_ia32</tt> to remove the <i>x</i>86 drivers from an <i>x</i>86-64 system, or <tt class="userinput">rm -r drivers_x64</tt> to remove the <i>x</i>86-64 drivers from a 32-bit <i>x</i>86 system. You may also want to remove some or all of the drivers for the architecture you are using
; if you don't need them, they'll slow down the start process. See the <a href="drivers.html">page on drivers</a> for more on this topic.</li>
+<li>Optionally, type <tt class="userinput">rm -r drivers_ia32</tt> to remove the <i>x</i>86 drivers from an <i>x</i>86-64 system, or <tt class="userinput">rm -r drivers_x64</tt> to remove the <i>x</i>86-64 drivers from a 32-bit <i>x</i>86 system. You may also want to remove some or all of the drivers for the architecture you are using
. If you don't need them, they'll slow down the start process, and worse, if you're using Secure Boot, rEFInd can load just one shim/MOK-signed driver. See the <a href="drivers.html">page on drivers</a> for more on this topic.</li>
<li>Rename the configuration file by typing <tt><b>mv refind.conf-sample refind.conf</b></tt>. Consult the <a href="configfile.html">Editing the rEFInd Configuration File</a> page for information on how to adjust your options.</li>
<li><b>Drivers</b>—You can install drivers to extend the capabilities
of the EFI. rEFInd ships with filesystem drivers for ext2fs and
ReiserFS, which can enable you to boot a Linux kernel with EFI stub
- support from an ext2fs, ext3fs, or ReiserFS partition. (rEFInd also
+ support from an ext2fs, ext3fs, ext4fs, or ReiserFS partition. (rEFInd also
provides ISO-9660 and HFS+ drivers.) You can find additional drivers
from other sources, although they're still on the scarce side. See the
<a href="drivers.html">Using EFI Drivers</a> page for more on this
</ol>
+<p>Some sources suggest that delayed launches of rEFInd on Macs are more common when installing rEFInd to the ESP, so if you've done this, you could try re-installing it to your OS X boot partition.</p>
+
<a name="uninstalling">
<h2>Uninstalling rEFInd</h2>
</a>