X-Git-Url: https://code.delx.au/refind/blobdiff_plain/0e0eab46ae75565917f99a93f28589a351c000b7..462e719eec6a0f7b8283e8e11ab25455112ffbac:/docs/refind/installing.html diff --git a/docs/refind/installing.html b/docs/refind/installing.html index ab9c120..c6481bd 100644 --- a/docs/refind/installing.html +++ b/docs/refind/installing.html @@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ href="mailto:rodsmith@rodsbooks.com">rodsmith@rodsbooks.com

Originally written: 3/14/2012; last Web page update: -5/6/2012, referencing rEFInd 0.3.3

+11/6/2012, referencing rEFInd 0.4.7

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!

@@ -92,21 +92,7 @@ href="mailto:rodsmith@rodsbooks.com">rodsmith@rodsbooks.com

Important: A rEFInd zip file, when uncompressed, creates a directory called refind-version, where version is the version number. This directory includes a subdirectory called refind that holds the boot loader, along with another that holds documentation, as well as miscellaneous files in refind-version itself. When I refer to "the refind directory" on this page, I mean the directory with that precise name, not the refind-version directory that is its parent.

-

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 to 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, install.sh, which provides easy one-command installation on most systems. Occasionally this script will fail, though, so I also provide explicit instructions for Linux and Mac OS X. Installation under Windows also must be done manually. In some cases, you'll have to deviate from the default naming conventions, as described in a section on this topic. If you're upgrading rEFInd, see the section on upgrading. Finally, I describe how to install some additional components you might find useful.

- - +

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, install.sh, which provides easy one-command installation on most systems. Occasionally this script will fail, though, so I also provide explicit instructions for Linux and Mac OS X. Installation under Windows also must be done manually. In some cases, you'll have to deviate from the default naming conventions, as described in a section on this topic. If you're upgrading rEFInd, see the section on upgrading. Finally, I describe how to install some additional components you might find useful. 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 page on using drivers with rEFInd.

Installing rEFInd Using install.sh under Linux or Mac OS X

@@ -149,6 +135,11 @@ WARNING: If you have an Advanced Format disk, *DO NOT* attempt to check the bless status with 'bless --info', since this is known to cause disk corruption on some systems!! +NOTE: If you want to boot an OS via BIOS emulation (such as Windows or some +Linux installations), you *MUST* edit the ///EFI/refind/refind.conf +file's 'scanfor' line to include the 'hdbios' option, and perhaps +'biosexternal' and 'cd', as well. + Installation has completed successfully. @@ -183,11 +174,30 @@ Installation has completed successfully. href="https://sourceforge.net/p/refind/discussion/general/thread/5c7d0195/">this forum thread for a discussion of the topic. +
  • If you're replacing rEFIt with rEFInd on a Mac, there's a chance that + install.sh will warn you about the presence of a file called + /Library/StartupItems/rEFItBlesser and ask if you want to + delete the file. This file is designed to keep rEFIt set as the boot + manager by automatically re-blessing it if the default boot manager + changes. This is obviously undesirable if you install rEFInd as your + primary boot manager, so it's generally best to remove this file. If + you prefer to keep your options open, you can answer N when install.sh asks if you want to + delete rEFItBlesser, and instead manually copy it elsewhere. If you + subsequently decide to go back to using rEFIt as your primary boot + manager, you can restore rEFItBlesser to its place.
    • +
  • If you're using OS X and an Advanced Format disk, heed the warning that install.sh displays and do not use bless --info to check your installation status; this combination has been reported to cause disk corruption on some Macs!
    • +
  • If you intend to boot BIOS-based OSes, such as most Windows + installations and some Linux installations, you must edit the + refind.conf file, as noted near the end of the installation + script's output. (Note that rEFInd can only boot such OSes on Macs at + the moment.)
    • +

    In any event, you should peruse the script's output to ensure that everything looks OK. install.sh displays error messages when it encounters errors, such as if the ESP is mounted read-only or if you run out of disk space. You may need to correct such problems manually and re-run the script. In some cases you may need to fall back on manual installation, which gives you better control over details such as which partition to use for installation.

    @@ -212,12 +222,14 @@ Filesystem 1K-blocks Used Available Use% Mounted on
      -
    1. Type cp -r refind /boot/efi/EFI/ from the refind-version directory in which the refind directory exists. This copies all the files that rEFInd needs to work.
      2. +
    2. Type cp -r refind /boot/efi/EFI/ from the refind-version directory in which the refind directory exists. This copies all the files that rEFInd needs to work. Note that this includes all of rEFInd's drivers.
    3. Type cd /boot/efi/EFI/refind to change into rEFInd's new directory on the ESP.
    4. Type rm refind_ia32.efi to remove the IA32 binary if you're using an x86-64 (64-bit) system; or type rm refind_x64.efi to remove the x86-64 binary if you're using an x86 (32-bit) system. You can optionally rename the binary you keep as refind.efi, 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 refind_x64.efi.
      5. +
    5. Optionally, type rm -r drivers_ia32 to remove the x86 drivers from an x86-64 system, or rm -r drivers_x64 to remove the x86-64 drivers from a 32-bit x86 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 page on drivers for more on this topic.
      6. +
    6. Rename the configuration file by typing mv refind.conf-sample refind.conf. Consult the Editing the rEFInd Configuration File page for information on how to adjust your options.
      7. @@ -282,6 +294,15 @@ $ ioreg -l -p IODeviceTree | grep firmware-abi 64-bit EFI or sudo rm /efi/refind/refind_x64.efi on a Mac with a 32-bit EFI. +
    7. Optionally, remove the drivers directory for the architecture you're + not using—/efi/refind/drivers_ia32 or + /efi/refind/drivers_x64, as appropriate. 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 page on drivers for more on this topic. Note + that Apple's firmware includes its own HFS+ driver, so the HFS+ driver + provided with rEFInd is useless on Macs.
      8. +
    8. If this is your first installation, type sudo mv /efi/refind/refind.conf-sample /efi/refind/refind.conf (adjusting the path as necessary) to rename the sample configuration @@ -306,6 +327,12 @@ $ ioreg -l -p IODeviceTree | grep firmware-abi unless you're certain you do not have an Advanced Format hard disk.
      9. +
    9. If you don't want to reboot immediately after installing rEFInd, you + may optionally unmount the ESP by typing sudo + umount /dev/disk0s1 or sudo umount + /Volumes/esp. This step isn't strictly required, but if you want + to keep the ESP out of your directory tree, it can be useful.
      10. +

    When you reboot, your Mac should bring up the rEFInd menu, and should continue to do so thereafter. If you make changes that break this association, you can re-run the bless command (if necessary, restoring the rEFInd files first). This might be necessary after installing system updates from Apple or if you upgrade rEFInd to a newer version.

    @@ -336,6 +363,8 @@ $ ioreg -l -p IODeviceTree | grep firmware-abi
  • Type del refind_ia32.efi to delete the unused 32-bit version of rEFInd. (Windows only supports EFI boots on 64-bit EFI implementations and in 64-bit versions of Windows.)
    • +
  • Optionally type rd /s drivers_ia32 to delete the drivers_ia32 directory and its contents. You may also want to selectively delete some of the drivers in the drivers_x64 directory, depending on your needs. Unnecessary drivers may slow the rEFInd start process. See the page on drivers for more on this topic.
    • +
  • Type rename refind.conf-sample refind.conf to rename rEFInd's configuration file.
  • Type bcdedit /set {bootmgr} path \EFI\refind\refind_x64.efi to set rEFInd as the default EFI boot program. Note that {bootmgr} is entered as such; that's not a notation for a variable.
    • @@ -422,11 +451,15 @@ $ ioreg -l -p IODeviceTree | grep firmware-abi

    I've seen links to other versions of these tools from time to time on the Web, so if you try one of these programs and it crashes or behaves strangely, try performing a Web search; you may turn up something that works better for you than the one to which I've linked.

    + +

    Fixing a Sluggish Macintosh Boot

    +     + +

    I've received a few reports of a sluggish boot process (a delay of about 30 seconds before starting rEFInd) on some Macs after installing rEFInd. I've been unable to replicate this problem myself, and its true cause remains mysterious to me. I have found a Web forum post describing a possible fix. Be aware, though, that this procedure involves using the efibootmgr utility on Macs, which has been known to damage the firmware on some Macs. Other reports indicate that this problem has been fixed with 3.3.0 and later kernels. Thus, I present this information cautiously and with a strong "use at your own risk" warning. If you care to proceed, I recommend you update your Linux kernel to the latest possible version and then proceed as follows:

    + +
      + +
    1. Boot into Linux.
      2. + +
    2. Type efibootmgr as root to obtain a list of your boot loader entries. Each entry includes a boot number, as in Boot0003 or Boot0027.
      3. + +
    3. Remove all of the boot loader entries except rEFInd's by using efibootmgr's -b bootnum option to specify the boot entry and -B to delete it. For instance, typing efibootmgr -b 0027 -B as root deletes boot entry Boot0027. Issue a separate efibootmgr command for each boot entry.
      4. + +
    4. Re-install rEFInd using the install script. It's unclear from the original post if this meant installing from Linux or from OS X.
      5. + +
    +

    copyright © 2012 by Roderick W. Smith