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Lately, we've been big fans of Ubuntu. On paper, version 10.04 is really an evolutionary update from 9.10, not a complete rethink. But for some reason, the OS feels like it's turned a corner, at least in terms of visual appeal and usability. (Or at least we thought so until we built a Linux-based media center PC; that's when we realized underneath the surface, Linux would always still be Linux.)
We'll make no bones about the tinkering aspect. For many users (read: non–ExtremeTech readers), Windows or Mac OS X by themselves are usually sufficient. Technically there's no reason to run multiple operating systems. But we do, because we love to mess around and upgrade our systems, and we like trying new software environments.
Inevitably, conversations like this turn to running multiple operating systems on a single computer. My own experience with triple-booting was 17 years ago, back when I was still in college. The first time I attempted this, it was on a 486-33 running MS-DOS 5.0 and Windows 3.1, Slackware Linux, and OS/2 Warp. I may have missed an engineering class or two while getting that beast up and running, but that's a story for another time.
Many enthusiasts have attempted similar feats. But only recently has it been possible to include Mac OS in the mix—at least not counting those mid-1990s PowerPC models with DOS Compatibility Cards. Which was cheating, kind of.
Fast forward to today. Thanks to several iterations of fast Intel-based Macs, you can now enjoy all of the benefits each of the three major operating systems has to offer using just one machine. For this article, we'll show you how to build a single Intel-based Mac running Mac OS X, Windows 7 (64-bit), and Ubuntu 10.04. You'll also need a Windows 7 DVD, a Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard DVD, and a blank CD or DVD for the Ubuntu install. Soon, you'll be able to run Apple's iLife suite, play Mass Effect 2 under Windows 7, and use some of the best open-source programs on the planet—all with just one computer.
Mac OS X, rEFIt, and Windows 7
Over the weekend, I upgraded my 13-inch MacBook Pro's hard drive—conveniently using ExtremeTech's own how-to guide for doing so! I swapped out the MacBook's stock 160GB drive for a 640GB model. I performed a clean Snow Leopard install, which resulted in a perfect test case for the triple-boot setup. You don't need to rebuild your own Mac for this project, but now is a good time as any, if you've been meaning to.
To get started, head over to SourceForge.net and grab rEFIt 0.14 (http://refit.sourceforge.net/#download). It's a Mac-based boot menu that you install from the desktop. Download the disk image, double-click the rEFIt.mpkg package, and follow the installation instructions. When it's done, reboot. If you don't see the boot loader, and the Mac just boots normally, wait until it's finished and then reboot again. Seriously—sometimes a rEFIt install takes two reboots to "take," but then it works reliably after that.
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Once you see the rEFIt screen, select Mac OS X and boot normally. Now we'll create three extra partitions using Apple's standard Disk Utility, located in Applications -> Utilities. Highlight the Mac's hard drive on the left; a Partition tab should appear on the right. Click that, and then click the plus sign beneath the visual representation of the drive. Create three MS-DOS (FAT) partitions, and name them WIN7, UBUNTU, and UBUNTUSWAP. We made the first two 64GB each and the last 4GB, but you can choose your own sizes (about half that is OK for Windows 7, and even less is fine for Ubuntu).
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Reboot again. This time, choose rEFIt's Partitioning Tool from the boot menu. It will automatically update the drive's master boot record to accommodate the extra partitions. When that finishes, insert the Windows 7 DVD and restart the computer again. Now you'll see several more large icons. Choose "Boot Legacy OS from CD" on the far right. You don't want "Boot from Windows CD"; that would make sense in theory, but all it did is hang our test system.)
Microsoft's installer will then begin a standard Windows 7 setup; follow the prompts and see that through to the end. One note: Make sure you choose Custom Install. This way, on the next screen, you can select the correct partition. At some point during the Windows 7 setup, the computer will reboot for the first time. When this happens, you'll end up back at the Mac desktop, because (like us) you walked away to get some lunch while this was happening, and weren't keeping an eye on things. So boot back into Windows 7 at the rEFIt boot menu and let it complete the installation, including a second automatic reboot.
At this point, follow the rest of Windows 7's prompts, which include naming the PC and joining a wireless network. Once the installer finishes preparing the desktop, pop in the Snow Leopard DVD to install Boot Camp, which contains Windows drivers for the MacBook's various hardware pieces. Ignore Windows Update's blathering about automatically downloading the first of 7,634 updates since your DVD was pressed. Just cancel any forced reboots from Windows Update, at least until the Boot Camp installer finishes its work. Finally, reboot the system again, and head back to the Mac desktop.
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Installing Ubuntu and Conclusions
Now the real fun begins. Grab the 32- or 64-bit ISO file from the Ubuntu download page (http://www.ubuntu.com/desktop/get-ubuntu/download) and burn it to a blank CD or DVD using Disk Utility. To do, insert a blank disc. Drag and drop the ISO image to the left pane, and then select it and click the Burn button. Once it's burned and verified, reboot the MacBook, and this time choose the "Boot Linux from CD" option. A few minutes later, you'll see the trademark purple screen with the Ubuntu logo as it loads, followed by a mouse cursor and the Install dialog.
Ignore the option to try out the OS from CD. Instead, click the Install button, and choose the time zone and keyboard layout on the next two screens. The Prepare Disk Space window will inform you that your computer already has several operating systems on it, because it's a genius! Still, choose to specify partitions manually (advanced), and click Forward. On the next screen, select /dev/sda4. Use the cursor keys (not the trackpad, if you're using a MacBook) to set "Use As" to "Ext4 journaling file system." Tap the space bar to format the partition, and use the cursor keys again to select / as the mount point. Then click OK. Click /dev/sda5 and set that one to "Use As" swap space. Click OK, Forward, and Continue.
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From this point, the installer will continue the setup. Create a user account, name the Ubuntu PC, choose any other options you're interested in, and then let the installer finish copying files. When it's done, click Restart and cross your fingers.
The next time you power on the computer, the rEFIt boot menu should show three clear options: Mac OS X, Ubuntu 10.04, and Windows 7. As you have probably figured out by now, rEFIt's default setting is to boot into Mac OS X automatically after 20 seconds, unless you press a key. It doesn't always have to be like that; rEFIt itself offers plenty of configuration options. For more details, head to rEFIt's Configuration File page on SourceForge.net (http://refit.sourceforge.net/doc/c3s3_config.html).
Otherwise, you're done—for now, that is. Mac OS X and Windows 7 will be fully functional. Ubuntu 10.04 will boot, and it will work. But some of the hardware will be inoperable, so you're not quite finished. There's way too much to go into here, since every Mac is different. But you'll find plenty of info on configuring Wi-Fi, sound, and other hardware for your exact model in Ubuntu's poorly organized but supremely awesome community pages (http://help.ubuntu.com/community/MacBook).
There you have it: one computer, three operating systems. Whenever you get the urge to switch, you can—all without spending a single cent. Enjoy!