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Thread: Ubuntu 12.10 MacBook Pro 5.1

  1. #1
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    Nov 2012
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    12

    Ubuntu 12.10 MacBook Pro 5.1

    First off I am a new to Ubuntu with limited Linux experince but am a master in windows and I am a software engineer by trade. I want to learn Ubuntu like I know windows so decided to install it for an Embedded project I am working on.

    I am triple booting Mac OSX, Windows 7 and Ubuntu 12.10. I Installed refid before ubuntu (OS X and Windows 7 were already installed). I had to use the nomodeset F6 option from the Mac Version of the x64 Ubuntu 12.10 to avoid the black screen but was able to install Ubuntu. Now when I choose Linux in refid the grub menu comes up, but I have to add nomodeset to not get the black screen again. Looking at System, Software Sorces, Additional Drivers I am using the 9600GTM card which acts as small room heater, so would like to use the 9400. (Have the same issue in Windows 7 but thats another story)

    How do I make Ubuntu use the 9400 video card and disable the 9600 video card?

    What video driver should I be using for the 9400? How do I download and install it.

    I was going to try this (https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Ma...s_.28Compiz.29) but I don't have an etc/X11/xorg.conf file to edit so I assume I am running a diferent video card driver or somthing.

    I found this page as well but it is for Ubuntu 11 so not sure how much of it applies.
    https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Ma...o5-1_5-2/Natty

    I had to use the wired network connection to connect to the internet but I think I have found enough post online to fix the wireless driver.

    Any help you can give would be appriciated.

    Thanks

    Andy

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
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    Re: Ubuntu 12.10 MacBook Pro 5.1

    I still haven't made any progress on booting with only the 9400M on my Macbok Pro 5.1. No mater what I seem to do "lspci | grep VGA" always shows only the 9600M GT.

    I am running Ubuntu 12.10 x64 was instaled using the Mac Specific alternitive CD.

    I have read so many posts and tried so many things but still no luck.

    In refit terminal if I do a pci -b I see two vga devices listed although they don't specficaly say they are nvidia. I have tried booting "Engery Saving Mode" and with out and then warm booting into ubuntu but still only 9600M GT is listed.

    When I use gpupwr the 9600M GT seems to power down but becasue the 9400M was never powered up I get a blank screen. I have tried placing the outb commands in grub/custom.cfg which basicaly does the same thing as gpupwr and the same result of a black screen result a lot sooner . I can boot with or without nomodeset. I have tried both the lastest open source and propritary drivers from nvidia-current, installed using additional drivers but when I run "sudo nvidia-settings" i get a "You do not appear to be running hte NVIDIA X Driver" but I am not sure why that is. Shouldn't the Add Addtional Drivers make the driver load after the next reboot.

    Any experts out there that can point me in the right direction? Any one with a MacBook Pro 5.1 have ubuntu running with out cooking the desk? (ie running 9400M video card only)

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
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    3,037
    Distro
    Ubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin

    Re: Ubuntu 12.10 MacBook Pro 5.1

    I don't know if this works in 12.10, but here is a post about 11.10 and 12.04:

    http://askubuntu.com/questions/73332...ro-5-1-5-2-5-3

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
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    Ubuntu Development Release

    Re: Ubuntu 12.10 MacBook Pro 5.1

    @Andrewiski - you need to boot in EFI mode, at the moment you are booting in BIOS mode where the 9400M is automatically shutdown by the Apple BIOS. The following should give some more info:

    https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UE..._into_EFI_mode
    https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UEFIBooting
    https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UEFI

  5. #5
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    Nov 2012
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    Re: Ubuntu 12.10 MacBook Pro 5.1

    Quote Originally Posted by alexmurray View Post
    @Andrewiski - you need to boot in EFI mode, at the moment you are booting in BIOS mode where the 9400M is automatically shutdown by the Apple BIOS. The following should give some more info:

    https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UE..._into_EFI_mode
    https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UEFIBooting
    https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UEFI
    You are absolutly correct. I ran
    Code:
     [ -d /sys/firmware/efi ] && echo "Installed in EFI mode" || echo "Installed in Legacy mode"
    and got "Legacy Mode" I thought installing refit before doing the Ubuntu install would casue the cd to EFI boot and Ubuntu to get installed in UEFI mode. I also thought that the lack of the keyboard and circle logo during boot after install and the fact that refit is showing the Penguin Icon ment I was in EFI mode.

    Where did I go wrong during the install from the Ubuntu Live DVD?

    Well here is where I went wrong for those that follow in my path.

    I booted using the Ubuntu 12.10 Alternitive Mac x64 CD which doesn't have EFI boot support. How can you tell you ask? Boot Macbok pro by holding alt (option) key and you will get the boot menu (EFI Boot & Windows with Hard Drive Logos in mycase as I have OS X and Windows 7 with refit EFI Manger install) . Insert Alternative CD and all you will see added to boot menu is Windows with CDROM logo. Eject Alternative CD and insert Ubuntu 12.10 x64 desktop cd and you will get new CDrom Icons labeled Windows and a EFI boot. This is where the catch 22 comes into play. If I boot from the non Mac alternitive cd Ubuntu crashes with
    Code:
    b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43/ucode16_mimo.fw" not found
    b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43-open/ucode16_mimo.fw" not found
    but I can press e during grub boot and add
    Code:
    outb 0x0750 0
    and have the 9600M GT power down and not get the black screen as the cd boots while until the Brodcom driver crashes. So with the help above we now have both video cards avalible to grub which is what I have been after all along. No just have to figure out how to install ubuntu in UEFI or to convert existing bios install to EUFI install

    So the question is how do I boot in UEFI mode using the alternitive Mac cd so I don't crash on the broadcom driverload.

    For those of you booting from the alternative cd in bios mode and getting a black screen you have to press a key when you see the keyboard and circle icon then press F6 select "nomodeset" press enter, press esc, press enter to boot.

    So I installed in Bios mode now so lets try to convert grub to UEFI mode.

    I followed instructions here. https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UE..._into_EFI_mode
    but now when I boot Linux I boot in to grub rescue with error /boot/grub/i386-pc/normal.mod looking at the filesystem I see now it should be /boot/grub/x86_64-efi/normol.mod just have to figure out how to make that change.

    Still no love for the Macbook Pro 5,1 but still a couple more hours before bed time so maybe I will figure it out yet.
    Last edited by Andrewiski; December 3rd, 2012 at 04:05 AM.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
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    320
    Distro
    Ubuntu Development Release

    Re: Ubuntu 12.10 MacBook Pro 5.1

    Make sure you're not using the +mac iso - as you said this doesn't have the EFI stuff on it - instead you want something like this - http://mirror.internode.on.net/pub/u...ktop-amd64.iso

    Also (when I ran Ubuntu) I always had to boot using nouveau.noaccel=1 - so perhaps try that - but once you get the nvidia binary driver installed it was fine.

    Also you'll probably need the bcm-wl driver over the b43 and you may be able to blacklist this on boot to make sure it doesn't cause a crash - although the missing firmware shouldn't cause it to crash so I suggest using noaccel should avoid this - or you may need a full nomodeset instead.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
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    12

    Re: Ubuntu 12.10 MacBook Pro 5.1

    Seems silly that Uduntu Mac ALternitive CD doesn't offer the EFI boot. Why would they exclude it from that CD?

  8. #8
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    Ubuntu Development Release

    Re: Ubuntu 12.10 MacBook Pro 5.1

    See this bug report, in particular comment 125 where Colin Watson discusses explicitly disabling EFI for Intel Macs by default. Basically *some* models have errors when doing this, so it was disabled for all.

  9. #9
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    Nov 2012
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    Re: Ubuntu 12.10 MacBook Pro 5.1

    Frustrating! I can't boot using standard Ubuntu 12.10 cd in efi mode. If I use
    Code:
    nouveau.noaccel=1 b43.blacklist=yes
    as grub boot I hang at
    Code:
    Magic Number: 8:204:495
    but no b43 error and no black screen.

    I assume the reason my boot repair didn't work is becasue I booted from cd in Bios mode and even though I told it to do the Seperate EFI option but it only half did it.

    Also I followed instruction on https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Grub2/Troubleshooting

    and at grub rescue prompt I typed
    Code:
    insmod (hd0,1)/usr/lib/grub/x86_64-efi/normal.mod
    but I got
    Code:
     invalid arch independent elf magic
    .

    I am in a loop and can't seem to get out of it every effort to fix one issue casues to more.

    Is there a way to USB boot in UEFI mode after patching the usb stick with b43 drivers and nvidia drivers? Hopefully the process isn't a 3 day event.

    Thanks for the replies.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
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    Distro
    Ubuntu Development Release

    Re: Ubuntu 12.10 MacBook Pro 5.1

    Sorry @Andrewski I'm all out of ideas - I run Fedora now and the last version of Ubuntu I had on my MBP5,1 was 12.04 - perhaps try that instead using the non -mac iso and it should work with nouveau.noaccel=1 - I never had any trouble with b43 and instead just used to use the bcmwl driver.

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