I have a 2009 17" MacBookPro5,2 that has the Nvidia 9600M video. I've never been able to create bootable USB Flash drives created using any GUI program on a PC (unetbootin, ubuntu's create install media from currently running ubuntu, etc.).
The only method I've used that works (rEFInd or holding down option key during boot) is using the command line dd program on my MacBookPro from a downloaded iso.
Using the steps as a guide from here: http://www.ubuntu.com/download/deskt...ick-on-mac-osx, I created the following sccript I call create-usb-flash-linux.bash that I run in a terminal on my MacBookPro:
Code:
#!/bin/bash
if [ -z $1 ]; then
echo ""
isosfound=$(find . -maxdepth 1 -name "*.iso")
if [ "$isosfound" == "" ]; then
echo "** NO iso file given as arg & NO ISO files found, exiting "
exit 1
else
echo "** NO iso file given as arg, but ISO file(s) found :"
i=0;for f in $isosfound;do isos[$i]=$f;echo "$i: $f";let "i++";done
echo ""
echo -n "Enter number of iso file to use from above info [0] "
read fn
if [ "$fn" == "" ]; then
fn=0
else
re='^[0-9]+$'
if ! [[ $fn =~ $re ]] ; then
echo "** ERROR: \"$fn\" is NOT a number, exiting" >&2; exit 1
fi
fi
if [ $fn -ge 0 ]&&[ $fn -lt $i ]; then
echo "You've chosen iso file $fn: ${isos[$fn]}"
iso=${isos[$fn]}
else
echo "** ERROR: must enter valid number from above list, exiting"
exit 1
fi
fi
else
iso=$1
fi
if [ ! -e $iso ]; then
echo "** ERROR: file \"$iso\" NOT found, exiting"
exit 1
fi
echo ""
echo "Now running diskutil list ..."
echo ""
cmds="diskutil list"
$cmds
echo ""
echo -n "Enter number 'X' of USB Flash Drive /dev/diskX given above info : "
read X
disk="/dev/disk${X}"
rdisk="/dev/rdisk${X}"
cmds="$cmds $disk"
tmpo=$($cmds)
tmpo=$(echo $tmpo | grep -o "Could not find disk")
if [ "$tmpo" != "" ]; then
echo "** ERROR: couldn't find $disk from your \"$X\" entry. Bye."
exit 1
fi
img="${iso%.*}.img"
dmg="${img}.dmg"
echo ""
echo "NOTE: For some linux distros, a conversion from iso to img format needs"
echo "to be done prior to using dd command. Test with original unconverted iso"
echo "first. If that doesn't work, rerun this script and answer \"y\" to"
echo "use iso to img format conversion."
echo ""
echo -n "Given above, convert $iso to .img format ? [n] "
read answer
case "$answer" in
y|Y)
use_img=1
echo "OK, converting $iso to .img format, please wait ..."
cmds="hdiutil convert -format UDRW -o $img $iso"
echo $cmds; $cmds
if [ -e $dmg ]; then
cmds="mv $dmg $img"
echo $cmds; $cmds
fi
echo "Done converting."
;;
n|N|"")
use_img=0
echo ""
echo "OK, using original $iso (not converted to .img)."
;;
*)
echo "** ERROR: uncrecognized option \"$answer\" - bye."
exit 1;
;;
esac
echo "Unmounting USB flash drive: $disk prior to dd command ..."
cmds="diskutil unmountDisk $disk"
echo $cmds; $cmds
if [ $use_img -eq 1 ]; then
cmds="sudo dd if=${img} of=${rdisk} bs=1m"
else
cmds="sudo dd if=${iso} of=${rdisk} bs=1m"
fi
echo ""
echo "*** About to run dd DESTRUCTIVE COMMAND AS FOLLOWS:"
echo "*** $cmds"
echo -n "*** PROCEED? [y] "
read answer
case "$answer" in
y|Y|"")
echo "OK, running dd command, please wait (takes a while) ..."
echo ""
echo "####################################################################"
echo "IF WARNING POPS UP THAT COMPUTER CAN'T READ DISK, HIT \"Ignore\"."
echo "####################################################################"
echo ""
echo $cmds; $cmds
echo "Done."
;;
n|N)
echo "OK, not running dd command, bye."
exit 0
;;
*)
echo "** ERROR: uncrecognized option \"$answer\" - bye."
exit 1;
;;
esac
echo "Ejecting USB flash drive: $disk, after which you can physically remove..."
cmds="diskutil eject $disk"
echo $cmds; $cmds
echo ""
echo "Done."
echo ""
echo "REMOVE USB flash drive: $disk."
echo ""
This worked for me on my MacBookPro to create bootable USB Flash drives for Ubuntu 14.04.3 LTS & Linx Mint MATE 17.2, and allowed to me to install both on my system so that I now have a functioning quadruple-boot Mac that runs:
1. Mavericks (OSX 10.9.x) (on SSD, first hard drive)
2. Linux Mint MATE 17.2 (on SSD, first hard drive)
3. Windows 7 (via Bootcamp on SSD, first hard drive)
4. Ubuntu 14.04.3 (on sATA, second hard drive)
I have no need for persistence, but I understand why others may need that.
OlafO
P.S. Off-topic, but it would be nice if the Ubuntu & Linux Mint developers would use the "nomodeset" instead of "quiet splash" kernel parameters as default, or at least determine that it's a Mac with nvidia video & use "nomodeset" - would save a lot of us Mac folks a LOT of headaches with having to manually edit this when booting install media, and then modifying /etc/default/grub and running update-grub after install. Just a thought.
