Tri-Boot Help: Windows 7 / Snow Leopard / Ubuntu

Hey folks,

First, here's my hardware profile:

Motherboard: ASUS P7H55-M PRO
CPU: Intel i3 530 @ 2.93 GHz
HDD: Samsung HD103SJ 1TB @ 7200 RPM
Graphics: EVGA with nVidia GeForce 9800 GTX+ (512MB DDR3)

I first installed Windows 7 successfully after making 3 NTFS partitions on my samsung HDD: 302 GB, 302 GB, 326 GB. Windows was installed on the first partition. After creating my USB stick using the lifehacker preparation guide, plugging it in, and changing the SATA configuration from IDE to AHCI in my BIOS, i got as far as the Mac installation screen where i am prompted to hit any key if i want to have installation options as a timer winds down. Naturally, i do and am brought to where i get to choose on which volume i want to install snow leopard. There are 5 volumes listed:

osx86, System reserved, Windows NTFS, Windows NTFS, Windows NTFS

osx86 is my flash drive, and under the assumption that the volumes were listed in increasing partition number, i highlight and select the middle of the three NTFS partitions (since i figured the NTFS partition on the left contained my Windows 7 OS). I then received the following error

Code:

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BOOTMGR is missing
Press Ctlr+Alt+Del to restart

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Worried, I wanted to check that my Windows 7 installation was fine. So I restarted my computer, reverted my BIOS settings from AHCI to IDE, and luckily windows loaded perfectly. I was thinking there had to be something wrong with the HDD format. A bit annoyed, I decided to move ahead with my ubuntu (64-bit 10.04 server) installation. I got as far as the language selection page, but i don't think the ubuntu installation software couldn't recognize my wireless keyboard and mouse (which i thought was a bit strange because i could edit my BIOS with the same wireless keyboard without any driver installation).

So thus far, I am coming across 4 main issues, the last one being a bit off-topic for this forum, but I'm hoping some linux-savvy hackint0sh users can help me kill four birds with a few stones:

1.) What's the deal with the "BOOTMGR is missing" error, and how can i get around it? I've googled for help but can only find windows-specific problems, but nothing related to my hackint0sh set-up

2.) I find it very annoying to have to always go into my BIOS and toggle the SATA configuration between IDE and AHCI in order to avoid a Windows 7 crash. Presuming I can successfully get all three OSs on my HDD, is there any recommended low-level bootloader software I could install that runs before BIOS runs that would allow me to choose which operating systems of the three (and their associated OS-specific BIOS preferences)?

3.) I am worried that the format of my disk volumes is an issue. What are some recommending disk formatting utilities that would allow me to format any of my three partitions as NTFS, HFS+ (journaled), and Ext for my respective OSs? Again i've googled some stuff and can only find FAT-NTFS formating tools, a couple that support Ext, but nothing for HFS+.

4.) I'm thinking that the OS doesn't detect my wireless keyboard. If i can successfully install ubuntu on my third partition using a WIRED keyboard and mouse, does anyone know of any sites where I can download a linux driver for Microsoft Wireless Comfort Keyboard and Mouse 5000 so that i don't always have to plug and unplug my wired keyboard and mouse?

All and any help will be greatly appreciated!

Hi there,
Wow, what a question you got there! You really put the pedal to the metal, don't you?

"I'm hoping some linux-savvy hackint0sh users can help me kill four birds with a few stones"

Unfortunately, I am not one of those, and even if I can help you kill a few birds it would take a whole big pile of stones.

So, let me start with some questions for you.

4. Is your wireless PS2 or USB? When you edit your BIOS you don't use your mouse, only the keyboard? and I think you should be able to find a driver for it, maybe through new device detection. Unbutu seems to have lots of hardware drivers. I would use wired keyboard/mouse to get through installation first and worry about drivers later.

3.OSX installer comes with disk utility for partition formatting. In fact you should format it as fat32 in partition program/windows, and then reformat it to HFS+ journaled when you're at installer screen.

2.Should be better than low level bootloader. You have one already, GUI Chameleon that use for booting your OSX. It boots win7 just fine, and for Unbutu I need to do some test, don't think it has problem. My SL is under repair/modification so can not confirm it right now, plus I use multiple disk scheme to boot my OS's, and format my hard drives with both GPT and MBR.
From others: AHCI is actually turned off by default in win7 and can be enable in registry (google for how to), and need to set IDE first, enable AHCI in windows, and then reset to AHCI in BIOS. Also heard that AHCI should be set first before installing Win7, so it won't crash with mode changed.
Your Window7 and Unbutu are modern OS and should not have problem with SATA drive in AHCI mode. I think Win XP is the one.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by illest

There are 5 volumes listed:

osx86, System reserved, Windows NTFS, Windows NTFS, Windows NTFS

BOOTMGR is missing
Press Ctlr+Alt+Del to restart

reverted my BIOS settings from AHCI to IDE, and luckily windows loaded perfectly.

I am worried that the format of my disk volumes is an issue.

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Ok, about the bootloader, Chameleon won't have problem booting your windows because it recognizes your System reserve, a hidden partition where your Win7 boot process starts.

About that error 'BOOT....". That is windows 7 boot message while your in OSX installer. My speculation is that somehow your win7 bootstrap mistakenly got called and was pointed to a wrong partition, without its loader hence no boot manager. Your boot system has not been modified yet, and that is why you're still able to boot windows 7 just fine. I wouldn't worry about it yet.
Actually at that installer screen, before choosing the partition for SL, you should use disk utility to reformat it to HFS+ journaled FISRT and then make your selection.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by illest

I am worried that the format of my disk volumes is an issue.

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Now, this is where it really got pushing.

The limitation of MBR disk is that there are max of 4 primary partitions.
Your windows 7 took 2 (system reserve and system partition). Your OSX need to be installed in a primary partition for chameleon to work. Your Unbutu will need 2 volumes, system partition and swap partition. Even if unbutu installer knows how to create its swap in a logical partition, that still leaves 4 primary and a logical. This partition scheme can/may invokes some problem, IMO.

Well, I hope these explanation....kill some birds, if any, without using your whole pile of stones.
Your issues are very interesting so keep me posted.
Regards,

Thanks for all the suggestions!

So far I've been able to resolve the AHCI issue. I'm going to table the ubuntu installation for now until I can get a wired keyboard and mouse. My current wireless keyboard-mouse set up uses USB.

As for the SL installation, how do i get to the installer menu where I can run the Disk Utility? I tried holding down the C key immediately after restart as described on apple's support page, but to no avail. I read somewhere that holding F8 does the same thing as holding down C but still nothing. I get sent to the same menu where I'm asked to choose one of my NTFS partitions. If i don't press anything and let the timer wind down, then a grey screen with two lines of white text flashes, then the grey apple logo appears, the screen goes black and then i get stuck in a computer reset loop.

I tried to format the partition I want to use for the SL installation using windows 7 Disk Management, but they only offer NTFS formatting.. weird. So I'm going to download Partition Magic and make an image so I can format one of my NTFS partitions as FAT32 and see if I get anywhere further. I don't think i've reached the MBR limitation yet since right now I have exactly 4 partitions and haven't installed ubuntu yet.

Thanks again. I got one bird down. I'll update the thread with my results. Let's see if I can get the rest!

Well, I had to look at your installer guide to see. So you follow that to create a USB installer. Then it's at step 3 they went to disk utility to format the partition before selecting SL partition. I have not use this method so could not speculate much though. You may want to review that step again, maybe?

The problem is that i can't even get to step 3 where i can use Disk Utility.

I went ahead created a live cd of GParted and tried formatting the partition i wanted to use. Hoping I'd be lucky I went ahead and tried the HFS+ format. I reinserted the USB stick, and now the only partitions that appeared were

Osx86, System Reserved, Windows NTFS, Windows NTFS

the installer didn't recognize the HFS+ partition that I created. So I reran Gparted and changed the newly-created HFS+ partition to FAT32 as you recommended earlier. Same thing: the OS X installer didn't even recognize the FAT32 partition.

I'll go through the lifehacker guide again and see what I can figure out.

Hi,
It is not the problem with partition recognition. I will explain this later. Sorry that I have to be off line now.