Hello,
since a while I’ve been considering to retry linux and got a fascination for opensuse, so gave it a try.
On my MacMini late 2012 I already run Mac OS X Mavericks and el Capitan in two different partitions. I created a new smaller partition for linux and after preparing a usb stick as bootable installer I proceeded with the installation. After the installation the only bootable OS is OpenSUSE, both Mac OS X installations fail to boot. I feared I cancelled everything and installed Linux on the whole disk but I can actually still see both partitions and the datas contained from OpenSUSE’s filesystem, however neither of the two are reachable in any way.
Grub sees Mavericks but fails to boot it (gets stuck during the process). El Capitan doesn’t show up at all. When restarting the computer holding the option key starts the usual mac boot option menu but there are no selectable options.
My impression is that grub totally ****ed up the boot procedures on the computer. I tried to install refind, but with no success at all.
Does anybody have an idea of what’s going on and how can I try to fix it? Is there any way to manually point grub to both OS X partitions?
I really hope somebody will be able to help, getting kind of shaky here!
In the meanwhile Im reinstalling both Mavericks and El Capitan in their partitions hoping that the procedure rewrites proper boot permissions and routines.
Any alternative hint would be greatly appreciated! 
On Thu 06 Apr 2017 08:26:01 PM CDT, fourtwenty wrote:
In the meanwhile Im reinstalling both Mavericks and El Capitan in their
partitions hoping that the procedure rewrites proper boot permissions
and routines.
Any alternative hint would be greatly appreciated! 
Hi
I have a MacBook3,1 (2007), I just use uefi for openSUSE as the
default boot (no refind etc), then if want to boot into MacOS just hold
the option key on boot.
It’s getting grub2 to work handing off to the different file system.
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[QUOTE=malcolmlewis;2818981]Hi
I have a MacBook3,1 (2007), I just use uefi for openSUSE as the
default boot (no refind etc), then if want to boot into MacOS just hold
the option key on boot.
Thats exactly my problem, if I press option during startup none of the mac os x installed in my computer show up. In Apple’s recovery mode I was able to try run a ‘verify disk’ on my whole drive, it said there’s no EFI mounted. What’s wrong?
Hi
OK, you may need to create a 260MB efi partition first, or check one exists after the osX install… then when you go to re install Tumbleweed, hold the option key down and it should give you the drive and (In my case a USB device) an EFI boot option?
Thanks for the hint, I’ll see if the installer of El Capitan will do it for me, I’ve been able to enter through internet recovery mode. However it is certainly an EFI issue. I’d be curious to know if I did something wrong during set up or if the installer conflicted for some reason with the Apple disk mapping.
I’ll post updates as soon as I have some.
I managed to completely fix the problem, although now OpenSUSE is not bootable anymore. This is the procedure I followed:
I acceded the internet recovery mode pressing command-r during startup. Running a simple Disk utility check on my hard disk from there I could see that the EFI partition was missing. Luckily closing every window in recovering mode, system asked me from which of the two OS X partitions I wanted to boot so I tried to enter El Capitan successfully. Once inside I run Disk Utility again, repairing permissions to all disks. Then I run an app I downloaded some time ago called Maintenance; among its functions it goes through disks permissions and goes around looking for errors. Once finished the system restarted and I was again able to boot El Capitan. I re-run the same procedure from internet recovery disk for my Maverick partition, and it worked exactly the same. Afterwards both partitions were again bootable. Unfortunately Grub doesn’t boot anymore after this procedure. Needless to say I’m deleting the Linux partitions, which is a real pity.
I’ll maybe try another distro with a more solid installer in the future.
Hi
Not sure it’s the installer, more a process issue. On my MacBook I stuck a new SSD in it and pre-prepared the disk first, then just did a timemachine re-install of osX on the required partition, then installed openSUSE…
I still think it was OpenSUSE’s installer that messed up EFI and boot routines by process of elimination, since before in the same partition I successfully installed Kubuntu with no consequent boot issues and also because I could sense during the installation itself something was odd in the way Yast was asking me in which partition to install Tumbleweed. Plus I should also mention that on my first try Yast failed to install and I had to rerun it (the second time Yast detected my Linux partition split in 3, probably as a consequence of the first installation try). I understand a feeling doesn’t qualify as a scientific mean of analysis but indeed was a correct impression, since afterwards boot routines in my MacMini were compromised. Kubuntu’s installer on the other hand was more clear and straightforward and indeed there were no problems afterwards, I just wanted to have OpenSUSE instead.
Well if booted in EFI mode the installer should work fine but you could certainly change the default to cause what you claim. In any case it is the person installing responsibility to be certain the the partition scheme is what they expect and change it if need be before accepting the partition scheme.