Not booting

[frankp]

I have been having issues with OS X so I decided to just replace it entirely with Fedora. The install seemed to go fine but when I turn the machine on I get the Apple file folder with a question mark in it on boot.

I've tried the install three times now, with the same issues. The boot loader just doesn't seem to be doing anything. Any suggestions?

frankp

[glennzo]

What version of Fedora are you trying to install? What ISO file did you download?

Isn't this

the Apple file folder with a question mark in it on boot.

indicative of a hardware issue?

[frankp]

It may be a hardware issue, that's one of the reasons I'm trying to install linux, to verify that. Memtest says the memory is good, but the fedora live cd reports kernal errors when it first boots. Works fine after that though, when OS X is consistently crapping out. I figured if I could install linux and get it functional for a few more months at least I won't have to buy a new computer in that time. It also gives me a chance to get familiar with some newer versions of linux, since I haven't really been using it for about 5 years.

[glennzo]

You are using some sort of PPC ISO, right? I know nothing about Macs but as far as I know if you want to install Fedora on a Mac you need the PPC version, as opposed to i686 or x86_64, etc.

[frankp]

why would i use the ppc version on an intel mac?

[glennzo]

I guess you wouldn't if you don't need it. I assumed that since you stated you were using OS X that it was a generic Mac. My bad. Carry on...

[chocobo3535]

Originally Posted by frankp

I have been having issues with OS X so I decided to just replace it entirely with Fedora. The install seemed to go fine but when I turn the machine on I get the Apple file folder with a question mark in it on boot.

I've tried the install three times now, with the same issues. The boot loader just doesn't seem to be doing anything. Any suggestions?

frankp

Hello. My Intel Mac 2006 model does the same thing.

Actually, there is nothing wrong with it. I did leave it for a while, finally it boots!
I don't know why Intel Mac shows ? mark on screen while booting into Linux.

[srs5694]

First, to glennzo: Apple switched from PowerPC to Intel CPUs about five years ago, so Macs that deserve to be called "modern" have Intel x86 or x86-64 CPUs in them and can run the same versions of Fedora that most PCs can run.

As to the problem, if the boot process is slow but the computer eventually boots, it could be that there's a partition table problem, but I can't be positive of that. I've heard that damaged hybrid MBRs can produce this sort of symptom. This probably wouldn't account for the problem if the computer isn't booting at all, though. In that case, it sounds more like a boot loader problem. Intel-based Macs use the Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) rather than a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS), which is what most PCs use; however, Apple's EFI implementation includes a BIOS emulation mode to enable Windows to boot. It could be that the partitions are set up in such a way that BIOS emulation mode isn't being triggered, in which case you'd need suitable EFI boot support, which might not have been set up by the Fedora installer.

In any event, it would be helpful to see the partition table on the computer. I recommend you download and burn PartedMagic or System Rescue CD, boot it on the Mac, launch a text-mode terminal, and type the following two commands:

fdisk -lu /dev/sda
gdisk -l /dev/sda

These commands will display the disk's Master Boot Record (MBR) and GUID Partition Table (GPT) partitions. Post the results back here; it'll help reveal how the Mac will try to boot and what options you might have to fix the problem (assuming it's a software issue).