Install dual boot MacOS X & Antergos on a MacBookPro 9,1 (Mid 2012)

0 More then one harddisk possible problem and solution:

IMPORTANT: When you have more then one harddisk:

I have noticed weird behaviour; sometimes the harddisk names were switched! In MacOS X Disk Utility one disk was sda (can be different name!) and the other sdb (can be different name!), but in Linux Distro with Parted the names where switched.

In MacOS X the two harddisks have also got an EFI partition. And that seams a big problem for Linux Distro installers! The Linux Distro installers install the EFI boot in the wrong EFI partition.

SOLUTION:

Get rid of the EFI partition that isn't used by MacOS X, it isn't used anyway. But be careful what you do, check double! I have simple erased the EFI partition from the sdb (can be different name!) harddisk and changed the name to EFI_NOT.

After that it was easier to install dual boot MacOS X and Linux Distro.

1 MacOS X clean install (if possible)

 

2 MacOS X only El Capitan:

Disable SIP (System Integrity Protection) from Recovery HD

Recovery HD -> Terminal -> csrutil disable -> enter (return)

http://www.rodsbooks.com/refind/sip.html

3 Install latest rEFInd

http://www.rodsbooks.com/refind/installing.html

4 Test rEFInd

when it works: Recovery HD -> Terminal -> csrutil enable -> enter (return) (OPTIONAL for SAVETY)

5 MacOS X -> Disk Utility -> you system disk -> Partition

Create an Antergos FAT32 partition from at least (minimum) 30Gb after your MacOS X partition

6 Create Antergos Live USB with dd:

see here for example: https://en.opensuse.org/SDB:Create_a_Live_USB_stick_using_Mac_OS_x

some extra information:

the quality from the iso download: do at least a MD5 CHECK,
the quality from usb keys: buy from a WELLKNOWN COMPANY,
the condition from the usb key: do first a complete CLEAN ERASE,
the partition: only ONE PARTITION,
the user that’s doing this: best is to do this with ROOT USER,
the way of doing the dd clone: let the TERMINAL FINISH THE DD JOB without touching your computer, even when it takes hours!

7 (re)Boot your laptop with ALT key pressed (don't use rEFInd yet!)

 

8 Choose Antergos Live USB (called "efi boot" or "Windows" sometimes)

 

9 Choose from the menu Antergos UEFI CD/DVD (normally the first one in the list) not the other ones (again thanks to @karasu) and wait!

 

10 Choose "Try it" and test the Live USB session connected with internet thru ethernet cable, wait because Cnchi has to be completely updated to latest version wait until the message: Cnchi up to date!

meanwhile you wait: start Gparted and format your Antergos FAT32 partition to ext4 partition

 

11.1 install Antergos with Cnchi

11.1.1 go thru the installer and let all settings for what they are for now

11.1.2 keep Keyboard French for AZERTY keyboards (important one for me)

11.1.3 choose your desktop, i have chosen Gnome (so i have only experience for this one)

11.2 partition scheme: follow this steps ones and very concentrated in one track:

11.2.1 Select /dev/sda1 (can be different name!)

Click ...

Choose /boot/efi EFI (DON'T FORMAT!)

Click Ok

be sure that you see the GREEN small box with checked EFI

In my situation several times it wasn't there or checked and Antergos will fail!

11.2.2 Don't touch /dev/sda2 (can be different name!) OS X

11.2.3 Don't touch /dev/sda3 (can be different name!) Recovery

Select /dev/sda? (can be different name!) 100MiB hfs+ Boot Arch Linux from the Apple boot loader OPTIONAL! I have chosen to have the possibility to boot Antergos in two ways: EFI and Apple boot loader GRUB.

11.2.4 Select /dev/sda4 (can be different name!) /root ext4

Click ...

Choose mount at /
Choose ext4 “Format” box

click format box only ONE TIME

be sure that you see the GREEN small box with checked /root

In my situation several times it wasn't there or checked and Antergos will fail!

Select /dev/sdb? (can be different name!) /home ext4 home

11.2.5 Elect /dev/sd.. what you want for your /home OPTIONAL

Choose mount at /home

ext4 “Format” box

click format box only ONE TIME

I put this as optional because like that the admin is in the root, so the root user is in the system partition, better for backup, later you can put your regularly user(s) in /home

11.2.6 Choose boot loader at /dev/sda (can be different name!)

11.2.7 YES, GO, START! ?