Installation Guide Ubuntu 10.10 on MacMini 4,1

What's up folks. Today we'll be installing Ubuntu 10.10 on the Mac Mini 2010 Model A.K.A Macmini4,1. If you own that model and love Ubuntu, you know the pain. (Well, if you do SM, or if you're just M, that's OK, no bias : ) but most of us don't like pain) Fear not my friend, I walked through Dante's Inferno and created a map of the danm place with all the shortcuts, so you don't need to suffer what I've suffered.

Let's begin our smooth journey then:

Download and burn the mac port version of Ubuntu 64 Bits:

DIRECT DOWNLOAD
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ports/rele...-amd64+mac.iso

TORRENT DOWNLOAD
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ports/rele...ac.iso.torrent (Torrent didn't work for me [no seeders? Error? Ghosts? Mistery!])

How do you want to install?

Single Boot

First of, be prepared for at least two hours of installation, I don't know why, but the overall installation process is VERY sluggish. So get your coffee and toasts and be ready.

1. Boot into OS X, open Bootcamp utility, create a partition for Windows (yeah I know, don't worry, we'll be installing Ubuntu instead of Windows of course) and make the Ubuntu BOOTCAMP ("Windows") partition the large one.

2. Insert you Ubuntu 10.10 64 Bits Mac Port into SuperDrive. Choose to restart in order to install "Windows". Be quickly! Hit'n'Hold C key until you see the screen goes black. When you see the purple screen, quickly hit Enter/Return. Press F2 and choose English Language, that's not my native language, but otherwise, the installation wizard fails (????), don't know why... Press F6. Choose everything (minus Free Software Only, or not, your call). Press ESC, hit Enter/Return.

3. When on the installation wizard, choose the BOOTCAMP partition for installation. You can use the entire partition.

4. The remaining process is pretty straight forward. Just have patience and wait. Don't worry, the entire process took me about two hours, so it's time for your cofee and toasts : )

5. After installation, if it doesn't boot automatically on Ubuntu, install some multi-os bootloader, otherwise, you have to do the Hit'n'Hold C process on every Mini start up. Also, you'll see a big, black, dead, void, cold screen if you forget to pass the kernel parameters on GRUB menu: Hit the e key and do the 8.1th step, then hit Ctrl+X to boot.

6. Install NVIDIA Drivers from the repository to get resolution straight.

7. Log in on Ubuntu. Hit Alt+F2 and Copy'n'Paste+Enter/Return the following:

8

Find the part that says something like the following (just around line 64. You can set it to 0 for automatic boot):

8.1

Now find the following (around line 78 ) :

Edit'n'Add the following:

Save and exit.

End, you're ready to go : )

Dual-Boot

Same as Single Boot process, but instead of resizing for Ubuntu max space, let more space to OS X. And you MUST install some multi-os bootloader, otherwise, you have to do the Hit'n'Hold

C

process on every Mini start up.

Tri-Boot

So you're like me uh? Like to have all the single ladys around and ready LOL Just kidding, no, but seriously, lets hit the road:

Just do the Dual-Boot process, but with OS X and Windows. To install Ubuntu, just do the Hit'n'Hold

C

process after installing Windows. When resizing OS X partition for space for Windows on BOOTCAMP, remember that the Windows partition is the one we'll be spliting in the future when installing Ubuntu (Side-by-Side installation). So choose wisely.

Fixing the Audio

Open a Terminal and do:

Reboot.

About Bluetooth

No luck boys and girls, old danish king didn't show up for us today. No work :_(

If you find a solution, please share with us.

-------------

That's it folks. Hope it is useful for someone : )

If you liked my guide, please visit

my Blog

to see my other works, like Howtos, Art, Tips and the overall geek stuff. No I don't have advertisement for you to click and give me money, I'm just that much of a attention hor LOL

This guide was not possible without the love'n'caring support of the awesome Ubuntu community. Special thanks goes to:

Stevethepirate

and

HashBox

on Ubuntu IRC Channel for helping me out with GRUB.

Yako no Kai

-

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1323102&page=2

- for making restarting Ubuntu on Mac no pain at all : )

Bee well. Sea ya.

Reference

Ubuntu Forums in general

Ubuntu IRC Channel

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Macmini4-1/Maverick

And of course, me myself : )