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  12   <h1>The rEFInd Boot Manager:<br />Installing rEFInd</h1>
  13
  14 <p class="subhead">by Roderick W. Smith, <a
  15 href="mailto:rodsmith@rodsbooks.com">rodsmith@rodsbooks.com</a></p>
  16
  17 <p>Originally written: 3/14/2012; last Web page update:
  18 12/11/2012, referencing rEFInd 0.5.1</p>
  19
  20
  21 <p>I'm a technical writer and consultant specializing in Linux technologies. This Web page is provided free of charge and with no annoying outside ads; however, I did take time to prepare it, and Web hosting does cost money. If you find this Web page useful, please consider making a small donation to help keep this site up and running. Thanks!</p>
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  86
  87 <hr />
  88
  89 <p>This page is part of the documentation for the rEFInd boot manager. If a Web search has brought you here, you may want to start at the <a href="index.html">main page.</a></p>
  90
  91 <hr />
  92
  93 <p class="sidebar"><b>Important:</b> A rEFInd zip file, when uncompressed, creates a directory called <tt>refind-<i>version</i></tt>, where <tt><i>version</i></tt> is the version number. This directory includes a subdirectory called <tt>refind</tt> that holds the boot loader, along with another that holds documentation, as well as miscellaneous files in <tt>refind-<i>version</i></tt> itself. When I refer to "the <tt>refind</tt> directory" on this page, I mean the directory with that precise name, not the <tt>refind-<i>version</i></tt> directory that is its parent.</p>
  94
  95 <p>Once you've uncompressed a rEFInd binary zip file, you must install it to your computer's ESP (or conceivably to some other location). The details of how you do this depend on your OS and your computer (UEFI-based PC vs. Macintosh). The upcoming sections provide details. For Linux and Mac OS X, you can use the installation script, <a href="#installsh"><tt>install.sh</tt>,</a> which provides easy one-command installation on most systems. Occasionally this script will fail, though, so I also provide explicit instructions for <a href="#linux">Linux</a> and <a href="#osx">Mac OS X.</a> Installation under <a href="#windows">Windows</a> also must be done manually. In some cases, you'll have to deviate from the default naming conventions, as described in <a href="#naming">a section on this topic.</a> If you're upgrading rEFInd, see the <a href="#upgrading">section on upgrading.</a> Finally, I describe how to install some <a href="#addons">additional components</a> you might find useful.</a> Note that this page describes installing the main rEFInd program; if you want to use the EFI filesystem drivers included with rEFInd, you should consult the <a href="drivers.html">page on using drivers with rEFInd.</a></p>
  96
  97 <a name="installsh">
  98 <h2>Installing rEFInd Using <tt>install.sh</tt> under Linux or Mac OS X</h2>
  99
 100 <p class="sidebar"><b>Warning:</b> If you're using a Macintosh, you should run <tt>install.sh</tt> from Mac OS X rather than from Linux. If run from Linux, rEFInd is unlikely to be fully installed. Worse, it's conceivable that running <tt>install.sh</tt> from Linux will damage your firmware, requiring that it be re-flashed. The reason is that Apple uses non-standard methods to enable a boot loader, and the Linux functions in <tt>install.sh</tt> assume standard EFI installation methods.</p>
 101
 102 <p>If you're using Linux or Mac OS X, the easiest way to install rEFInd is to use the <tt>install.sh</tt> script. This script automatically copies rEFInd's files to your ESP or other target location and makes changes to your firmware's NVRAM settings so that rEFInd will start the next time you boot. If you've booted to OS X or in non-Secure-Boot EFI mode to Linux on a UEFI-based PC, <tt>install.sh</tt> will probably do the right thing, so you can get by with the quick instructions. If your setup is unusual, if your computer uses Secure Boot, or if you want to create a USB flash drive with rEFInd on it, you should read the <a href="#extra_installsh">extra instructions</a> for this utility.</p>
 103
 104 <h3>Quick <tt>install.sh</tt> Instructions</h3>
 105
 106 <p>Under Linux, the <tt>install.sh</tt> script installs rEFInd to your disk's ESP. Under Mac OS X, the script installs rEFInd to your current OS X boot partition by default; but you can install to your ESP instead by passing the script the <tt>--esp</tt> option.</p>
 107
 108 <p>Before running this script under Linux, you should ensure that your ESP is mounted at <tt>/boot</tt> or <tt>/boot/efi</tt>, as described in more detail in the <a href="#linux">Installing rEFInd Manually Using Linux</a> section. (If you installed Linux in EFI mode, chances are your ESP is properly mounted.) This precaution isn't necessary under OS X.</p>
 109
 110 <p>A sample run under Linux looks something like this:</p>
 111
 112 <pre class="listing">
 113 # <tt class="userinput">./install.sh</tt>
 114 Installing rEFInd on Linux....
 115 ESP was found at /boot/efi using vfat
 116 Copied rEFInd binary files
 117
 118 Copying sample configuration file as refind.conf; edit this file to configure
 119 rEFInd.
 120
 121
 122 Installation has completed successfully.</pre>
 123
 124 <p>The output under OS X is a bit different:</p>
 125
 126 <pre class="listing">
 127 $ <tt class="userinput">./install.sh</tt>
 128 Not running as root; attempting to elevate privileges via sudo....
 129 Password:
 130 Installing rEFInd on OS X....
 131 Installing rEFInd to the partition mounted at '/'
 132 Copied rEFInd binary files
 133
 134 Copying sample configuration file as refind.conf; edit this file to configure
 135 rEFInd.
 136
 137
 138 WARNING: If you have an Advanced Format disk, *DO NOT* attempt to check the
 139 bless status with 'bless --info', since this is known to cause disk corruption
 140 on some systems!!
 141
 142
 143 Installation has completed successfully.</pre>
 144
 145 <p>In either case, the details of the output differ depending on your existing configuration and how you ran the program. Unless you see an obvious warning or error, you shouldn't be concerned about minor deviations from these examples. If you run into such a situation, or if you want to install in an unusual way, read on....</p>
 146
 147 <a name="extra_installsh">
 148 <h3>Extra <tt>install.sh</tt> Instructions</h3>
 149 </a>
 150
 151 <p>Some details that can affect how the script runs include the following:</p>
 152
 153 <ul>
 154
 155 <li>If you run the script as an ordinary user, it attempts to acquire
 156     <tt>root</tt> privileges by using the <tt>sudo</tt> command. This works
 157     on Mac OS X and some Linux installations (such as under Ubuntu or if
 158     you've added yourself to the <tt>sudo</tt> users list), but on some
 159     Linux installations this will fail. On such systems, you should run
 160     <tt>install.sh</tt> as <tt>root</tt>.</li>
 161
 162 <li>Under OS X, you can run the script with a mouse by opening a Terminal
 163     session and then dragging-and-dropping the <tt>install.sh</tt> file to
 164     the Terminal window. You'll need to press the Return or Enter key to
 165     run the script.</li>
 166
 167 <li>If you're using OS X 10.7's Whole Disk Encryption (WDE) feature, you
 168     <i>must</i> install rEFInd to the ESP, so the <tt>--esp</tt> option to
 169     <tt>install.sh</tt> is required. I'm still a little bit foggy about
 170     what's required to boot the system once this is done; see <a
 171     href="https://sourceforge.net/p/refind/discussion/general/thread/5c7d0195/">this
 172     forum thread</a> for a discussion of the topic.</li>
 173
 174 <li>If you're replacing rEFIt with rEFInd on a Mac, there's a chance that
 175     <tt>install.sh</tt> will warn you about the presence of a program
 176     called <tt>/Library/StartupItems/rEFItBlesser</tt> and ask if you want
 177     to delete it. This program is designed to keep rEFIt set as the boot
 178     manager by automatically re-blessing it if the default boot manager
 179     changes. This is obviously undesirable if you install rEFInd as your
 180     primary boot manager, so it's generally best to remove this program. If
 181     you prefer to keep your options open, you can answer <tt
 182     class="userinput">N</tt> when <tt>install.sh</tt> asks if you want to
 183     delete rEFItBlesser, and instead manually copy it elsewhere. If you
 184     subsequently decide to go back to using rEFIt as your primary boot
 185     manager, you can restore rEFItBlesser to its place.</li>
 186
 187 <li>If you're using OS X and an Advanced Format disk, heed the warning that
 188     <tt>install.sh</tt> displays and <i><b>do not</b></i> use <tt>bless
 189     --info</tt> to check your installation status; this combination has
 190     been reported to cause disk corruption on some Macs!</li>
 191
 192 <li>If you intend to boot BIOS-based OSes on a UEFI-based PC, you
 193     <i>must</i> edit the <tt>refind.conf</tt> file's <tt>scanfor</tt> line
 194     to enable the relevant searches. This is <i>not</i> necessary on Macs,
 195     though; because of the popularity of dual boots with Windows on Macs,
 196     the BIOS/legacy scans are enabled by default on Macs.</li>
 197
 198 <li>If you run <tt>install.sh</tt> on Linux and if
 199     <tt>/boot/refind_linux.conf</tt> doesn't already exist,
 200     <tt>install.sh</tt> creates this file and populates it with a couple of
 201     sample entries. If <tt>/boot</tt> is on a FAT partition (or HFS+ on a
 202     Mac), or if it's on an ext2fs, ext3fs, ReiserFS, or HFS+ partition and
 203     you install an appropriate driver (for instance by passing
 204     <tt>--drivers</tt> to the script), the result is that rEFInd will
 205     detect your kernel and will probably boot it correctly. Some systems
 206     will require manual tweaking to <tt>refind_linux.conf</tt>,
 207     though&mdash;for instance, to add <tt>dolvm</tt> to the boot options on
 208     Gentoo systems that use LVM.</li>
 209
 210 </ul>
 211
 212 <p>In addition to these quirks, you should be aware of some options that <tt>install.sh</tt> supports to enable you to customize your installation in various ways. The syntax for <tt>install.sh</tt> is as follows:</p>
 213
 214 <pre class="listing">
 215 install.sh [--esp | --usedefault <tt class="variable">device-file</tt>] [--drivers] [--shim <tt class="variable">shim-filename</tt>] \
 216            [--localkeys]
 217 </pre>
 218
 219 <p>The details of the options are summarized in <a href="#table1">Table 1.</a> Using some of these options in unusual conditions can generate warnings and prompts to confirm your actions. In particular, using <tt>--shim</tt> or <tt>--localkeys</tt> when you're <i>not</i> booted in Secure Boot mode, or failing to use <tt>--shim</tt> when you <i>are</i> booted in Secure Boot mode, will generate a query and a request to confirm your installation. Consult the <a href="secureboot.html">Managing Secure Boot</a> page for more on this topic.</p>
 220
 221 <table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="2" summary="Table 1: Options to <tt>install.sh</tt>"><a name="table1"><caption><b>Table 1: Options to <tt>install.sh</tt></b></caption></a>
 222 <tr>
 223    <th>Option</th>
 224    <th>Explanation</th>
 225 </tr>
 226 <tr>
 227    <td><tt>--esp</tt></td>
 228    <td>This option tells <tt>install.sh</tt> to install rEFInd to the ESP of your computer. This option is only useful on OS X; on Linux, installing to the ESP is the default, so <tt>--esp</tt> is implicit on Linux. Be aware that some users have reported sluggish boots when installing rEFInd to the ESP on Macs. Installing rEFInd anywhere but the ESP makes little sense on UEFI-based PCs, except for the partial exception of removable boot media, which you can prepare with <tt>--usedefault</tt>.</td>
 229 </tr>
 230 <tr>
 231    <td><tt>--usedefault <tt class="variable">device-file</tt></tt></td>
 232    <td>You can install rEFInd to a disk using the default/fallback filename of <tt>EFI/BOOT/bootx64.efi</tt> (and <tt>EFI/BOOT/bootia32.efi</tt>, if the 32-bit build is available) using this option. The <tt class="variable">device-file</tt> should be an <i>unmounted</i> ESP, or at least a FAT partition, as in <tt>--usedefault /dev/sdc1</tt>. Your computer's NVRAM entries will <i>not</i> be modified when installing in this way. The intent is that you can create a bootable USB flash drive or install rEFInd on a computer that tends to "forget" its NVRAM settings with this option. This option is mutually exclusive with <tt>--esp</tt>.</td>
 233 </tr>
 234 <tr>
 235    <td><tt>--drivers</tt></td>
 236    <td>Ordinarily <tt>install.sh</tt> does not install drivers; but when you specify this option, it does; it copies all the driver files for your architecture. You may want to remove unused driver files after you use this option, especially if your computer uses Secure Boot.</td>
 237 </tr>
 238 <tr>
 239    <td><tt>--shim <tt class="variable">shim-filename</tt></tt></td>
 240    <td>If you pass this option to <tt>install.sh</tt>, the script will copy the specified shim program file to the target directory, copy the <tt>MokManager.efi</tt> file from the shim program file's directory to the target directory, copy the 64-bit version of rEFInd as <tt>grubx64.efi</tt>, and register shim with the firmware. (If you also specify <tt>--usedefault</tt>, the NVRAM registration is skipped.) The intent is to simplify rEFInd installation on a computer that uses Secure Boot; when so set up, rEFInd will boot in Secure Boot mode, with one caveat: The first time you boot, MokManager will launch, and you must use it to locate and install a public key. This key file will be located in the rEFInd directory under the name <tt>refind.cer</tt>. Note that I'm not providing a shim binary myself, but you can download one from <a href="http://www.codon.org.uk/~mjg59/shim-signed/">here.</a> In the not-too-distant future, most distributions will provide their own shim programs, so you'll be able to point to them&mdash;for instance, in <tt>/boot/efi/EFI/redhat/shim.efi</tt>.</td>
 241 </tr>
 242 <tr>
 243    <td><tt>--localkeys</tt></td>
 244    <td>This option tells <tt>install.sh</tt> to generate a new Machine Owner Key (MOK), store it in <tt>/etc/refind.d/keys</tt> as <tt>refind_local.*</tt>, and re-sign all the 64-bit rEFInd binaries with this key before installing them. This is the preferable way to install rEFInd in Secure Boot mode, since it means your binaries will be signed locally rather than with my own key, which is used to sign many other users' binaries; however, this method requires that both the <tt>openssl</tt> and <tt>sbsign</tt> binaries be installed. The former is readily available in most distributions' repositories, but the latter is not, so this option is not the default.</td>
 245 </tr>
 246 </table>
 247
 248 <p>In any event, you should peruse the script's output to ensure that everything looks OK. <tt>install.sh</tt> displays error messages when it encounters errors, such as if the ESP is mounted read-only or if you run out of disk space. You may need to correct such problems manually and re-run the script. In some cases you may need to fall back on manual installation, which gives you better control over details such as which partition to use for installation.</p>
 249
 250 <a name="linux">
 251 <h2>Installing rEFInd Manually Using Linux</h2>
 252 </a>
 253
 254 <p>On a UEFI-based PC, you'll normally install rEFInd to the ESP, which is usually mounted at <tt>/boot/efi</tt>. You can verify that this is the case by using the <tt>df</tt> command:</p>
 255
 256 <pre class="listing">
 257 $ <b>df /boot/efi</b>
 258 Filesystem     1K-blocks  Used Available Use% Mounted on
 259 /dev/sda1         191284 16604    174681   9% /boot/efi
 260 </pre>
 261
 262 <p class="sidebar"><b>Warning:</b> If you're running Linux on a Mac, I recommend you install rEFInd under OS X. The Mac's boot process deviates a bit from EFI standards, so you'll probably have to use a tool called <tt>bless</tt> under Mac OS to do the job. Alternatively, there's a new Linux program, <tt>hfs-bless</tt>, part of the <a href="http://www.codon.org.uk/~mjg59/mactel-boot/"><tt>mactel-boot</tt></a> package, that's supposed to work with <tt>efibootmgr</tt> to make a Mac HFS partition bootable. I've not yet tried it, though. There are also reports that the <tt>efibootmgr</tt> tool used under Linux can corrupt some Macs' firmware. Although I've seen some vague suggestions that this problem has been fixed under 3.<i>x</i> kernels, I haven't tested this claim.</p>
 263
 264 <p>This example shows that <tt>/dev/sda1</tt> is mounted at <tt>/boot/efi</tt>, which is a typical configuration. (The ESP can be on another disk or partition, but <tt>/dev/sda1</tt> is the most common place for an ESP.) If your output shows <tt>/boot</tt> or <tt>/</tt> under the <tt>Mounted on</tt> column, then your ESP isn't mounted. (An exception is if you're mounting the ESP at <tt>/boot</tt>. This is an unusual configuration. If you're using it, you can proceed, making suitable adjustments to subsequent commands.) If you get a <tt>df: `/boot/efi': No such file or directory</tt> error message, then the <tt>/boot/efi</tt> directory doesn't even exist. In such cases, you may need to jump through some extra hoops, as described on my <a href="http://www.rodsbooks.com/efi-bootloaders/installation.html">EFI Boot Loader Installation</a> page.</p>
 265
 266 <p>Assuming the ESP is mounted at <tt>/boot/efi</tt>, you can install the rEFInd files as follows (you must be <tt>root</tt> to issue these commands, or precede each of them with <tt><b>sudo</b></tt>):</p>
 267
 268 <ol>
 269
 270 <li>Type <tt><b>cp -r refind /boot/efi/EFI/</b></tt> from the <tt>refind-<i>version</i></tt> directory in which the <tt>refind</tt> directory exists. This copies all the files that rEFInd needs to work. Note that this includes <i>all</i> of rEFInd's drivers. This command also copies the rEFInd binaries as signed by me; if you prefer to re-sign the binaries yourself, you'll have to do so before or during the copy operation, as described on the <a href="secureboot.html">Managing Secure Boot</a> page.</li>
 271
 272 <li>Type <tt><b>cd /boot/efi/EFI/refind</b></tt> to change into rEFInd's new directory on the ESP.</li>
 273
 274 <li>Type <tt><b>rm refind_ia32.efi</b></tt> to remove the IA32 binary if you're using an <i>x</i>86-64 (64-bit) system; or type <tt><b>rm refind_x64.efi</b></tt> to remove the <i>x</i>86-64 binary if you're using an <i>x</i>86 (32-bit) system. You can optionally rename the binary you keep as <tt>refind.efi</tt>, but this isn't required. (Note that you must keep the version that's the correct bit width for your EFI; if you've installed a 32-bit Linux on a 64-bit PC with a 64-bit EFI, you'd keep <tt>refind_x64.efi</tt>.</li>
 275
 276 <li>Optionally, type <tt class="userinput">rm -r drivers_ia32</tt> to remove the <i>x</i>86 drivers from an <i>x</i>86-64 system, or <tt class="userinput">rm -r drivers_x64</tt> to remove the <i>x</i>86-64 drivers from a 32-bit <i>x</i>86 system. You may also want to remove some or all of the drivers for the architecture you are using; if you don't need them, they'll slow down the start process. See the <a href="drivers.html">page on drivers</a> for more on this topic.</li>
 277
 278 <li>Rename the configuration file by typing <tt><b>mv refind.conf-sample refind.conf</b></tt>. Consult the <a href="configfile.html">Editing the rEFInd Configuration File</a> page for information on how to adjust your options.</li>
 279
 280 <p class="sidebar"><b>Weird:</b> A <a href="http://mjg59.dreamwidth.org/20187.html">bug exists</a> in some Lenovo computers (and perhaps in some others, too) that causes the firmware's boot manager to refuse to boot any boot loader that doesn't have the name <tt>Windows Boot Manager</tt> or <tt>Red Hat Enterprise Linux</tt>. If you have such a system, you must pass one of those names (in quotes) rather than <tt>rEFInd</tt> to <tt>efibootmgr</tt> via its <tt>-L</tt> option. This bug was reported to Lenovo in mid-November 2012, so with any luck updated firmware without this bug will be available later this year or early in 2013. I can make no promises about this, though.</p>
 281
 282 <a name="efibootmgr">
 283 <li>On a UEFI-based system, type <tt><b>efibootmgr -c -l \\EFI\\refind\\refind_x64.efi -L rEFInd</b></tt> to add rEFInd to your EFI's list of available boot loaders, which it stores in NVRAM. Adjust the path to the binary as required if you install somewhere else. You may also need to include additional options if your ESP isn't on <tt>/dev/sda1</tt> or if your configuration is otherwise unusual; consult the <tt>efibootmgr</tt> man page for details. You may need to install this program on some systems; it's a standard part of most distributions' repositories. Also, if you're installing in Secure Boot mode, you must normally register <tt>shim.efi</tt> rather than the rEFInd binary, and rename <tt>refind_x64.efi</tt> to <tt>grubx64.efi</tt>.</li>
 284 </a>
 285
 286 <li>If other boot loaders are already installed, you can use <tt>efibootmgr</tt> to adjust their boot order. For instance, <b><tt>efibootmgr -o 3,7,2</tt></b> sets the firmware to try boot loader #3 first, followed by #7, followed by #2. (The program should have displayed a list of boot loaders when you added yours in the preceding step.) Place rEFInd's number first to set it as the default boot program.</li>
 287
 288 </ol>
 289
 290 <p>Note the use of doubled-up backslashes (<tt>\\</tt>) rather than forward slashes (<tt>/</tt>) in the directory separators when using <tt>efibootmgr</tt>. This command will work on most systems that are already booted into EFI mode; however, it won't work if you're booted in BIOS mode. You may also need to add options if your ESP is in some unusual location or if your system is unusual in some way. Consult the <tt>efibootmgr</tt> man page if you need help.</p>
 291
 292 <p>On some systems, <tt>efibootmgr</tt> won't do what you expect. On such systems, you may have better luck renaming the rEFInd files, as described in the <a href="#naming">Alternative Naming Options</a> section.</p>
 293
 294 <a name="osx">
 295 <h2>Installing rEFInd Manually Using Mac OS X</h2>
 296 </a>
 297
 298 <p>Before installing rEFInd on a Mac, you must determine whether it uses a 32-bit or 64-bit EFI implementation. Most Intel-based Macs have 64-bit EFIs, so you should use the <tt>refind_x64.efi</tt> file with them; but very early Intel-based Macs have 32-bit EFIs (and sometimes 32-bit CPUs), which require the <tt>refind_ia32.efi</tt> file. You can determine whether your Mac needs the <i>x</i>86-64 or IA32 build by typing the following command in a Mac Terminal window:</p>
 299
 300 <pre class="listing">
 301 $ <b>ioreg -l -p IODeviceTree | grep firmware-abi</b>
 302 </pre>
 303
 304 <p>The result should include either <tt>EFI32</tt> or <tt>EFI64</tt>, indicating that you should use the <tt>refind_ia32.efi</tt> or <tt>refind_x64.efi</tt> binary, respectively.</p>
 305
 306 <p class="sidebar"><b>Warning:</b> Numerous rEFIt bug reports indicate disk corruption problems on disks over about 500 GiB. <a href="https://sourceforge.net/tracker/?func=detail&aid=3218104&group_id=161917&atid=821764">This</a> report on the problem, and particularly the post by mic-marchen, suggests that the problem is related to a bug in OS X's <tt>bless</tt> utility, and particularly its <tt>--info</tt> option, that causes it to corrupt data on disks with 4 KiB sectors. These <i>Advanced Format</i> disks are becoming increasingly common, particularly at larger disk sizes. Therefore, I <i>strongly</i> recommend that you <i>not</i> type <tt class="userinput">sudo bless --info</tt> to check the status of your installation if you have such a disk, or even if you suspect you might have such a disk. (I've seen Advanced Format disks as small as 320 GB.)</p>
 307
 308 <p>The procedure for installing rEFInd on a Mac is similar to that for installing it under Linux, except that you can (and probably should) install it to OS X's system partition or some other HFS+ partition rather than to the ESP, and you must use the <tt>bless</tt> utility rather than <tt>efibootmgr</tt>. To be precise, you should follow these steps:</p>
 309
 310 <ol>
 311
 312 <li>Open a Terminal window in which you'll type the following
 313     commands.</li>
 314
 315 <li>If you want to install rEFInd on your ESP, you must first mount it. You
 316     can do this by typing <b><tt>mkdir /Volumes/esp</tt></b> followed by
 317     <b><tt>sudo mount -t msdos /dev/disk0s1 /Volumes/esp</tt></b>. Note
 318     that this step is usually optional, and it makes the procedure a bit
 319     more complex, so you might want to forego it. On the other hand,
 320     installing to the ESP is required if you're using the whole-disk
 321     encryption feature of OS X 10.7. Note that you may need to change
 322     <tt>/dev/disk0s1</tt> to something else if your ESP is at an unusual
 323     location. Use a tool such as my <a
 324     href="http://www.rodsbooks.com/gdisk/">GPT fdisk (<tt>gdisk</tt>)</a>
 325     to examine your partition table to find your ESP if necessary.</li>
 326
 327 <li>Type <b><tt>sudo mkdir -p /efi/refind</tt></b> to create a suitable
 328     directory for rEFInd. If you want to place rEFInd on the ESP or some
 329     other partition, you should adjust the pathname appropriately, as in
 330     <tt>/Volumes/esp/efi/refind</tt>. Alternatively, you can use the Finder
 331     to create the directory.</li>
 332
 333 <li>Copy the files in the <tt>refind</tt> subdirectory of the rEFInd binary
 334     package to the like-named directory you've just created. You can do
 335     this in the Finder or by typing <b><tt>sudo cp -r refind/*
 336     /efi/refind/</tt></b> in your Terminal window after changing into the
 337     rEFInd package's main directory.</li>
 338
 339 <li>Remove the file for the version of rEFInd you're not using, as in
 340     <b><tt>sudo rm /efi/refind/refind_ia32.efi</tt></b> on a Mac with a
 341     64-bit EFI or <b><tt>sudo rm /efi/refind/refind_x64.efi</tt></b> on a
 342     Mac with a 32-bit EFI.</li>
 343
 344 <li>Optionally, remove the drivers directory for the architecture you're
 345     not using&mdash;<tt>/efi/refind/drivers_ia32</tt> or
 346     <tt>/efi/refind/drivers_x64</tt>, as appropriate. You may also want to
 347     remove some or all of the drivers for the architecture you are using;
 348     if you don't need them, they'll slow down the start process. See the <a
 349     href="drivers.html">page on drivers</a> for more on this topic. Note
 350     that Apple's firmware includes its own HFS+ driver, so the HFS+ driver
 351     provided with rEFInd is useless on Macs.</li>
 352
 353 <li>If this is your first installation, type <b><tt>sudo mv
 354     /efi/refind/refind.conf-sample /efi/refind/refind.conf</tt></b>
 355     (adjusting the path as necessary) to rename the sample configuration
 356     file so that it will serve as a real configuration file. (Again, you
 357     can do this with the Finder, if you prefer.)</li>
 358
 359 <li>"Bless" rEFInd by typing one of the following two commands:
 360     <ul>
 361     <li>If you're installing rEFInd to an ordinary HFS+ volume, type <tt
 362         class="userinput">sudo bless --setBoot --folder /efi/refind --file
 363         /efi/refind/refind_x64.efi</tt>. (Adjust the path and filename as
 364         necessary if you're placing rEFInd somewhere else or using the
 365         32-bit version.)</li>
 366     <li>If you're installing rEFInd on the ESP, type <tt
 367         class="userinput">sudo bless --mount /Volumes/esp --setBoot --file
 368         /Volumes/esp/efi/refind/refind_x64.efi</tt>, adjusting the mount
 369         point and exact path to the file as appropriate for your
 370         installation.</li>
 371     </ul>
 372     As per the Warning earlier, <i>do not</i> use <tt>bless</tt>'s
 373     <tt>--info</tt> option to try to confirm the change to the boot status
 374     unless you're certain you do <i>not</i> have an Advanced Format hard
 375     disk.</li>
 376
 377 <li>If you don't want to reboot immediately after installing rEFInd, you
 378     may optionally unmount the ESP by typing <tt class="userinput">sudo
 379     umount /dev/disk0s1</tt> or <tt class="userinput">sudo umount
 380     /Volumes/esp</tt>. This step isn't strictly required, but if you want
 381     to keep the ESP out of your directory tree, it can be useful.</li>
 382
 383 </ol>
 384
 385 <p>When you reboot, your Mac should bring up the rEFInd menu, and should continue to do so thereafter. If you make changes that break this association, you can re-run the <tt>bless</tt> command (if necessary, restoring the rEFInd files first). This might be necessary after installing system updates from Apple or if you upgrade rEFInd to a newer version.</p>
 386
 387 <p>If you're replacing rEFIt, you may discover that rEFInd works on the first boot, but the system reverts back to rEFIt or a direct boot to OS X on the second boot. To fix this problem, you can remove the rEFItBlesser program, which is located at <tt>/Library/StartupItems/rEFItBlesser</tt>. This program attempts to keep rEFIt set as the default boot loader, but it also has the purpose of protecting the computer from launching the wrong OS after waking from sleep. If you want that protection, my suggestion is to install rEFIt and rEFItBlesser and then replace the <tt>refit.efi</tt> file with <tt>refind_x64.efi</tt> or <tt>refind_ia32.efi</tt> (renaming it to <tt>refit.efi</tt>. Used in this way, rEFInd will still look for its own configuration file, <tt>refind.conf</tt>, so you'll need to move it but <i>not</i> rename it. If you don't move the icons from the rEFInd package, your icons will continue to look like rEFIt icons, and you'll be missing the new icons for specific Linux distributions that rEFInd provides. One final caveat: It's conceivable that rEFItBlesser is what's causing filesystem corruption for some users, so if you've been having this problem with rEFIt, it might be worth disabling this program and not using it with rEFInd.</p>
 388
 389 <p>If you want to remove rEFInd from your system, you can delete its files. The Mac will revert to booting using whatever standard boot loader it can find. Alternatively, you can use <tt>bless</tt> to bless another EFI boot loader. The GUI Startup Disk utility in System Preferences provides a simplified interface that enables you to select which OS X installation to boot, but it doesn't look for non-Apple boot loaders, so you can't use it to enable rEFInd.</p>
 390
 391 <a name="windows">
 392 <h2>Installing rEFInd Manually Using Windows</h2>
 393 </a>
 394
 395 <p class="sidebar"><b>Warning:</b> Windows 8 implements a fast shutdown feature that helps speed up shutdown and startup operations on a single-boot computer. Unfortunately, this feature can cause filesystem corruption if it's used on a multi-boot computer. You can disable the feature by launching an Administrator Command Prompt window and typing <tt class="userinput">powercfg /h off</tt> in it.</p>
 396
 397 <p>To install rEFInd under Windows, you must first find a way to access the ESP, which Windows normally hides from view. One way to accomplish this goal, and to proceed forward once the ESP is accessible, is as follows:</p>
 398
 399 <ol>
 400
 401 <li>Locate Command Prompt in the Start menu, right-click it, and select Run as Administrator. This action opens a Command Prompt window with administrative privileges.</li>
 402
 403 <li>Type <b><tt>mountvol S: /S</tt></b> in the Administrator Command Prompt window. This makes the ESP accessible as drive <tt>S:</tt> from that window. (You can use a drive identifier other than <tt>S:</tt> if you like.)</li>
 404
 405 <li>Change into the main rEFInd package directory, so that the <tt>refind</tt> subdirectory is visible when you type <b><tt>dir</tt></b>.</li>
 406
 407 <li>Type <b><tt>xcopy /E refind S:\EFI\refind\</tt></b> to copy the <tt>refind</tt> directory tree to the ESP's <tt>EFI</tt> directory. If you omit the trailing backslash from this command, <tt>xcopy</tt> will ask if you want to create the <tt>refind</tt> directory. Tell it to do so.</li>
 408
 409 <li>Type <b><tt>cd S:</tt></b> to change to the ESP.</li>
 410
 411 <li>Type <b><tt>cd EFI\refind</tt></b> to change into the <tt>refind</tt> subdirectory</li>
 412
 413 <li>Type <b><tt>del refind_ia32.efi</tt></b> to delete the unused 32-bit version of rEFInd. (Windows only supports EFI boots on 64-bit EFI implementations and in 64-bit versions of Windows.)</li>
 414
 415 <li>Optionally type <tt class="userinput">rd /s drivers_ia32</tt> to delete the <tt>drivers_ia32</tt> directory and its contents. You may also want to selectively delete some of the drivers in the <tt>drivers_x64</tt> directory, depending on your needs. Unnecessary drivers may slow the rEFInd start process. See the <a href="drivers.html">page on drivers</a> for more on this topic.</li>
 416
 417 <li>Type <b><tt>rename refind.conf-sample refind.conf</tt></b> to rename rEFInd's configuration file.</li>
 418
 419 <li>Type <b><tt>bcdedit /set {bootmgr} path \EFI\refind\refind_x64.efi</tt></b> to set rEFInd as the default EFI boot program. Note that <tt>{bootmgr}</tt> is entered as such; that's not a notation for a variable.</li>
 420
 421 <li>If you like, type <b><tt>bcdedit /set {bootmgr} description "<i>rEFInd description</i>"</tt></b> to set a description (change <tt><i>rEFInd description</i></tt> as you see fit).</li>
 422
 423 </ol>
 424
 425 <p>At this point, when you reboot, rEFInd should appear as your new default boot program. One caveat: My only EFI Windows installation uses UEFI DUET, which "forgets" its boot options upon reboot. Thus, I'm unable to test the last two steps (which were provided by a helpful user) myself. If it doesn't work for you, you have several other options, such as:</p>
 426
 427 <ul>
 428
 429 <li>You can rename files on the ESP. as described in the next section, <a href="#naming">Alternative Naming Options.</a></li>
 430
 431 <li>You can boot from an optical disc into an emergency OS to do the job. Ubuntu, for instance, provides an EFI-bootable installer with a "try before installation" mode. You'll need to type <b><tt>sudo apt-get install efibootmgr</tt></b> to install <tt>efibootmgr</tt>, but you can then use that program as described <a href="#efibootmgr">earlier</a>. (If you're using Ubuntu, you'll need to precede the command with <b><tt>sudo</tt></b>.</li>
 432
 433 <li>You may be able to use rEFInd's bootable CD image to use rEFInd to boot an OS that's been installed but rendered inoperable because of changes to your boot order. You can then use <tt>efibootmgr</tt>, <tt>bless</tt>, or some other tool to restore rEFInd as the default boot loader.</li>
 434
 435 </ul>
 436
 437 <a name="naming">
 438 <h2>Alternative Naming Options</h2>
 439 </a>
 440
 441 <p>Some EFI implementations do a poor job of honoring the boot options set via Linux's <tt>efibootmgr</tt> or other tools. You may also lack access to such utilities, such as if you must install rEFInd in Windows. In such cases, you may need to change the boot loader's name so that the EFI will see it as the default boot loader. rEFInd should then boot when your NVRAM lacks information on specific boot loaders to use. To do this, follow these steps:</p>
 442
 443 <ol>
 444
 445 <li>Access your ESP and install rEFInd to it, as described in earlier sections.</li>
 446
 447 <li>Look for an existing directory called <tt>EFI/BOOT</tt> or <tt>EFI/Microsoft/BOOT</tt>. If neither of these directories exist, skip the next step. (Note that FAT is case-insensitive, so the name may vary in case.)</li>
 448
 449 <li>Rename the existing directory or boot loader file to something else. For <tt>EFI/BOOT</tt>, try renaming it to <tt>EFI/Oldboot</tt>. For <tt>EFI/Microsoft/BOOT</tt>, move or rename the <tt>bootmgfw.efi</tt> file it contains. For instance, you can move it to <tt>EFI/Microsoft</tt>. This will keep the boot loader accessible to rEFInd's menu, while preventing the firmware from launching it automatically.</li>
 450
 451 <li>Rename/move your <tt>EFI/refind</tt> directory to <tt>EFI/BOOT</tt>. If you're working from <tt>EFI/Microsoft/BOOT</tt>, you should move the contents of your rEFInd directory to <tt>EFI/Microsoft/BOOT</tt>.</li>
 452
 453 <li>Rename <tt>EFI/BOOT/refind_x64.efi</tt> to the name of the boot loader it's replacing&mdash;it should become <tt>EFI/BOOT/bootx64.efi</tt> or <tt>EFI/Microsoft/BOOT/bootmgfw.efi</tt>.</li>
 454
 455 </ol>
 456
 457 <p>When you reboot, rEFInd should come up. With any luck, it will detect your old boot loader as an option, if one was installed before.</p>
 458
 459 <a name="upgrading">
 460 <h2>Upgrading rEFInd</h2>
 461 </a>
 462
 463 <p>If you've installed an earlier version of rEFInd, you can upgrade a bit more easily than you can install directly:</p>
 464
 465 <ul>
 466
 467 <li>On a UEFI-based PC, under any OS, you should be able to replace your
 468     old rEFInd file with the new one. Make sure that the new rEFInd has the
 469     same name as the old one, and that it's for the correct CPU type. Since
 470     UEFI launches boot programs by filename, a simple file replacement will
 471     suffice to launch the new version. If the new version includes new
 472     icons, you may want to copy some or all of them.</li>
 473
 474 <li>On a Mac, you can copy over the old rEFInd binary file <i>from
 475     Linux</i> and it will usually work, provided you copy <i>directly</i>
 476     over the old file (rather than rename or delete the old file and then
 477     copy the new one in its place). The same caveats about icons as apply
 478     to UEFI-based PCs apply in this case. This method requires an extra
 479     step in Mac OS X, though....</li>
 480
 481 <li>In OS X, if you copy over the original file with the new one, you'll
 482     probably have to re-bless it to make it work.</li>
 483
 484 <li>Under Linux or OS X, you can re-run the <tt>install.sh</tt> script. In
 485     most cases this works fine, but you'll end up with a duplicate of the
 486     icons directory (<tt>icons-backup</tt>, which holds the original icons,
 487     whereas <tt>icons</tt> holds the icons from the new package). Normally
 488     this just wastes some disk space; but if you've customized your icons,
 489     you'll need to copy your altered icons back.</li>
 490
 491 </ul>
 492
 493 <p>In all cases, if the new version includes new or altered configuration file options, you may need to manually update your configuration file. Alternatively, if you've used the default configuration file, you can replace your working <tt>refind.conf</tt> with <tt>refind.conf-sample</tt> from the rEFInd zip file. (When using <tt>install.sh</tt>, this file will be copied to rEFInd's installation directory under its original name, so you can rename it within that directory to replace the old file.</p>
 494
 495 <p>If you're upgrading to rEFInd from rEFIt, you can simply run the <tt>install.sh</tt> script as described earlier or perform a manual installation. Once installed, rEFInd will take over boot manager duties. You'll still be able to launch rEFIt from rEFInd; a rEFIt icon will appear in rEFInd's menu. You can eliminate this option by removing the rEFIt files, which normally reside in <tt>/EFI/refit</tt>.</p>
 496
 497 <a name="addons">
 498 <h2>Installing Additional Components</h2>
 499 </a>
 500
 501 <p>rEFInd includes the ability to launch any EFI program; however, rEFInd detects only certain programs. These include boot loaders in traditional locations and a handful of other programs. To launch these other programs, you must download and install them separately from rEFInd:</p>
 502
 503 <ul>
 504
 505 <li><b><a
 506     href="http://tianocore.git.sourceforge.net/git/gitweb.cgi?p=tianocore/edk2;a=blob_plain;f=EdkShellBinPkg/FullShell/X64/Shell_Full.efi;hb=HEAD"><tt>shell.efi</tt></a></b>&mdash;This
 507     file, placed in the ESP's <tt>efi/tools</tt> directory, adds the
 508     ability to launch a text-mode EFI shell from rEFInd. Note that the
 509     download link is to a 64-bit binary that must be renamed before rEFInd
 510     will recognize it. Additional shell download links appear on the <a
 511     href="https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Unified_Extensible_Firmware_Interface#UEFI_Shell_download_links">Arch
 512     Linux wiki,</a> and on other sites; try a Web search if the shell you
 513     find doesn't work to your satisfaction.</li>
 514
 515 <li><b><tt>gptsync.efi</tt></b>&mdash;This program creates a <a
 516     href="http://www.rodsbooks.com/gdisk/hybrid.html">hybrid MBR</a> from
 517     your regular GPT disk. A hybrid MBR is a dangerous hack that enables
 518     Windows and OS X to coexist on a Macintosh disk. If you're using a
 519     UEFI-based PC, a hybrid MBR will be useless at best, so you shouldn't
 520     create one, and it's safest to not install <tt>gptsync.efi</tt>. If
 521     you're using a hybrid MBR to enable dual-booting Windows and OS X on a
 522     Mac, though, placing this program file in the ESP's or Mac boot
 523     partition's <tt>efi/tools</tt> directory will enable you to regenerate
 524     your hybrid MBR should some other tool convert the MBR to a standard
 525     protective MBR. You can obtain the file from the <a
 526     href="http://refit.sourceforge.net">original rEFIt package.</a></li>
 527
 528 <li><b>Drivers</b>&mdash;You can install drivers to extend the capabilities
 529     of the EFI. rEFInd ships with filesystem drivers for ext2fs and
 530     ReiserFS, which can enable you to boot a Linux kernel with EFI stub
 531     support from an ext2fs, ext3fs, or ReiserFS partition. (rEFInd also
 532     provides ISO-9660 and HFS+ drivers.) You can find additional drivers
 533     from other sources, although they're still on the scarce side. See the
 534     <a href="drivers.html">Using EFI Drivers</a> page for more on this
 535     topic.</li>
 536
 537 <li><b>Secure Boot files</b>&mdash;If you're running on a system that
 538     supports Secure Boot, chances are you'll need extra support files, such
 539     as <tt>shim.efi</tt> and <tt>MokManager.efi</tt>. I describe these in
 540     detail on the <a href="secureboot.html">Managing Secure Boot</a>
 541     page.</li>
 542
 543 </ul>
 544
 545 <p>I've seen links to other versions of these tools from time to time on the Web, so if you try one of these programs and it crashes or behaves strangely, try performing a Web search; you may turn up something that works better for you than the one to which I've linked.</p>
 546
 547 <a name="sluggish">
 548 <h2>Fixing a Sluggish Macintosh Boot</h2>
 549 </a>
 550
 551 <p>I've received a few reports of a sluggish boot process (a delay of about 30 seconds before starting rEFInd) on some Macs after installing rEFInd. I've been unable to replicate this problem myself, and its true cause remains mysterious to me. I have found <a href="http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=12256273&postcount=200">a Web forum post</a> describing a possible fix. Be aware, though, that this procedure involves using the <tt>efibootmgr</tt> utility on Macs, which has been known to damage the firmware on some Macs. Other reports indicate that this problem has been fixed with 3.3.0 and later kernels. Thus, I present this information cautiously and with a strong "use at your own risk" warning. If you care to proceed, I recommend you update your Linux kernel to the latest possible version and then proceed as follows:</p>
 552
 553 <ol>
 554
 555 <li>Boot into Linux.</li>
 556
 557 <li>Type <tt class="userinput">efibootmgr</tt> as <tt>root</tt> to obtain a list of your boot loader entries. Each entry includes a boot number, as in <tt>Boot0003</tt> or <tt>Boot0027</tt>.</li>
 558
 559 <li>Remove all of the boot loader entries <i>except</i> rEFInd's by using <tt>efibootmgr</tt>'s <tt>-b <tt class="variable">bootnum</tt></tt> option to specify the boot entry and <tt>-B</tt> to delete it. For instance, typing <tt class="userinput">efibootmgr -b 0027 -B</tt> as <tt>root</tt> deletes boot entry <tt>Boot0027</tt>. Issue a separate <tt>efibootmgr</tt> command for each boot entry.</li>
 560
 561 <li>Re-install rEFInd using the install script. It's unclear from the original post if this meant installing from Linux or from OS X.</li>
 562
 563 </ol>
 564
 565 <a name="uninstalling">
 566 <h2>Uninstalling rEFInd</h2>
 567 </a>
 568
 569 <p>If you decide you don't want to keep rEFInd, you can uninstall it. Doing so is a matter of removing the rEFInd files from your ESP (or from your OS X boot partition, if you installed the program there). In Linux, a command like the following, typed as <tt>root</tt>, should do the trick:</p>
 570
 571 <pre class="listing">
 572 # <tt class="userinput">rm -r /boot/efi/EFI/refind</tt>
 573 </pre>
 574
 575 <p>This example assumes that your ESP is mounted at <tt>/boot/efi</tt> and that rEFInd is installed in <tt>EFI/refind</tt> on that partition. If you've mounted your ESP elsewhere, or installed rEFInd elsewhere, you should adjust the command appropriately.</p>
 576
 577 <p>The same procedure works in OS X, with the caveat that the ESP isn't normally mounted in OS X and rEFInd is installed to the OS X boot partition by default. You'll also need to use <tt>sudo</tt> to acquire <tt>root</tt> privileges. Thus, you'd probably use a command like the following in OS X:</p>
 578
 579 <pre class="listing">
 580 $ <tt class="userinput">sudo rm -r /EFI/refind</tt>
 581 </pre>
 582
 583 <p>Many variants of both of these commands are possible on both OS X and Linux. For instance, you'd probably use <tt>sudo</tt> on Ubuntu; and if you installed rEFInd to your ESP on a Mac, you'd need to first mount the ESP and include its path in the <tt>rm</tt> command.</p>
 584
 585 <p>From Windows, you must reverse the directions for <a href="#windows">installing in Windows</a>&mdash;type <tt class="userinput">mountvol S: /S</tt> to mount your ESP as <tt>S:</tt>, then navigate to the <tt>S:\EFI</tt> directory and delete the <tt>refind</tt> subdirectory.</p>
 586
 587 <p>In any of these cases, when the computer boots and cannot find the rEFInd files, it should move on to the next boot loader in its list. In my experience, some EFI firmware implementations remove boot loaders they can't find from their NVRAM lists, so nothing else will be required, provided you have another working boot loader in your firmware's list. If your firmware doesn't automatically clean up its NVRAM entries, rEFInd's entry will do little harm; however, you can delete it with the <tt>efibootmgr</tt> utility in Linux:</p>
 588
 589 <pre class="listing">
 590 # <tt class="userinput">efibootmgr --verbose</tt>
 591 Timeout: 10 seconds
 592 BootOrder: 0000,0007
 593 Boot0000* rEFInd        HD(2,1b8,64000,f1b7598e-baa8-16ea-4ef6-3ff3b606ac1e)File(\EFI\refind\refind.efi)
 594 Boot0007* CD/DVD Drive  BIOS(3,0,00)PATA: HP DVD Writer 1040r     .
 595 # <tt class="userinput">efibootmgr --delete-bootnum --bootnum 0000</tt>
 596 Timeout: 10 seconds
 597 BootOrder: 0007
 598 Boot0007* CD/DVD Drive</pre>
 599
 600 <p class="sidebar"><b>Warning:</b> As noted earlier, <tt>efibootmgr</tt> has been linked to firmware corruption on some Macs, at least with pre-3.0 Linux kernels. Therefore, I don't recommend using <tt>efibootmgr</tt> on Macs.</p>
 601
 602 <p>This example shows use of <tt>efibootmgr</tt>'s <tt>--verbose</tt> (<tt>-v</tt>) option to display boot loaders so as to identify which one is rEFInd, followed by <tt>--delete-bootnum</tt> (<tt>-B</tt>) to delete a boot program and <tt>--bootnum</tt> (<tt>-b</tt>) to identify which one to delete. Of course, in this example there's not much else left, so you'd presumably want to install another boot loader at this point! If you already have another one installed, you may want to check the <tt>BootOrder</tt> line to determine which one will take precedence when you reboot. If you don't like what it shows, you can adjust it with the <tt>--bootorder</tt> (<tt>-o</tt>) option; consult <tt>efibootmgr</tt>'s <tt>man</tt> page for details.</p>
 603
 604 <p>If you're not using Linux, you may be able to find a utility that serves a similar function. The OS X <tt>bless</tt> utility (or its GUI equivalent, the Startup Disk item in System Preferences) should do the trick; but Macs pick up standard OS X boot loaders when they boot and find that a configured non-standard boot loader is missing, so this shouldn't be necessary on Macs. Under Windows, the <tt>bcdedit</tt> command, described in the <a href="#windows">section on installing rEFInd under Windows,</a> may work, although I've not attempted this.</p>
 605
 606 <hr />
 607
 608 <p>copyright &copy; 2012 by Roderick W. Smith</p>
 609
 610 <p>This document is licensed under the terms of the <a href="FDL-1.3.txt">GNU Free Documentation License (FDL), version 1.3.</a></p>
 611
 612 <p>If you have problems with or comments about this Web page, please e-mail me at <a href="mailto:rodsmith@rodsbooks.com">rodsmith@rodsbooks.com.</a> Thanks.</p>
 613
 614 <p><a href="index.html">Go to the main rEFInd page</a></p>
 615
 616 <p><a href="using.html">Learn how to use rEFInd</a></p>
 617
 618   <p><a href="http://www.rodsbooks.com/">Return</a> to my main Web page.</p>
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