Building a triple-boot Mac: OS X 10.9, Linux Mint 18, Windows 7 #

This process was tested on a MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2012)^* and Samsung 830-Series MZ-7PC128B/WW 128GB Solid State Drive with OS X 10.9.5, Linux Mint Cinnamon 18 64-bit, and Windows 7 64-bit.

Install SSD. Any existing data will be deleted.
Boot from Mavericks installer
1. Disk Utility > Partition (GUID), format (Mac OS Extended (Journaled)), and name (OSX) volume
2. Install Mavericks to OSX normally
Boot from SSD
1. Boot Camp Assistant > allocate partition space as desired (keeping in mind that the Linux Mint partition will be carved out of the Windows partition)
2. Install Windows normally
Boot from Linux Mint 18 installer
1. Install Mint normally, selecting "Install Linux Mint alongside them" and specifying the desired sizes of the Windows and Mint partitions
When installation completes, boot to Startup Manager by holding the Option key. There are 3 options:
1. OSX = Mavericks
2. Recovery-10.9.5 = OS X Recovery
3. Windows = GNU GRUB, from which Linux Mint 18 or Windows 7 can be booted (ignore the OS X 32-bit and 64-bit entries)

Notes:

^* Other models may be less Linux-friendly:
- Warning: 2016 MacBook Pro is not compatible with Linux
- Macbook8,1 12-inch (Early 2015) keyboard and trackpad don't work
Of course, in lieu of steps 1 and 2, an existing OS X installation could be used, though the risk of data loss is very real and should be assumed.
If desired, rEFInd can be installed to manage boot options.
OS X can be installed normally to an SD card in the built-in card reader, but attempting to run Boot Camp Assistant from such a drive returns: "You cannot partition an external disk, a RAID disk or an internal disk on which FileVault encryption is in progress. Restart your computer using an internal disk that is not part of a RAID set or try it again after FileVault has completed."
Enable MacBook Pro's Broadcom wifi adapter in Linux Mint:
1. Lm Menu > Administration > Driver Manager > enter password
2. "Drivers cannot be installed. Please connect to the Internet or insert the Linux Mint installation DVD (or USB stick)."
3. Insert Mint media and click OK once it has mounted
4. "Failed to download repository information. Check your Internet connection." Click Close.
5. Select "bcmwl-kernel-source"
6. Click "Apply Changes"
Add the following to your .bashrc in Mint for slightly saner touchpad settings:

synclient TapButton1=1 synclient TapButton2=3 synclient TapButton3=2

See all options via synclient -l (e.g., enable palm detection: synclient PalmDetect=1, disable touchpad: synclient TouchpadOff=1, etc.)

/mac | Oct 18, 2016

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