Installer doesn't show partitions on MacBook

[patx]

What Happened?

Same issue as #617 that issue should not have been closed, as it is not fixed with the new commit.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Booted into Live Demo Mode
2. Added ppa:elementary-os/daily
3. apt update
4. apt install io.elementary.installer
5. io.elementary.installer
6. Can use the installer up to the part where i click Erase Entire Disk

Expected Behavior

Should be able to select Install and Erase Entire disk, but it doesn't show any partitions.

OS Version

7.x (Horus)

Software Version

Latest release (I have run all updates)

Log Output

** (io.elementary.installer:9521): CRITICAL **: 07:20:11.347: CheckView.vala:105: Unable to get disks list: GDBus.Error:org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.NoReply: Message recipient disconnected from message bus without replying

Hardware Info

MacBook 12" Retina (2017)

[aerocyber]

These are just my thoughts but it seems like the problem is occurring around this portion of the code in the src/Views/DiskView.vala file

public async void load (uint64 minimum_disk_size) {
        DiskButton[] enabled_buttons = {};
        DiskButton[] disabled_buttons = {};

        InstallerDaemon.DiskInfo? disks;
        try {
            disks = yield Daemon.get_default ().get_disks ();
        } catch (Error e) {
            critical ("Unable to get disks list: %s", e.message);
            load_stack.set_visible_child_name ("disk");
            return;
        }

(Code around line numbers 125-136. Due to the log ** (io.elementary.installer:9521): CRITICAL **: 07:20:11.347: CheckView.vala:105: directly referring to the statement in the try-catch block: Unable to get disks list:)

or the code around line number 47-60. I also suspect that the DBUS_TIMEOUT_MSEC is not sufficiently high. These are just my suspicions as the code does refer to that variable around line number 55.

daemon.g_default_timeout = DBUS_TIMEOUT_MSEC;

[patx]

Could this be a problem with with Distinst?

[aerocyber]

Maybe, as the installer uses distinst.

[patx]

@aerocyber Maybe using a different installer e.g. ubiquity would work. Is this possible to sudo apt install ubiquity and use that or is there more setup required, need a work around until I figure this out and I'm 75% sure its distinst because POP fails as well. I have made an issue report on the distinst repo as well.

[aerocyber]

I am not sure of it.

[israelpattison]

This is still a problem in 7.1. Same as previously described.

[dvilelaf]

Can confirm

[guzman109]

As @israelpattison and @dvilelaf have mentioned, still a problem. Ubiquity sees the SSD but crashed when trying to install.

[patx]

I tried again today same Macbook 12" same problem. This is real bummer hope we can get it fixed!

[patx]

I also have started an issue on the distinst repo related to this pop-os/distinst#316

[patx]

BUMP

[alopix]

I just tried to install elementary on my MacBook and getting the same issue. Partitions show in gparted but not in the installer.

[patx]

I installed ubiquity and it goes through the entire installation but it isnt set up properly so it doesnt completely work. The partitioning didnt seem like an issue however. Maybe include ubiquity in 8.0 release as a backup to the standard installer as a work around?

[deftoner]

I have a macbook air A1534, Macbook Air 12in 2017

Run into this same thing, latest to the date installer of elementary OS 7. installer wont show disk/partitions to install to, in any menu, but when opening the partition tool (GPart) shows the internal SSD and its partitions. Deleting, creating, etc wont change anything, still not showing at installer.

Windows 10 (yes, tried just in case) works, Ubuntu installs without any issue. I saw TONS of issues reported here, one open since 2021, about issues similar to this. It make me remember the 90s when you need to insert a floppy with the disk controller drivers. "202X is the year of linux as desktop" hahaha Elementary looks so good and promising, but if you can't even go past the installer for the same issue reported the past 3 years..

I will try version 8, since someone reported it working.

[patx]

I have a macbook air A1534, Macbook Air 12in 2017

Run into this same thing, latest to the date installer of elementary OS 7. installer wont show disk/partitions to install to, in any menu, but when opening the partition tool (GPart) shows the internal SSD and its partitions. Deleting, creating, etc wont change anything, still not showing at installer.

Windows 10 (yes, tried just in case) works, Ubuntu installs without any issue. I saw TONS of issues reported here, one open since 2021, about issues similar to this. It make me remember the 90s when you need to insert a floppy with the disk controller drivers. "202X is the year of linux as desktop" hahaha Elementary looks so good and promising, but if you can't even go past the installer for the same issue reported the past 3 years..

I will try version 8, since someone reported it working.

I too will try on 8 when it is released, I know some work was done to the installer but not sure if it will change anything. I will report back here the day 8 is released.

[deftoner]

I have a macbook air A1534, Macbook Air 12in 2017
Run into this same thing, latest to the date installer of elementary OS 7. installer wont show disk/partitions to install to, in any menu, but when opening the partition tool (GPart) shows the internal SSD and its partitions. Deleting, creating, etc wont change anything, still not showing at installer.
Windows 10 (yes, tried just in case) works, Ubuntu installs without any issue. I saw TONS of issues reported here, one open since 2021, about issues similar to this. It make me remember the 90s when you need to insert a floppy with the disk controller drivers. "202X is the year of linux as desktop" hahaha Elementary looks so good and promising, but if you can't even go past the installer for the same issue reported the past 3 years..
I will try version 8, since someone reported it working.

I too will try on 8 when it is released, I know some work was done to the installer but not sure if it will change anything. I will report back here the day 8 is released.

For now I'm running Zorin. Installed perfectly too (Ubuntu based), With my macbook air 2017 I had issues with the audio and wont suspend (wont come back) but fixed them googling (they are ubuntu related issues, there is a repository that installs the missing driver for sound)

I will keep an eye on whether someone updates that installer from version 8 works (or not)

[greenboy59]

Same problem with Elementary OS 8 on my MacBook Pro 2017: the installer doesn't detect my NVMe SSD. It's very frustrating that this issue persists even after 3 years of updates

[UncleTallest]

Looks like this is related to pop-os/distinst#335.

[amokaya]

And still an issue in 2025 on OS 8. No partitions showing (apart from the booted USB drive) on a MacBook Air Mid 2013. Disappointing.

[LowHanger]

Can confirm, problem still exists. Just spent a few hours trying to install (Elementary OS 8) on my Macbook (2016 model) and am having all of the same issues as the others in this thread.

[amokaya]

And still an issue in 2025 on OS 8. No partitions showing (apart from the booted USB drive) on a MacBook Air Mid 2013. Disappointing.

It you add "intel_iommu=off" to the boot command, it will see the Apple SSD. But you are still in a world of pain. To get to this world:

When booting off the Elementary install media, interrupt it at the very first screen. Press "e" to edit, and add "intel_iommu=off" (without quotes) to the end of the line beginning "linux...". Then hit f10 to boot.

Elementary will boot off the install media and will see the Apple SSD. If you try a custom install, it doesn't work - the GUI sees the disk, but never allows you to continue after selecting the required partitions. But if you install to the whole disk (YOU WILL LOSE EVERYTHING ON IT) it will appear to install. When you reboot, you'll be left with an initramfs prompt. Escaping will give the message that there is no root device.

I am sure further delving would be able to get it to work, but life intervened and I left it at this point. I recovered the MacBook to MacOS.

[patx]

And still an issue in 2025 on OS 8. No partitions showing (apart from the booted USB drive) on a MacBook Air Mid 2013. Disappointing.

It you add "intel_iommu=off" to the boot command, it will see the Apple SSD. But you are still in a world of pain. To get to this world:

When booting off the Elementary install media, interrupt it at the very first screen. Press "e" to edit, and add "intel_iommu=off" (without quotes) to the end of the line beginning "linux...". Then hit f10 to boot.

Elementary will boot off the install media and will see the Apple SSD. If you try a custom install, it doesn't work - the GUI sees the disk, but never allows you to continue after selecting the required partitions. But if you install to the whole disk (YOU WILL LOSE EVERYTHING ON IT) it will appear to install. When you reboot, you'll be left with an initramfs prompt. Escaping will give the message that there is no root device.

I am sure further delving would be able to get it to work, but life intervened and I left it at this point. I recovered the MacBook to MacOS.

Will have to try this, for my case, I was trying to overwrite all existing partitions.

[amokaya]

A possible way through...

If you have got to the World of Pain noted here and are stuck now at initramfs with a system installed to disk but no way to boot it, you can try this:

(Assumes you got as far as installing the OS to the disk, which in my case is /dev/sda, see previous post)

The following is from memory so proceed at your own risk

• Boot off the installation media again (interrupting the boot with "e" to edit the "linux..." boot command as above)
• Select Try Demo Mode and wait until you have the desktop. Open a Terminal from the Applications/Search tool

sudo mkdir /tedium
sudo mount /dev/sda1 /tedium
sudo vi /tedium/EFI/ubuntu/grub/grub.cfg

• Add intel_iommu=off before "quiet splash" on all the lines that have this text (likely 3)

cd / ; sudo umount /tedium; sudo reboot

• You should be okay to boot off the internal disk at this point without issue.

• Once back in:

sudo vi /etc/default/grub

• And change this line to:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT-"intel_iommu=off quiet splash"

sudo update-grub

• If all goes well, you will have a bootable ElementaryOS on your MacBook now.

[vjr]

Hi folks - just be sure this is not related to the disk sector size issue - search around for it - which is - the installer/distinst can only handle disks with 512-byte sector sizes not 4k which some macs seem to have.

[patx]

Hi folks - just be sure this is not related to the disk sector size issue - search around for it - which is - the installer/distinst can only handle disks with 512-byte sector sizes not 4k which some macs seem to have.

That seems like a very serious issue for the installer and distinst to have, and if its been around as long as this issue has, that is really really not encouraging at all.....

I am currently out of town but will check the sector size on my 12" Retina Macbook as soon as I get home and report back.

[patx]

Looks like the Macbook is 4k,

harrisonerd@harrisonerd-macbook:~$ sudo fdisk -l
[sudo] password for harrisonerd:
Disk /dev/nvme0n1: 233.76 GiB, 251000193024 bytes, 61279344 sectors
Disk model: APPLE SSD AP0256J
Units: sectors of 1 * 4096 = 4096 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 4096 bytes / 4096 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 4096 bytes / 4096 bytes
Disklabel type: gpt
Disk identifier: 02DE67F8-5794-4B6A-AC5C-4767CBAC3BDA

Device          Start      End  Sectors   Size Type
/dev/nvme0n1p1    256   131327   131072   512M EFI System
/dev/nvme0n1p2 131328 61279231 61147904 233.3G Linux filesystem


Disk /dev/nvme0n2: 8 KiB, 8192 bytes, 2 sectors
Disk model: APPLE SSD AP0256J
Units: sectors of 1 * 4096 = 4096 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 4096 bytes / 4096 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 4096 bytes / 4096 bytes
harrisonerd@harrisonerd-macbook:~$