Upgrade to Yosemite then triple-boot problem

Question

I had Mac OS X 10.8, Fedora and Windows XP triple-boot in refit. I upgraded to OS X Yosemite. The refit screen disappeared.

I used command

cd /efi/refit   
./enable.sh

Then refit screen comes but Linux and Windows partitions can not start. I got an error:

gnu grub
minimal bash-like editing is supported. For the list word TAB lists possible command completitions.......

Here is my partition inspector report:

* Report for internal hard disk *

Current GPT partition table:
 #      Start LBA      End LBA  Type
 1             40       409639  EFI System (FAT)
 2         409640    139965663  Mac OS X HFS+
 3      139965664    141235199  Mac OS X Boot
 4      141235200    225730535  Basic Data
 5      226904064    312580095  Basic Data

Current MBR partition table:
 # A    Start LBA      End LBA  Type
 1              1       409639  ee  EFI Protective
 2         409640    139965663  af  Mac OS X HFS+
 3      139965664    141235199  ab  Mac OS X Boot
 4 *    141235200    225730535  83  Linux

MBR contents:
 Boot Code: Unknown, but bootable

Partition at LBA 40:
 Boot Code: None (Non-system disk message)
 File System: FAT32
 Listed in GPT as partition 1, type EFI System (FAT)

Partition at LBA 409640:
 Boot Code: None
 File System: HFS Extended (HFS+)
 Listed in GPT as partition 2, type Mac OS X HFS+
 Listed in MBR as partition 2, type af  Mac OS X HFS+

Partition at LBA 139965664:
 Boot Code: None
 File System: HFS Extended (HFS+)
 Listed in GPT as partition 3, type Mac OS X Boot
 Listed in MBR as partition 3, type ab  Mac OS X Boot

Partition at LBA 141235200:
 Boot Code: GRUB
 File System: ext3
 Listed in GPT as partition 4, type Basic Data
 Listed in MBR as partition 4, type 83  Linux, active

Partition at LBA 226904064:
 Boot Code: Windows NTLDR
 File System: NTFS
 Listed in GPT as partition 5, type Basic Data

How do I fix the triple-boot environment?

Edit 2: Is the system works if I reinstall linux and windows? Here the result of the command

faruk-ceviks-macbook-pro:~ fcevik$ sudo gpt -r show /dev/disk0
Password:
gpt show: /dev/disk0: Suspicious MBR at sector 0
start       size  index  contents
0          1         MBR
1          1         Pri GPT header
2         32         Pri GPT table
34          6         
40     409600      1  GPT part - C12A7328-F81F-11D2-BA4B-00A0C93EC93B
409640  139556024      2  GPT part - 48465300-0000-11AA-AA11-00306543ECAC
139965664    1269536      3  GPT part - 426F6F74-0000-11AA-AA11-00306543ECAC
141235200   84495336      4  GPT part - EBD0A0A2-B9E5-4433-87C0-68B6B72699C7
225730536    1173528         
226904064   85676032      5  GPT part - EBD0A0A2-B9E5-4433-87C0-68B6B72699C7
312580096       1679         
312581775         32         Sec GPT table
312581807          1         Sec GPT header

Answer to edit1:

faruk-ceviks-macbook-pro:~ fcevik$ diskutil list
/dev/disk0
#:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *160.0 GB   disk0
1:                        EFI EFI                     209.7 MB   disk0s1
2:                  Apple_HFS Macintosh HD            71.5 GB    disk0s2
3:                 Apple_Boot Recovery HD             650.0 MB   disk0s3
4:       Microsoft Basic Data                         43.3 GB    disk0s4
5:       Microsoft Basic Data BOOTCAMP                43.9 GB    disk0s5

Have you every booted the computer by holding down the alt(option) key? Yes I have. I saw mac and bootcamp options but bootcamp did not worked.

Do you have a flash drive 1 GB or larger than you can erase and reuse? To edit the partition tables you will need to boot from a flash drive. To make the flash drive, you will need to download the OS X Recovery Disk Assistant. This application works with Lion through Yosemite. An alternative to making the flash drive would be to delete Windows and Linux. I assume you do not want to erase either one.

Yes I have an external hard drive to use as you described. I am trying to postpone my personal staff to apply solutions. Otherwise I might answer in 2 days. I can erase linux and reinstall. Also there is mac's disk utility. Shall I try to repair partitions?

Answer to @njboot comment.

Last login: Sun Mar  1 09:46:21 on ttys000
faruk-ceviks-macbook-pro:~ fcevik$ for i in /dev/di*; do diskutil information "$i";done
Device Identifier:        disk0
Device Node:              /dev/disk0
Part of Whole:            disk0
Device / Media Name:      Hitachi HTS545016B9SA02 Media

Volume Name:              Not applicable (no file system)

Mounted:                  Not applicable (no file system)

File System:              None

Content (IOContent):      GUID_partition_scheme
OS Can Be Installed:      No
Media Type:               Generic
Protocol:                 SATA
SMART Status:             Verified

Total Size:               160.0 GB (160041885696 Bytes) (exactly 312581808 512-Byte-Units)
Volume Free Space:        Not applicable (no file system)
Device Block Size:        512 Bytes

Read-Only Media:          No
Read-Only Volume:         Not applicable (no file system)
Ejectable:                No

Whole:                    Yes
Internal:                 Yes
Solid State:              No
OS 9 Drivers:             No
Low Level Format:         Not supported

Device Identifier:        disk0s1
Device Node:              /dev/disk0s1
Part of Whole:            disk0
Device / Media Name:      EFI system partition

Volume Name:              Not applicable (no file system)

Mounted:                  Not applicable (no file system)

File System:              None

Partition Type:           EFI
OS Can Be Installed:      No
Media Type:               Generic
Protocol:                 SATA
SMART Status:             Verified
Volume UUID:              BDC1974F-6B8C-3DAE-9DB2-3AA3C17BF506
Disk / Partition UUID:    00007785-4AE3-0000-9606-0000066A0000

Total Size:               209.7 MB (209715200 Bytes) (exactly 409600 512-Byte-Units)
Volume Free Space:        Not applicable (no file system)
Device Block Size:        512 Bytes

Read-Only Media:          No
Read-Only Volume:         Not applicable (no file system)
Ejectable:                No

Whole:                    No
Internal:                 Yes
Solid State:              No

Device Identifier:        disk0s2
Device Node:              /dev/disk0s2
Part of Whole:            disk0
Device / Media Name:      Customer

Volume Name:              Macintosh HD

Mounted:                  Yes
Mount Point:              /

File System Personality:  Journaled HFS+
Type (Bundle):            hfs
Name (User Visible):      Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
Journal:                  Journal size 16384 KB at offset 0x10302000
Owners:                   Enabled

Partition Type:           Apple_HFS
OS Can Be Installed:      Yes
Recovery Disk:            disk0s3
Media Type:               Generic
Protocol:                 SATA
SMART Status:             Verified
Volume UUID:              FC885E2E-F4CD-30CE-86DF-E463E901B0BA
Disk / Partition UUID:    0000144C-0F27-0000-460B-0000C9030000

Total Size:               71.5 GB (71452684288 Bytes) (exactly 139556024 512-Byte-Units)
Volume Free Space:        14.5 GB (14457184256 Bytes) (exactly 28236688 512-Byte-Units)
Device Block Size:        512 Bytes
Allocation Block Size:    4096 Bytes

Read-Only Media:          No
Read-Only Volume:         No
Ejectable:                No

Whole:                    No
Internal:                 Yes
Solid State:              No

Device Identifier:        disk0s3
Device Node:              /dev/disk0s3
Part of Whole:            disk0
Device / Media Name:      Recovery HD

Volume Name:              Not applicable (no file system)

Mounted:                  Not applicable (no file system)

File System:              None

Partition Type:           Apple_Boot
OS Can Be Installed:      No
Media Type:               Generic
Protocol:                 SATA
SMART Status:             Verified
Volume UUID:              22AD4ADE-11BC-3F1F-AC0E-F1BAE42F4A28
Disk / Partition UUID:    32DD7B00-568C-47BA-B316-E80F81042B29  

Total Size:               650.0 MB (650002432 Bytes) (exactly 1269536 512-Byte-Units)
Volume Free Space:        Not applicable (no file system)
Device Block Size:        512 Bytes

Read-Only Media:          No
Read-Only Volume:         Not applicable (no file system)
Ejectable:                No

Whole:                    No
Internal:                 Yes
Solid State:              No

Device Identifier:        disk0s4
Device Node:              /dev/disk0s4
Part of Whole:            disk0
Device / Media Name:      DOS_FAT_32_Untitled_2

Volume Name:              

Mounted:                  No

File System Personality:  MS-DOS
Type (Bundle):            msdos
Name (User Visible):      MS-DOS (FAT)

Partition Type:           Microsoft Basic Data
OS Can Be Installed:      No
Media Type:               Generic
Protocol:                 SATA
SMART Status:             Verified
Disk / Partition UUID:    F254D5F1-B27C-4B5A-AA0E-90CE1833FFE1

Total Size:               43.3 GB (43261612032 Bytes) (exactly 84495336 512-Byte-Units)
Volume Free Space:        0 B (0 Bytes) (exactly 0 512-Byte-Units)
Device Block Size:        512 Bytes

Read-Only Media:          No
Read-Only Volume:         Not applicable (not mounted)
Ejectable:                No

Whole:                    No
Internal:                 Yes
Solid State:              No

Device Identifier:        disk0s5
Device Node:              /dev/disk0s5
Part of Whole:            disk0
Device / Media Name:      Untitled

Volume Name:              BOOTCAMP

Mounted:                  Yes
Mount Point:              /Volumes/BOOTCAMP

File System Personality:  NTFS
Type (Bundle):            ntfs
Name (User Visible):      Windows NT File System (NTFS)

Partition Type:           Microsoft Basic Data
OS Can Be Installed:      No
Media Type:               Generic
Protocol:                 SATA
SMART Status:             Verified
Volume UUID:              EB783310-0D68-48FD-AD10-AAA6AA30DB98
Disk / Partition UUID:    467C02B0-CDD2-4EE7-B16D-1D2C89BBF6D3

Total Size:               43.9 GB (43866128384 Bytes) (exactly 85676032 512-Byte-Units)
Volume Free Space:        14.9 GB (14926794752 Bytes) (exactly 29153896 512-Byte-Units)
Device Block Size:        512 Bytes
Allocation Block Size:    4096 Bytes

Read-Only Media:          No
Read-Only Volume:         Yes
Ejectable:                No

Whole:                    No
Internal:                 Yes
Solid State:              No

Answer 1

Update 3: Sorry it took so long to get back. I have been doing some reading. There two ways for a operating system to boot on a Mac. The first involves using the legacy BIOS which assumes the disk is partitioned using a MBR scheme. The second uses the EFI which (in our case) assumes the disk is partitioned using a GPT scheme. Macs provide both partition schemes (thus the name Hybrid) which allows for both types of booting. OS X always boots using EFI/GPT. After studying the output you posted, I have come to the conclusion both Windows and Fedora were booting using BIOS/MBR. The boot manager rEFIt is primarily designed for Macs and, in your case, was installed in the OS X partition.

Upgrading to Yosemite created two problems. First, rEFIt was disabled. Second a small Recovery Partition was added between the OS X and Fendora partitions. Reinstalling rEFIt may be solution to the first problem. I notice rEFIt has not been updated in many years and may no longer be compatible with Yosemite. The boot manager rEFInd is suppose to replace rEFIt, but there are differences worth noting. First, rEFInd is not only for Macs. Actually, the development platform is more for Linux. This is stated on the rEFInd home page. Second, rEFInd assumes a UEFI (which succeeded EFI) and most (if not all) Macs do not fully adhere to this new standard. Third, as far as I can tell, rEFInd assumes all partitions are booting using EFI/GPT. I do not believe this is what you are trying to do. I assume you will still be installing and booting Windows 7 and Fedora 21 using BIOS/MBR. A better choice may be Boot Runner. You can use a 14-Day Trial. If you buy, the cost is $10. If not, it is easy to uninstall.

The Second problem, involving the extra Recovery Partition, can be resolved by removing the partition. It is not the best solution, but just the easiest. There is a good chance that if you hold down the alt(option) key at startup, you may be able to boot Fedora. This may also work for Windows, once the extra Recovery Partition is removed. I would still encourage you to copy the Recovery Partition to a flash drive before deleting it. If you every need to reload Yosemite, you can download it by booting to this flash drive.

The drivers for Windows 7 can be downloaded from Boot Camp: System requirements for Microsoft Windows operating systems. You can also download the drives using the Boot Camp Installer. Just so you know, I used the same drivers to install Windows 8 (64 bit) on my iMac (20-inch, Mid 2007), even though this web site says I can not. I assume you could do the same. I may install Fedora on my iMac, just to see if it works. Maybe Boot Runner as well. I am not using the same order as you. I currently have Windows 8.1 installed before Yosemite. I would be installing Fedora between Windows and Yosemite. This is how I avoid the problems you encountered installing OS X upgrades.

---

Update 2: Yosemite installer inserted a hidden partition between the OS X and Fedora partitions. The solution I was going to use involves removing this partition. I have never used the Disk Utility to do this. If you want to try, first you will have to make the hidden partitions visible. The instructions for doing this can be found at View & Mount Hidden Partitions in Mac OS X. You want to view the hidden partitions. Do not mount them.

I was going to have you copy the hidden partition to a flash drive before you deleted it. Without the flash drive, you may have to reinstall Fedora. If all goes well, Windows should be bootable once the hidden partition is deleted. If not, you should be able to reinstall Fedora and Windows.

The alternative, would be to boot from the flash drive and edit the partition tables. This would be complicated but could save you from having to reload the operating systems.

---

Update 1:

Post the output from the command:

diskutil list

Questions: Have you every booted the computer by holding down the alt(option) key?

Do you have a flash drive 1 GB or larger than you can erase and reuse?

To edit the partition tables you will need to boot from a flash drive. To make the flash drive, you will need to download the OS X Recovery Disk Assistant. This application works with Lion through Yosemite.

An alternative to making the flash drive would be to delete Windows and Linux. I assume you do not want to erase either one.

---

I am a novice at this, but I will give it a go. I hope someone else would build on this post. In my opinion, Yosemite added a recovery partition after the OS X boot partition. This partition appears in both the GPT and MBR partition tables. This moved the Fedora and Windows partitions up in the GPT table. Fedora also move up in the MBR table, but since the MBR is limited to 4 partitions, Windows was completely removed from the MBR table. XP can only boot using a MBR partitioning scheme, so it is understandable why XP will not boot.

In the GPT table, Windows is shown as partition 5 with type Basic Data. I assume the GUID is EBD0A0A2-B9E5-4433-87C0-68B6B72699C7, although one would have to run

sudo gpt -r show /dev/disk0

from a OS X Terminal window to confirm this. Partition 4 also is shown as a type Basic Data. This may be an error, since I assume the partition should have a Linux GUID. It would help if you would add the output from the above command to you question.

If I am right, you have two options. Option A: move the partitions around so Windows will not be the last partition on the disk. This would be time consuming and would require an external disk to temporary hold one or more partitions. Option B: Remove the OS X recovery partition from the GPT and MBR tables. This partition is only 650MB in size. OS X has a tool you can download which will copy the partition to a flash drive. You can then boot from this flash drive if you need to. OS X has two command line utilities called gpt and fdisk which can be used to restore the GPT and MBR tables to the state before you installed Yosemite.

Also, could you include in your question what model iMac you are using.