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On a 2014 MacBook Pro Retina, does dual-booting the pre-installed OS X with Linux (say Ubuntu/Debian/Fedora/etc) void the hardware warranty? Does installing Linux and removing OS X void the hardware warranty?

I do not mind the entire hard disk being erased and set to a default OS X install if the machine has to be given for repair under warranty.

If you're going to suggest "reinstall OS X yourself before giving for repair", yes, that is an option if some non-essential component of the machine stops working. But it's not an option if the machine won't boot at all, which is when you'll be in need of servicing the most.

The country of purchase is India, if it matters.

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Installing Linux or any other OS on your Mac does not void your warranty as provided here:

https://www.apple.com/legal/warranty/products/embedded-mac-warranty-row.html

The only thing you should be concerned about if anything is the fact that Apple will not provide support for Linux if you choose to install it on your Mac.

If you were to experience issues with Linux on your Mac that you suspected were hardware related, Apple can run a hardware diagnostic on the Mac even if OS X is uninstalled from it. So if you ever ran into an issue where your Mac wouldn't start up as you described in your question, Apple should be able to diagnose the issue and get you a repair provided your Mac is still covered under AppleCare.

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I don't believe it should affect your hardware warranty, no. If you had to return the MacBook to Apple and they couldn't boot into Linux, they could just attach an external disk with OS X on it and boot from that. There are also other options that Apple (or you) can use to boot from OS X such as Internet Recovery, read about the recovery options here. It seems you can also install the recovery system on an external drive. As long as you don't go removing or modifying the firmware that manages the hardware then I don't believe your hardware warranty will be affected. However, I guess the best thing you can do to be certain is speak to Apple. Nobody else can offer you any certainty.

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