How to start an Intel Mac from first HD partition?

HandyMac

HandyMac

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Some years back I read (in David Pogue's "Missing Manual") that pressing the D key during startup would force the Mac to start from the first partition on the hard disk. I found this useful when I was switching between OS X and OS 9; with OS 9 on the first partition, I could leave OS X selected in Startup Disk, and simply press the D key to switch to OS 9, then restart and press nothing to switch back to OS X. And recently as I've begun to experiment with Linux (which Startup Disk doesn't recognize as bootable), I use the same trick to avoid the tedious option-key-startup routine.

On Intel Macs, however, pressing D during startup is used to run the Apple Hardware Test (if the Install DVD is inserted); it no longer forces startup from the first partition (I just tried on a MacBook Pro and it didn't work). Does anyone know of a similar quick & easy way to force startup from the first partition on an Intel Mac?
 
Satcomer said:
In all OS X machines, during startup to start in OS X, just hold down the x button.
Click to expand...

Thanks, but that's not what I'm looking for. As I understand it, pressing X is to startup in X when OS 9 is on the same partition (see for instance here). What I want is a quick way to switch to Linux on an Intel Mac.

On my iBook G4, I have Ubuntu Linux installed on the first partition, so I can start into it simply by pressing the D key, and switch to OS X (on the second partition) by restarting and pressing nothing. Thus I don't have to go through the tedious method of pressing the option key, waiting (a while) for the computer to find all possible startup volumes, selecting one, then clicking the "continue" arrow.

Since the D key trick doesn't work on Intel Macs (which have the new EFI firmware instead of the PowerPC Macs' NVRAM), I'm hoping to find something else that will allow me to bypass the option-key method on my new MacBook Pro.
 
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