How to boot and install linux or bsd on a 2007 macbook white via. Rufus allows you to easily create bootable usb sticks with just a few clicks. Manually partitioned with an 201mb efi partition at the beginning of the. Change the label to ubuntu and make sure the scheme is set to mbr partition scheme for bios or uefi. Select manual partitioning when the option comes up during the install. How to install ubuntu on a macbook pro laptopninja. What would be a recommended lightweight linux distro with support for an older machine like this.
The article on foss force about using old macs to run linux caught the attention of. Debianon is an effort to document how to install, configure and use debian on some specific hardware. The system will present to us how the system will partition the drive. Linux is a powerful operating system beloved by coders and capable of breathing life into old macs. Also, you get to use the linux os with full hardware capabilities, not like virtual machine which uses some part of the hardware and it makes it slow. In this feature we look at how to install linux on a mac including how to completely replace.
It is an efi system according to the link near the start of your article. Released in 2006, this type is more window like and comes in with a range of desktops cinnamon, mate etc. Touchpad for the new 2008 unibody macbook and macbook pro. Click on continue and your linux distro will start installing.
I might dedicate mine to linux as a means to having a contemporary and compatible browser on my mac pro i sometimes have to crank up windows 8 under parallels to reach certain sites. Although, debian is a little complicated to set up and use, but offers a lot more features than ubuntu and mint. Set the type to linux and version to ubuntu 64 bit. Refer to the manual for your mac when you need information thats specific to your model, such as supported connections and expansion information. The ui is interesting, a combination of macos and windows. Unfortunately, after the linux is installed, there is no way to start it from the hd, since hardware is now set to boot from the cd, and one has no way of changing macs equivalent of cmos without the macos installed. Create live debian usb with mac linux usb loader will boot on newer macs, but not on macbook2,1 ive seen something about manually putting a gpt table on the usb drive, or creating a separate efi partition, but since its more technical and time consuming i didnt get around to it. Jul 05, 2017 if you decide you no longer want to dual boot linux on your mac, you can remove linux fairly easily. For information about mac help, see getting answers on page 32. Linux mint is the distro that you probably want to use if you dont pick ubuntu gnome. Struck at highsierra, this computer would only receive security updates, moving forward.
This is typically a usb drive, although you can also burn it to an optical disc if youre old school. Press the up arrow on the screen as shown in figure 1. Check out jessies blog and accompanying script for a more manu. Note however that most linux installers these days are larger than a cdrom 700 mb, so youll need a dvdrrw or a thumb drive of the appropriate size. Check out jessies blog and accompanying script for a more manual. Looking to repurpose a core 2 duo 2008 imac intel with 4 gigs of ram. If you need a program like microsoft office you can use open office or libre office which comes preinstalled with most linux distributions. Steps to install linux on macbook dual boot the dual boot has an advantage that you dont have to remove macos to use linux. Select erase data and install linux mint and click install now. When you see a list of partitions, find the one you made using bootcamp you can tell from its size and delete it. Linux mint is the most used linux distro and is based on ubuntu which has the largest repository of free open source programs available.
I decided to go with peppermint os 10, a linux distro based on ubuntu 18. Therefore potential buyers would know if that hardware is supported and owners would know how get the best out of that hardware. Create live debian usb with mac linux usb loader will boot on newer macs, but not on macbook2,1. Sep 29, 2018 launch virtualbox and select the new button in its upperleft corner. Ubuntu and linux mint first steps on an imac jon worth. Led screen a bit slow now for mountain lion but nevertheless the screen is vibrant, all the hardware is in one box with a 2. Jan 09, 2018 windows 10 works better, but im stuck without a sound driver and a few other minor issues. The pc weenies reviving a 2008 mac pro with linux mint. I finally managed to get linux mint 18 installed on my imac. Manually partitioned with an 201mb efi partition at the beginning of the drive i dont think this has. I swapped the hdd for an ssd and installed linux on it to see how well it runs. Popular distribution in this class are debian, ubuntu, elementryos, mx linux, zorin and linux mint. Now create a new partition of type ext3 using the rest of your available hard drive space.
The first partition is about 500mb formatted with fat32. Make sure you look over the information in chapter 2, life with your imac, to find out about the new features of your imac. However, due to the specific hardware configuration of a mac, there are a few deviations and special considerations which warrant a separate guide. Primarily just looking to get this thing usable for basic web browsing, youtube, etc. Without special features of the soft bios, that is, no bios chip on the motherboard the imac will only boot with certain linux loaders that handle efi booting properly. Linux mint is, in a manner of speaking, a cooler ubuntu, and its ui is easy to navigate. Mac linux usb loader will create a bootable usb drive that will work on your mac and boot into that linux distribution without any problems or hacks. Its easier if you install ubuntu or linux mint first, then. Answers to many questions can be found on your imac in mac help. Heres how to tripleboot your mac with os x, windows 7, and the shiny. I have an imac 27inch, late 20, model imac14,2 with an intel core i5.
Install peppermint os before beginning the install process, i replaced the hard drive on the macbook with a ssd. If you do not have an apple keyboard then press the left alt key instead. Getting linux on it was a bear but worth the trouble. From what ive seen, i think ill like the ubuntu ui unity more than linux mint, but im open. Linux mints installer is nearly 2 gb, so plan ahead. Sep 07, 2019 reviving a 2008 mac pro with linux mint sleek, modern, innovative are not words i wouldve normally used to characterize linux, but after installing and using linux mint on my venerable 2008 mac pro this afternoon, my first impressions are just that. In order to load a linux from a cd one needs to make the cd bootable. The efi based macintosh started around 2008 you can check the list. Whatever you may think about macs and os x, apple hardware is very nice.
Installing arch linux on a macbook 12airpro or an imac is quite similar to installing it on any other computer. This is intended to be an installation guide for intel imac users, as well. Why not just install it as the only operating system on a mac. Jul 27, 2018 debianubuntu class of linux distribution are based on debianubuntu. I have tried booting with 20 differing linux packages and 17 of them have no clue what cdrom type im using and refuse to boot at all.
If you have never used an imac or are new to macintosh computers, read this chapter for help getting started. The early 2008 imac also moved from the 800 mhz system bus in the early 2008 imac to 1066 mhz, and clock speeds now range from 2. There are many distribution that are based on debianubuntu. How to install linux on a macintosh and dual boot with macos. To remove an operating system, you just format the whole drive and install the new operating system over it. Manually partitioned with an 201mb efi partition at the beginning of the drive i. Can i update my 2008 macbook to current s apple community. Both can boot from a usb flash drive made from ubuntu14. Linux breathes new life into old mac computers infoworld. Linux and windows boot loaders will attempt to take over one another. I picked this as i wanted something lightweight for the aging hardware of the macbook 4,1 and i wanted a desktop that was a little prettier than xubuntus default xfce environment. Some distributions are named as buntu such as xubuntu and kubuntu. Neither can from a usb flash drive made from ubuntu14. Choose your linux distro i decided to go with peppermint os 10, a linux distro based on ubuntu 18.
Choose the appropriate options and click begin installation to continue. Give your virtual machine a descriptive name typically, this will be the name of the operating system youre emulating. Guides on how to install debian linux on a apple computer. Fortunately i found a tool mac linux usb loader that helped me finish the job. Linux dvd images and howto for 32bit efi macs late 2006. Ive seen something about manually putting a gpt table. If you plan to use an older mac, you should still be able to install ubuntu, but you need to pay attention to how the boot process works for older hardware. This should include macbook pros, macbook air, imac and probably mac pros. The early 2008 imac has also moved from the 800 mhz system bus in the mid 2007 imac to 1066 mhz, and clock speeds on the 20. How to tripleboot your mac with windows and linux, no boot. Be aware that refind will pull any boot params from grub, so if you have added nomodeset, etc it will need to be removed manually from. Many software applications cannot be updated either.
Video now works automatically without manually installing 915resolution. I started off following a youtube tutorial but about half way through it the commands he was running was bombing for me. It is really easy to install linux ubuntu on an outdated imac. Now, login with your name and password to start using ubuntu. I had a tough time with linux mint 19 tara on my imac 2008 8,1 2gb 2. It is based on ubuntu and its developers are determined to fix all the issues that ubuntu users complain about. The rest of the dis space is use to mount the root system. Revive old mac mini 2009 with linux zeal for technology. Finally double click the install button on the desktop. Linux has a driver called msr, which allows userland programs to write read the msr.
Read all of the setup instructions and the safety information starting on page 55 before you plug your computer into a power outlet. After switching to linux, this computer can run the latest operating system and applications available on linux. This week, im grabbed the old inch white 2008 macbook that i converted to a. Insert the usb stick in the usb port of the imac and power on holding down the option key and select efi second one once it appears. The installation described here is on a 2014 27inch retina imac running macos sierra, but the process should work for any mac released since 2011. Your imac is designed so that you can set it up quickly and start using it right away. Once the installation is finished, you will be asked to restart your mac.
How to boot and install linux or bsd on a 2007 macbook white. Arch installs the system in mbr, choose manual install in gui. Recommended linux distro for 2006 intel core duo imac. As shown in the image, i just installed ubuntu on my 2008 27 imac. Sep 09, 2020 while you can create this manually, the easiest way to do it is to install rufus. Boot into os x, open the disk utility, and delete your linux partitions. Ubuntu and linux mint first steps on an imac jon worth euroblog.
May 23, 2017 select the linux distributions iso file you downloaded and choose a connected usb drive to put the linux system on. As the screen is good and big, and power consumption quite low, it makes a perfect second computer for monitoring and administrating my rtmp. Hold the x button while booting to boot into osx if it is available. This is perfect for people working on the server side. Its more in depth, and has you run refit, or manually installing the grub file. Before you set up your imac, remove any protective film from the outside of your.
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