iMac late 2009 | Mint 20.2 | Desktop freezing

[grimer]

My (disabled) brother has an iMac Late 2009.

Core 2 Duo CPU
8 GB RAM
Original HDD running OSX is fitted but SATA cable is disconnected.
240 GB SSD fitted in DVD drive bay.

He was previously using Linux Mint (sorry, I can't remember the version) and liked the system. Something went wrong and it wouldn't boot. My dad took it to a local repair shop. They nuked it and reinstalled OSX. Everything is working fine, but my brother has been complaining that he can't figure out how to use it and the system is running slowly.

I visited my dad's house and fitted a new SSD in the DVD drive bay. I also disconnected the OSX drive to allow easy rollback. I installed Linux Mint 20.2 to the new SSD without issue.

2GB EFI partition
32GB /boot partition - for future use hosting ISO images for disaster recovery.
90GB / partition
100GB /home partition

I created a timeshift instance and ran system updates. These completed without errors. I also installed the Nvidia drivers.

Firefox crashed as soon as I clicked on the first hyperlink. The desktop froze, but the mouse pointer was still active. I couldn't click on anything. I hard reset the device and rebooted.

I installed chromium and then Google Chrome. Things worked for a few minutes and then froze with the same issues.

The system keeps freezing/crashing with the same symptoms.

Is this a known issue? Would I be better using Mint v19 or the Debian version?

I've reconnected the OSX drive as a temporary measure because I didn't want to leave my brother without a functioning computer.

Any help much appreciated.

[absque fenestris]

Hi grimer
the 2009 Macs are usually easy to use machines - basically simple, straightforward PCs. After your explanations I suspect rather a hardware failure.
I would check all RAM modules and of course all disks. If this iMac has been tinkered with several times, loose parts or bad cable connections in the case could also be the cause.
If the original Apple OSX-DVD is still present, you could run Apple's diagnostic and repair programs - - - you could, if the DVD drive was still present ...

[grimer]

I don't think it's a hardware failure, because that would also make OSX unstable.

Next time I visit, I'll take a usb rescue disk with me and run some diagnostic tests.

Any other suggestions?

[absque fenestris]

If OSX runs smoothly, but Mint 20 sucks, maybe a try with Mint 19.2 would be worth considering.

My MacBook - also from 2009 had temperature problems with newer Linuxes - the thing got pretty hot. Would also be a starting point.

[Hamburger73]

https://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/releases/

Just install Firefox 84.0.1 and do not update it...
your problems will be history.

[grimer]

It freezes without Firefox running.

[Reddog1]

I'd guess a kernel problem first, because OSX runs fine. Try Mint 19.3 with the 5.4 kernel. 19 goes EOL in 2023--you may have to install a debian based distribution with an older kernel after that. The new kernels have deprecated some older hardware. I have a macbook 4,1, and the only problem that it exhibits is an occasional shutdown hang. No real problem, and the camera driver is even available to install, if you look for it. Ubuntu/Mint is cutting edge, which isn't what old hardware needs.

And, OSX may run slow because the shop installed a version that your hardware can't handle. You need to check what Apple system is installed and cross reference your hardware with this list: https://www.macworld.co.uk/feature/what ... e-3776008/

The newer the Apple OS, the more powerful hardware needed to run it well.