Installing Mint on mid2011 iMac
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There are no such things as "stupid" questions. However if you think your question is a bit stupid, then this is the right place for you to post it. Stick to easy to-the-point questions that you feel people can answer fast. For long and complicated questions use the other forums in the support section.
Before you post read how to get help. Topics in this forum are automatically closed 6 months after creation.
Installing Mint on mid2011 iMac
I'm certain this has been answered, but I cannot seem to get there. I have downloaded linuxmint-21-cinnamon-64bit.iso to a thumb drive, which appears to be readable by my no-longer-supported version of MacOS (version 10.13.6) on my mid-2011 iMac. I restart the system and hold down the Option key while the system boots, but when done, all I see is the main disk and a pointer to the network. The thumb drive is not listed. How do I get the system to come up on the .iso file and install Mint on this system? I'm pretty eager to learn Linux and am frustrated by Apple's stopping support of this fine machine.
Last edited by LockBot on Thu Aug 03, 2023 10:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
Re: Installing Mint on mid2011 iMac
I guess somehow you have to allow booting from a thumb drive. I don't think back in 2011 this was a common practice.
Re: Installing Mint on mid2011 iMac
I found this: https://www.hellotech.com/guide/for/how ... nux-on-mac
Is this the process I should use, or is there another way to get Linux going on my mid2011 iMac?
Thanks in advance. Dan
Is this the process I should use, or is there another way to get Linux going on my mid2011 iMac?
Thanks in advance. Dan
Re: Installing Mint on mid2011 iMac
I didn't read the hellotech article word for word but it's seems pretty standard .
However .. installing Linux on Macs is more of an art than a science , no two models behaving in quite the same way .
Reset PRAM and SMC before you install . Ideally you will have had the most recent OSX version possible installed so all the firmware is up to date .
Older Macs are a bit particular about installing Linux from a USB drive . I share your experience of a Mac refusing to acknowledge the presence of a Linux USB . Which port you plug it into , even the size of your USB drive can make a difference - 8GB seems ideal .
In the end you might have more luck if you burn the ISO to a DVD .
A quick and dirty work around I have found is to install antiX ( it usually works from USB ) then install Mint on top of that and work out any remaining problems from there . antiX seems to come with many of the drivers required for old Macs . Judging by the experience of other Mac users on this site MX Linux works at least as well as antiX . MX is based in part on antiX . antiX might be quicker to install due to it's small size . I use a 32bit antiX ISO I have on hand but theoretically 64bit should work at least as well if not better .
Proprietary GPU drivers are often a problem with Macs that can usually be surmounted by using " Nouveau " open source drivers .
Be sure to search the forums carefully . Although installing Linux on Macs is something of an arcane art there are now quite a number of very informative threads regarding Macs on the Mint forums .
Good luck .
However .. installing Linux on Macs is more of an art than a science , no two models behaving in quite the same way .
Reset PRAM and SMC before you install . Ideally you will have had the most recent OSX version possible installed so all the firmware is up to date .
Older Macs are a bit particular about installing Linux from a USB drive . I share your experience of a Mac refusing to acknowledge the presence of a Linux USB . Which port you plug it into , even the size of your USB drive can make a difference - 8GB seems ideal .
In the end you might have more luck if you burn the ISO to a DVD .
A quick and dirty work around I have found is to install antiX ( it usually works from USB ) then install Mint on top of that and work out any remaining problems from there . antiX seems to come with many of the drivers required for old Macs . Judging by the experience of other Mac users on this site MX Linux works at least as well as antiX . MX is based in part on antiX . antiX might be quicker to install due to it's small size . I use a 32bit antiX ISO I have on hand but theoretically 64bit should work at least as well if not better .
Proprietary GPU drivers are often a problem with Macs that can usually be surmounted by using " Nouveau " open source drivers .
Be sure to search the forums carefully . Although installing Linux on Macs is something of an arcane art there are now quite a number of very informative threads regarding Macs on the Mint forums .
Good luck .