Hello All, Linux Mint 18.3 Cinnamon on iMac

[Wildjoey]

Hello everyone,
I am brand new to Linux and am very excited!

A couple of weeks ago I installed Linux Mint 18.3 Cinnamon on my 2010 iMac, 2ghz duo-core, 4gb RAM, 640gb HD, GT 320 (I think) graphics card.

I had heard that Linux would breath new life into an old Mac, so I took the plunge and WOW, that sucker was running beautiful. It took about a minute for it to boot, but once I was in there everything worked like a charm and very fast. It was hard wired into gig fiber connection, printers (HP and Epson) both worked, email setup was almost instantaneous. Was even laying out a brand new newsletter in Scribus in correlation with Gimp and Inkscape. Had all the updates installed and just plain running a dream machine.

If you have noticed I have been talking in past tense. All was good until I installed the new Kernel 4.13.026 and now after about a minute I get the GRUB bootloader (which I never saw before this update) and select one of the methods to boot and nothing happens. It just sits there with a flashing cursor forever.

I know that this is the 'Introduce Yourself' portion of the forum, so if someone could direct me to where I can beg and plead for help. I am surely hoping that I have not lost all my work.

Thanks everyone and I do say HI!!!!

Wildjoey

[Tomgin5]

Congratulations on the successful install. with your problem I would suggest reposting on the installation/software board, up the previous page just below the "newbie" postings.

[WharfRat]

Hello Wildjoey

Welcome to Linux Mint and the Linux Mint forum

[Wildjoey]

Howdy,
Thanks for the hi’s!

I did post in the installation and boot section under the title of viewtopic.php?f=46&t=261395&p=1413068&h ... y#p1412581
But no reply as of yet.

Thanks,
Wildjoey

[Spearmint2]

When you saw the GRUB, did you also see a section for "Previous Versions?" If so, then can go there to use earlier kernel.

[Wildjoey]

Hi Spearmint2,

Yes and no... if I arrow down with my arrow keys I can select ‘advanced’ and from there I have my choice of 3 different kernels. I tried them all and only get a blinking cursor forever. This is all explained at the link above.

Thanks,
Wildjoey

[catweazel]

Welcome!

[jimallyn]

Welcome aboard, Wildjoey!

[Spearmint2]

Hi Spearmint2,

Yes and no... if I arrow down with my arrow keys I can select ‘advanced’ and from there I have my choice of 3 different kernels. I tried them all and only get a blinking cursor forever. This is all explained at the link above.

Thanks,
Wildjoey

what happens when you run

Code: Select all

update-grub

are the other kernel options still there? Or did you uninstall them?

[Wildjoey]

Hi,
When I power on the iMac, I get a white screen for about 1 min, then I am presented with:
• Linux Mint 18.3 Cinnamon
• Advanced Options Linux Mint 18.3 Cinnamon
• Memory Test (-memtest86+)
• Memory Test (-serialconsole 115200)

I have tried the first two and under 'Advanced Options' I get 9 different options to boot from:
• 4.13.0-26 generic
• 4.13.0-26 upstart
• 4.13.0-26 recovery

• 4.10.0-42 generic
• 4.10.0-42 upstart
• 4.10.0-42 recovery

• 4.10.0-38 generic
• 4.10.0-38 upstart
• 4.10.0-38 recovery

I have tried them all - and I get the same blinking cursor, which lasts 'forever' and never boots. The kernel is not booting. And this is after I did an update from the Software Manager. It's like it ate my whole Linux distro.

I can get into a command line and what is presented there is this: grub>
I did try your 'update -grub' but it told me that that command is not aloud.

There has got to be a way to recover my install - Right now the boot DVD is still stuck in the drive because I was kind of getting desperate, hoping it would boot from the DVD as when I did the first install a couple of weeks ago.

Sure hope someone can help - and thanks.

Wildjoey

[Spearmint2]

since you can get to a command line, just before the --quiet splash add nopti and see if it then boots.

https://lwn.net/Articles/741878/

https://askubuntu.com/questions/991874/ ... -intel-cpu

If you get booted, then immediately to to Update Manager, be sure to hilight that kernel, then choose Remove. Reboot with the old kernel and see if that corrected it.

[kc1di]

Welcome to the Linux Mint Forums, good to have your here