How to Boot Linux on Macbook?

[JazzyJ]

Hi, I'm trying to install Linux Distro on a:

2008 Macbook 4,1 with a 2.4GHz processor. (144MB Ram). This is the white model that can only run OSX up to Lion 10.7.5.

THE MAIN PROBLEM I HAVE IS THAT THE MACBOOK WON'T BOOT AFTER THE INSTALLATION IS COMPLETE.

So far I've tried installing:

1) Elementary Loki
2) Elementary juno
3) Lubuntu.

What I've done: made a USB installer from ISO using Etcher.
Booted from USB and installed as a lone operating system on a erased drive.
After installation, it either doesn't boot up, or with Elementary it takes about 20 to 30 minutes to boot.
Then even with elementary in Juno the OS freezes when opening 'system', 'calendar' and 'videos'. Even if I could live with that, the boot up is so long it's not practical.

Have tried using both boot loaders 'Refind' and 'Refit' with elementary and neither of them will boot the machine. Now with Lubuntu I'm not using Refind or refit as I've no way of installing it as the mac won't boot into the OS.......

This is NOT A DUAL BOOT with an OSX partition.

I can't seem to find any instructions on how to run Linux on a Macbook anywhere? There are lot's of dual boots but no sole linux MacBooks.

I've installed Elementary in a PC laptop and the whole process took less than an hour to be up and running smoothly. On the macbook after 2 days there's no joy........

Any help, with clear 'step by step' instructions would be appreciated.

UPDATE: Have got Lubuntu to boot - takes about 10 minutes or so on a good boot. Intalled rEFIt - makes no difference at all. There's no right click either, and internet searches come up from 2012 to 2019 with people asking the same things.

If anyone knows of a Linux distro that can boot on a Macbook with an SSD in less than 2 minutes then please let me know. Currently my experience with Mac and Linux is that they don't go together. A PC and Linux is an hour's work. A Mac and Linux is two or three days to have slow boot (10-30 minutes) and less functions....

 

[Mac03ForLife]

Hi, I'm trying to install Linux Distro on a:

2008 Macbook 4,1 with a 2.4GHz processor. (144MB Ram). This is the white model that can only run OSX up to Lion 10.7.5.

THE MAIN PROBLEM I HAVE IS THAT THE MACBOOK WON'T BOOT AFTER THE INSTALLATION IS COMPLETE.

So far I've tried installing:

1) Elementary Loki
2) Elementary juno
3) Lubuntu.

What I've done: made a USB installer from ISO using Etcher.
Booted from USB and installed as a lone operating system on a erased drive.
After installation, it either doesn't boot up, or with Elementary it takes about 20 to 30 minutes to boot.
Then even with elementary in Juno the OS freezes when opening 'system', 'calendar' and 'videos'. Even if I could live with that, the boot up is so long it's not practical.

Have tried using both boot loaders 'Refind' and 'Refit' with elementary and neither of them will boot the machine. Now with Lubuntu I'm not using Refind or refit as I've no way of installing it as the mac won't boot into the OS.......

This is NOT A DUAL BOOT with an OSX partition.

I can't seem to find any instructions on how to run Linux on a Macbook anywhere? There are lot's of dual boots but no sole linux MacBooks.

I've installed Elementary in a PC laptop and the whole process took less than an hour to be up and running smoothly. On the macbook after 2 days there's no joy........

Any help, with clear 'step by step' instructions would be appreciated.

UPDATE: Have got Lubuntu to boot - takes about 10 minutes or so on a good boot. Intalled rEFIt - makes no difference at all. There's no right click either, and internet searches come up from 2012 to 2019 with people asking the same things.

If anyone knows of a Linux distro that can boot on a Macbook with an SSD in less than 2 minutes then please let me know. Currently my experience with Mac and Linux is that they don't go together. A PC and Linux is an hour's work. A Mac and Linux is two or three days to have slow boot (10-30 minutes) and less functions....

you need a 500mb EFI partition. otherwise the mac won't know what to boot from. make two partitions, one as ext4 with mount point "/" and the other as EFI. Let me know if this works or fixes things. that's what it took to get mine working.

 

[Mac03ForLife]

Basically you need two partitions, formatted like so:

partition1: EFI, 500MB (formatted)
partition2: ext4 with mount point '/', with the storage taking the remainder of your HDD (formatted)

Steps:

1. Boot to your install media
2. Go through installation processes
3. Use GParted (can be launched through the start menu or through terminal (sudo gparted)

• You will need to create a new partition table
• To do this, select your device (sda) from the dropdown on the top right
• Under partition click "NEW PARTITION TABLE"
• Use MS-DOS format, as it suggests

4. Create partitions in GParted as described above
5. Click the Check Mark to write your changes. Wait as the system applies changes.
6. Wait for the installer to finish with your system
7. Reboot into the EFI partition (it will be orange or silver, depending on your OS)
8. Done!