Major Issue with late 2006 iMac

[Hassadar]

Hi everyone!

i have some major problems with my late 2006 iMac. I was gifted that imac and i thought i could try and install linux mint on it.
but i screwed up big time. as i never used os x before i read a couple of tutorials and it sounded pretty easy. sadly i accidantly re partitioned the main drive so it shows as a 1 gb exFat partition. i cant repartion, i cant delete (both ends in a message telling me it was unable to unactivate the drive). i made several linux mint boot flash drives but non gets recognized when hold alt after boot. that iMac is the only mac i have, meaning i only can create usb flashs using windows. i tried to get trough this myself by reading and trying different things.
i read that my iMac has a 32bit EFI version so i found a tutorial on making an bootable flash drive for those cases but it also doesnt get recognized.
i made an rEFInd bootable flash drive, that works but my varios mint flash drives (including the 32bit EFI version) and my mint live cd won't get recognized by rEFInd.
i tried diskutil list in terminal while in recovery mode but i get a message telling me no corestorage logical volume groups found.
i cant reinstall OS X lion by internet recovery cause i cant format/partiton my hdd to the propper size/file system.
and, of course, i dont have a OS X cd.
does anyone have an idea on how i could either OS X back on running or a clean install of linux mint?

thanks in advance!

 

[nambuccaheadsau]

Lash out and spend $20 on Snow Leopard OS X.6 from AppleOnline, which includes postage. Depending on the precise model, there were a number in 2006, it will run Snow Leopard OS X.6.8, or maybe Lion OS X.7. Suggest leaving it with Snow L:eopard as Lion was a terrible operating system.

When you get the DVD, pop it in, boot from it, erase and format the hard and and then do a clean install.


https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MC573Z/A/mac-os-x-106-snow-leopard

 

[EugW]

Lash out and spend $20 on Snow Leopard OS X.6 from AppleOnline, which includes postage. Depending on the precise model, there were a number in 2006, it will run Snow Leopard OS X.6.8, or maybe Lion OS X.7. Suggest leaving it with Snow L:eopard as Lion was a terrible operating system.

When you get the DVD, pop it in, boot from it, erase and format the hard and and then do a clean install.


https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MC573Z/A/mac-os-x-106-snow-leopard

I'm assuming the OP has iMac5,1. If so, that's too bad. CloudReady Chrome OS won't install on that either. Same goes for iMac4,1 AFAIK.

Personally I would buy the media for Lion instead if Snow Leopard.

Both 10.6.8 and 10.7.5 are obsolete, but 10.6.8 is more obsolete.

 

[DeltaMac]

The OP stated that they booted into the recovery partition.
So, the iMac did have at least Lion installed.
@Hassadar - you COULD boot to that recovery system, then use Disk Utility to prepare an external USB drive, which SHOULD let you install whatever version (probably Lion) on that external drive. Just erase the drive first, making sure that the drive is formatted as GUID, then erase to make the partition Mac OS Extended (journaled). Then you should have no difficulty continuing with a reinstall of OS X. Just use the external drive as the destination for the install.
Once that is complete, you will have a completely normal Mac system drive.
Boot to THAT, and then you can use that drive to completely erase the internal drive. You can reset the partition so only one partition is there. You can even erase the hard drive, leaving it as a Fat32 format, if that would be more convenient for what you want to do.
And, Finally, you should then be able to install some other system/Linux/Mint Live/whatever might be supported by the hardware.
And, you would have a usable OS X on your external drive, in the event that you want to do something with that system again. (Might be a Good Thing™ to occasionally have access to the App Store, for example )

 

[nambuccaheadsau]

There is always an argument about Snow Leopard and Lion ~ which is faster etc.

One big advantage with Snow Leopard is older PowerPC application and games will run under Rosetta. Rosetta and those apps were culled under Lion. Have a read of this:-


https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/is-lion-better-then-snow-leopard.1314189/

 

[Hassadar]

thanks so much for your help everyone. i think i gonna try DeltaMacs aproach. i wanted to facepalm myself when i read that, its so easy solution...but oh well im glad you pointed me to the right direction!

thanks so much again, i will report how that went!

 

[Hassadar]

sorry for reporting so late, but i was very busy the past few days.
I tried reinstalling via the recovery mode, and everything worked up to the point where the download should start. I got a message telling me that a download of OS X Lion wasnt possible at the moment and i should try later again. I did a couple of times but i always got the same message. Can i suspect that the download will work any time later or does this message mean it wont work ever again, cause i have the feeling i won't be able to download OS X Lion this way. Can i get from the Store (with my apple ID) without having to pay for it? And will i be able to install Lion on my portable usb under Windows? thanks!

 

[Samuelsan2001]

sorry for reporting so late, but i was very busy the past few days.
I tried reinstalling via the recovery mode, and everything worked up to the point where the download should start. I got a message telling me that a download of OS X Lion wasnt possible at the moment and i should try later again. I did a couple of times but i always got the same message. Can i suspect that the download will work any time later or does this message mean it wont work ever again, cause i have the feeling i won't be able to download OS X Lion this way. Can i get from the Store (with my apple ID) without having to pay for it? And will i be able to install Lion on my portable usb under Windows? thanks!

No You have to create your bootable USB with a mac not windows.

 

[Hassadar]

No You have to create your bootable USB with a mac not windows.

so i'm screwed cause i only have windows systems available...ok, thanks anyway im gonna throw that apple away.

 

[tpivette89]

so i'm screwed cause i only have windows systems available...ok, thanks anyway im gonna throw that apple away.

Don't do that... where are you located? I'm sure someone can send you a copy of the OS X on a bootable thumb drive that you need. No working Mac should be thrown away because the owner can't shell out for an operating system

 

[Hassadar]

Don't do that... where are you located? I'm sure someone can send you a copy of the OS X on a bootable thumb drive that you need. No working Mac should be thrown away because the owner can't shell out for an operating system

Well that would be absoulty perfect. I'm from Germany, so if anyone can help me out here i'd be greatful.