The following article is a guide to installing Linux on a Mac PC. Most of the time we opt for Linux operating systems but are confused about the hardware requirements. The tutorial will help you run Linux system on your Mac which will completely replace the original OS. Read on below to find out:
ATTENTION: this is for people wanting to install Linux Mint 15 on a Mac Mini to become Linux only in SINGLE boot, without any Mac OS X alongside it. If you want to dual boot OS X and Linux Mint there are other tutorials out there that work, normally involving Boot Camp and rEFIt or rEFInd. I decided to make my mac mini Linux olny after installing in dual boot and then spending a few months without using Max OS X.. decided to reclaim all the HD for use in /home.
![Linux Linux](/uploads/1/2/6/4/126476030/214012457.jpg)
My Mac mini model is A1283 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_mini#Specifications_2), YMMV if you have a different model.
Distro was Linux Mint 15 MATE 64bit. I originally experimented with Mint 14 XFCE due to limited RAM (1Gb) but after upgrading to 4Gb decided to go Mint 15 MATE.
So, here we go.. I downloaded live DVD, booted into it then selected Install Linux Mint. Asked to wipe everything and install, then got an error informing automatic partitioning wouldn't be able to install the bootloader. Chose to do manual partitioning (an option named 'something else' if I recall correctly).
I didn't get it right the first time, so to make a long story short, here is what the final partitioning that worked looks like:To pay attention: in MY case Linux Mint was installed on /dev/sda2 (partition number 2) and the boot loader on /dev/sda1 (partition number 1). Your case may be different, change /dev/sda1 and /dev/sda2 in the examples below if needed. My case is strange because the first partition was numbered 5, probably because I created it by spliting my partition 1 in two, when partitions 2, 3 and 4 already existed.
To do your homework to find out your partition numbers:
I performed the installation, then at the end an error message came up informing it was impossible to install the boot loader. I chose continue without boot loader, finished and did NOT reboot.
Then in a terminal I forced the installtion of GRUB with:(remember, in MY case GRUB was being put in /dev/sda1 and Mint on /dev/sda2, adapt if your partition numbers are different).
Then, I rebooted. No, it didn't work automatically. I was greeted with a grub rescue prompt.
Next step, learned from this link (http://askubuntu.com/questions/192621/grub-rescue-prompt-repair-grub) was to manually get it to boot. In MY case where partition 2 was where Mint was installed, I used the commands below. If your Mint is in another partition, change 2 for that number:
I hope there are other mac mini owners out there who find this useful.
MintyMac-Mate version 1.5 is a 32 bit OS built from Ubuntu Mini 12.04. Many features including the Mate Desktop Environement, MDM Display Manager, mintMenu, Docky, Full Compiz pre-configured including Magic Lamp which is close to the 'genie' effect Mac OSX has when minimizing windows.
- How To Install DaVinci Resolve 16.2 In Ubuntu, Linux Mint Or Debian (Generate DEB Package) How To Change The GRUB Boot Order Or Default Boot Entry In Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Debian, Or Fedora With Grub Customizer; New Oracle Java 11 Installer For Ubuntu Or Linux Mint (Using Local Oracle Java.tar.gz).
- Apr 08, 2019 The vast majority of users retrofit a former Windows PC with a Linux OS or build a PC from parts and load a Linux distro. This is not hard. Linux installers have also come a long way.
- Feb 06, 2018 This is a step-by-step walkthrough for dual booting a MacBook Pro (Mid-2015 aka MacBookPro11,5) that already has macOS High Sierra on it with Linux Mint. The hard drive is formatted APFS and has.
- GoToMeeting makes online meetings on Windows, Linux and Mac easy to start and join. For Mac and PC users, you have the option to download GoToMeeting desktop apps for a full-featured experience that works flawlessly on both systems.
Before you begin, you’ll first need to select the distribution you want to work on. Whichever you choose will determine the kind of working environment you want. Some of them include:
- Ubuntu: One of the most popular operating systems built on Unity. It is great for new users and offers a very similar environment as macOS does.
- LinuxMint: Released in 2006, this type is more Window- like and comes in with a range of desktops (Cinnamon, Mate etc.) for Users.
- Debian: This is perfect for people working on the server side. Although, Debian is a little complicated to set up and use, but offers a lot more features than Ubuntu and Mint.
- Fedora Linux: This distro is based on various packages such as DNF, RPM and GNOME. It is not recommended for beginners because of the complex working environment.
Try to get familiar with the distribution you want to install so you don’t have any issues later. We recommend starting with Ubuntu since it is the most used and offers plenty of community support in case if you get stuck somewhere.
Installing Linux on a Mac
Yes, there is an option to run Linux temporarily on a Mac through the virtual box but if you’re looking for a permanent solution, you might want to completely replace the present operating system with a Linux distro. Qsl card maker for mac.
To install Linux on a Mac, you’ll need a formatted USB drive with storage up to 8GB. Hear 1.3.1 for mac. Remember this process will wipe out your current macOS/OS X installation and there is probably a very hard chance to recover it back. Also, don’t try to run macOS and Linux on dual boot because that won’t work too.
Follow the steps for installation below:
- Download Ubuntu or any other Linux distro you want to the Mac. Save it in your Downloads folder.
- Now download and install Etcher, an app that will help copy the Linux installation file to your USB drive. (https://www.balena.io/etcher/)
- Open the app and click on the Settings icon. Tick on the Unsafe Mode and click on Yes, Continue.
- Now Click on SelectImage. Choose the name of the .iso file you downloaded in Step 1.
- Insert your USB Drive
- Under the SelectDrive option, Click Change. Pick the drive option that matches with your USB drive in size. If you have inserted one drive in your Mac, the option will show /dev/disk1. If there are two drives attached, there will be an option for /dev/disk2 and so on. Note that /dev/disk0 is your Mac’s hard drive. Do not select that option.
- Now click Flash to start copying.
- Remove the USB Flash Drive and Shut down your Mac.
- Now attach the USB drive on the Mac again or to any other PC you want to install it to.
- Power up the PC while constantly holding the Option key
- From the start up screen, select the EFI Boot Option
- You will see a screen with Ubuntu Installation Options that will ask you to either Try Ubuntu or Install Ubuntu. Press the letter ‘e’ to go the boot entry.
- Here, you will have to edit the boot entry. Change the line starting with Linux and add the word ‘nomodeset’ after ‘quiet splash’. It should be like this:
- Now, Press F10
- Ubuntu will start booting into trial mode
- Click on the option, ‘Install Ubuntu’
- Select your Language and Continue
- Now, select the option ‘Install this third party software’ and click continue
- Click Yes to the alert option for /dev/sdb
- Now select ‘Erase Disk and Install Ubuntu’ and click on continue
- Make sure you select the main hard drive and click on Install Now.
- Select your location and then click on continue
- Choose your keyboard layout and click on Continue
- Add a name and Password that you want to use
- Click on Continue and your Linux Distro will start installing
- Once the installation is finished, you will be asked to restart your Mac
- Now, login with your name and password to start using Ubuntu.
Note: During the installation process, we used the entire hard disk for Ubuntu in step 20, which means your MacOS will be permanently deleted. If you want to keep the MacOS, you will have to make disk partitions, a small 8GB partition and a larger 1000GB for Linux. You can also go to Disk Utility to create proper partitions before you start installing Linux. Have a look here (https://linuxnewbieguide.org/how-to-install-linux-on-a-macintosh-computer/)
After going through a painful process to convert my Mac mini to a Linux only machine I decided to post how to do it.ATTENTION: this is for people wanting to install Linux Mint 15 on a Mac Mini to become Linux only in SINGLE boot, without any Mac OS X alongside it. If you want to dual boot OS X and Linux Mint there are other tutorials out there that work, normally involving Boot Camp and rEFIt or rEFInd. I decided to make my mac mini Linux olny after installing in dual boot and then spending a few months without using Max OS X.. decided to reclaim all the HD for use in /home.
![Linux Linux](/uploads/1/2/6/4/126476030/214012457.jpg)
![Mac Mac](/uploads/1/2/6/4/126476030/447602403.jpg)
Distro was Linux Mint 15 MATE 64bit. I originally experimented with Mint 14 XFCE due to limited RAM (1Gb) but after upgrading to 4Gb decided to go Mint 15 MATE.
So, here we go.. I downloaded live DVD, booted into it then selected Install Linux Mint. Asked to wipe everything and install, then got an error informing automatic partitioning wouldn't be able to install the bootloader. Chose to do manual partitioning (an option named 'something else' if I recall correctly).
Mac Os Theme For Linux Mint
I didn't get it right the first time, so to make a long story short, here is what the final partitioning that worked looks like:To pay attention: in MY case Linux Mint was installed on /dev/sda2 (partition number 2) and the boot loader on /dev/sda1 (partition number 1). Your case may be different, change /dev/sda1 and /dev/sda2 in the examples below if needed. My case is strange because the first partition was numbered 5, probably because I created it by spliting my partition 1 in two, when partitions 2, 3 and 4 already existed.
To do your homework to find out your partition numbers:
Code: Select all
You need to leave a small partition at the start, unformatted, with bios_grub flag on, then another one about 90Mb of size formatted with fat32 and with boot flag on. I don't recall now if it was possible to set those flags in the installtion procedure.. but you'll be able to set them with gparted, which can be invoked from the command line.I performed the installation, then at the end an error message came up informing it was impossible to install the boot loader. I chose continue without boot loader, finished and did NOT reboot.
Mac Os For Linux Mint In Laptop
Then in a terminal I forced the installtion of GRUB with:(remember, in MY case GRUB was being put in /dev/sda1 and Mint on /dev/sda2, adapt if your partition numbers are different).
Then, I rebooted. No, it didn't work automatically. I was greeted with a grub rescue prompt.
Next step, learned from this link (http://askubuntu.com/questions/192621/grub-rescue-prompt-repair-grub) was to manually get it to boot. In MY case where partition 2 was where Mint was installed, I used the commands below. If your Mint is in another partition, change 2 for that number:
Code: Select all
Then Mint from the HD came up, so the boot worked. Next step was to update Linux Mint just in case, then follow instructions in this thread (http://linuxnorth.wordpress.com/2012/02/07/repairing-grub/) and use boot-repair. Commands were:Then pressing the main button and telling it to continue despite my EFI partition being smaller than 100Mb, it repaired the boot loader and then everything worked.I hope there are other mac mini owners out there who find this useful.