How to revive a 2006 iMac for everyday use in 2021

[@core-computinglab]

I was given a late 2006 mac os this week. I repair computers for a living while studying a commuter science degree. Instead of the iMac becoming e-waste just yet I thought it was a great fit for Linux. but after searching for answers for installing it, I remembered the Efi boot in these macs and the problem with 32 /64 bit. This video was very helpful plus it was recent. Most of the videos where years old. Thanks :) I subbed as well

[@xjr358]

Thank you very much for the clear explanation! Great video! I restored a late 2006 24" iMac and didn't know what to do with it - now I do!

[@helphq]

We're still running Linux mint on ours!

[@scrandomhelp]

Thanks so much for this video! I was struggling to get my 2006 imac to boot off usb/cd of linux images and nothing seemed to work. Then you pointing me to Matt Gadient Guide/ISOs and I just downloaded one of his premade Mint ISO and it worked fantastically! Put some life in the old iMAC!

[@liberdadeparatodos]

I used your tips and managed to revive the old Mac as Linux. Also on Mac Lion I added several opensource applications and the Firefox Legacy 68.12.0p browser. Thanks a lot for the tips!

[@fakhirali157]

I have this my uncle was gonna scrap it and I put Linux mint on it and it’s perfect for movies and music the speaker is amazing

[@helphq]

Linux makes it very useable again! Glad you like it.

[@gonzaloalejandro3876]

what version of Linux mint didi u installed ? greetings my friend

[@VV-wl8gb]

Thanks for outlining the difference between the Early and Late 2006. Saved me the hassle of buying an Early 2006 model!

[@helphq]

No problem! Thanks for watching!

[@michaelmiller3012]

Just so you know in case you run into it in the future - the processors on these earky 2006 iMac models are socketed, and it is not terribly difficult to swap out the old 32-bit only CoreDuo CPU with a Core2Duo one - it's a drop-in replacement. The Core2Duo T7400 in particular is a good option because you get almost all of the performance of the op-end T7600, but it tends to be a LOT cheaper to get. If you're already going to open it up to swap out the HDD for an SSD, might as well complete the job with the CPU upgrade as well.

[@petermackinnon718]

Great video. Wish I'd found your tutorial sooner it might have saved me a lot of time when repurposing my old Mac Mini core 2 duo model. I've now installed Linux Mint and with some hardware upgrades (SSD, Max ram - 3GB and faster CPU - 2.16Ghz), it works really well.

[@thesovietflaganthemguy2344]

No fair I tried to run Linux mint on my old core duo Mac and it didn’t even recognize the USB

[@gonzaloalejandro3876]

thanxs for ur video and explications man, i have a imac g5 and i wanna use now in 2021 with linux 32 bits distribution !

[@helphq]

Idk if you’ll find any ISO files for PPC these days, but here’s a list of the last known supported versions: www.pcwdld.com/best-powerpc-linux-distros

[@gonzaloalejandro3876]

@@helphq thanxs

[@davidcarpenter8734]

Well done! Thank you sir.

[@marielouuu8949]

Great video! I was wondering if I could turn mine into an external monitor for my Macbook Pro M1 2020?

[@OrcinusLaryngologist]

If you turn on the screen sharing you can indeed.

[@MrWarneet]

I didnt use that patch on my core 2 duo, just plugged in a USB stick with the Mint ISO and it installed. I do however get a weird error message from BIOS upon boot but that doesn't stop the boot process...

[@Zebra_Paw]

So yeah, you are running Linux. As much as I love the concept of Linux, I think it's not quite at home on an iMac. Keyboard shortcuts are different, keys aren't mapped quite properly sometimes, and... something just doesn't feel right! Did you know that this could be patched to OS X Mavericks (from 2014), and you could then experience very decent web browsing by installing a modern enough browser? You can use a very up to date version of Chrome in Mavericks (not the absolute latest as far as I know, or maybe, because even though minimum is El Capitan, a while ago it was already minimum El Capitan and people ran it on Mavericks)

[@helphq]

Thanks for watching and commenting! When making the video I debated this very topic. Ultimately I decided the intent of the video was to give you a current operating system that still received security updates and patches as well as allowing you to run the latest software. Replacing outdated software with outdated software I felt missed the mark for what I was trying to portray in this particular video. This is the users personal preference and if that is what someone would want to do there’s nothing wrong with it. Video idea??

[@FNMCaffeine]

I have an imac 2006 that i'd like to erase completely to factory settings. What do i need to do? Thanks!

[@helphq]

You’ll need to acquire or download an OSX Tiger or Leopard DVD. Boot the DVD holding down the option key when you turn the computer on. Use disk utility off of the booted DVD to format the drive and reinstall OS from the DVD

[@vesterin1148]

I have an old 2004 iMac G5. Will these same steps work?

[@helphq]

Unfortunately not. The G5 is a different type of processor. You’ll need a version of Linux compatible with that. They have some out there but any of the main distributions will be old. Try www.adelielinux.org/ You’ll need the PowerPC (PPC) version.

[@YoungDanceProject]

en mi caso tengo un imac g5, del 2005, con procesador PowerPC, ayuda para instalar alguna versión renovada de linux

[@helphq]

I don’t have a PowerPC G5 Machine to make a video with. I would start here: lowendmac.com/2018/installing-linux-on-powerpc-macs/

[@moneymonkeyaudiobooks682]

Luck would have it that I have the earlier version of the 2006 iMac (32 bit). Can I still install Linux?

[@helphq]

Yeah you just need a 32bit ISO file. Typically it will have i386 in the name of the file or listed where the file can be downloaded whereas a 64 bit ISO says amd64 instead. You shouldn’t need to do any of the patching we do in the video. This is because the EFI firmware on both the early and late iMacs are 32 bit but the processors are different. Hence you have a 32 bit one and I had a 64 bit one. The patching allows us to install a 64bit version of Linux despite having a 32 bit EFI. I would look here for a list of Linux distros that are 32 bit: www.makeuseof.com/linux-distros-with-32-bit-support/ I don’t know how familiar you are with Linux. If you’ve never used it before I’d probably shoot for Linux mint or Zorin OS Lite and if you know a thing or two I’d go for Debian. It’s all personal preference though. Hope that helps! Thanks for watching.

[@moneymonkeyaudiobooks682]

@@helphq thank you very much! I have liked and subscribed 👍🏻🙂

[@vmaxmadness]

Try it with Bohdi, MX19 or Peppermint 10. My 2003 PowerMac on Linux.

[@habibalarcon5569]

I installed windows 8.1 on my mac

[@seunomeaquii]

Encontri um mac 2006 no lixo. como tinha conteudos p0rn0gr@ficos eu corri para resetar. Porem agora nao tem sistema operacional. nao sai da primeira tela.....poderia me ajudar por favor? obg

[@helphq]

If you want Linux then just follow the video. If you want OSX you’ll need to download the OSX Lion Installer and burn it to disk or make a bootable usb in order to reload the operating system. The lion installer can be found here: www.techspot.com/downloads/4417-mac-os-x-lion-installer.html

[@seunomeaquii]

@@helphq tks so much i will try. im not a tech guy but tks so much.

[@seunomeaquii]

@@helphq tks i did the bootable pen drive but many things works very bad or no works. now i have to redo and install another sistem. i want use as a mac so wich sistem do you think will be works ? tks a lot

[@seunomeaquii]

@@helphq hi i was waiting the dvd and now finally i got this done!!!! tks so much i really appreciate! but it's little bit slow and sometimes no run smoothly. it's something i can do? *** i really don't want do another distro and all this process hahahahhahh tks

[@markjefferies2005]

This is brilliant. I downloaded a modified ISO (Linux Mint 20) and burnt it to a DVD for my 64bit iMac 6,1 - Its all updated and working well, but I have a quick question. If I want to update to a later version release of (in my case) Linux Mint Ulyana (20) to Linux Mint Uma (20.2), can i upgrade directly via the Software manager or must I apply the 32bit patch to the Uma iso and do it that way? Thanks in advance for any answers.

[@helphq]

We have Linux Mint 20.2 Uma on the iMac from this video and I upgraded it from the Linux Mint software center updates section. I didn’t have to repatch anything.

[@nzbsgfan]

@@helphq - Thanks again. I was struggling with my iMac 6,1 as I could only run the 32bit version. Having the 64bit version will really extend the life of my older macs !

[@pierpig1482]

Amazing video, i have a MacBook 13 Intel 2Gb ram 2007 and macbuntu 11 but it doesn't work anymore (browser is end of support) can you suggest me another distro i can use from usb stick?

[@helphq]

There’s a lot of variables in the air with regard to the specs of your machine and whether or not it has a 32bit or 64bit EFI/Processor. I would say Linux Mint works well and has different spins to fit the visuals you’re looking for. I’m running it on the 2006 iMac. No issues, but I did have to manually install the wifi drivers and iSight drivers. It will run from a bootable USB drive or you could install it to a USB drive so long as you partition it correctly. Manjaro is another good distro, but I don’t think they offer a recent version that is 32bit should you need that.

[@diegomillan2806]

I think that antix would work flawlessly. It only uses 200mb (or less) of ram and have a good quantity of pre installed software. This distri is made for revive old hardware (like pentium 4 era )

[@osnapitzsamd]

Whenever I try to install Linux it always fails for me, the last 2x I did it (probably due to my error although idk) it wiped the hard drive on both computers, instead of dual booting! I've heard you can install a new Core 2 CPU and put Windows 10 on these, maybe a good idea for a video?

[@helphq]

I had similar issues simply because the SuperDrive in my iMac is on its last leg. What worked for me was placing the computer horizontal by propping it up against the wall during the install. Another thing you could try is using a different brand of media (Blank DVDs). I was able to get an external DVD drive to work via USB initially, but it was very hit or miss so your results may vary. You can install a different CPU in these machines if you're willing to disassemble it. You can get more information on that here: lowendmac.com/2016/cpu-upgrade-options-for-2006-imacs/#:~:text=The%20first%20three%20generations%20of,as%20high%20as%202.33%20GHz.

[@EvanAxer]

So i tried booting the linux Ubuntu from a USB stick and a burned iso cd and it does not come up when i hold options and go to the boot options. The CD does not show up and neither does the USB drive.. What do i do now?

[@helphq]

Booting from USB doesn’t work with these older iMacs. It’s hard to say what the issue is. Is the DVD drive in your machine working properly? Seems silly to ask, but the one on the machine from the video is on its last leg despite never being used. I had to continually load and eject multiple disks to get it to work for the video. I debated replacing the drive, but decided for my purposes it wasn’t worth it. My first guess is the manner in which you burned the disk didn’t work properly. What version of Ubuntu are you trying to use? It’s also worth noting not all versions of Linux will work with this 32/64 efi hack.

[@EvanAxer]

@@helphq OK So it seemed either the first Ubuntu CD i burnt either didnt work OR the disk drive doesnt work. I used Unetbootin to download a Ubuntu 20.04 and then used a external CD drive connected to the iMac USB and i would be prompted SOMETIMES to boot linux. For whatever reason i needed to download efit boot program for my imac to even be able to see any other booting options too. Took like 4 days off and on f*cking around with this just to be able to even see a Linux Boot option. If I didnt get this thing working today i was about to rip the hdd out and chuck this thing into the bin.

[@furi5989]

is anyone else having issues installing ubuntu to a mac pro 1,1? Ive got two methods to get through to the installer, however when I get there it cant recognize the ssd that I have setup for it or the spare hdd that Ive attempted to use for it as well. Its set as MBR on fat32 so it shouldnt be an issue, lsblk shows nothing but the cdrom that Im using for a method to install it since usb is hit or miss. if anyone has advice please fire away

[@furi5989]

also for extra context it has been upgraded to the 2,1 efi firmware

[@helphq]

If the hard drive is 2TB or greater MBR won’t work. Have you tried changing the partition scheme to GPT regardless of the size of the drive?

[@furi5989]

@@helphqthe ssd is a 240gb wd easystore, Ill try and format it to gpt to see if that works and report back to ya

[@kleinergaming2008]

in my case once it boots to grub, it just completely freezes

[@helphq]

Are you trying to dual boot? What happens if you hold the option key or alt key while booting and select the drive or partition from the Mac startup manager? The drive might be labeled as windows despite having Linux on it. Does it load fine if you do that?

[@kleinergaming2008]

@@helphq gotta be real it's my first mac, a hand me down and it has rEFIt installed. also literally no key combo I do actually makes it boot off the disc. what also doesn't help is that half the time the mac just ejects the disc for no good reason even with an external drive.

[@joshbarton]

@@kleinergaming2008 I’m unfamiliar with rEFIt. I know what it is but I’ve never used it. If you have the computer turned off > press the power button > immediately press the option or alt key on your keyboard and hold it until you see a white screen with drives listed. If that works you can then at that point put the disk in the dvd drive. If the computer can read the disk an icon will show up (that looks like a CD) and allow you to select it by pressing the arrows and the keyboard to highlight it and enter/return to select it. 👆🏻 does this work?

[@kleinergaming2008]

@@joshbarton that's exactly what I do but when it boots to grub it just completely freezes and I can't progress any further

[@helphq]

It freezes on grub from the disk you’re trying to boot off of or after you’ve installed Linux?

[@alejandracalderon6629]

Is it possible to instal linux from a virtual machine? you know, to avoid the usb or cd booting process...

[@joshbarton]

I don’t think you can do that unless you wanted to load Mac OS and run Linux strictly from a VM. Which I wouldn’t advise.

[@alejandracalderon6629]

​@@joshbarton Okay... So I've installed Linux Mint 20 Cinnamon "Ulyana" from the website (option 1) you recommended, using a DVD and it worked perfectly (after installing some Wifi and camera drivers but nothing that complicated), thank you!!

[@jeromecaughman]

Do you have time to help me with this because my iMac is not updated

[@helphq]

Send an email with what is going on and we’ll see if we can figure it out. [e-mail]

[@adrianoarruguetti2]

Does Elementary OS runs well on it?

[@helphq]

At the time of making the video it did not, but in my opinion elementary OS is buggy in general. Beautiful desktop environment but buggy. I have not messed with the latest version so it could be better now. If you want something that looks “Mac” but is stable I’d look at Manjaro GNOME or Ubuntu budgie. I will say Linux Mint has been rock solid on this machine since the making of this video. I did have to load wifi and webcam drivers manually though.

[@hamzanadjem99]

i have 2007 imac and the best linux to install on it is antix linux