Resolved What keeps USB drives from booting in macOS?

[tuxlink]

Hi there,

I was gifted a 2011 21.5" Intel iMac 12,1 that had OSX Lion on it. I'm completely new to the Apple and macOS ecosystem. I am fumbling around finding stuff as I go. So far I have installed 4 more Gb for a total of 8Gb of ram, and updated to High Sierra.

I want to boot a Linux USB distro in live mode but no matter what I try, it does not allow the USB to boot. I have tried using Balena Etcher flashed to at least two new USB thumb drives, and both times I got a black screen. Is there a 'secure boot' type switch that disallows other OS's to boot inside the Mac world? If so, where do I find it? I have read about SIP (System Integrity Protection) and from the terminal it states it is enabled. Is SIP what's keeping the booting at bay? Any suggestions would be gratefully appreciated.

BTW, I'm thoroughly enjoying finding out all about the Mac world here at MacRumors forum. There's a wealth of information here for Mac newbies like me. Thank you Mac users for such a great resource.
M

 

[appltech]

You also should switch to that USB using the Option key while booting. So, you'd receive sources to boot in.
Or something is going wrong. That Mac is allowed to boot Linux and other OS types

 

[tuxlink]

Thank you for responding. I have been using the Option key while booting, and when I get to the bootable drives manager window, there is only two to choose from. Macintosh HD and efi. I choose efi and get the black screen. Maybe the USB drive is not properly prepared for use on a Mac? I thought that's what Balena Etcher was doing. I shall try again with a different USB drive. Thanks again.

 

[winxmac]

Thank you for responding. I have been using the Option key while booting, and when I get to the bootable drives manager window, there is only two to choose from. Macintosh HD and efi. I choose efi and get the black screen. Maybe the USB drive is not properly prepared for use on a Mac? I thought that's what Balena Etcher was doing. I shall try again with a different USB drive. Thanks again.

If you have access to a Windows computer, you can try to use Rufus for your Linux ISO, or if it is a Linux computer, you can use the image writer or whatever program to write the ISO to USB flash drive... I have no macOS hardware experience so I have not tested what I am telling you... But Balena Etcher worked fine and I used it to write LMDE ISO to a flash drive and I am able to boot it on a Windows laptop...

 

[tuxlink]

Thank you winxmac,

I decided to try flash a different Linux distro. I downloaded and flashed MX Linux, and it booted! So after that success, I went back to the previous distro (PCLinuxOS) and gave it another try, but no joy. Not sure why, maybe a bad download, but I'll keep working on it. At least this proves it's not the machine or macOS.
M

 

[Snowlover]

Mx Linux is a very good distro for Mac compatibility .It was the only one I found that had Broadcom drivers for my late 2008 mbp already installed. I have the kde desktop environment and really like it.
I too have tried some distros that would not boot on my Macs. I think they were made for computers with bios rather than uefi.

 

[tuxlink]

Mx Linux is a very good distro for Mac compatibility .It was the only one I found that had Broadcom drivers for my late 2008 mbp already installed. I have the kde desktop environment and really like it.
I too have tried some distros that would not boot on my Macs. I think they were made for computers with bios rather than uefi.

Thank you for replying Snowlover,
I have discovered why my ISO would not boot into my iMac. The distro I was using (PCLinuxOS) is having issues with the ATI Radeon drivers from that time period. I'm not exactly sure why or how other distros are getting around this issue, but so far I've found MX, Pop OS, and Void Linux will all easily boot on my 2011 iMac.
The irony here is now that I have discovered the whole macOS and Apple eco system, I am quite enamored with it, and am in no hurry to duel boot with Linux. Maybe some day in the future.

 

[Snowlover]

I hear you, I am running Mavericks on my 2008 mbp and couldn't be happier with it.
Would be using Snow Leopard but for 1 program that is not supported on it.

The reason I am dual booting mx is for security when doing online banking and such.