Hey everyone! I have a 2011 MacBook Air with 2GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. I've been trying to set it up to dual boot with various Linux distros, but I've run into some issues. First, I attempted to install Debian with XFCE, and it crashed. Then, I tried Linux Mint, but that also crashed during the installation. I did manage to get antiX to run in live demo mode, but the installation process crashes my system. I really like my MacBook Air and think it could be great for light usage if I can get a Linux distro running on it. Can anyone offer some advice or solutions?
3 Answers
I totally get your struggle! It sounds like you might be facing issues with your graphics drivers, especially since you’re using an older MacBook. I suggest checking out some installation tips in the Linux forums. Also, make sure to connect your MacBook to the internet via Ethernet during installation; it really helps. And remember to remove the boot media once everything is installed!
Yeah, if the system is crashing, it might be related to the Intel graphics. Have you checked if there are any specific drivers or settings you need for that?
I have a similar MacBook, and I faced a similar problem. What exactly do you mean by crashing? Are you getting a black screen, or is it shutting down completely? Knowing that could help narrow down the issues you’re facing.
It's kind of just freezing up; no error messages or anything. So frustrating!
You might want to try a lighter distro like Xubuntu or Lubuntu instead; they could be more friendly to older hardware.
Why not give Fedora XFCE a shot? It’s known for running well on older machines. Plus, their community is pretty helpful too!
I'm curious, which version of each distro did you attempt? Sometimes specific versions play nicer with older hardware.