Why won't Lubuntu USB boot up on my MacBook?

[Mymacbookwontwork]

I am trying to install Lubuntu 18.04 on a MacBook with no operating system. The details of my computer are on my account page. I made the USB using rufus and got the 32 bit ISO file from here: https://cdimage.ubuntu.com/lubuntu/releases/18.04/release/. When I plug in the USB and start up the computer all that happens is the blinking question mark folder starts blinking faster. Any ideas on what to do?

 

[SAC12345]

When I plug in the USB and start up the computer all that happens is the blinking question mark folder starts blinking faster. Any ideas on what to do?

I see no mention of holding down the Option key to actually get the chance to boot from the USB stick from the boot picker screen, without that step you are never going to see any result.

Edit: Oh and depending on whether the Mac has a full 64bit EFI you may need a special hybrid boot USB stick capable of booting off a 32bit EFI, on those crippled Macs.

 

[Mymacbookwontwork]

It is a 32 bit MacBook that I installed Ubuntu 18.04 on earlier. I took out the optical drive and installed an SSD and then I used Clonezilla to clone the drive. Then I tried wiping the HDD and that is when it said there was no operating system, even though there is one on the SSD.

 

[Mymacbookwontwork]

I don't think it has any mac left in it.

 

[SAC12345]

It is a 32 bit MacBook that I installed Ubuntu 18.04 on earlier. I took out the optical drive and installed an SSD and then I used Clonezilla to clone the drive. Then I tried wiping the HDD and that is when it said there was no operating system, even though there is one on the SSD. I don't think it has any mac left in it.

The Option key is part of the EFI firmware in the machine it is always there. Clonezilla never installed GRUB to the new drive the link below explains how to do it after the fact. Though who knows if it will work with the broken EFI in the machine, you may have to do fresh install. The no OS is due to the fact you wiped out the GRUB that was present on the HDD. Who knows if you have any idea which way it was installed, the MBR older method or the newer EFI. This is important when doing the boot repair once you have used the Option key to boot the USB installer, the boot-repair program will tell you if you have booted in the wrong mode for the install you have, then you will need to use the Rufus to create the proper installer for the install you have on the machine, either MBR or EFI.

How to Repair Ubuntu 18.04 from USB - Fedingo

Sometimes you may need to repair Ubuntu due to boot issues. Here are the steps to repair Ubuntu from USB.

fedingo.com

 

[Mymacbookwontwork]

Will clean installing Lubuntu off the usb and using the option key do that

 

[SAC12345]

Will clean installing Lubuntu off the usb and using the option key do that

Yes that would give you GRUB back on it, if you install to the HDD when doing the fresh install it will find the already present install on the SSD and put entry in the GRUB menu for it too. Then you can have two installs one for a backup and one you use all the time. Honestly though the boot-repair is best to try first, if it works you get working drive already installed and the leftover HDD to be used for some extra storage. Me being the paranoid like I am about my OSs and data I would go with the backup plan. I always have the two OSs and my data even crazier, I have four copies of that, in four different machines.

 

[Mymacbookwontwork]

Do you think I could clean install it on the SSD? I was planning on using the HDD for extra storage because this is just a computer I am messing around with and there will probably never be something on it worth saving. I don't want the ubuntu that is on the SSD anyway, I want to install LUbuntu.

 

[SAC12345]

Do you think I could clean install it on the SSD? I was planning on using the HDD for extra storage because this is just a computer I am messing around with and there will probably never be something on it worth saving. I don't want the ubuntu that is on the SSD anyway, I want to install LUbuntu.

Sure just wipe it and start over then if wanted, though there again installing the lubuntu-desktop package on a rescued install will give you both of them to use if you wanted. You get to select which to use at the login screen allowing to switch between them.

Edit: And you could go for the Kubuntu, the Mate or any of the other variants by installing its package for the desktop, which brings in all the required programs to give the complete desktop to choose at the same login screen.

 

[Mymacbookwontwork]

And I will be able to choose the SSD to install LUbuntu on? How do I know what it is called? In ubuntu it was called SDA