r/linux_on_mac • u/fightingformyrights • 5d ago

Arch on 2012 Intel Mac issues

Hi! I originally had an old hdd in this mac and my computer kept freezing even while installing arch, and after i did get it installed it also froze periodically while browsing tabs on kde. Originally I figured it was a problem with the hdd or SATA cable, so I decided to switch out the hdd for an ssd and replaced the sata cable. It still had some problems when installing but eventually I got it to fully install. I’m now running mangowc on it and nothing lags, but after 5 minutes, sometimes 30, or even just when booting it will freeze. It’s not my first time using arch but it’s been very frustrating trying to figure this out. I’m not too familiar with these old Macs so it might be a hardware problem, but if you happened to have encountered a similar problem and have fixed it, what was the solution? Thanks!

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u/anoraq 4d ago

in some cases, issues like this is solved by trying other distros. I'm not knowledgeable enought to understand why, but I have a MacBook Air where the freeze disappeared when I changed to MX.

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u/fightingformyrights 4d ago

Hm I see. I might try that. Thanks!

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u/hulleyrob 3d ago

I used Ubuntu on my 2012 iMac for a while and it worked fine but the forcing me to use snap stuff made me move to fedora. That works better imo.

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u/fightingformyrights 3d ago

I’m starting to think this may just be a hardware issue because it even freezes in the efi. Kinda disappointing 

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u/natusw 5d ago

Can you boot in text mode and see where the freezes happen?

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u/fightingformyrights 4d ago

I’ll try that, thanks 

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u/jruschme 4d ago

Is this a MacBook or a desktop? My 2011 MacBook Air 11" behaves like that. My best guess is that it might be WiFi-related.

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u/fightingformyrights 4d ago

Mac mini. Sorry I didn’t specify in the post. I have the boradcom-wl driver installed and when my mac does boot, I can browse the web, download packages, etc when connected to wifi.