Hi all
I have an old MacPro 2.1 from 2006 with 32bit uefi and I was wondering how can I install ubuntu on it.
It doesnt recognize my ventoy usb so I can’t load the ubuntu iso installer.
Any idea how do I do it?
Thanks
1 Like
You can not. Ubuntu and the Ubuntu flavors no longer come in 32 bit versions. There are some Linux distros that still support 32 bit versions (MX Linux, AntiX, and Linux Mint Debian Edition to name a few).
1 Like
that’s all I need, something to be able to boot the thing but after the install, will I be able somehow to boot it? Like grub or zfsbootmenu, I don’t know
Peppermint OS boots via grub and offers 32-bit support
More info here
1 Like
Moved to Lounge as the topic is not strictly related to Ubuntu any more
I managed to install these two Ubuntu based Linux distros to an old mac-mini with 32bit uefi with their official installer through USB
ZorinOS
elementary OS
Both worked fine.
1 Like
If I read your post (and the Wikipedia entry on the Macintosh pro) right then this a system with a 64bit processor and 32bit firmware / EFI. There used to be a (very) long thread on the old forum about getting Ubuntu running on an Asus laptop that had the same problem – the Asus X205TA. Some of the Information in there might be transferable to your problem.
1 Like
I will be searching.
To be honest, I did have some version of ubuntu on it but I don’t really remember how I’ve installed it 
where is this old forum please?
The Ubuntu Forums, however it is no longer accessible (long story).
You might try searching on Wayback Machine but not sure how successful that is likely to be.
more specific please? I’m new around here 
thanks
And yet it still sent me an email wishing me a happy birthday 
1 Like
Wayback Machine on archive.org
1 Like
I have done this myself (in the past) to get a 64-bit Ubuntu version installed on a laptop that has a 64-bit CPU but was sold with a 32-bit UEFI. The combination is uncommon, thus many people do not appreciate there is a difference between 32-bit UEFI and a 32-bit CPU.
So the good news is that it is possible to do this.
You can create a bootable USB of 64-bit Ubuntu desktop that will boot on a device with 32-bit UEFI using Ventoy (you can do it without Ventoy, but it comes with an option to specifically add a bootia32-efi file to the EFI partition on the USB, allowing it to boot on the Mac Mini).
Boot from the USB as normal (hold option when the Mini powers up and select it). This will let you try Ubuntu out (note: not all Mac Wi-Fi cards work out of the box in Ubuntu, so you may need to install the relevant driver from the repos to get it working).
If you decide to install Ubuntu on the Mini, you will need to repeat the process on the installation drive, which is a tiny bit more complicated. Don’t wipe the USB you made; you will need to use a live session to access the EFI partition on the installed drive to add the bootia32-efi file to it.
Beyond that, everything works as normal.
GRUB does not include a 32-bit bootloader by default. But you will be running a 64-bit version of Ubuntu on a 64-bit capable CPU, so the setup is going to be supported (beyond the initial hurdle) and work as it would/should on a device that comes with a 64-bit UEFI.
There is a solid thread on the Linux Mint Forums (and a number of guides on GitHub) that walk though the process with regards to Ubuntu.
1 Like
This topic was automatically closed after 30 days. New replies are no longer allowed.