Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

DCBassman

macrumors 6502a
Oct 28, 2021
553
308
West Devon, UK
I've completely given up fiddling with macOS and am happy on Windows.
Once you switch, it takes a while until all is settled, but then you really begin to appreciate a stable OS where everything runs smoothly, irrespective of being brand new or a version from 20 years ago.
Windows, Macos, Linux...
All good systems, just different.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bobesch

eyoungren

macrumors Penryn
Aug 31, 2011
28,831
26,946
G4 'NAS' is retired…drives pulled.

2024-05-02 08.50.24.jpg

Synology NAS placed and running, next to the ZyXel (my other NAS). Both 6TB, but I believe both can do 8TB. I know the Synology can.

2024-05-02 08.50.38.jpg 2024-05-02 08.52.00.jpg
 

eyoungren

macrumors Penryn
Aug 31, 2011
28,831
26,946
Over the course of working on my panoramic wallpapers I have come to appreciate the handiness of the Navigator panel in Photoshop. Tonight, it struck me that it might be beneficial to use the Navigator panel on my HDTV (to the dimensions of the screen). Sort of being able to look up and see the big picture (and move around in it) while zoomed in. I tried it out and kind of appreciate the micro/macro aspects here.

2024-05-03 20.10.57.jpg

I do not always have this display on (it's often being used as an actual TV), so in that case if using Photoshop, the Navigator panel won't always be visible. Which is fine (to me). If I really want to use it, I just switch the output on the TV and it's there. Glad to find another good use of this display.
 

TheShortTimer

macrumors 68030
Mar 27, 2017
2,733
4,851
London, UK
Got an old Air for 25€. What's the most usable OS for a MacBookAir2,1 with 2GB of RAM and HDD? Tried 10.11 and it's unbearable slow.

What's the CPU type? Is it the Core 2 Duo 1.6 or 1.86 Ghz version? You can go as far as Catalina using the DosDude patcher but if El Captain is already unbearably slow then you're unlikely to fare any better with Catalina unless you ditch the HDD. As @DCBassman has pointed out, that HDD is a major hindrance because its RPM is only 4200 and completely inadequate for running anything beyond Snow Leopard.

Once you've replaced the HDD with an SSD, you could try the patched High Sierra and see how you get on. Failing that, Snow Leopard or a lightweight Linux Distro might be your best bet.

This is very much worth upgrading the HDD to SSD, and not that difficult.

This is true, however, the processor still remains an important factor because an SSD cannot fully compensate for a slow machine. I own a MBA 3,1 and whilst I enjoy using it and have obtained good results, many fellow users within this community have justifiably expressed their disdain for its also slow CPU.
 

ToniCH

macrumors 6502a
Oct 23, 2020
540
597
Before one starts to order a SSD for such machine its wise to check this. Note the paragraph "Storage Type & Details". Then determine which type you have and if its the one with standard type of connector or not. In any case the drive will be smaller (1.8", 5mm thick) than normal 2.5" size so take that into account. I would pop the back open and take a look what is in there.

I would suggest some lightweight Linux for such a machine. I have a MBA 3,2 1.86GHz and it runs light Linuxes just fine.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: TheShortTimer

rin67630

macrumors 6502
Apr 24, 2022
474
324
Got an old Air for 25€. What's the most usable OS for a MacBookAir2,1 with 2GB of RAM and HDD? Tried 10.11 and it's unbearably slow. Downloading Mavericks ...
Before one starts to order a SSD for such machine its wise to check this. Note the paragraph "Storage Type & Details". Then determine which type you have and if its the one with standard type of connector or not. In any case the drive will be smaller (1.8", 5mm thick) than normal 2.5" size so take that into account. I would pop the back open and take a look what is in there.

I would suggest some lightweight Linux for such a machine. I have a MBA 3,2 1.86GHz and it runs light Linuxes just fine.
no need to check much. Any SATA SSD will do. I hope you have one laying around because else it's not worth to invest a kopeck in those old machines.

Edit: Sorry I forgot the "Air" part. Indeed the pre-2012 Macbooks air have pretty weird disk drives. Its' gon a be tough to find SSDs for them and the probably won't be cheap.

With an SSD, they will however run Windows 10 quite well. Alternatively Ubuntu Mate.
O would forget macOS.
 
Last edited:

ToniCH

macrumors 6502a
Oct 23, 2020
540
597
no need to check much. Any SATA SSD will do.
I think all MBA 2010 models came with SSDs so OPs machine is most likely earlier.

According to the link I posted 2008-2009 MBA's came with 1.8" drives. Some even with different non standard connectors. So, I still recommend checking what is in there. In any case it's not going to be the 2.5" SATA SSD what is considered normal and what is likely to be in peoples parts boxes.

I guess this is the type with the weird connector:
 
  • Like
Reactions: TheShortTimer

ricom2ger

macrumors member
Dec 30, 2020
39
34
What's the CPU type? Is it the Core 2 Duo 1.6 or 1.86 Ghz version?
1.86Ghz.

no need to check much. Any SATA SSD will do. I hope you have one laying around because else it's not worth to invest a kopeck in those old machines.
With an SSD, they will however run Windows 10 quite well. Alternatively Ubuntu Mate.
O would forget macOS.
It has Samsung Spinpoint N3B HS12UHE 1.8" SATA drive with a LIF connector.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ToniCH

TheShortTimer

macrumors 68030
Mar 27, 2017
2,733
4,851
London, UK
I think all MBA 2010 models came with SSDs so OPs machine is most likely earlier.

According to the link I posted 2008-2009 MBA's came with 1.8" drives. Some even with different non standard connectors. So, I still recommend checking what is in there. In any case it's not going to be the 2.5" SATA SSD what is considered normal and what is likely to be in peoples parts boxes.

I guess this is the type with the weird connector:

They didn't pay attention to your earlier reply. Otherwise they would not have claimed that any SATA SSD will work in a 2nd generation MacBook Air. The 2010 models require an adapter to circumvent Apple's proprietary connector in order to use standard M.2 SSDs, as I discovered during replacing the 64GB unit in mine.


Ok, I thought as much. The CPU will always hamstring performance but it's still worthwhile sorting out a suitable SSD and giving High Sierra, a Linux distro and maybe even Catalina a go. You could set up a dual boot with Linux and a patched macOS version for example.

I would. :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: ToniCH

rin67630

macrumors 6502
Apr 24, 2022
474
324
... but it's still worthwhile sorting out a suitable SSD and giving High Sierra, a Linux distro and maybe even Catalina a go
You are right I overlooked the "air" in the Macbook 2009.
Considering that the hard drive is highly non-standard, I would not spend money to try upgrading.
Here MBA 2012-2013 trade for 100€-120€ and they already have SSDs and USB-3
I'd put a low-end Linux on it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bobesch

ToniCH

macrumors 6502a
Oct 23, 2020
540
597
I do have a MBA 2010 with the C2D 1.86GHz and a SSD. With MacOS it was too slow and obviously the browser options have gone bad so I first installed Manjaro to it. It ran pretty good and took about 710MB of RAM after boot. Then I got a hint about AntiX, a very lightweight Linux. It only takes about 220MB after boot. o_O Quite decent performance, even runs 1080P videos in youtube without hiccups, although 1920x1080 is not a perfect match for the native screen resolution of 1440x900, 720P is better.

I do have High Sierra on another partition but have no real use for it in this particular machine.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TheShortTimer

ToniCH

macrumors 6502a
Oct 23, 2020
540
597
Houston, I have a problem! I cannot stop buying more old Macs! o_O I already have couple (or 3, maybe 4?) PPC-projects going on at the moment waiting for parts, but still I went and browsed the local classifieds, spotted a nice m2010 17" MBP and pulled the trigger...oh no! :eek:

Seems like a very clean machine, max RAM, SSD, charger etc. The CPU is a mystery, I could not determine it for sure even with the serial #, in mid 2010 lineup there are a i5 and couple of i7's. As I already have an i5 I am hoping it would be one of the i7 variations. The PO could not install a new OS to it after wiping it clean so he cannot check for sure. Let's see if I have a better luck.

No further plans for it have been formed yet. Wife could maybe use a bigger screen one for her Garageband/Logic Pro/etc. use (she can have the i5 17") and I might go with some Linux stuff. I cannot remember if I've ever tried to put OCLP and GRUB in the same machine but maybe a non supported MacOS (=Monterey) + a Linux would be optimal for me. ;)
 

Attachments

  • MBP 17 2.jpg
    MBP 17 2.jpg
    161 KB · Views: 14
Last edited:

eyoungren

macrumors Penryn
Aug 31, 2011
28,831
26,946
Houston, I have a problem! I cannot stop buying more old Macs!
Totally get that. :D

For me, I believe I see a compression coming. There's a new thread in the PowerPC forum about a user who was maximizing custom PC builds and then just got tired of it all. That user switched to custom low power builds. Along the same lines, I'm about there. I've gotten what I wanted both with PowerPC and Intel. I don't believe I will ever abandon desktop systems, but I think more computers are going to be retired in the coming years. What can I do with less, I think…
 

ToniCH

macrumors 6502a
Oct 23, 2020
540
597
I’m considering downsizing my collection at the moment — if you’re in Europe and interested, feel free to get in touch.
Well, I do have too much myself and not enough space for all the stuff. I would need much bigger house to fully display or use all my stuff - not going to happen. So, I really do not need or even want any more gear but I cannot help it. I see all the good deals and then vision all the interesting stuff or projects I could do and then get them. I need the challenges and enjoy solving them, just like somebody else wants to do crossword puzzles or sudoku.

The problem is not so much that can I afford them or can I use all the stuff? I do and I could. The biggest problem is that I don't like selling them after all the trouble of getting them fixed and/or built. One can rarely make any profit or even get even with vintage computers unless the thing is something really rare and desirable. Not likely with 2000's Macs. I really would need to find another addict, or two, who would like to buy the stuff and would appreciate all that....oh wait - I now understand your position! 🤣
 
  • Like
Reactions: TheShortTimer

headlessmike

macrumors 65816
May 16, 2017
1,270
2,565
Well, I do have too much myself and not enough space for all the stuff. I would need much bigger house to fully display or use all my stuff - not going to happen. So, I really do not need or even want any more gear but I cannot help it. I see all the good deals and then vision all the interesting stuff or projects I could do and then get them. I need the challenges and enjoy solving them, just like somebody else wants to do crossword puzzles or sudoku.

The problem is not so much that can I afford them or can I use all the stuff? I do and I could. The biggest problem is that I don't like selling them after all the trouble of getting them fixed and/or built. One can rarely make any profit or even get even with vintage computers unless the thing is something really rare and desirable. Not likely with 2000's Macs. I really would need to find another addict, or two, who would like to buy the stuff and would appreciate all that....oh wait - I now understand your position! 🤣
You're in Sweden, right? I've got a Power Mac G3 with your name on it! ;)
 
  • Love
Reactions: TheShortTimer

Populus

macrumors 601
Aug 24, 2012
4,859
7,147
Spain, Europe
I keep using my 2014 Intel Mac mini (Core i5 @ 2.60GHz 8GB of RAM + 1TB SSD) regularly. Is this what the thread is about?

Right now I’m backing up all the big and important files in order to format it once the new Monterey security update is released next week. And until I get an M4 Mac mini, or an equivalent machine, I’ll keep using it, because it still runs pretty well.

What an abysmal difference there is between the Nehalem Core 2 Duo CPUs and this Haswell Core i5. My former Core 2 Duo was dragging its silicon feet when I sold it in 2018. While this Haswell i5 is still doing its job without lags.
 

DCBassman

macrumors 6502a
Oct 28, 2021
553
308
West Devon, UK
Just spent another hour trying to get the MBP 8,2 to boot a live MX session. Also tride using a 32-bit version. No different. There's a bit in the boot sequence where the screen blacks out. Normally, mthe screen returns, saying udev done, or some such. The MBP never comes back from the blackout. I've checked as far as I can, but the Radeon is still working fine so far as I can see. It might be, I suppose, that the GPU system is throwing a wobbly during this setup, and can't decide which GPU to initiate? I can't think of anything else that might cause this. I'll look around here for some sort of software switch and see if I can persuade it to do something...
 

eyoungren

macrumors Penryn
Aug 31, 2011
28,831
26,946
Went through the Applications folder and weeded out all the old/PowerPC stuff that will never run on Mojave. Was going to do the same to the Utilities folder, but my head is kind of swimming so will save that for another day. The good thing about Hazel (which I have) is that when it sees you delete apps it asks if you want to remove all the support files.

I'm a pack rat when it comes to apps (who am I kidding, I'm a pack rat period) so there was a lot of old stuff in there. Camino, Netscape Navigator, Internet Explorer, etc…
 

eyoungren

macrumors Penryn
Aug 31, 2011
28,831
26,946
SMH…learned a few things tonight that don't make complete sense to me, but nonetheless.

1. Apparently Western Digital RE drives (these are Enterprise drives, what you'd use in a data center) take more power than your standard drive. I have a drive enclosure but it would NOT spin up my 6TB WD drive. But it would spin up my WD Red 3TB drive. This part makes sense as I don't believe the case designer was thinking someone would put a data center drive in the enclosure.

2. BT devices that are too close to a DisplayLink device can cause issues with the DL device. I hadn't had this problem until I swapped drives out of the enclosure. One of the DL displays started going blank intermittently. My USB Parani Bluetooth device is close to the DisplayLink adapter. Why this started happening now, IDK. Doesn't make sense. But moving the adapter to my BT hub seems to have helped. I also noticed a drive transfer increase in speed when I did this. That part also doesn't make sense, unless the Parani was perhaps dragging down the bus. 🤷‍♂️ No idea.

3. Loose connections don't help displays. I checked both ends of my HDMI connections. Apparently it was slightly loose in the end that connects the monitor. I haven't touched anything back there since I set all this up! So, why it'd be loose, IDK. But it was. I have to guess I didn't put it in right when I connected it all. Anyway, the screen seems to be working fine now.

It is sometimes amazingly frustrating keeping everything in line and in working order. In an earlier post I mentioned a downsizing coming. This is one reason. I don't want to say I'm getting too old, but rather dealing with it at my age is getting old! Part of the reason I jumped from my Quad G5 to my MacPro was because things had gotten so old that working my workarounds was just too tiring. I feel as if I am moving into that stage again.

I was surprised at the prices on 2015 MBPs when I went looking for my wife a couple weeks back. These are in my price range. So that may be where I am headed in the next couple years.
 

ToniCH

macrumors 6502a
Oct 23, 2020
540
597
I cannot remember if I've ever tried to put OCLP and GRUB in the same machine but maybe a non supported MacOS (=Monterey) + a Linux would be optimal for me. ;)
I today noticed that there is a partition on my first MBP 17"s SSD that I cannot see in MacOS, searched at my old posts and it all came back to me. I actually installed both Linux Mint and Monterey (OCLP) to my previous mid 2010 MBP 17" but I didn't got it to boot in a way I could choose between MacOS and Linux. rEFInd was suggested but it failed to install due "crsutil status: custom" -error (OCLP probably?) and I then gave up. So it booted only to Monterey - until today.

I again looked at the rEFInd and as the "normal" way to install to Mac didn't work for me previsously I decided to try a bootable rEFInd -USB flash drive and with it the installation was non problematic. Didn't know about that option back then, only found it now.

But, now it works! When I start the machine I am presented with 2 options: EFI and Monterey boot. If I choose EFI I enter rEFInd and can boot Mint, if I choose Monterey it boots the OCLP Monterey. The OCLP Monterey is also visible in rEFInd but doesn't boot all the way from there. But, this is good enough for me: easy to boot to Mint when needed. :cool:
 
  • Like
Reactions: DCBassman
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.