Slackware64 iMac 2007 Redux

Posted on Sep 14, 2024 by kingbeowulf

A year ago, I refurbished a vintage 2007 iMac: 1TB SSD and new(-ish) power supply and it has been working pretty good for the most part.

Installing Slackware64-15.0 on an iMac 2007

Two issue still remain: Bluetooth (BT) and a tendency for the power supply over heat. I still haven't found a solution yet to the BT driver; this will wait for the next Slackware stable release "when it's ready; real soon now."

The mid 2007 iMac did have a tendency to overheat. Having poked around inside, there just isn't enough air flow to cool the power supply which can run extra hot under load. We can adjust the fan speed manually as root, once you figure out which fan cools both the CPU and the power supply. For example:

Installing Slackware64-15.0 on an iMac 2007

Posted on Aug 20, 2023 by kingbeowulf

Now that Apple has moved on to their own "Apple silicon", all Intel CPU based Mac computers are on live support - and Apple ready to pull the plug. No more MacOS updates of any kind, even for recent models, as has already happened for the older Mac models. Recall that this is the same process as when Apple transitioned from PowerPC to Intel CPUs.

Granted, Apple does tend to support their hardware a bit longer than the Windows PC crowd, but it is still a shame to have to toss still perfectly good hardware. This post will describe how to breathe new life into a vintage 2007 iMac.