I've found a lot of helpful information on running Ubuntu on a Macbook Pro from 2006. This is the 1.1 macbook pro, and I can't see any tutorials that use a Macbook Pro this old.
I have installed refit and burned my start up disk, but I have had a hard time running the disk on startup. I am given about 7 choices including the mac and Ubuntu OS. When I choose Ubuntu and begin start up I have a choose cd-rom screen, and my keyboard is locked. I have seen forum posts of this but with no solution.
Did I burn my start up disk incorrectly, or can a Mac this old not run Ubuntu?
Best Answer
Yes, installing Ubuntu 16.04.2 LTS on a MacBook Pro (2006) works out of the box.
I have not been able to make the computer boot from USB-stick, but if you have a burnable CD or DVD available you can easily get it done.
If you have a burnable CD available with room for 700MB data, use the Network installer (mini.iso).
If you have a burnable DVD available you can use the standard 16.04.2 LTS desktop iso.
NOTE that this computer has a 32-bit CPU, so you must select the i386 and not the amd64 images.
Once you have your CD/DVD ready restart/turn on your computer, press and hold the C-key until you see the Ubuntu installer boot-menu.