I'm having terrible luck trying to install any flavor of Ubuntu on my 2006 5,1 Intel Core 2 Duo iMac. I've downloaded the 32-bit and 64-bit current and past version, as well as tried torrent installations. The .iso files install perfectly in VirtualBox, as well as an old HP Pavilion laptop. When I burn the .iso to DVD, the file structure appears, REFit and REFind detect a generic Linux DVD, as well as a "Windows" DVD.
But here's the trouble:
The installation process never begins, always ending with a black screen and the message "No operating system found." The DVD is not booted when depressing the "C".
I'm wondering if there is a problem with the external LG M-DISC Super Multi USB DVD drive I'm using on the iMac. Months ago, I was able to install Lubuntu on the iMac using an LG slimline USB DVD drive. I replaced the slimline because it would not recognize OS X 10.6 or 10.7.
Because the installer boots on the Windows machine as well as the virtual box, but not the iMac's external DVD drive, is there a problem with Linux discs booting on this particular LG drive?