Can I run live linux with a 2007 iMac that doesn’t show macOS on the gray OS selector screen?

I have an old iMac (20-inch, Mid 2007) that has a white screen on boot that shows an EFI drive only and no macOS. I used my Windows 10 laptop with balena.io/etcher to create a live version of Pop!_OS Linux. By pressing the Alt button, I was able to get into the Mac Startup Manager and I was able to plug in the live version of Pop!_OS Linux and see it, However, I was not able to click on it and use it.

Also, when I went into the Mac Startup Manager, I didn't see a partition for OS X. Therefore, I am assuming the drive in the system is dead. So I am just looking to boot from a live version of Linux.

Also, I tried the Linux live drive on a MacBook Pro 2013 and it worked. I’m not sure what to do next with the iMac.

Solution 1:

I also have an iMac (20-inch, Mid 2007). I downloaded POP!_OS 20.04 LTS (pop-os_21.04_amd64_intel_10.iso) and used balenaEtcher (Version 1.5.64) on an iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2011) running macOS High Sierra (Version 10.13.6) to create the live flash drive installer. I was able to boot a live version of Pop!_OS Linux on the iMac (20-inch, Mid 2007). I was using a wired keyboard and mouse. The iMac (20-inch, Mid 2007) has 4 GB of installed memory and was connected to the internet through the ethernet port.