dermk4 BLoG - OSX86

Hackintosh 2011 Update

nospam@example.com (dermk4) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 11:57:55 +0800

My Hackintosh rig has been running OS X Leopard for a couple of years, I did not take the time and the risk attempting to do a Snow Leopard install as I clearly know how much of a hassle it would have been.

I earned a week of extra days off recently, having the latest version of iATKOS L2 (Lion 10.7.2) release handy, I bit the bullet and wiped my boot partition to rebuild my rig from ground up. Although I knew it will not be easy, I wasn't really expecting that much amount of work to be honest. But as it turned out, the outcome was satisfactory, and I am now having the privilege to work on a modern Mac-clone that runs like a breeze.

Unlike Leopard, Lion is now running a 64 bit kernel, which rendered all my previous drivers outdated and non-working, among these it was the Realtek 8139 ethernet card and my ATI Radeon HD2400 Pro that were most vital, without a properly configured display and internet connection, everything else is crap. After several days of handwork and frustration, I solved these problems by buying new hardware, namely a HK$169 USB-to-Ethernet adapter that is based on the Axis AX88178, the same chipset Apple used in its USB-Ethernet dongle. 64-bit 10.7 driver can be found here: http://www.asix.com.tw/.

For display card, I was clearly out of luck so I didn't waste (too much) time digging into forums for solutions, I went ahead and bought the cheapest Nvidia GF100 Fermi-based display card available in the market, a Galaxy GT 520, for HK$385. The combined effort of installing Chimera 2.0 boot loader, Multibeast 4.2 for Lion (choosing the 64-bit Apple Boot Logo that fixes the need to input "npci=0x2000" argument each time I boot, and GF100 OpenCL enabler), GTX5xx Enabler from the download section of osx86.net, as well as the latest CUDA driver directly from Nvidia, have resulted in an OpenCL compatible hackintosh that allows me to run even Final Cut Pro X!

More updates later.

Acer Aspire One netbook 安裝 retail 版 Snow Leopard 教學

nospam@example.com (dermk4) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 17:53:02 +0800

土耳其核客 Turk team 推出的 iATKOS V7 是在 Acer Aspire One 上安裝 Mac OS 10.5 Leopard 的無敵利器，小弟也最少經手替 4 台 Aspire One 灌入過 iATKOS。等了近半年也未見 Turk team 釋出傳聞中名為 “iKaros” 的 Snow Leopard distro，我決定另覓良方把原裝 retail 版 Snow Leopard 裝到手上的 Aspire One 之中。

安裝過程非常簡單，所需配件如下:

- 1GB RAM 或以上的 Aspire One
- 外置 DVD-ROM
- 內置硬碟 (SSD 我沒試過)
- Aspire One 需預裝了Broadcom 4311 Wifi 模組
- 8GB 或以上 USB 手指
- FAT / Mac OS 格式的外置硬碟 (NTFS 的不行) ，或另一只 8GB 或以上 USB 手指
- Mac OS X 10.6 retail 版 Disc Image (DMG 檔)

1. 先以 iATKOS V7 光碟 boot 機，然後把 Leopard 安裝至 USB 手指，需時約半小時
2. 完成後把 DVD-ROM 拔掉重啟，並選擇以 USB 手指 boot 機
3. 進入 Leopard 後，插入載有 Mac OS X 10.6 retail 版 DMG 檔的外置硬碟或另一只 USB 手指，mount image
4. 到這裡下載一個 patched for MBR install 的 OSInstall.mpkg
在 Finder 中開啟 Go > Go to folder，鍵入 /Volumes/Mac OS X Install DVD/System/Installation/Packages/，再按 return，換入剛下載的 OSInstall.mpkg
5. 然後再把之前一併下載的 OSInstall 換入 /Volumes/Mac OS X Install DVD/System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/Install.framework/Frameworks/OSInstall.framework/Versions/A/
5. 點擊 OSInstall.mpkg 開始安裝 Snow Leopard 至 Aspire One 內置硬碟 (需要重新格式化為 MBR - 並分為 Mac OS Extended 及 FAT 兩個 partition)
6. 完成後別重啟電腦，先下載並安裝 netbook installer 至 Aspire One 內置硬碟
7. 重啟，然後下載並以 Kext helper 安裝 Voodoo HDA 來激活內置音效 (暫未支援 mic 輸入)
8. 也順道下載並安裝 AboutThisMac 來更正 Atom CPU 資訊，重啟
9. 開啟 Terminal 並輸入下列 Unix 指令以避免機身合上時進入 Sleep 狀態 (Aspire One 上跑 OS X 不支援休眠)

sudo -s
rm -rf /System/Library/Extensions/ClamshellDisplay.kext
touch /System/Library/Extensions

10. 以 Disk Utility Repair Permission 並再重啟
11. 大功告成! 由於是 retail install 並以 netbook installer patch 過，打開 Software update 便可輕鬆升級至 10.6.2

Prepping Hackintosh for Magic Mouse

nospam@example.com (dermk4) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 23:14:53 +0800

USB Bluetooth Dongle, a HK$22 plug-and-play solution to give your hackintosh Bluetooth support, available at New Golden Shopping Centre (新高登).

OSX86 USB sound solution

nospam@example.com (dermk4) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:29:39 +0800

I decided to make this post brief and bilingual, as it is useful for many hackintosh builders and there is not much related information available on the net.

The background is that I failed to get both the JMC250 Gigabit LAN and ALC888 onboard sound on my DFI LanParty P45 working in OS X, a Realtek 8139 LAN card I have handy provided my networking needs. For the sound part, despite sleepless nights spent digging in the insanelymac forums and numerous trials and errors – VoodooHDA kexts, AppleHDA patches, codec dumps… none of them worked! I ended up getting sound to come out from my speakers using an old trusty Sound Blaster Live 5.1 Value and a driver developed by the Kx project, which is not bad at all – better if it also offers input capabilities. Up till the moment I wrote this, the Kx drivers for OS X do not support the mic/line-in jacks on the SB cards.

On a bored Sunday afternoon I found this crappy, ugly and cheap USB sound adapter in Sham Shui Po, it turns out to be a painless plug and play hackintosh sound solution – for a mere HK$29! The adapter has the C-Media CM108 chip built-in, it was recognized by OS X and started working right away!

小弟的 hackintosh 底板 DFI LanParty P45-BI 上有兩個元件不能為 OS X 所用 – 1) JMC250 Gigabit LAN 2) Realtek ALC888 音效。JMC250 太冷門了，我乾脆用一塊 Realtek 8139 LAN card 代替便行。ALC888 呢，儘管我花了幾天在 insanelymac 論壇上找方法，VoodooHDA kext、AppleHDA 補丁、甚至 codec dump 等方法我全都試過了，也不能讓它悶哼一下! 後來我從家裡零件堆中找來一塊老舊的 Sound Blaster Live 5.1 Value，以及 Kx Project 撰寫的 Mac 版 SB 驅動，但這驅動只支持音效輸出，至於輸入嘛… 自然是貴客自理。

在一個悶極了的週日下午，我在黃金地庫找到了上圖的 USB 音效卡，內建 C-Media CM108 晶片，提供即插即用的 hackintosh 音效解決方案，盛惠不過 29 大元。

[HOW TO] Run Parallels on hackintosh running Voodoo kernel

nospam@example.com (dermk4) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 23:25:04 +0800

Part of the reason for me to replace my Celeron with a Pentium Dual-Core E6500K on my hackintosh was the need of VT support to run virtual machines like Parallels (Parallels refuses to install on hackintoshes without VT support, such as my previous Celeron E1400), but right as I finished setting up my new rig, I ran into a kernel panic when I tried to run all recent versions of Parallels Desktop.

Carefully examining the error message, I could tell that the problem was related to the Voodoo 9.7 kernel which many of us chose to use on our hackintoshes. After extensive information digging on the web, I finally found my way to get around it. Parallels or VMware both require the "mach_kernel" to be named no different than original, what we do is rename the voodoo kernel as shown below in "Terminal", then simply reboot and fire up your virtual machine again to enjoy Windows and other OSes on your hackintosh!

Hackintosh temporarily down - I fried my 965P!

nospam@example.com (dermk4) — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 21:49:43 +0800

Not long ago I was complaining in an earlier post about the lack of memory timing settings on my 2.5-year-old Gigabyte 965P-S3, days later I had to declare its honorable death.

The Gigabyte had a HK$8xx price tag at time of purchase, having run a Pentium dual-core E2140 @ 2.8GHz for about 2 years, and then my recently-acquired Celeron dual-core E1400 @ 3.2GHz for 2 months, it has certainly delivered reasonable performance and reliability for the price I paid.

Nevertheless, having some burnt smell coming out from your case, especially on my hackintosh workstation built with much time, blood and sweat, is definitely not something I want to deal with in times ahead. So I am in the market again for another socket 775 motherboard that offers better than average overclocking ability, reliability and also a reasonable price tag – this time, I look no further than DFI.

As you all know, I have been very satisfied with my AMD Opteron 146 running on a DFI Lanparty UT for more than 3 years. This rig has been running overclocked @ 2.8GHz for 3 good years and is still handling 30-40% of my regular computing tasks such as downloading, file-serving and some web surfing the moment I wrote this.

LANParty BI P45-T2(R)S Elite - An entry level P45 board from the DFI Blood Iron series seems to fit my bill perfectly - with all solid capacitors onboard, DFI’s renowned overclocking ability, its HK$800 price tag, hackintosh-friendly ALC885 sound and Marvell Yukon 88E8053LAN, it looks like a good match with the multiplier-lock-free Pentium dual-core E6500K my buddy David helped me to pick up from China!

Dual-booting Windows 7 and OS X on Aspire One using Boot-Think boot loader

nospam@example.com (dermk4) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 23:55:59 +0800

The following may not be the only way of doing it, but that's how I got mine working.

1. Connect your Aspire One or technically any netbook to an external DVD drive, boot with iATKOS V7
2. Start "Disk Utility", and split your drive into 2 partitions - first one as Mac Extended with MBR option (this is the one OS X will be installed), second one FAT with MBR option
3. Install iATKOS V7 onto the first partition using Chameleon V1 bootloader, make sure everything works and OS X boots up fine
4. Boot with Windows 7 installation DVD, and choose to install onto the second partition. You won't be able to install on FAT, so format it with NTFS (do not repartition, when you do that Windows 7 creates a hidden third partition that will give you a real hard time)
5. Install Windows 7, it will restart a few times automatically, at this point you won't be able to boot OS X
6. Before you install anything onto Windows 7, activate it with "7 Loader" by Hazar + Orbit30 (version 1.3 worked fine for me, but 1.5 has been released as I wrote this), this enables you to use Windows update on your activated Windows 7, it even lets you install OEM logos of your choice!
7. Now Windows 7 should be permanently activated, install Boot-Think 2.2.2. Just hit the EXE and it will do the rest
8. Upon restart you will for the first time see the Windows 7 boot loader, asking whether you wanna boot "Windows 7" or "Boot Think", just choose "Windows 7"
9. Once you have boot into Windows 7, move to the "Darwin" folder created on your boot disk by Boot-Think, move to "MBR" folder, and right click to run "SetupMBR.BAT" as administrator, reboot again
10. Now you should see only the graphical boot menu like this one

11. You're done, enjoy two of the most advanced OSes on your trusty netbook.

OSX86 boot loader 新貴 - Boot Think

nospam@example.com (dermk4) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 22:29:00 +0800

政圈中人有謂「逢中必反」，醉心 DIY 電腦的人的立場則大多相反，內地無論腦場、淘寶或是其他網上資源真是一級棒! 隨便數一下我已經能夠說出好幾個例子，我在廣州訂購回來的 PowerMac G5 機箱、深圳華強買回來在 Aspire One 上安裝 OSX 的 Broadcom 4311 無線網卡、上文提到的國內限定 Pentium Dual Core E6500K、肥佬的抵買七彩虹 790GX等等。

需要安裝多個 OS 的OSX86 用家大多以 Chameleon boot loader 來引導 boot 機過程，如小弟就是Chameleon V1 的支持者。V2 不是不好，就是開機時那條變色龍太醜，還有安裝也不比 V1 方便。最近有國內高手便釋出了一個名為 Boot Think 的 OSX86 boot loader，可直接在 Windows 內進行安裝，開機畫面模仿Boot Camp，最新 2.2.2 版更表明與 Vista Loader / 7 Loader 等 Windows 破解相容。

我正打算以 Boot Think 在我的 Aspire One 上 dual boot iATKOS 與 Windows 7，過程稍後再在這裡分享。

詳情請參考 Boot Think 官方網站:
http://apple163.5d6d.com/

期待中: Pentium Dual Core E6500K

nospam@example.com (dermk4) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 19:27:00 +0800

因為預算有限的緣故，家中 Hackintosh 現僅配用 Celeron Dual Core E1400 處理器，其三百多元的便宜售價，和不錯的超頻性能 (原生 2GHz，可穩定跑 3.2GHz) ，實為組裝時的不二之選。3.2GHz 的雙核效能其實已超越市面上任何一款原裝 iMac，但 Celeron Dual Core 被遮蔽了 virtualization support 是它的致命傷 – 不能安裝 Parallels Desktop 4。這樣一來，想在 Hackintosh 上跑幾台 virtual machine 試試新 OS 也不行了，主機的實用性立時打了折扣。

在今期 PCM 裡看到 Intel 推出內地限定版 Pentium Dual Core E6500K，不僅內建 virtualization support，更是 Intel 近年絕無僅有的無鎖倍頻 CPU，立即讓小弟口水直流! E6500K 採用 45nm Wolfdale 制程，我那老舊的 Gigabyte 956P 主板刷入最新 BIOS 後也能使用，根據內地網友的回應及雜誌評測結果估計，空冷小超至 4.5GHz 以上該不是問題(執筆時已有外地高手用液態氮把它超至 6GHz!)。衡量過其折合八百港元左右的售價、超過 1GHz 的時脈/效能進帳、以及 virtualization support，我決定找舊同事幫忙從內地弄一顆回來!

這次小升級也正好為 Snow Leopard 的推出作好準備，現正熱切期待中。

G5 機箱內的 hackintosh (3) - 結賬篇

nospam@example.com (dermk4) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 21:36:00 +0800

每次當我提到我這個 G5 hackintosh project 的時候，身邊眾人最關心的是共花了多少錢. 這個當然啦，搞了這麼久，就是因為它夠便宜嘛! 大家最感興趣的 PowerMac G5 機箱年多前購自廣州，有興趣者可到淘寶網找找看，或是用百度找個最鄰近的經銷商，我最近隨便搜尋過好像還有 Mac Pro 的!

G5 機箱 $800 (已包括由廣州速遞至香港費用)
Gigabyte 965P-S3 主板 (已停產, 類似型號約售 $400)
OCZ Gold DDR2-800 2x 2GB $400
OCZ Cable Management 400W 火牛 $450
Intel Celeron Dualcore E1400 $350
Hitachi 500GB HDD $450
ASUS SATA DVD-RW $180
Colamax ATI HD2400 Pro 128MB $180
Realtek 8139 LAN 卡 $30

共約: HK$3,240