Hackintosh 10.5.5 Retail Rig - Starting at $305

[silverpig]

Originally posted by: sindows
I've been doing some reading and I have no idea what these terms mean and what they're associated with. Can anyone clarify for me?

Ktext
EFI(I know this is the "equivalent to a bios but thats about it)
kernal
boot132
chameleon
boatloader
darwin

There might be a few more I'm missing but these are the big ones...

I'll answer a few:

kext = kernel extension. Basically, a driver file.

EFI = uh yeah. A bios replacement type thing. I'm not too sure on the details.

kernel = the "brain" of your operating system. linux has a kernel (actually, linux IS a kernel), windows has a kernel, and OSX has a kernel. It's essentially the central core of the operating system that deals with the hardware on the lowest level.

boot132/chameleon = two ways of doing essentially the same thing. OSX needs to be booted in a certain way, by reading the EFI. Chameleon and boot132 are ways of tricking OSX into thinking your computer has an EFI that OSX likes. boot132 is stored on a usb key and you boot off of that, chameleon resides on your hard drive.

bootloader = when your computer starts up it's basically brain dead. The operating system isn't loaded so it can't do anything. Your computer first goes to a boot sector on your hard drive and looks at what it tells it to do. The boot loader sits here (usually) and tells your computer where the kernel is and to load it.

darwin = a guy who sailed the seas on a ship called the beagle 🙂

 

[Pneumothorax]

IT WORKS!!! Thanks Kaido
I kinda finagled your instructions though
used my macbook pro to copy my retail leopard DVD to my raptor using a SATA expresscard
installed Leopard like you said, BUT I installed memory fix prior to installing the 10.5.5 update.
after installing update, BEFORE rebooting I then installed the EFIstudio and OSX86 tools and then finally rebooted
My system was hanging, if I did the following:
Installed the 10.5.5 first, after reboot I would get black screen of death
or if I installed all the tools first and then attempted to reboot system would then hang
or if I installed the 10.5.5 update then I couldn't install the memory fix without rebooting which would then hang my machine up.

One last question, I installed the aboutthismac program but under cpu it just says 3.4ghz and nothing else. What do I need to do to fix?

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Pneumothorax
One last question, I installed the aboutthismac program but under cpu it just says 3.4ghz and nothing else. What do I need to do to fix?

In order to get your CPU speed and processor model displayed correctly, you have to edit a strings file. It's super simple - copy over the file to the desktop, edit it in Textedit, and copy it back over then reboot.

How to edit your System Profiler: (overview)

Step 1: Edit the strings file
Step 2: Install the strings file

Step 1: How to edit the strings file:
1. Open Finder and click on your Boot Drive
2. Navigate to System > Library > Core Services (blue folder with an "X" on it)
3. Find the loginwindow icon, right-click, show package contents (this opens a new Finder window)
4. Navigate to Contents > Resources > English.lproj (yes, this is a folder even though it has an extension)
5. Copy the "AboutThisMac.strings" file in that folder to your desktop
6. Right-click on the strings file and open with Textedit
7. Scroll down until you find this line, then edit the text in the second set of quotes to whatever you want:

"ABOUT_BOX_SINGLE_PROCESSOR_FIELD_FORMAT" = "2.4 GHz Core 2 Quad";

NOTE: There are two groups of code like this - make sure it says SINGLE processor and not MULTIPLE processors.

8. Save the file and Exit TextEdit

Step 2: How to install the strings file:
1. Drag-and-drop your edited "AboutThisMac.strings" folder into the English.lproj folder
2. Click "Authenticate", then "Replace", then type in your password
3. Repair Disk Permissions (click on your boot partition in Disk Utility, then click on the Repair Disk Permissions button in the middle-bottom)

I actually prefer this method becuase it doesn't add the (tm) and (c) and all that goofiness to the name; mine just says "Processor: 2.4 GHz Core 2 Quad". It seems as though the "aboutthismac.pkg" only has built-in support for older quad-core processors.

 

[scootermaster]

Okay, I think this may finally be the time. The e7200 is back on at Fry's for $80.

Now only if I hadn't missed out on that Antec 300 + 500 ps deal -- and, of course, the fanless 8800 for $25 after rebate or whatever. Why can't these deals ever line up?

I guess there's still dirt cheap ram and 25% ebay cashback on the Mobo. Not too shabby.

...unless it makes sense to wait for i7 for these to get cheaper. =]

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: scootermaster
Okay, I think this may finally be the time. The e7200 is back on at Fry's for $80.

Now only if I hadn't missed out on that Antec 300 + 500 ps deal -- and, of course, the fanless 8800 for $25 after rebate or whatever. Why can't these deals ever line up?

I guess there's still dirt cheap ram and 25% ebay cashback on the Mobo. Not too shabby.

...unless it makes sense to wait for i7 for these to get cheaper. =]

Quit procrastinating you slacker :laugh:

Are i7's compatible with the DS3L or is it a whole new chipset? The performance reviews are unreal, I'm VERY excited about em 🙂

 

[scootermaster]

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: scootermaster
Okay, I think this may finally be the time. The e7200 is back on at Fry's for $80.

Now only if I hadn't missed out on that Antec 300 + 500 ps deal -- and, of course, the fanless 8800 for $25 after rebate or whatever. Why can't these deals ever line up?

I guess there's still dirt cheap ram and 25% ebay cashback on the Mobo. Not too shabby.

...unless it makes sense to wait for i7 for these to get cheaper. =]

Quit procrastinating you slacker :laugh:

Are i7's compatible with the DS3L or is it a whole new chipset? The performance reviews are unreal, I'm VERY excited about em 🙂

The versions available at launch have a different pinout. So that's a no. But they are supposedly going to release a pin-compatible [and slower] one later.

I think.

Don't quote me on that.

But now you're talking me out of this C2D! ARRRRRRGGGGRGDFDFHGFHG!

 

[Sophie424]

Just wanted to say a huge, enormous "THANK YOU!!" to Kaido.

First for putting this guide together. And second for being unbelievably helpful in helping me iron out hiccups in my install. I would never have gotten this to work without his help.

Thank you, Kaido.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Pneumothorax
IT WORKS!!! Thanks Kaido
I kinda finagled your instructions though
used my macbook pro to copy my retail leopard DVD to my raptor using a SATA expresscard
installed Leopard like you said, BUT I installed memory fix prior to installing the 10.5.5 update.
after installing update, BEFORE rebooting I then installed the EFIstudio and OSX86 tools and then finally rebooted
My system was hanging, if I did the following:
Installed the 10.5.5 first, after reboot I would get black screen of death
or if I installed all the tools first and then attempted to reboot system would then hang
or if I installed the 10.5.5 update then I couldn't install the memory fix without rebooting which would then hang my machine up.

Okay, this bug seems to be affecting 8600GT/8600GTS users: installing 10.5.5 stops the system from booting unless it's installed in a special order. So, I've updated the guide since these steps will apply to everyone:

1. Install Leopard
2. Install the Memory Fix and reboot
3. Install 10.5.5 (don't reboot yet)
4. Install EFI Studio
5. Install OSx86Tool
6. NOW reboot

Only 2 reboots: install Leopard + Memory Fix, reboot. Then install 10.5.5, EFI Studio, OSx86Tools, and reboot. Don't forget to disable Automatic Updates and download any remaining updates!

Also, changing the resolution to "2560x1600" (the 30" screen resolution) seems to downscale to match whatever display you currently have. I need to test this theory on 4:3 monitors though, but it seems to be working on widescreen monitors.

 

[Kaido]

I had a user with the Fanless 8600GT report high temperatures, so I switched out the card in the guide with a Zotac card that has a fan. Users report good temps on it, unlike high temps on other cards (including cards with fans). I've had extremely good luck with Zotac in the past - inexpensive and good quality:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814500020

 

[Kaido]

Okay I've updated the rigs and pricing. Now starts even lower - at $330 😀

Budget Rig Recipe: $330
-Changed the Video Card from the $75 fanless version to the cooler $55 fan-cooled model

Better Budget Rig Recipe: $450
-Changed the Video Card to the fan-cooled $55 model
-Changed the CPU to the more powerful 2.5ghz 45nm E5200 CPU
-Changed the Boot Drive to a 320gb model
-Both the Boot Drive and Backup Drives are both quiet Samsung F1 drives now

Media Center Rig Recipe: $480
-Changed the Video Card to the fan-cooled $55 model

 

[Kaido]

Also a note I left out for those of you using the DVD to install:

You must plug your Boot Drive and DVD drive into Ports 0 and 1, the first two SATA ports on the board. These are the ones furthest away from the bottom of the motherboard. Otherwise you will get the stop sign (ghostbusters symbol) when you try to boot the DVD. This isn't an issue with the Hard Drive install.

 

[Kaido]

Not all USB sticks appear to be working. Please post your USB stick name, model, and size and working status (yes or no). For example, "256mb Sandisk Cruzer - No" would work. This way we can compile a list of compatible USB flash drives to use.

 

[KeypoX]

Originally posted by: Kaido
Not all USB sticks appear to be working. Please post your USB stick name, model, and size and working status (yes or no). For example, "256mb Sandisk Cruzer - No" would work. This way we can compile a list of compatible USB flash drives to use.

SanDisk cruzer mini 512MB (wont show up in boot priority) Though others have said a 1GB cruzer has worked...doh

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: KeypoX

Originally posted by: Kaido
Not all USB sticks appear to be working. Please post your USB stick name, model, and size and working status (yes or no). For example, "256mb Sandisk Cruzer - No" would work. This way we can compile a list of compatible USB flash drives to use.

SanDisk cruzer mini 512MB (wont show up in boot priority) Though others have said a 1GB cruzer has worked...doh

I've personally only tested 1GB+...maybe that's it? Luckily it's only like $9 for a gig stick, plus you can slap the 10.5.5 600mb-ish Combo Update onboard for even faster installation, so that's definitely a plus.

 

[Kaido]

Updated more numbers! The Budget Rig and the Media Rig now use a 256mb Zotac 7300GT. Zotac has released an updated 7300GT for $29 on Newegg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814500048

I have the older, fanless Zotac 7300GT and it handles 1080p like a dream. Final Cut Pro? Sure. VMware? No problem. So this means the Budget Rig is now $305 and the Media Center Rig is now $455.

 

[TheStu]

So are we saying that we need larger, or smaller jump drives? I have a 64MB that is of course, doing nothing. I also have a 256MB that is laying around, and a 2GB. But you can get a well reviewed 4GB on newegg for less than $10 shipped these days... that I might just add that to the cart.

Here is what I am looking at pulling the trigger on next friday
RAM
Optical
Mobo

And of course that mobo on ebay. I have a USB external optical drive that works just fine, so if you think I can save $23 by not getting the internal, I won't get it. That would also free up a SATA port.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: TheStu
So are we saying that we need larger, or smaller jump drives? I have a 64MB that is of course, doing nothing. I also have a 256MB that is laying around, and a 2GB. But you can get a well reviewed 4GB on newegg for less than $10 shipped these days... that I might just add that to the cart.

Here is what I am looking at pulling the trigger on next friday
RAM
Optical
Mobo

And of course that mobo on ebay. I have a USB external optical drive that works just fine, so if you think I can save $23 by not getting the internal, I won't get it. That would also free up a SATA port.

FYI your last 2 links don't work.

All I'm saying is that it seems to depend on the brand and the model. Most likely, the newer the drive, the more likely it is to be able to act as a boot drive. I have no idea why a USB stick wouldn't be bootable, but apparently some are and some aren't.

Technically you don't need a DVD drive. Your USB external would work fine, just follow the DVD installation method like normal and burn the BootCD to act as the bootloader for the Leopard DVD. My suggestion is, once you get Leopard installed, do the Hard Drive installation method as well but don't install Leopard, just restore it. This way, if you ever want to reinstall OS X for any reason, you can install it in half the time without needing to hook up your external DVD drive again, if that makes sense. Just a convenience thing.

 

[ColdFusion718]

Originally posted by: Kaido
Not all USB sticks appear to be working. Please post your USB stick name, model, and size and working status (yes or no). For example, "256mb Sandisk Cruzer - No" would work. This way we can compile a list of compatible USB flash drives to use.

I used a Kingston 8GB and it did not work (couldn't format as FAT16).

Now I'm using a 1GB Sandisk Cruzer; it doesn't show up under the hard drive boot priority though. I set my first boot device to be USB-HDD and it works with this drive.

1GB Sandisk Cruzer - works but see note above.

 

[ColdFusion718]

Kaido, I'm getting the can't find com.boot.plist error from the USB stick so it doesn't auto start. I still have to press enter then type in 80, press enter, then select the partition then press enter to boot. Also after I reboot, my USB mouse doesn't work unless I unplug it then plug it back in.

Any ideas what could be the problem? I didn't have this issue when I used your Kalyway guide. It also takes much longer to boot. I'll see if booting with -v will tell me anything. Thanks for writing the guide!

EDIT: I figured out the boot issue. I had to edit the syslinux.cfg to use "biosdev=80" instead of "biodev=81" Also the mouse issue has been fixed--I moved the mouse to the first USB port.

But I'm still working on the long boot up time. I'll keep you posted.

I think the problem could be the sound. Here is a shot of the boot screen in verbose mode.

 

[mohkahn]

Kaido, Chasing you from insanelymac. Great jobs. 🙂

first thing first: "Forget your login information?" ya, sure, but then anandtech won't let me login. hope you guys can fix this typo, which is under the login window.. It's really funny though.. 🙂

kaido: Unlike insanely it seems here a user is not able go back to his first post and edit it, so I am guessing those of us who want to get a successful install would have to read the whole thread in order not to miss information like "You must plug your Boot Drive and DVD drive into Ports 0 and 1" etc etc..

Which brings me to my 2nd questions, someone here asked about the possibility of putting the bootloader on the system / harddrive etc so that the USB won't have to be inside the machine 24/7.

One can imagine many problems with this way, like during moving the box or kids accidently bumping on them, etc. etc. and if this certain piece of information can be put inside the hard disk, then it eliminates the need to find the right USB hardware as it seems lotsa folks are not able to get their USB's to work. So I hope someone can come up with a good way..

And so it brings me to my third question.. I honestly don't mean to criticize boot 132 method, but I am really curious that aside from getting updates more conveniently, what is the main advantage of boot132 method over kalyway's method. Does it improve performance? speed? eliminates certain problems.

don't get me wrong. I would love to get the whole retail version of apple running, but i just don't see the point of going through such difficult process(boot 132 method), when thanks to your very wonderful sauce thread, we are running kalyway fantastically fine?

If there really is a huge difference, between the 2 versions, I would be back with questions, relating to the install.. Thanks for your time.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: ColdFusion718
Kaido, I'm getting the can't find com.boot.plist error from the USB stick so it doesn't auto start. I still have to press enter then type in 80, press enter, then select the partition then press enter to boot. Also after I reboot, my USB mouse doesn't work unless I unplug it then plug it back in.

Any ideas what could be the problem? I didn't have this issue when I used your Kalyway guide. It also takes much longer to boot. I'll see if booting with -v will tell me anything. Thanks for writing the guide!

EDIT: I figured out the boot issue. I had to edit the syslinux.cfg to use "biosdev=80" instead of "biodev=81" Also the mouse issue has been fixed--I moved the mouse to the first USB port.

But I'm still working on the long boot up time. I'll keep you posted.

I think the problem could be the sound. Here is a shot of the boot screen in verbose mode.

This isn't normal - the USB stick shouldn't have any numbers associated with booting; it should only show partition names. Once you install OSx86Tools, boot is automatic. Sent you a PM, we'll walk through the steps again and see what happened 🙂

 

[Pneumothorax]

Sandisk 2gb Cruzer Mini works=yes

BTW, anyone know of any software that can read coretemp on a Hackintosh? Tried a few that work with the MBP but don't work with our setup.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: mohkahn
first thing first: "Forget your login information?" ya, sure, but then anandtech won't let me login. hope you guys can fix this typo, which is under the login window.. It's really funny though.. 🙂

I'm not sure what you're referring to, but it sounds like a website issue. Try contacting the mods, I'm just a user here like you.

kaido: Unlike insanely it seems here a user is not able go back to his first post and edit it, so I am guessing those of us who want to get a successful install would have to read the whole thread in order not to miss information like "You must plug your Boot Drive and DVD drive into Ports 0 and 1" etc etc..

Old posts can be edited just like on Insanely. The "Port 0 and 1" information is under the "DVD Installation Method" listed in "Section XI: Leopard Installation".

Which brings me to my 2nd questions, someone here asked about the possibility of putting the bootloader on the system / harddrive etc so that the USB won't have to be inside the machine 24/7.

One can imagine many problems with this way, like during moving the box or kids accidently bumping on them, etc. etc. and if this certain piece of information can be put inside the hard disk, then it eliminates the need to find the right USB hardware as it seems lotsa folks are not able to get their USB's to work. So I hope someone can come up with a good way..

You can absolutely put BOOT132 on the hard drive. There's a tutorial on it over on InsanelyMac (don't remember the title, something about copying BOOT132 to the Hidden EFI Partition). I'll have a concise version in the Appendix of my InsanelyMac guide release.

And so it brings me to my third question.. I honestly don't mean to criticize boot 132 method, but I am really curious that aside from getting updates more conveniently, what is the main advantage of boot132 method over kalyway's method. Does it improve performance? speed? eliminates certain problems.

don't get me wrong. I would love to get the whole retail version of apple running, but i just don't see the point of going through such difficult process(boot 132 method), when thanks to your very wonderful sauce thread, we are running kalyway fantastically fine?

If there really is a huge difference, between the 2 versions, I would be back with questions, relating to the install.. Thanks for your time.

That's the great thing about Hackintosh...you're free to criticize any method you want and there are a ton of alternative methods to choose from 🙂

If you're already running Kalyway and are happy with it, just use the Netkas method to update to 10.5.5. Kalyway is a pretty good system; BOOT132 is simply a different approach. Here are some advantages to using BOOT132:

1. Uses a Retail Leopard disc to install (no hacked-up, patched Leopard DVD needed)
2. Keeps the bulk of the Hackintosh system on a USB stick, separate from the hard drive installation of Leopard (easy bootloader, easy cloning, etc.)
3. Everything works - Onboard Ethernet, Sleep, etc.
4. Much easier installation method - prep a USB stick and a hard drive or boot CD, install Leopard, then install 10.5.5 and the toolkit.

There are lots of little benefits too, like Temperature Monitor works out of the box (instead of having to change the system voice) and SuperDuper cloning works normally (without having to install Chameleon on the cloned drive). Overall I feel it's a better, faster, more stable system in all aspects. Again - if you like your Kalyway installation and it works for you (which it should, I put a lot of time into tweaking that guide! haha), you don't need to change to the BOOT132 method if you don't want to. It's completely optional. For new builds, I would definitely recommend this method because it's a quick and painless way of installing a very solid system on the DS3L boards.

If you have a spare hard drive, you could always give it a shot for fun as well 🙂

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Pneumothorax
Sandisk 2gb Cruzer Mini works=yes

BTW, anyone know of any software that can read coretemp on a Hackintosh? Tried a few that work with the MBP but don't work with our setup.

Yes, Temperature Monitor can read CPU Core Temperatures on a Hackintosh, as well as Hard Drive temperatures if the Hard Drive supports it (I believe you have to enable SMART monitoring in the BIOS for it to work). Grab my latest tutorial package in the original post; it's included in the Testing kit (full, lite, and widget versions).

 

[Kmax82]

I'm getting an error once I boot into the Leopard DVD Install. It's telling me that I have to format the HDD as a GUID partition. I formatted it as Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Is that incorrect?

Also, the bootCD is showing a missing apple.com.plist, is this supposed to happen? I tried burning the CD in WindowsXP and OS X.

Thanks again for all the time to help troubleshoot this.

Oh, and I downloaded the newest Boot132 build at the beginning of this thread.