Hackintosh 10.5.5 Retail Rig - Starting at $305

[alfa147x]

Anyone remember my Hackintoshing issues? It was the 7300 GS that wouldn't let me get to 10.6.4

I upgraded to a 9800 GTX+ 1GB and WOW booted with NO issues!

Thanks everyone!

 

[idlehands]

Time for SL

I have UD3P c2d with GeForce 8600GT

Can I just follow the lifehacker instructions w/no issues? I didn't see any reference to getting Graphics card installed correctly on them.

Or should I follow the multibeast stuff off of tony mac? My only real driver for going to SL I think at this point is for the new VPN settings that would remove the need for me to have a separate client

 

[mosslack]

Time for SL

I have UD3P c2d with GeForce 8600GT

Can I just follow the lifehacker instructions w/no issues? I didn't see any reference to getting Graphics card installed correctly on them.

Or should I follow the multibeast stuff off of tony mac? My only real driver for going to SL I think at this point is for the new VPN settings that would remove the need for me to have a separate client

I'd just use the LifeHacker method. It's pretty quick and easy. The TonyMax86 stuff works great on the P55 boards, but I've never tried it on the socket 775 boards. He does say it will work, but the LH method is a known quantity. But as always YMMV

 

[Zaap]

You still might have to use EFI strings or GraphicEnabler or DSDT patching to get the 8600GT fully working. One that I own required EFI strings, but different board, non-LH guide setup.

Otherwise yeah, the LH method works great for the UD3P. Using the 9800GT I've set up several with that guide and the graphics worked OOB.

 

[TheStu]

Is there anyone around Central PA with high level experience with this stuff? I would really like to get SL going on my Hack, but all attempts have failed thus far.

 

[alfa147x]

Is there anyone around Central PA with high level experience with this stuff? I would really like to get SL going on my Hack, but all attempts have failed thus far.

We could try over the internets? What hardware?

 

[TheStu]

We could try over the internets? What hardware?

Gigabyte P35-DS3L
intel E5200
MSI GTX 260 216 896MB

 

[alfa147x]

Gigabyte P35-DS3L
intel E5200
MSI GTX 260 216 896MB

Interesting, I have the following:
Gigabyte P35-DS3L
Intel 8400
BFG 9800 GTX+ 1 GB

You should be set since your GPU is very close to the 9800GTX, and the fact that you don't have a 512MB card...

Have you tried this guide?
Link

 

[TheStu]

Interesting, I have the following:
Gigabyte P35-DS3L
Intel 8400
BFG 9800 GTX+ 1 GB

You should be set since your GPU is very close to the 9800GTX, and the fact that you don't have a 512MB card...

Have you tried this guide?
Link

I think I tried an older version, this one appears to involve less 'roll your own files' and more 'follow these steps and you should be fine'. I may give this a whirl later this week.

 

[mosslack]

Gigabyte P35-DS3L
intel E5200
MSI GTX 260 216 896MB

Mine is pretty easy to do as well and can be found here:

http://groups.google.com/group/hq-a/web/install-guide-gigabyte-ga-p35-ds3l-usb-10-6-x

The initial install gets you up to 10.6.3 with a very easy update for 10.6.4 at the bottom. HTH

 

[alfa147x]

I'v used both guides and they work very well

 

[mohkahn]

Hmm.. I have used both, but no luck.

Someone please give me some clear guidelines for:.

1) proper bios setup.

2) What software package / kext to install after installing and
registration is complete?

3) Installing 10.6.4 directly after having installed # 2 above.

System statrts having kernel panics after 10.6.3 or 10.6.4.

If i just stay at 10.6.0, system will keep running and then suddenly get stuck at something randomly, if I reboot, I won't see anything on secreen. NOTHING.. NADA, not even bios message for at least 24 hours, no matter soft or hardboot, pc will keep running, no other sounds from MB, and nothing to screen. It does not seems to be related to Graphics card, since I have tried a few different ones and these same cards have no problem in other systems, e.g. windows, linux.

Please note I have tried all options on Mosslack's page, removing sleepenablers, and other kexts, e.t.c.

thepiecesfit guide on the other hand, I could not even get it to pick up the DVD, I have 2, one burnt as .iso and another as .dmg, maximum I can get to the screen where I can choose Apple HFS from the boot menu, but system does not go any further.

any and all help much appreciated. seems I will have to switch back to 10.5. I can understand hacks being hit and miss sorta thing, but better not to spend any more money on newer boards, if current not too old versions of boards do not work.

 

[alfa147x]

thepiecesfit guide on the other hand, I could not even get it to pick up the DVD, I have 2, one burnt as .iso and another as .dmg, maximum I can get to the screen where I can choose Apple HFS from the boot menu, but system does not go any further.

Try hitting F10 for it to refresh

 

[Kmax82]

This thread seems to be a bit more lively, so I'll post here as well...

So I just ordered:

2.66 Core i5
Gigabyte GA-P55M-UD2

Do you think I'll need to do a full system install to get it up and going, or can I just swap it out and go?

I have the GA P35 Rev 2.0 board currently with a C2D 2.53 chip.

 

[Zaap]

If i just stay at 10.6.0, system will keep running and then suddenly get stuck at something randomly, if I reboot, I won't see anything on secreen. NOTHING.. NADA, not even bios message for at least 24 hours, no matter soft or hardboot, pc will keep running, no other sounds from MB, and nothing to screen.

No idea what hardware you're using, but in setting up various systems I've encountered the 'total blackout' you describe.

Try removing power from the machine at the PSU. With the power removed, push and hold the power button for about five seconds, then plug back in and restart. This should in effect 'temp-clear' the BIOS and hopefully get the machine booting again. You'll need to reset your BIOS to correct settings before attempting to install SL again.

SL prior to being properly patched has a nasty habit of resetting and even temp-corrupting the BIOS. On newer boards with a dual BIOS, this isn't so much of a problem as on reboot you'll be asked to restore from the backup BIOS.

It does not seems to be related to Graphics card, since I have tried a few different ones and these same cards have no problem in other systems, e.g. windows, linux.

Windows and Linux aren't good indicators of a card working well with OSX, and specifically with SL. I've found SL to be much more picky with graphics hardware than Leopard was.

I can understand hacks being hit and miss sorta thing, but better not to spend any more money on newer boards, if current not too old versions of boards do not work.

I have to disagree here- personally I've found it's barely worth dealing with older quasi-supported hardware as opposed to saving a hell of a lot of time and headache with newer (well-supported) hardware that's easier to setup and is more stable. For example, I find the P45 boards work far better for SL than P35, so for friends family I build/maintain Hacks for, I no longer support less than P45's for Snow Leopard. I just find generally it's not worth my time, or theirs.

 

[mosslack]

This thread seems to be a bit more lively, so I'll post here as well...

So I just ordered:

2.66 Core i5
Gigabyte GA-P55M-UD2

Do you think I'll need to do a full system install to get it up and going, or can I just swap it out and go?

I have the GA P35 Rev 2.0 board currently with a C2D 2.53 chip.

Can't hurt to try, but do it from a backup just in case. Doubt that it works, best method I've found so far to do the newer P55 boards is the Tonymax86 method of iBoot and Multibeast. Worked like a charm on my MSI P55-GD80, easiest install I've ever done! Do let us know if the swap works. I considered that, but tried the Tonymax86 method first. No need to try after that. Good luck.

 

[mosslack]

Hmm.. I have used both, but no luck.

Someone please give me some clear guidelines for:.

1) proper bios setup.

2) What software package / kext to install after installing and
registration is complete?

3) Installing 10.6.4 directly after having installed # 2 above.

System statrts having kernel panics after 10.6.3 or 10.6.4.

If i just stay at 10.6.0, system will keep running and then suddenly get stuck at something randomly, if I reboot, I won't see anything on secreen. NOTHING.. NADA, not even bios message for at least 24 hours, no matter soft or hardboot, pc will keep running, no other sounds from MB, and nothing to screen. It does not seems to be related to Graphics card, since I have tried a few different ones and these same cards have no problem in other systems, e.g. windows, linux.

Please note I have tried all options on Mosslack's page, removing sleepenablers, and other kexts, e.t.c.

thepiecesfit guide on the other hand, I could not even get it to pick up the DVD, I have 2, one burnt as .iso and another as .dmg, maximum I can get to the screen where I can choose Apple HFS from the boot menu, but system does not go any further.

any and all help much appreciated. seems I will have to switch back to 10.5. I can understand hacks being hit and miss sorta thing, but better not to spend any more money on newer boards, if current not too old versions of boards do not work.

Aw mohkahn, say it ain't so! Wish you were a little closer I would help you whip that old computer into shape! Does sound like you may have other problems as several have used my guide with no problems. As for BIOS, I never changed anything from how I had it using Kaido's excellent 10.5 package. Maybe some bad RAM? If you have 2 sticks, try removing one and see what if things change. If not, try the other stick. Keep tryin' brother, we'll get it going!

 

[mosslack]

I have to disagree here- personally I've found it's barely worth dealing with older quasi-supported hardware as opposed to saving a hell of a lot of time and headache with newer (well-supported) hardware that's easier to setup and is more stable. For example, I find the P45 boards work far better for SL than P35, so for friends family I build/maintain Hacks for, I no longer support less than P45's for Snow Leopard. I just find generally it's not worth my time, or theirs.

How you been man, trust things are going well. So when you gonna dabble in a new P55 type system? Lovin' mine, all ready for 6 monitors now, as soon as I can afford to buy 3 more! Also need to run a new power circuit or two back to my room before I do this, don't want to burn down the house!

 

[mohkahn]

@ alfa1476: tried that. did not work. thx.

@zaap, thanks for your suggestions (PSU) and other comments (p45, newer boards and proper graphics cards being better), will keep these in mind, if and when budget allows for future upgrades.

good news is, for now it seems the blackout issue while pc keeps running is solved. I don't know what fixed the problem, 1) me pulling out the bios battery (cell) and reinserting it or 2)just pulling out all the 8gb ram, and putting back 6gb back instead.

I ran memtest yesterday overnight on the 8gb in my linux machine and no errors. though with the option of choosing "probe" memtest hanged and gave me some errors. are these gigabyte boards are really nasty towards ram? or is it just my one? and.. do u guys know of any other brand board and model number, like ASUS, that does not kill ram for a living?

anyway, since I re arranged all the ram in 4 different Pcs, so perhaps the faulty ram is in another pc now(though I don't beleive any stick is faulty) as no problems with any of them so far. I also inserted a front fan to pull in more air, (i never used front fans before) so perhaps heat was causing the hangups.. nevermind, crossing fingers that it won't hang again.

Sure Mosslack, I do believe that you would come in real handy if you were nearby. thanks mate for the offer, though you really could help, if you can update your guide on google on how to upgrade from 10.6.0 to 10.6.4. That will be a huge help. I know the steps are there, but somehow I am not smart enough.. ahm.. to be able to do it correctly since i keep getting kernel panics.

Anyway... I am using the following sequence:
1) Setting Bios as per Kaido's old guide.
2) installing system using USB method.
3) installing your (mosslack) file GA-p35-ds3l. (i am using EP35 mb, but I guess, it won't cause
this problem, i am having and is there such a file for EP35?)
4) remove sleepenabler and applehda.kexts..
5) modify the boot.plist by adding the following line to it...<string>pmVersion=20</string>
(since i already have <key>Kernel Flags</key>)
6) run apple update and update system to 10.6.4. and upon restart i get kernel panics.

not sure what i am doing wrong. also tried updating to 10.6.3 and then moving on to 10.6.4, but same problem.

edited:
for now solved the problem: successfully at 10.6.4.....
I skipped step 3 above and did not install the file named GA-p35-ds3l Installer. and all the updates went successfully. so what am i missing by not installing this file?

also all the system info all seems to be a bit off, but that's not a big bother.

 

[mosslack]

I don't think I even tried that method as I did mine over time as the updates came out. Let me give it a shot and see what I come up with. Will post later on if I get it to work correctly.

EDIT: I see you now have it working, but I'm not sure just how you did it. I did go back and reinstall from scratch and this is how I did mine:

1. Boot from USB stick and install SL on the hard drive.
2. Reboot using USB stick, but choose to boot from newly install SL install on hard drive.
3. After video plays and SL setup, run 10.6.4 combo update. (Do not restart yet)
4. Run my installer
5. Make changes to the com.boot.Apple.plist file adding the <string>pmVersion=20</string> in the correct spot.
6. click restart.

This works perfectly on mine with no KP's at all. As always, YMMV. Glad it is working okay for you now.

 

[Zaap]

How you been man, trust things are going well. So when you gonna dabble in a new P55 type system? Lovin' mine, all ready for 6 monitors now, as soon as I can afford to buy 3 more! Also need to run a new power circuit or two back to my room before I do this, don't want to burn down the house!

Hey mosslack- I've been great, how about yourself?

6 monitors?! Wow! What are you doing with all that screen real estate?

I saw a really sweet 3 monitor setup at Frys the other day with the Samsung MD230 monitors that have almost no outer bezel. They have a 6 monitor option as well- really sweet looking... but only a cool 3k!

I'm still plugging away with my main P45 DQ6 system and it's getting my work done for me. I still can't justify an upgrade since it has to be a full system: mobo/CPU/RAM. And then it's inevitable I'll be recycling all our 'old' household comps down the line until I've got surplus overkill even worse than I have now.

I have built a few i7 Hacks for other people though- but no P55 Hacks. For other people I blissfully stick with the tried and true- no exotic hardware experiments on someone else's dime. (Although an MSI i7 Hack came close.) When I do bite the bullet myself, I'll probably want something I won't even think of replacing in a long while- like a 6 or even 12 core i7 (i9?) beast.

 

[Kmax82]

Can't hurt to try, but do it from a backup just in case. Doubt that it works, best method I've found so far to do the newer P55 boards is the Tonymax86 method of iBoot and Multibeast. Worked like a charm on my MSI P55-GD80, easiest install I've ever done! Do let us know if the swap works. I considered that, but tried the Tonymax86 method first. No need to try after that. Good luck.

Ok.. I'll definitely have a backup just in case.. but I'll probably try and swap and see how it goes (just to save some time and then maybe do a reinstall later on).

Thanks for the info.. gonna check out the Tonymax86 method.

 

[mosslack]

Hey mosslack- I've been great, how about yourself?

6 monitors?! Wow! What are you doing with all that screen real estate?

I saw a really sweet 3 monitor setup at Frys the other day with the Samsung MD230 monitors that have almost no outer bezel. They have a 6 monitor option as well- really sweet looking... but only a cool 3k!

I'm still plugging away with my main P45 DQ6 system and it's getting my work done for me. I still can't justify an upgrade since it has to be a full system: mobo/CPU/RAM. And then it's inevitable I'll be recycling all our 'old' household comps down the line until I've got surplus overkill even worse than I have now.

I have built a few i7 Hacks for other people though- but no P55 Hacks. For other people I blissfully stick with the tried and true- no exotic hardware experiments on someone else's dime. (Although an MSI i7 Hack came close.) When I do bite the bullet myself, I'll probably want something I won't even think of replacing in a long while- like a 6 or even 12 core i7 (i9?) beast.

The Samsung setup sounds cool, but I'll probably just add 3 more like I have to make them all match. I just to do it to say I did it, if you know what I mean. I've been getting into VM's a lot more, have Parallels running Windows 7 and VirtualBox running Ubuntu. so that is 2 screens taken up right away. I did a short video of this system running 3 different videos on 3 different screens using 3 different OSes on all on the same computer. Actually worked pretty well considering.

I've been very happy with my MSI P55-GD80 so far, but I do want to bump up the RAM to 8 Gb when I get the new monitors. Who knows, I might want to run a couple more VM's!

 

[mosslack]

Ok.. I'll definitely have a backup just in case.. but I'll probably try and swap and see how it goes (just to save some time and then maybe do a reinstall later on).

Thanks for the info.. gonna check out the Tonymax86 method.

Great, let us know how it works out. Just for fun, I tried the Tonymacx86 method of iBoot+MultiBeast on my DS3L awhile ago, and while I was able to use iBoot to install the retail DVD of SL, the subsequent running of the MultiBeast did not work as it should have. For one thing, I could not boot from the hard drive reliably, and if it did boot, the video was stuck at 1024x768 and no sound. But if I booted from the CD, both the sound and video worked great. I'm not so sure the older systems like the newer Chameleon RC4 so much.

 

[mosslack]

edited:
for now solved the problem: successfully at 10.6.4.....
I skipped step 3 above and did not install the file named GA-p35-ds3l Installer. and all the updates went successfully. so what am i missing by not installing this file?

also all the system info all seems to be a bit off, but that's not a big bother.

If you want to try it again, I have now updated the guide and files to go directly to 10.6.4. Plus I fixed the com.apple.Boot.plist file as I had left a line or two out of previous releases, mainly dealing with the built-in ethernet. My system has been completely updated and is running just fine so far.