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[Guide] Dell Inspiron 6400/9400/1520/1720/E1405/E1505/E1705 Intel Core Duo

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My only request, having put this guide together, is for anyone to kindly give my band music a whirl; it's fairly eclectic and similar to Jeff Buckley/Radiohead, so if you're into that sort of thing, you might like it.

 

Dell Inspiron 6400/9400/1520/1720/E1405/E1505/E1705 Intel Core Duo with GM950, Nvidia GeForce 7 or 8 Series and ATI X1400 users.

This guide was designed to comply with the Myzar, JaS, Kalyway and Uphuck installations,

Tiger 10.4.8+ and Leopard 10.5+

 

Introduction: Please read this before continuing

 

Hello there, I see you have stumbled upon this rather large guide.

My goal is to convey all my experiences and all that I have learnt from the guru's in the Hackintosh world so that you are able to get a Mac OS X installation working properly on your laptop.

The guide is geared specifically towards the Dell Inspiron range of laptops, but I am sure you could use it as a basis for other machines.

It is constantly being updated with new information as kernel and driver development progresses, so be sure to check back now and then.

I strive to keep all the information up-to-date, but due to the size and nature of the guide, this can be difficult, so please feel free to inform me about anything that you believe to be incorrect.

My guide often utilizes the Darwin command line for completing certain tasks, so if you need extra help with some of the stuff here, head on over to this thread for a little guidance.

To make files a little easier to locate, I decided to attach all the relevant patches to this thread, but should a moderator decide to remove any, please kindly notify me afterwards.

If you are experiencing problems with installing Mac OS X, please search the forums for your answer before asking questions.

I cannot be held responsible for anything that goes wrong with your system as a result of following this guide.

 

 

sonotone's Dell Laptops Post-installer:

 

sonotone has created a mighty install package for those who want to setup their Dell Laptop hackintosh with great ease.

Please visit his thread for download links and more information.

 

 

Macgirl's tutorial thread for XPS M1XXX model laptops:

 

Macgirl has put together an excellent guide for users of newer range Dell Laptops.

I highly recommend that you visit her thread if you are an XPS M1330/M1530/M1710/M1730 user.

 

 

Intel Core Duo and Core 2 Duo fix for graphical stuttering:

 

This famously associated issue with previous gen Dell laptops was a serious bottleneck.

 

The six most obvious signs of this issue is if the apple logo loading wheel stops intermittently, the mouse icon wheel flickers whilst spinning, the mouse pointer is jumpy, the loading bar moves unusually fast, the mouse pointer doesn't appear at all and if your installation hangs with a Blue Screen just before loading the desktop.

 

This problem was temporarily solved by using cpus=1 as your Kernel Flag:

 

<key>Kernel Flags</key>

<string>cpus=1 -v</string>

 

Thanks to OUI, we now have a permanent solution that doesn't require disabling the second cpu core.

 

A TSC sync kernel patch has been released to finally eliminate any graphical stuttering.

Head on over to this thread to learn more.

 

Newer model Dell laptops such as the XPS M1XXX range do not experience this problem and therefore do not require any kernel patching.

 

 

Notes on distribution and kernel related issues:

 

If you are experiencing problems whilst trying to install the Mac, please remember to set cpus=1 at the Darwin prompt before it starts to load.

Make sure you do not accidentally replace the Darwin kernel with an older version as this will prevent the system from booting.

The Darwin kernel is directly linked with System.kext, so they both need to be from the same version of OS X.

If your system isn't HPET compatible or you keep getting 'Package 0 didn't get an HPET' messages during boot, make sure you delete AppleIntelCPUManagement.kext from /System/Library/Extensions

 

The most recommended ISO currently available for those wanting to install Mac OS X 10.5.2 on Generic x86 hardware is the Kalyway 10.5.2 disc.

This release utilizes PC EFI V8.0 and is compatible for those who want to insert device property EFI strings into the Boot plist.

Dual-booting with Vista also works fine using this install if you follow the GUID partition and NTFS re-format methodology explained in my dual-boot guide.

If you have problems with this disc for whatever reason, or you'd prefer to use MBR, give iATKOS' disc a try.

 

The most recommended ISO currently available for those wanting to install Mac OS X 10.5.1 on Generic x86 hardware is the iATKOS v1.0i r2 disc.

This is a near unmodified Leopard install disc by Uphuck and works perfectly by utilizing EFI via the Darwin Boot Loader.

Dual-booting with XP also works fine using this install as it is designed for Master Boot Record (MBR) instead of GUID Partition Table (GPT).

If you have problems with this disc for whatever reason, or you'd prefer to use GUID, give Kalyway's disc a try.

 

The most recommended ISO currently available for those wanting to install Mac OS X 10.4.10 on Generic x86 hardware is the macdotnub v1 r5 disc.

For best performance, choose to install the very latest 8.10.3 kernel release.

 

The most recommended ISO currently available for those wanting to install Mac OS X 10.4.9 on Generic x86 hardware is the Uphuck 10.4.9 disc.

To minimize problems, I personally recommend installing from the Uphuck 10.4.9 Intel x86 Install DVD v1.3.

 

If you're thinking of updating from 10.4.8 to 10.4.9, under no circumstances should you install the Loki combo distribution as it will not boot due to a mixture of incompatible kext's; best to stick with JaS' releases.

If you want support for JaS releases, be sure to visit #JaS.DVD on the irc.osx86.hu network.

Visit Netkas' blog for further information regarding Tiger and Leopard installations.

 

Please make sure you update your kernel to the very latest release before troubleshooting any problems.

If you do not know how to install a new kernel, please follow the DaemonES example below.

 

Universal SSE3 (with SpeedStep) 10.5 and 10.5.1 Darwin 9.1.0 kernel release available from irc.osx86.hu in channel #10.5

Universal SSE2/SSE3 (with Sleep) 10.5 and 10.5.1 Darwin 9.1.0 kernel release available from irc.osx86.hu in channel #10.5

SSE3 (with SpeedStep) 10.5 and 10.5.1 Darwin 9.0.0 kernel release available from irc.osx86.hu in channel #10.5

SSE2 10.5 and 10.5.1 Darwin 9.1.0 kernel release available from irc.osx86.hu in channel #10.5

 

Universal SSE2/SSE3 (with Sleep for SSE3 machines only) 10.4.9 Darwin 8.9.1 kernel release available from irc.osx86.hu in channel #1049

 

SSE3 (with 64-bit fix) 10.4.8 Darwin 8.8.1 kernel release available from irc.osx86.hu in channel #kernel

SSE2 (with SpeedStep) 10.4.8 Darwin 8.8.1 kernel release available from irc.osx86.hu in channel #kernel

 

If for any particular reason you wish to install 10.4.8 instead, the JaS 10.4.8 ISO has been recently re-seeded due to a new grouping of files, as well as the 10.4.8 Semthex kernel.

This release includes the v1p patch, JMicron fix, Defiant Disk Utility and extended support for new hardware.

I also recommend using the DaemonES kernel for all 10.4.8 Core Duo and Core 2 Duo systems, because the Semthex kernel was built from the ground up to provide maximum compatibility with older hardware.

 

If you want to install the Darwin 8.8.1 DaemonES kernel, here's what to do:

 

Go to google.com and search for 'daemones mifki kernel' click on the first link that pops up and download the 3rd file hosted at FileFactory.com

Rename it to 'mach_kernel.daemones' and drop it into the root of your Mac Hard Disk.

 

Load up Terminal in OS X and type this:

 

sudo -s

cp /mach_kernel /mach_kernel.original

cp /mach_kernel.daemones /mach_kernel

chown root:wheel /mach_kernel

chmod 644 /mach_kernel

 

Restart and you're good to go.

Feel free to delete the mach_kernel.original backup of your old kernel if you feel everything is working well enough.

It is imperative, for the sake of compatibility, that you use this kernel if you want AppleHDA to function correctly under 10.4.8. The Netkas kernel works just as well for those running 10.4.9.

 

If you want to find out which build of the Darwin kernel you have, load up Terminal and type:

 

uname -a

 

It will report back the version number and date, along with any other relevant info.

 

If you want to show detailed system information, load up Terminal and type:

 

sysctl -a

 

If you want to hide the mach_kernel file from appearing on the Finder window, load up Terminal and type:

 

cd /

pico .hidden

mach_kernel

 

Press CTRL+O and then Enter to save the file, after which you can safely close the session by pressing CTRL+X.

When you relaunch Finder, the file should now be hidden.

 

 

Installation stability issues:

 

10.4.8+ does not have any known post-patched stability issues with the Inspiron 9400 apart from the Dual-Core stutter, lack of properly working Sleep and the XP Network card restart.

If you manage to come across any problems, please make sure you are using the correct Darwin kernel for your OS X version and have correctly patched the relevent kexts.

 

idlehalt only works sporadically for me, nor do I know of any other kernel flags to try out to increase Dual-Core stability, so I'm forced to use cpus=1, but one thing that did help was the new Inspiron 9400 A09 BIOS that Dell released, it solved some minor crashing issues, ExpressCard initialization problems and boot freezes. It also adds full Microsoft Windows Vista compatibility.

I suggest users of other Dell laptops to do the same; simply specify your Model, OS and download the latest System BIOS from their site.

 

 

How to install a kext file:

 

A kext file is basically what a Kernel Module (ko) is on Linux, but on the Mac we call them Kernel Extension (kext) files.

They are situated in: /System/Library/Extensions

They tell them Mac how to function and how to utilize its own hardware.

 

If we run a Mac on Generic X86 PC's, we are running them on a different and usually unintended hardware base, so that means we may need to patch certain kext files in-order to get things working properly.

For example, the device id may differ on a certain hard disk controller, so unless that device id is listed in the relevant kext file (usually IOATAFamily.kext), the Mac will simply ignore it.

The naming of kexts are fairly self-explanatory, IOATAFamily meaning Input/Output ATA Family, as in all associated ATA devices; AppleHDA meaning Apple High Definition Audio, etc.

A plist file is usually contained within the /Contents/ folder of a kext file. To view this folder, you need to right click on a kext and choose 'Show Package Contents'.

This file is what holds all the hardware configuration and device id information.

To replace a kext file, you may simply do this in a drag and drop fashion, but since they are classed as System files, the Mac will request your password for authentication.

I prefer to delete the one I am replacing first, and then copy the new one over.

After that, you must delete a particular file in /System/Library/ called Extensions.mkext.

This file is the Kernel Extension cache file which holds information about the currently installed kext files.

After you have done this, you have to repair permissions from within Terminal.

 

Load Terminal located in Applications/Utilities/ then type this:

 

sudo -s (it will ask for your password so type it in when it does)

chown -R root:wheel /System/Library/Extensions

chmod -R 755 /System/Library/Extensions

rm -r /System/Library/Extensions.kextcache (ignore this part if you are using Leopard)

rm -r /System/Library/Extensions.mkext (ignore this part if you have already deleted that file)

 

Done! Now you can restart your computer.

 

So for example, if you want to patch your Sigmatel 9200 audio, download http://forum.insanelymac.com/index.php?act...st&id=17891 and extract it.

Mount the DMG (Disk Image) file by double clicking on it and replace the AppleHDA.kext in your /System/Library/Extensions folder with the new one, also copy across ALCinject.kext otherwise it wont work. Repair permissions.

 

Getting your hardware to work:

 

Touchpad, Bluetooth (without the Vista Profile Pack), USB, Firewire and ExpressCard all work perfectly without any patching. On-board sound, Ethernet, ATI and Nvidia graphics work after patching.

The SD/MMC Card reader does not work and there are no kexts available for it.

GMA950 users simply need to specify the custom package during the JaS or Uphuck installation procedure.

 

Bluetooth:

 

If your Bluetooth is not being recognized by Mac OS X, here's how to fix it.

The problem arises only for the people that have bought a laptop with Windows Vista pre-installed, or have downloaded and installed the Dell Wireless 350/355 Bluetooth Internal Module Vista drivers.

The Bluetooth Vista driver actually loads a piece of firmware upgrade from Cambridge Silicon Radio (the Bluetooth chip manufacturer) that enables the "Vista Profile Pack" i.e. a set of utilities developed for the Microsoft Bluetooth stack and API.

These utilities, among other things, are used to initialize the Bluetooth chip in a way that allows a Bluetooth mouse or keyboard to be enabled via the BIOS before the boot phase.

Without downgrading the Bluetooth firmware, you can still have it fully functional within Mac OS X if you boot into Vista first and then restart into the Mac.

 

Here is how to restore default operation of the CSR Bluetooth.

 

1) Boot into Vista and download from the Dell support site the latest BT 350 driver for Windows XP and unzip it to a folder

2) Find a directory in that folder called "DFU" (usually located in 2KXP/DFU/)

3) Find the file called "DFU.exe", right click it and choose "Run as administrator"

4) Wait until the firmware downgrade has finished, then reboot into Vista and you will find that the bluetooth chip is now not recognized. Go to Device manager and manually re-install the Vista Bluetooth driver (don't use the setup.exe provided by the driver pack, simply install it using the "have disk" way and load the .inf file directly from the Vista driver directory).

5) Reboot into Mac OS X. Voilà

 

I know this is a dirty workaround (you'll lose the Vista advanced features of "Vista Profile Pack", but it is useful to have a working Bluetooth adapter in Mac OS X if you use this as your primary OS).

 

Thanks to Topogigi from the Ubuntu forums for the fix.

 

If you install Intel® INF Chipset drivers, the Bluetooth controller will disappear within Vista unless you re-install the Dell Wireless 350 Bluetooth Internal Module drivers afterwards.

 

Network:

 

The Intel® PRO/Wireless 3945ABG and ® Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN currently only have an incomplete hacked driver available, but hopefully a new release somewhere down the line will provide full functionality.

The Dell Broadcom TrueMobile Internal Wireless 1390b/g and 1490a/b/g are both detected as fully functioning Airport Extreme devices.

The Dell Wireless 1500/1505 Draft 802.11n (backwards compatible with a/b/g) based on the BCM94321MC reference design, also used in Macbook Pro's, works flawlessy as Airport Extreme.

Leopard actually detects that you are running a Third-Party Wireless card, but it still functions perfectly.

Check in Network Utility if it already lists a/b/g/n; if it doesn't, you will need to patch the Distribution.dist file.

To enable full Draft 802.11n capabilities, you will need to download AirPort_Extreme_802.11n_Enabler.dmg and replace the Distribution.dist file in pkg contents with macdotnub's file. Look on his site for further instructions.

 

If your Dell Broadcom wireless isn't being detected you might need to do the switch trick to get it working. Read this thread for more information.

I highly recommend buying any of the above three miniPCI card off eBay as they are fairly cheap and easy to install. Thanks to Silthrim and OSX-Fanatic for the recommendations!

All three cards work great, however the Dell Wireless 1390 and 1490 may have issues with the more recent Airport Updates, so go for the Dell Wireless 1505 if you want a trouble free system.

 

Broadcom 440x Ethernet works perfectly after first install on 10.4.3 up to 10.4.6, but to get Ethernet working on 10.4.8+ you need to copy over the 10.4.6 IONetworkingFamily.kext from this thread.

If you are installing via the iATKOS disc, then you will have an option to specify Broadcom 440x in the Customize part of your install.

This copies AppleBCM440XEthernet.kext into the extensions folder outside of IONetworkingFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/

 

If you're restarting from Windows to boot into the Mac, your ethernet controller might not function properly.

To rectify this problem just shutdown your laptop and turn it back on, then boot into the Mac; however, as of version 10.4.8, the problem seems to have disappeared.

During normal Internet browsing and LAN operations via Ethernet, if you find that your network connection seems to be randomly cutting out, this is because of an incompatibility between the old AppleBCM440XEthernet.kext and the new IONetworkingFamily.kext

 

Sound:

 

SigmaTel STAC9200 High Definition Audio Controller works perfectly using the AppleHDA solution. Head on over to this thread and download the latest version of the kext. Many thanks to Taruga for this true breakthrough!

To patch your Mac using the AppleHDA solution, simply drag the relevant STAC9200 Linux codec dump over the AppleHDA patcher from the zip.

The latest version will give you clear sound, but it will be without the Mono-Mix SW channel. Laptop Speakers will not auto-mute when Headphones are plugged in.

If you are experiencing any sound stuttering problems, please update your kernel to the latest release.

 

tbcarey released a modified version of the 10.4.9 AppleHDA.kext and Info.plist that adds Mono-Mix SW support. Grab the modified kext from this post and the new mute-fixed modded Info.plist from here.

Make sure you replace the existing Info.plist inside the modded AppleHDA.kext AFTER applying Taruga's patch, because ALCinject.kext needs to be present for it to work.

 

10.4.10 users should use tbcarey's more recent fix which allows independant sub-woofer and sound playback control.

 

10.5+ users should use the same recent fix even though it is using an older version of the AppleHDA.kext.

Inspiron 6400 users should use the new fully fledged functionality kext located here.

 

SigmaTel STAC9220 works fine, as the latest JaS 10.4.6+ ISO release comes with a patch for it.

If you're looking for external audio support, I recommend using a Firewire or USB audio device such as M-Audio Sonica Theatre or the SoundBlaster Live! 24-bit External, or if you're savvy with the Music Production side of things, go with the affordable M-Audio Audiophile, or the more expensive M-Audio Firewire 410 as they both have updated Intel drivers available.

 

Power Management, SpeedStep and (S3) Sleep:

 

Laptop PowerManagement doesn't work with the default bundle file, so you wont be able to monitor your battery power, but a guy called keithpk has put together a patched version for us Mac OS X Tiger laptop users. Check out his thread for an overview.

Leopard users should download jaro's updated version of the bundle.

I'm using it on my Inspiron 9400/E1705 and it works brilliantly.

The latest JaS and Uphuck releases come with Laptop PowerManagement as an optional install.

 

Leopard requires AppleACPIPlatform.kext version 1.0.5+ along with AppleACPIPowerSource.kext within the /Contents/PlugIns/ folder.

The iATKOS and Kalyway disc should have already installed a compatible version for you.

If you're using the Vanilla kext, Energy Saver preferences seem to be only taking effect after a system restart, so if you are having troubles with display sleep, set it to 'Never' and restart your machine to fix any problems.

(S3) Sleep is known to work perfectly using EFI with the Vanilla Darwin kernel, however, it has been reported that integrated graphics solutions may prevent it from working properly.

 

SpeedStep support is included with the latest Darwin 9.1.0 kernel release for 10.5.2, but this will not work with the Vanilla kernel.

You must specify a ToH SpeedStep compatible kernel otherwise you will get a kernel panic during boot.

 

SpeedStep support is included in the latest Darwin 8.9.1 kernel release for 10.4.9, but you will need the Power Management package put together by Prasys, macdotnub and duddie to provide full SpeedStep, Sleep and CPU Scaling; you can download it from macdotnub's site or at irc.osx86.hu in channel #appleacpi

 

(S3) Sleep can be fixed to work by opening Terminal and typing:

 

sudo pmset -a hibernatemode 0

 

This will change your Energy Saver preferences, so make sure you keep it set to 'Custom' otherwise it will prevent Sleep from working.

Thanks to tbcarey for notifying me of the solution.

You can use the Laptop Fn + ESC hotkey to force Sleep mode as well as by tapping the power button for shut-down options.

 

SpeedStep and (S3) Sleep has been fixed by Paulicat to work under 10.4.8. The actual package is in a BETA state so backing up your original kernel and the items from Library/StartupItems is highly recommended. You can download it from this tinyurl link to try it out, also visit the original thread here for help and support.

If you're using Paulicat's kernel and have a Core Duo processor, CPU throttling should work fine. If you have a Core 2 Duo, you will need to use this fixed Direct Drive kext so that your FSB isn't left at 100MHz.

 

To check if you have SpeedStep activated, load up Terminal and type:

 

sysctl -a | grep freq

 

If you have anything to do with kern.cputhrottle reported back then it should be working correctly.

 

Hard Disk:

 

It is safe to use the original IOATAFamily.kext due to the Inspiron 6400/9400 motherboard being ICH7-M, which is the same Intel platform used in Macbook Pro's.

The BIOS for the Inspiron 6400/9400 does not support Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI) even though the ICH7-M motherboard is capable of this feature.

Dell have told me that this issue has already escalated to their technical department.

In the hopes of this functionality being added to a new BIOS release, I encourage all Inspiron 6400/9400 users to e-mail Dell Hardware E-Support or post a message of discontent on the Dell support forums.

 

If you want full NTFS write support on Mac OS X, you only need to install 2 small components.

They are:

 

MacFUSE Core

Erik Larsson's NTFS-3G Package or Daniel Johnson's NTFS-3G Package

 

Install them in that order and you should be set.

 

Miscellaneous:

 

If your laptop is heating up too fast and the internal fans aren't working as they should, delete the AppleACPIThermal.kext to fix the problem.

 

If you use the modified AppleSMBIOS.kext from Netkas' blog instead of the one from Paulicat's blog, it will fix the Adobe CS3 start-up crashes and you will have the Dell Inc. Boot ROM Version reported correctly in System Profiler. It also fixes loginwindow problems and allows System Profiler to work without being patched.

 

Graphics and Display:

 

If you are an ATI X1400 Mobility user, you currently only have the choice to enable limited Resolution change, QE/CI in 10.4.8 and 10.4.9:

Firstly, load up Terminal (Applications/Utilities/) from within OS X, then type:

 

sudo nano /System/Library/Extensions/ATIRadeonX1000.kext/Contents/info.plist

 

Scroll down to where it says <key>IOPCIMatch</key> and replace the <string></string> section so that it looks like this:

 

<key>IOPCIMatch</key>

<string>0x71451002</string>

 

Press CTRL+O and then Enter to save the file, after which you can safely close the session by pressing CTRL+X.

Next step is to set permissions and rebuild the kextcache

 

sudo -s

chmod -R 755 /System/Library/Extensions/ATIRadeonX1000.kext

chown -R root:wheel /System/Library/Extensions/ATIRadeonX1000.kext

rm -r /System/Library/Extensions.kextcache

rm -r /System/Library/Extensions.mkext

 

To set your maximum screen resolution (this is entirely dependant on what screen you have):

 

WXGA supports a maximum of 1280x800

SXGA+ supports a maximum of 1400x1050

WXGA+ supports a maximum of 1440x900

 

sudo nano /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.Boot.plist

 

Add this new section and change the screen resolution according to the panel type:

 

<key>Graphics Mode</key>

<string>1400x1050x32</string>

 

Now when you restart your system, you should have QE/CI enabled with the resolution automatically set.

You can also manually set the refresh rate to 60 Hz: 1400x1050x32@60 but this isn't recommended because it can cause a garbled display or hang the boot process.

Unfortunately you will not be able to set a higher resolution than 1400x1050 until DiaboliK or someone releases a dedicated kext to utilize the full features of this card.

 

If you are a GeForce 7 or 8 Series user, you will have a choice of four drivers that allows full Resolution change, QE/CI in Tiger and Leopard:

Gotoh's NVinjectGo, built from Natit source, the most up-to-date driver that provides dual-screen capability, manual NVCAP editing, VRAM settings, has no 32-bit colour banding and detects nearly every Mobile Nvidia card.

DiaboliK's Natit, an older alternative to NVinjectGo. It comes as an easy to use installation package. Also, if you use this in-conjunction with NvidiaEFI 1.0.2 and LaptopDisplay.kext it will solve any 32-bit colour banding issues.

np_'s NvidiaEFI, which is aimed at being more compatible with a greater variety of Nvidia cards and external monitors. Please register on their forum to be able to download the driver attachment.

Omni's Titan, the first working Nvidia driver to hit the Hackintosh scene, allowing most AGP or PCI-E based Nvidia cards to utilize full hardware acceleration without any plist editing. This driver initializes fast and works fine with the internal display.

 

Users of GeForce 8 cards MUST ensure they are using 10.5.2+ developer or official release related GeForce kext's and OpenGL framework. This allows G92 core and newer mobile cards to work properly.

 

I strongly recommend that you use Gotoh's NVinjectGo installer if you want the most out of your Nvidia Graphics, but I'll also describe the manual process for installing a kext.

Download NVinjectGo.0.2.0b.zip or NVinjectGo.0.2.0b_512Mb.zip from Gotoh's site and extract it.

Copy NVinjectGo.kext into /System/Library/Extensions and authenticate with your password.

Open up Terminal and type the following:

 

sudo -s

chmod -R 755 /System/Library/Extensions/NVinjectGo.kext

chown -R root:wheel /System/Library/Extensions/NVinjectGo.kext

rm -r /System/Library/Extensions.kextcache

rm -r /System/Library/Extensions.mkext

 

You can now safely exit the Terminal.

Once you restart the computer, the screen should flash black briefly just before the log-in window and you will have QE/CI fully activated.

 

If your laptop internal display isn't being detected properly by Apple drivers, you can try using np_'s LaptopDisplay 1.0.0d1 in-conjunction with any of the above kexts to remedy the problem.

There should be no need to use this kext if you are using NVinjectGo.

 

The MacVidia driver, for those that cannot get their graphics card to work with any of the above methods:

 

The MacVidia driver is the alternative to Titan, NvidiaEFI and Natit. You should only use it if neither drivers work for you and/or you are using a much older version of Tiger.

This is a last resort driver solution.

MacVidia does work if you install the latest beta and do a quick work-around:

These instructions are for MacVidia Beta 1 through to Beta 2 Build 1 ONLY.

If you're intending on using the Beta 2 Build 2 release, use the installer hosted on their site and manually move IONDRVSupport.kext away from the "Extensions"; folder

 

Firstly, before installing the driver, you need to make sure there are no existing NVidia or GeForce kext's present in /System/Library/Extensions

Load up the terminal and type:

 

sudo -s

rm -r /System/Library/Extensions/NV*

rm -r /System/Library/Extensions/Ge*

 

Now copy the MacVidia kexts into the Extensions folder, have a folder ready in root for this process:

 

cp -r /NVDriverBeta1Build5/NV* /System/Library/Extensions/

reboot

 

At the Darwin boot prompt, type -s to enter single user mode and it will take you to the command prompt.

Enter these commands:

 

/sbin/fsck -fy

/sbin/mount -uw /

nano /etc/rc

 

and at the top of the file that's displayed, add these lines:

 

kextload /System/Library/Extensions/NVDriver.kext

kextload /System/Library/Extensions/NVidiaHAL.kext

kextload /System/Library/Extensions/NVidia.kext

 

Press CTRL+O then Enter to save all changes, it should now be safe to press CTRL+X to quit.

 

Now type:

 

cd /System/Library/Extensions/NVidiaHAL.kext/Content

nano Info.plist

 

Then look for :

 

<key>IOPCIMatch</key>

<string>0x00f910de&0xffffffff</string>

 

Replace 00f9 with your own DeviceID, GeForce 7800 Go users have a DeviceID of 0098

Save the file with CTRL+X and then press Y.

Do the same to NVidia.kext.

 

Next step is to rebuild the kextcache:

 

chown -R root:wheel /System/Library/Extensions

chmod -R 755 /System/Library/Extensions

rm -r /System/Library/Extensions.kextcache

rm -r /System/Library/Extensions.mkext

kextcache -k /System/Library/Extensions

reboot

 

If this doesn't fix the black screen, boot with -s again, manually delete the new kexts using:

 

/sbin/fsck -fy

/sbin/mount -uw /

rm -r /System/Library/Extensions/NV*

 

Now when you restart everything should be back to normal.

In the case of an installer being used, type /NVDriver.bkp/bin/uninst.sh to restore the default kext files.

 

If you prefer to just use native VESA 3.0 compatability, you can edit the com.apple.Boot.plist for a higher resolution:

 

<key>Graphics Mode</key>

<string>1280x1024x32@60</string>

 

Make sure this key and string does not exist when installing the MacVidia driver though.

 

Any kernel extension load errors can be fixed by loading up terminal and typing:

 

cd /System/Library/Extensions

sudo find nameofkext.kext -type d -exec /bin/chmod 0755 {} \;

sudo find nameofkext.kext -type f -exec /bin/chmod 0644 {} \;

 

 

Customizing the System Profiler Hardware Overview page:

 

I bet you're all pretty bored of seeing jMac or ACPI, instead of something fancy like Inspiron 9400/E1705 17" appearing in your Hardware Overview; well it's actually a lot easier to change than most people think.

Thanks to Prasys, I'll be passing on this bit of knowledge to you all.

If you actually recieve an error on your Hardware Overview, make sure you are using the 1.0.6 AppleSMBIOS.kext along with Colonel's System Profiler Patch 1.3.5 that I have attached to this thread. You can also alternatively use Netkas' AppleSMBIOS.kext which doesn't require any System Profiler Patching.

 

Load up Terminal and type:

 

sudo /Applications/TextEdit.app/Contents/MacOS/TextEdit /System/Library/SystemProfiler/SPPlatformReporter.spreporter/Contents/Resources/English.lproj/Localizable.strings

 

Scroll down to where it says: /* Apple Development Platform */

Now change that section to look like this:

 

/* Apple Development Platform */

"ACPI" = "Inspiron9,4";

"ADP" = "ACPI";

 

Note: Change it to whatever your laptop model is, e.g. Inspiron 6400 would be Inspiron6,4 or if you would prefer to use the Dell Home name, you could simply have it as E1505.

 

Hit CMD+S to Save and CMD+Q to exit TextEdit.

 

Re-load Terminal and type:

 

sudo /Applications/TextEdit.app/Contents/MacOS/TextEdit /System/Library/SystemProfiler/SPPlatformReporter.spreporter/Contents/Resources/SPMachineTypes.plist

 

Scroll down to the bottom, replace (or add) the ACPI <key> and corresponding <string> to look like this:

 

<key>ACPI</key>

<string>Inspiron 9400/E1705 17"</string>

 

Hit CMD+S to Save and CMD+Q to exit TextEdit.

 

Now when you load up System Profiler, you'll have something rather nice to show off to your friends.

 

 

Kernel and installation notes for older OS X releases:

 

The 10.4.5 Myzar disc has been patched for AMD, so if you want to make your own clean custom kernel, using the base patch alone wont work, you need to apply the patch-base.ppf and patch-amd_enabler.ppf from the maxxuss archive using ApplyPPF3.

If you are using the JaS disc, then making your own kernel is not required as you are given the option to specify a base SSE3 system.

ApplyPPF3 works via the Command Prompt and is very simple to use, here is an example of how to apply the ppf's to a bare-kernel:

 

For the purpose of this example, we are going to call the kernel 'mach_kernel.baseamd'

Command "a" is used for applying a patch.

ApplyPPF3.exe a mach_kernel.baseamd patch-base.ppf

ApplyPPF3.exe a mach_kernel.baseamd patch-amd_enabler.ppf

 

If you just use the original Myzar kernel, you will get all-sorts of problems booting with Dual Core enabled, such as mDNS warnings and random shut-downs.

 

If you want to replace the default kernel and you have a patched one ready in the root, or if you followed the instructions up above to create a new kernel, load up Terminal and type:

 

sudo -s

chown root:wheel /mach_kernel.baseamd

chmod 644 /mach_kernel.baseamd

 

Reboot and hit a key at the prompt or press F8, type the name of your newly patched kernel to test it out.

If it works fine, just edit your com.apple.Boot.plist to point to the new kernel file.

Or if you want to overwrite the original kernel completely, boot into single user mode by typing -s at the prompt and input:

 

/sbin/fsck -fy

/sbin/mount -uw /

cp /mach_kernel /mach_kernel.original

cp /mach_kernel.baseamd /mach_kernel

chown root:wheel /mach_kernel

chmod 644 /mach_kernel

 

If you experience a b0 error upon installation of the JaS 10.4.6 Disc, make sure you PPF patch the ISO file with JaS.10.4.6.Install.DVD.PPF1.PPF.rar

Only Mobile versions of the Core Duo and Core 2 Duo processors suffer from the same stuttering bug as the Athlon X2. Desktop systems are apparantely uneffected by this problem.

Some people report that booting the installer disc and pressing F8, then specifying platform=X86PC, creates a more 'stable' install, though I have been unable to confirm this myself.

 

In comparison to my Pentium M Inspiron 9300 laptop with 10.4.5 Myzar installed, the graphics appeared more fluid and this was especially noticeable with the Flurry screensaver.

After upgrading to 10.4.6, the whole system started to perform in pretty much the same way it performs for my Intel Core Duo, but the Xbench scores on my new system were 20+ points higher.

The JaS installation does not have any slowdowns with the Flurry screensaver in comparison to Myzar's performance.

 

After experimenting with both the Myzar and JaS bootable installation discs, I have come to realise that the Myzar installation, although stable, is considerably slower in performance when compared to the JaS installation. This is probably due to the JaS disc having the choice to install an Intel specific base package without any cross-compatable AMD related CPU-ID patches or decrypted frameworks.

 

 

Conclusions:

 

I can confirm that I have Windows Vista dual-booting with a near perfect 10.5.1 EFI Mac OS X installation.

 

I recommend using the Darwin Boot Loader for dual-booting purposes. Click Here to read my own Guide on how to Dual-Boot successfully.

 

Under no circumstances should you attempt to use the Software Update feature on pre-10.4.8 with SSE2 processors as this will corrupt your hackintosh installation.

However, if you have an SSE3 CPU and use 10.4.8+ then it should be ok to use Software Update. You just need to make sure that the update doesn't replace your current mach_kernel or AppleSMBIOS.kext if you are not using EFI, e.g. Combo updates to any newer OS versions.

Airport updates are not advisable if you are using an Atheros external Wireless as this will require the 10.4.5 version of IO80211Family.kext.

 

Please be kind enough to leave me some rep on my profile if this guide has proved a useful resource to you.

Feel free to PM me with any questions as I will be more than willing to help.

You may also contact me on the IRC whenever I am available.

 

Thanks to the dev's and all who have made this guide possible,

 

My only request, having put this guide together, is for anyone to kindly give my band music a whirl; it's fairly eclectic and similar to Jeff Buckley/Radiohead, so if you're into that sort of thing, you might like it.

 

Enjoy! (now with sound)

 

:thumbsdown_anim:

 

Pawel.

AppleHDA_10.4.10_Dell_Inspiron_9400.zip

AppleSMBIOS.1.0.6.kext.zip

ATIRadeonX1000.kext.10.4.8.zip

ATIRadeonX1000.kext.10.4.9.zip

Compatible.SystemProfiler.1.0.6.zip

IONetworkingFamily.kext.10.4.6.zip

LaptopDisplay.kext.zip

Mobility.kext.zip

Natit.kext.zip

NVidiaEFI.kext.zip

System.kext.Fixed.8.10.3.zip

AppleSMBIOS.EFI.1.0.12.macdotnub.zip

Microsoft.British.Keyboard.Layout.zip

NVinjectGo.0.2.0.256Mb.7900GS.kext.zip

post-4484-1199959232_thumb.jpg

NVinjectGo.0.2.0b.zip

NVinjectGo.0.2.0b_512Mb.zip

PowerManagement.bundle.Leopard.tar.gz

PowerManagement.bundle.Tiger.tar

Edited by devilhood
devilhood
devilhood
Posted
  • Author
Posted
Thanks, I presume a fair bit of the above also applies to the E1505 as well.

 

Yeah, it should pretty much apply to anything with the same processors and similar motherboard combination.

Zappadoc
Zappadoc
Posted
Posted

We're all in the same boat my friend! except that i have an ATI Radeon X1400, my XBench is better with Multicore option OFF than cpus=1 kernel flags...

 

do you known how to simulate an usb insertion? I want my USB Wireless dongle to be recognized without modify the network interface.plist file thanks...

Cheers!

Z

myzar
myzar
Posted
Posted

The problem for you coreduo owners is that you can't use the new kernel dunno if you remember what maxxuss wrote about 10.4.5:

 

Darwin kernel has been updated from 8.4.1 to 8.5.1 in OS X 10.4.5. This won’t affect Mac owners but it does affect everyone attempting to run OSx86 on non-Core Duo hardware. The most notable change is 8.5.1 drops support for general Intel power management and the LAPIC timer. In leu of that, the new kernel now only supports Intel Core Duo enhanced power management and its HPET (High Performance Events Timers) facility. To address this, the latest Maxxuss Patch Solution v1.0 for 10.4.5 uses the older 8.4.1 kernal until the power management code can be reinserted into a modified 8.5.1 kernel.

Beejay
Beejay
Posted
Posted

Devilhood,

 

Thought I'll supplement your edit about getting the MacVidia beta1 build5 driver to work (tested on 10.4.5 and 10.4.6 now):

 

1. Delete the Geforce kexts and the NV kexts in /System/Library/Extensions, and delete Extensions.kextcache and Extensions.mkext from /System/Library.

 

2. Edit the IOPCIMatch string from within NVidiaHAL.kext from the beta driver and replace it with the 0x0098 string (the value for GeForce Go 7800 on the Inspiron 9400).

 

3. Drop the two files found in build 5 (NVidiaHAL.kext and NVDriver.kext) into /System/Library/Extensions, and chown and chmod that directory. There is no need to copy the old GeForceGA plugin or NVidia.kext.

 

4. Someone mentioned that we should delete the com.apple.winserver* files or the com.apple.preference.displays* files but they were not present on my OSX, so nothing to delete.

 

5. When I reboot with "-x", I would be able to get the new resolutions but booting without "-x" will result in black screen. To correct that, I have added the kextload statements in /etc/rc (only for NVidiaHAL.kext and NVDriver.kext). You have included a kextload for NVidia.kext. I think this is not needed.

 

Screen is beautiful with 1920x1200 :D

 

I think I might have mentioned to you before that I did not have the problem of graphics stuttering so I did not have to turn off the multi-core support.

 

Hope this helps. I have not put this in the wiki on the basis that beta 2 should be forthcoming soon.

 

Now, the only items for which I need to get solutions would be:

 

1. Sound (I see zappadoc has been working very hard - great efforts!)

2. Wireless

3. Power management - screen won't come back after waking. It stays back but the system seems to be working underneath that black screen.

devilhood
devilhood
Posted
  • Author
Posted
The problem for you coreduo owners is that you can't use the new kernel dunno if you remember what maxxuss wrote about 10.4.5:

 

Darwin kernel has been updated from 8.4.1 to 8.5.1 in OS X 10.4.5. This won’t affect Mac owners but it does affect everyone attempting to run OSx86 on non-Core Duo hardware. The most notable change is 8.5.1 drops support for general Intel power management and the LAPIC timer. In leu of that, the new kernel now only supports Intel Core Duo enhanced power management and its HPET (High Performance Events Timers) facility. To address this, the latest Maxxuss Patch Solution v1.0 for 10.4.5 uses the older 8.4.1 kernal until the power management code can be reinserted into a modified 8.5.1 kernel.

 

But the 9400/E1705 uses the Core Duo, and Maxxuss is just stating a problem that would occur only for non-Core Duo related hardware? couldn't he have just released a bare kernel and patches for Core Duo users? or am I interpreting that incorrectly?

 

Beejay, you mean you haven't experienced any stuttering at all? was this purely because of the Macvidia drivers, or is there something very fishy going on with my install.

All I did was install the 10.4.5 Myzar disc, patch to the latest 10.4.6 Myzar release and created a custom kernel with the above steps in my guide.

I'll give your tips a go with installing the beta1 build5 Nvidia driver, because I tried the kextload method and it didn't actually work for me, nor would the driver load without Nvidia.kext present :D

I tried it both with the installer and manually.

myzar
myzar
Posted
Posted
But the 9400/E1705 uses the Core Duo, and Maxxuss is just stating a problem that would occur only for non-Core Duo related hardware? couldn't he have just released a bare kernel and patches for Core Duo users? or am I interpreting that incorrectly?

 

you are interpreting that correctly he could have but he didn't i guess because he doesn't have one or he doesn't have time to mess with the kernel anymore

devilhood
devilhood
Posted
  • Author
Posted

Update: The Intel Core Duo stuttering still exists with the JaS 10.4.6 ISO, but you'll need to apply a ppf1 patch to fix the b0 error.

The Macvidia driver beta 2 works perfectly if you follow my guide up above :pirate2:

worryworth
worryworth
Posted
Posted

Just wanted to put out a quick fact. The firewire chipset on the 9400 is a Ricoh device that claim is OHCI compliant. But its not compatible with Apple OHCI hardware layer which is made for Lucent (ATI) chips. So any firewire application wont work in OSX with this device, even if OSX claim that the driver is loaded. Maybe a small mod to OHCI kext would make it work as OHCI is a standard and it seems close. If anyone knows.. I still doubt the chip but problem is solved for now using cpus=1 method.

devilhood
devilhood
Posted
  • Author
Posted
Just wanted to put out a quick fact. The firewire chipset on the 9400 is a Ricoh device that claim is OHCI compliant. But its not compatible with Apple OHCI hardware layer which is made for Lucent (ATI) chips. So any firewire application wont work in OSX with this device, even if OSX claim that the driver is loaded. Maybe a small mod to OHCI kext would make it work as OHCI is a standard and it seems close. If anyone knows..

 

Edit: Firewire is confirmed 100% working on my Inspiron 9400/E1705! Yes, I have my M-Audio Firewire 410 working absolutely perfectly with the JaS 10.4.6 installation.

Good news indeed, so if anyone else is considering getting the same unit, I highly recommend it as the sound quality is absolutely prestine.

 

In the mean time, I updated my other post and the guide again.

 

Conclusion: JaS installation = much faster performance but still stutters with the Intel Core Duo, just use the cpus=1 method and everything will be fine.

A few kext's show some link/load errors, but they seem to be insignificant.

 

So there we have it folks!

devilhood
devilhood
Posted
  • Author
Posted

If anyone has any problem with installing or dual-booting, feel free to PM me as well.

The only thing you really need to remember is that the partition id=af, and it must be made 'active' before installing anything onto it.

To make the whole procedure easy as pie, use Hiren's Boot Disc as it comes bundled with Partition Magic Pro and other useful utilities.

devilhood
devilhood
Posted
  • Author
Posted

Just a quick note, I recieved my M-Audio Firewire 410 today.

I installed the Intel 10.4.6 M-Audio drivers from the site, shut down the laptop, plugged the device in, booted it up, the firmware automatically updated and everything was recognized perfectly. Audio playback is perfect and the control panel communicates with the device as it should :D

devilhood
devilhood
Posted
  • Author
Posted

hehe, yes.

It means it is only utilizing one core of the CPU, but until there is a way of using both core's without any stuttering, we are stuck with using one.

If maxxuss came back and patched the new kernel with Core Duo users in mind, we wouldn't have any problems :lol:

BryanP
BryanP
Posted
Posted

sort of surprising to me. i just got a dell e1505 core duo with an ati x1400 (all pretty similar to what is running on the macbooks) and i thought it would run almost perfectly. guess i should have read around here a little more.... :lol:

 

thanks for your help, though, devilhood

devilhood
devilhood
Posted
  • Author
Posted

No problem; yeah there is never a perfectly compatable hardware solution for a Hackintosh, especially with laptops, and its always a case of either buying extra add-ons to make certain things work (e.g. wireless) or waiting for talented people to release patches.

We actually have it pretty good with the Dell's, a lot of the stuff works well.

I don't know much about how the x1400 performs, but I'm sure there are tons of threads about it :lol:

worryworth
worryworth
Posted
Posted

Just tried devilhood kernel flags on my machine.. oh {censored}.. this rocks... we really need a kernel that support the 2 cpus, but even at one cpu speed it's still fast. Tought it was normal but understand it was stuttering as everyone says. FW1814 works.. rock on. Thanks devilhood.

devilhood
devilhood
Posted
  • Author
Posted
Just tried devilhood kernel flags on my machine.. oh {censored}.. this rocks... we really need a kernel that support the 2 cpus, but even at one cpu speed it's still fast. Tought it was normal but understand it was stuttering as everyone says. FW1814 works.. rock on. Thanks devilhood.

 

Good stuff man, this M-Audio Firewire thing is brilliant, breath of fresh air compared to using the Audigy ZS Platinum Pro on my PC.

Latency will now be a thing of the past for my production work :lol:

devilhood
devilhood
Posted
  • Author
Posted

Unfortunately Windows cannot actually see the Mac partition to be accessed, even if you use Macdrive.

There is no known work-around for this, apart from having the Mac running on a seperate HDD, then Macdrive will be able to see it and read/write from it perfectly.

jrrjrr
jrrjrr
Posted
Posted

MacDrive works fine for me on my dual-boot single-drive machine, as long as I don't install the newest versions of Alcohol 120% or Daemon Tools that use fancy SCSI layer substitutes that seem to confuse MacDrive.

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