[Mini Guide] SL working on Gigabyte G41M-ES2L

[iRobie]

I think Gatzs' post #540 is worth noting in the first post....

 

I see that Step 1 says to use disk utility to prepare the drive but I think its also worth saying that even if your drive is already GUID, its still worth repartitioning the drive to get rid of invisible files that previous installer may have put on the disk. Gatz recommends in post #540 to use diskpart instead of disk utility to do this. And, tazito says he used a windows CD wipe his HD. I suspect that this is at the root of gthompson's problem.

 

I've added the disk repartitioning in Step 1. Good call. I can't recommend using diskpart or any other Windows tool at this point because, to me, that's just asking for trouble. If you're going to format & partition a drive, use Mac's disk utility. Diskpart won't let you format in HFS+ anyway, so you're going to duplicate effort.

 

And I've added a video help section pointing to Gatzs' post.

 

 

Ridgeline-

I finally have the QX6700 working in a "I can recommend this" fashion. Took a lot of testing! It needs VoodooTSCsync to run properly, which is running fine on 10.6.3 & I've heard 10.6.4. If you wanted to post those DSDT files on your site, please make a note that voodootscsync is required.

 

The long story is the sound skipping was a symptom of timing issues (console showed mDNSPlatformRawTime: last_mach_absolute_time). Another symptom was the mouse being jittery. Booting with idlehalt=0 fixed the issue, but the temps read at 70* and the fans blew hard. I don't think temps were really that high since Prime95 in Windows only gets to 55*. The newer VoodooPSync had the same temp issue, honestly I forget if the old version (the one in your post) did too. After a lot of research and testing I found Voodootscsync, which solves all the problems.

 

This problem is not present on other CPUs - I tried E8200 and E6600. Something about this one CPU causes issues.

[seleven]

Hi folks

 

I was just wondering, is building a iHac illegal ?

I mean as long as we buy the original Snow Leopard DVD everything should be fine with regards to the law?

 

of course we get no support and no warranty from Apple.

 

Just wanted to be sure if it's ok.

If you are making the system for your self u should be good, now if you are planning to build and sell that's against the law.

Umm, not quite. Making OS 10 run on non-Apple kit is a huge legal gray area as while the copy of OS 10 is legit, it is against the Apple EULA, so some sort of violation is occurring, not to mention potentially encryption laws, depending on the country one lives it.

 

Read this page for a pretty good listing of the issues behind this:

http://lowendmac.com/ed/fox/09ff/hackintosh-legality.html

 

Now, I've not heard of any person being sued over a EULA violation, and I've not heard of any case law that makes a software EULA that big of a legal stick, but I am also not a lawyer. I'm sure there are other threads on this subject elsewhere in the forum, I would suggest looking for them as this is pretty off topic for this thread, making a Gigabyte G41M-ES2L work as flawlessly as possible. :-)

[tazito]

If you are making the system for your self u should be good, now if you are planning to build and sell that's against the law.

 

Umm, not quite. Making OS 10 run on non-Apple kit is a huge legal gray area as while the copy of OS 10 is legit, it is against the Apple EULA, so some sort of violation is occurring, not to mention potentially encryption laws, depending on the country one lives it.

 

Read this page for a pretty good listing of the issues behind this:

http://lowendmac.com/ed/fox/09ff/hackintosh-legality.html

 

Now, I've not heard of any person being sued over a EULA violation, and I've not heard of any case law that makes a software EULA that big of a legal stick, but I am also not a lawyer. I'm sure there are other threads on this subject elsewhere in the forum, I would suggest looking for them as this is pretty off topic for this thread, making a Gigabyte G41M-ES2L work as flawlessly as possible. :-)

 

 

They'll have a field trip getting all of us. :D :D :P :P :P :P

[Oxymoron]

hi guys,

 

So I have been reading about this proceedure. I need to buy the hardware first as I sold all my intel gear last year and went AMD, which I understand is a lot harder to get working then Intel.

 

So I have found the G41M-ES2L for around £36.

 

I was thinking about the e5300 cpu as it's £50, are there any cheap cpu's I can use?

 

I already have:

 

Micro-ATX Silverstone case

SATA 250GB HDD

4GB OCZ DDR2 800Mhz

Sata DVD-RW sony

Nvidia 8600GT Gigabyte - unsure if it's 512mb or 1gb - does it matter?

 

As for the install guide do I always need to boot off the boot 132 CD or the usb stick? i.e. every time I start the machack I need to use the boot cd first?

 

EDIT: lol my old sig is still there, my comp is totally different now

[hawaii50]

hi guys,

 

So I have been reading about this proceedure. I need to buy the hardware first as I sold all my intel gear last year and went AMD, which I understand is a lot harder to get working then Intel.

 

So I have found the G41M-ES2L for around £36.

 

I was thinking about the e5300 cpu as it's £50, are there any cheap cpu's I can use?

 

I already have:

 

Micro-ATX Silverstone case

SATA 250GB HDD

4GB OCZ DDR2 800Mhz

Sata DVD-RW sony

Nvidia 8600GT Gigabyte - unsure if it's 512mb or 1gb - does it matter?

 

As for the install guide do I always need to boot off the boot 132 CD or the usb stick? i.e. every time I start the machack I need to use the boot cd first?

 

EDIT: lol my old sig is still there, my comp is totally different now

 

 

I think you have a good chance of everything working. Your DVD is one of the few that will let your hack sleep without using PleaseSleep. I don't know about your specific gfx card, but the 8400 GS and the 9500 GT just work. The only cheaper CPU I've tried is an e3300 which worked pretty well but is not that much cheaper. Finally, after you run Ridgeline's post installer, you will not need the 132 boot cd or the USB stick to boot your hack. It will be able to boot off the HD on which you installed snow leopard.

[Oxymoron]

I think you have a good chance of everything working. Your DVD is one of the few that will let your hack sleep without using PleaseSleep. I don't know about your specific gfx card, but the 8400 GS and the 9500 GT just work. The only cheaper CPU I've tried is an e3300 which worked pretty well but is not that much cheaper. Finally, after you run Ridgeline's post installer, you will not need the 132 boot cd or the USB stick to boot your hack. It will be able to boot off the HD on which you installed snow leopard.

 

I see, how do I hack the sleep function? I only seem to see a guide for pleasesleep on the front page.

[hawaii50]

I see, how do I hack the sleep function? I only seem to see a guide for pleasesleep on the front page.

 

Use Ridgeline's post-installer and choose the DSDT for your CPU. That should be all you need to get sleep working since you have a Sony Optiarc DVD.

[printerati]

I was thinking about the e5300 cpu as it's £50, are there any cheap cpu's I can use?

 

Unless you have absolutely no need for it, I would highly recommend a CPU that supports virtualization so that you can use VirtualBox to run Windows within OS X. I used an E6500 in my G41M build, which lets me fire up XP whenever I have a need for it, and I'm kicking myself now for using the E5300 in my first build (a G31M). The price difference between the two is minimal in the U.S. (under $20 in most cases).

 

The E32/33/3400 Celerons would also be options for virtualization, but I personally would rather have the extra speed and additional 1 MB of cache that the E6500 offers.

[Oxymoron]

Unless you have absolutely no need for it, I would highly recommend a CPU that supports virtualization so that you can use VirtualBox to run Windows within OS X. I used an E6500 in my G41M build, which lets me fire up XP whenever I have a need for it, and I'm kicking myself now for using the E5300 in my first build (a G31M). The price difference between the two is minimal in the U.S. (under $20 in most cases).

 

The E32/33/3400 Celerons would also be options for virtualization, but I personally would rather have the extra speed and additional 1 MB of cache that the E6500 offers.

 

hhmm something to think about. Not sure i'll need it though as my windows desktop sits next to it and they will share the same monitor, keyboard and mouse.

 

I need to buy a usb switching box when everything is working.

[tazito]

What method did you guys use to instal windows? I was trying to install windows 7 but no luck, I installed windows 7 first then osX and still no luck.

[cybercap]

can somebody advise on a (cheap) PCI firewire 800 card to add fw to the hac ?

[seleven]

can somebody advise on a (cheap) PCI firewire 800 card to add fw to the hac ?

I can confirm that the Sonnet Allegro FW800 works, but it might now be what you consider cheap (average price on ebay seems to be around 60 or so).

 

However, looking at the card, it uses a TI tsb82aa2 chipset for the FW800 ports, so in theory, any card with that chipset should work.

 

Looking again on ebay for that chipset and pcie, I found a listing for a 'generic' FireWire 800 Mbps 1394b + 1394a PCI Express PCIe card going for just over 30 dollars USA. That might be a better option, but I can't say for sure that it would work, but in theory it should since the main chipset is the same.

 

I just wish that FW800 had become more popular at the consumer level. As is, it seems to be more common at the professional level, thereby having higher prices.

[Oxymoron]

Unless you have absolutely no need for it, I would highly recommend a CPU that supports virtualization so that you can use VirtualBox to run Windows within OS X. I used an E6500 in my G41M build, which lets me fire up XP whenever I have a need for it, and I'm kicking myself now for using the E5300 in my first build (a G31M). The price difference between the two is minimal in the U.S. (under $20 in most cases).

 

The E32/33/3400 Celerons would also be options for virtualization, but I personally would rather have the extra speed and additional 1 MB of cache that the E6500 offers.

 

Ok the E6500 is only £9 more than the E5300 and has a much higher clock as well, so going to order it next week.

 

Also gonna order a new 24" monitor as my 24" DGM died then a day later my backup 22" has also died. :/

[Soler]

Gentlefolks - a few updates for my G41M-ES2L homeys:

 

1. BIOS F8 is safe to use. feel free to update if you've wondered about it.

2. I could never get 64 bit to work with my video card (Quadro FX 540). Then someone told me that the card has to be at least an 8400. That, coupled with a NewEgg sale was the perfect excuse for me to upgrade to a fanless Asus card. Indeed, put the 8400 in there and we are rockin' at 64 bits.

3. I'm experimenting with ways to get more bang for the buck, particularly for video work, short of stepping up to an i5 or i7 processor on another board (P55 series). I'm overclocking right now with a 9.5 multiplier. Temps are about 40C using a Zalman variable cooler.

4. Xbench shows good CPU test numbers (~215 consistently) but thread test shows smaller and more variable numbers relative to other Hack boards on Xbench public numbers site.

 

Overall, I gotta say I'm pretty happy with this board.

 

I am having a weird problem after updating the bios to F8. Upon powering on while at the Chameleon screen, my usb keyboard is not recognized so I can't press a key to enter additional boot options. What's odd is once SL (10.6.4) is booted, I have full use of the keyboard again. Also the keyboard is fine in the bios screen. I have USB keyboard support enabled in the bios and have tried disabled but it made no difference.

Anyone else have this issue?

[Rumi409]

Some of the sleep related issues could be from not checking off the "Reboot after power failure option." I was having sleep issues and the guide didn't mention that it needed to be checked. Once I checked that option, sleep is working fine (for now) without any sleepenabler.kext.

 

Is it true that some video cards prevent you from loading 64-bit SL? I have a 7800GT and it hangs after loading all the kexts, just before the login menu, when I don't use the "arch=i386" kernel flag.

[ridgeline]

Anything lower then the 8xxx series is not recommended. due to being buggy that could be part of it.

 

If you are making the system for your self u should be good, now if you are planning to build and sell that's against the law.

 

Umm, not quite. Making OS 10 run on non-Apple kit is a huge legal gray area as while the copy of OS 10 is legit, it is against the Apple EULA, so some sort of violation is occurring, not to mention potentially encryption laws, depending on the country one lives it.

 

Read this page for a pretty good listing of the issues behind this:

http://lowendmac.com/ed/fox/09ff/hackintosh-legality.html

 

Now, I've not heard of any person being sued over a EULA violation, and I've not heard of any case law that makes a software EULA that big of a legal stick, but I am also not a lawyer. I'm sure there are other threads on this subject elsewhere in the forum, I would suggest looking for them as this is pretty off topic for this thread, making a Gigabyte G41M-ES2L work as flawlessly as possible. :-)

Actually a company that you have I am sure have all heard of is Psystar. The are behind the rebelefi but also made and were selling what they called open source systems they would make a setup with linux, Mac or Windows. They included legit copies of the OS in each case but were sued by Apple for infringement. That went back and forth for a long time due to a loop hole in the EULA.

[iRobie]

What method did you guys use to instal windows? I was trying to install windows 7 but no luck, I installed windows 7 first then osX and still no luck.

 

I followed tonmacx86 guide here. Now honestly, I've done this a lot using different methods and I forget what the problems with this method were. I believe these are the issues, but this is based on my memory and NOT documented experiences:

• If you use the MyHack guide (install OSX, then Win7, then use MyHack), you'll end up needing to repair the MBR and repair Windows installation. That's the downside. The upside is you can use MBR formatted disks, so WinXP is usable.
  
• If you use Tonymac's guide w/ Tonymac's installer ([url="http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/"]#####[/url]), dual boot works extremely well. You can place Ridgeline's DSDT file on your desktop & use a custom install selecting the correct audio (888b) and network (Realtek SL 1000) options. However, in my experience this led to slower connections for SMB shares. I don't know why because it's the same Realtek driver. Could be because I was trying 32 bit w/ Tonymac, could be due to iMac smbios settings instead of MacPro. Could be that Ridgeline has magic Don't know why.
  
• (My current setup): tonymacx86 guide w/ Ridgeline's installer worked well, but I did have to repair the Windows installation after setup. To do this, boot to your Windows disc after both Win7 & SL are installed, then on the second screen select Repair existing installer. I'm not sure why this was needed with Ridgeline & not tonymac. That boggles me because I thought they're boot managers were the same.
  

 

Once you get dual booting working, I have two ways to get into Windows:

• Chameleon gives me 1-2 seconds on boot to select windows
  
• I have a shortcut on my desktop that changes the active partition to the Windows partition. Then on reboot it goes into Windows. Same thing on Windows side - I have a shortcut that changes the partition to Snow Leopard. Not necessary unless you remote into your computer & want to switch sides remotely. But it sure is convenient! Almost like having the official Bootcamp on my hack
  

 

I am having a weird problem after updating the bios to F8. Upon powering on while at the Chameleon screen, my usb keyboard is not recognized so I can't press a key to enter additional boot options. What's odd is once SL (10.6.4) is booted, I have full use of the keyboard again. Also the keyboard is fine in the bios screen. I have USB keyboard support enabled in the bios and have tried disabled but it made no difference.

Anyone else have this issue?

 

Sounds like your bios reset settings to default. Load optimized settings. This will enable USB Keyboard, which will fix the chameleon problem. Then set HPET to 64-bit. And do other BIOS stuff - turn off floppy drive, disable Parallel ports, etc.

[Soler]

Sounds like your bios reset settings to default. Load optimized settings. This will enable USB Keyboard, which will fix the chameleon problem. Then set HPET to 64-bit. And do other BIOS stuff - turn off floppy drive, disable Parallel ports, etc.

 

Hmm I did load optimized settings after the flash to F8 and do have HPET set to 64-bit. Checked that USB keyboard and mouse were enabled. Also did the other bios stuff as well like you mentioned.

Maybe I'll try flashing to F7 and see if it makes a difference. Was on F6 before without these issues.

[tazito]

I followed tonmacx86 guide here. Now honestly, I've done this a lot using different methods and I forget what the problems with this method were. I believe these are the issues, but this is based on my memory and NOT documented experiences:

• If you use the MyHack guide (install OSX, then Win7, then use MyHack), you'll end up needing to repair the MBR and repair Windows installation. That's the downside. The upside is you can use MBR formatted disks, so WinXP is usable.
  
• If you use Tonymac's guide w/ Tonymac's installer ([url="http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/"]#####[/url]), dual boot works extremely well. You can place Ridgeline's DSDT file on your desktop & use a custom install selecting the correct audio (888b) and network (Realtek SL 1000) options. However, in my experience this led to slower connections for SMB shares. I don't know why because it's the same Realtek driver. Could be because I was trying 32 bit w/ Tonymac, could be due to iMac smbios settings instead of MacPro. Could be that Ridgeline has magic Don't know why.
  
• (My current setup): tonymacx86 guide w/ Ridgeline's installer worked well, but I did have to repair the Windows installation after setup. To do this, boot to your Windows disc after both Win7 & SL are installed, then on the second screen select Repair existing installer. I'm not sure why this was needed with Ridgeline & not tonymac. That boggles me because I thought they're boot managers were the same.
  

 

Once you get dual booting working, I have two ways to get into Windows:

• Chameleon gives me 1-2 seconds on boot to select windows
  
• I have a shortcut on my desktop that changes the active partition to the Windows partition. Then on reboot it goes into Windows. Same thing on Windows side - I have a shortcut that changes the partition to Snow Leopard. Not necessary unless you remote into your computer & want to switch sides remotely. But it sure is convenient! Almost like having the official Bootcamp on my hack
  

 

 

 

Sounds like your bios reset settings to default. Load optimized settings. This will enable USB Keyboard, which will fix the chameleon problem. Then set HPET to 64-bit. And do other BIOS stuff - turn off floppy drive, disable Parallel ports, etc.

I will try that tonite for sure. A big THANK YOU.

 

 

 

U MY FRIEND ARE THE BEST. LOL JUST LIKE YOU TITLE SAYS>>>A F ING LEGEND

[iRobie]

Hmm I did load optimized settings after the flash to F8 and do have HPET set to 64-bit. Checked that USB keyboard and mouse were enabled. Also did the other bios stuff as well like you mentioned.

Maybe I'll try flashing to F7 and see if it makes a difference. Was on F6 before without these issues.

 

It might be the USB Legacy devices switch that allows for this. But that is enabled with optimized settings, so unless you disabled that I'm stumped. Mine works great. Are you on a wireless keyboard?

[cybercap]

I can confirm that the Sonnet Allegro FW800 works, but it might now be what you consider cheap (average price on ebay seems to be around 60 or so).

 

However, looking at the card, it uses a TI tsb82aa2 chipset for the FW800 ports, so in theory, any card with that chipset should work.

 

Looking again on ebay for that chipset and pcie, I found a listing for a 'generic' FireWire 800 Mbps 1394b + 1394a PCI Express PCIe card going for just over 30 dollars USA. That might be a better option, but I can't say for sure that it would work, but in theory it should since the main chipset is the same.

 

I just wish that FW800 had become more popular at the consumer level. As is, it seems to be more common at the professional level, thereby having higher prices.

 

Hi,

 

thanks for the answer

i'll look up for that chipset

 

i need a PCI card not pci express (slot already taken by an airport card)

 

Another little question regarding graphic card:

i can change my nvidia 9500GT 256mb for a Ati Radeon 4980 1gb

Is there a full working kext around for that chip and isi it worth it (photoshop CS5 may benefit from graphic card power) ?

 

thanks

[seleven]

Hi,

 

thanks for the answer

i'll look up for that chipset

 

i need a PCI card not pci express (slot already taken by an airport card)

Ah, well, I saw pci cards using the same chipset. They looked almost identical to the pcie version.

 

Another little question regarding graphic card:

i can change my nvidia 9500GT 256mb for a Ati Radeon 4980 1gb

Is there a full working kext around for that chip and isi it worth it (photoshop CS5 may benefit from graphic card power) ?

I don't know if it's worth it. http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/404/kb404898.html#main_features shows a list of things that CS4 and 5 use a GPU for assistance with, but I think you would be better off adding memory or more CPU than a more powerful graphics card as photoshop still primarily uses those two things.

 

As for making it work, try this: http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php...t&p=1151993

[Oxymoron]

Hi guys me again!

 

Just placed my order for the parts.

 

Obviously gone for this mainboard.

 

E6500 2.93Ghz Dual core

 

 

I already have the following:

 

380W Seasonic PSU

Mini-itx case

8600GT

4GB OCZ memory.

250Gb seagate HDD

 

 

Will this be ok for an internet, office, very light and basic photo work and very early days of learning how to edit video?

 

Hope it all works ok tommorrow

 

Let me phrase it... erm... if a person was to hypothetically use there macbook SL disk for a month until they can buy a second SL DVD, is this going to course issues?

[iRobie]

Mini-itx case

 

This is a MicroATX board. It won't fit in a Mini-itx case.

 

 

Let me phrase it... erm... if a person was to hypothetically use there macbook SL disk for a month until they can buy a second SL DVD, is this going to course issues?

 

Yes, you will have problems. SL restore disks - those that come with iMacs, Macbooks, etc., are keyed to that specific machine series. You won't be able to use that disk for a Hackintosh without modification. You can probably Google around to find a tutorial on modifying the disk, but you'll need a Mac already to do it and that's beyond the scope of this topic.

[Oxymoron]

This is a MicroATX board. It won't fit in a Mini-itx case.

 

Sorry that was a typo, I have a Micro-ATX case.

 

 

 

Yes, you will have problems. SL restore disks - those that come with iMacs, Macbooks, etc., are keyed to that specific machine series. You won't be able to use that disk for a Hackintosh without modification. You can probably Google around to find a tutorial on modifying the disk, but you'll need a Mac already to do it and that's beyond the scope of this topic.

 

I bought the SL disk as an addition to the 10.5DVD that came with the machine. Can I not use the SL disk I bought online?