[Guide] Dell XPS 15 L502X (Early 2011) Snow Leopard Install (possibly L702x too)

[rawbkk]

Creating your USB install disk

 

 

0. On your xps, boot into windows 7, shrink the partition or find a way to create a new partition with appropriate size for your OSX needs.

 

1. On a mac, Create 10.6.3 USB drive by using disk utility (Restore the Retail DMG file to USB drive)

 

2. Now modify two files on USB to enable MBR support. Download the files needed from here http://deviato.wordpress.com/2010/05/06/os...ned-hard-disks/ and copy them to appropriate location on the USB drive as shown on that site.

 

3. Add USB3 kext to our install USB drive. Download attached file and extract PXCHD.kext from it. Copy it to "/System/Library/Extensions" on the USB drive.

hi gyus,

maybe im too stupid but i cnat find the pxchd.kext mentioned in the install guide to prepare os usb install disc.

it says its attached but i couldnt find it.would really appreciate your help.also which usb3 kext is hould use for this?the one from multibest?

sorry for that question but really tried and looked at google but couldnt find it!

again thanks for all your work here!!!

kai

[birdibird]

hey guys,

 

thanx for the great guide!

Booting from [url="http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/"]#####[/url] my system boots up, but I cannot get it running from the harddisk

 

when it should switch to the text screen loading kexts etc (in -v) or to the grey boot screen with apple icon (without -v), all I get is a black screen.

I didn't use the 10.6.8 but the 10.6.7 combo

Is that the reason?

 

keep up the good work!

 

update: I made it work, found in the previous thread the trick to copy the mach_kernel from the [url="http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/"]#####[/url] legacy disk.

no video native resolution though and the mouse feels quite laggy

 

maybe I'll try the 10.6.8 but need a good internet for the 1 gb

[wen1]

rawbkk,

 

When i was upading the zip i must have yanked it out of the zip.

 

Please use this link to download http://www.kexts.com/downloads.php?do=file&id=612

 

hi gyus,

maybe im too stupid but i cnat find the pxchd.kext mentioned in the install guide to prepare os usb install disc.

it says its attached but i couldnt find it.would really appreciate your help.also which usb3 kext is hould use for this?the one from multibest?

sorry for that question but really tried and looked at google but couldnt find it!

again thanks for all your work here!!!

kai

 

 

 

 

 

 

You are on the right track.

 

You need 10.6.8 for the simplest install. 10.6.7 MacbookPro Early 2011 would also work. But requires modding some properties.

 

Mouse lagginess will also go away with that update since it detects the sandy bridge cpus more accurately.

 

hey guys,

 

thanx for the great guide!

Booting from [url="http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/"]#####[/url] my system boots up, but I cannot get it running from the harddisk

when it should switch to the text screen loading kexts etc (in -v) or to the grey boot screen with apple icon (without -v), all I get is a black screen.

I didn't use the 10.6.8 but the 10.6.7 combo

Is that the reason?

 

keep up the good work!

 

update: I made it work, found in the previous thread the trick to copy the mach_kernel from the [url="http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/"]#####[/url] legacy disk.

no video native resolution though and the mouse feels quite laggy

 

maybe I'll try the 10.6.8 but need a good internet for the 1 gb

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another option would be to move the 1030N over to the WIFI slot and connect those antennas (black/white) to keep the bluetooth and then use the Dell 1510 for Wireless.

 

 

Steve,

 

 

 

Are you referring to moving to WWAN slot? That is a good idea.

 

However, I only have one set of antennas though. Some L502xs came with WWAN antennas pre-installed.

[rawbkk]

@wen1

When i was upading the zip i must have yanked it out of the zip.

 

Please use this link to download http://www.kexts.com/downloads.php?do=file&id=612

 

Thanks a lot,missed that PXCHD.kext is the usb thing!!!!

 

@ SteveRings

good idea!!!at least l702x has 2 sets of antennas...here is a picture as well as instruction how to open (instructions on the 2nd page).

Open L702x

i will still wait for the broadcomm wlan/bt combo and will let you know if this maybe works out of the box since it was only 13€ on ebay and it has n standard.

[wen1]

rawbkk,

 

I seems that broadcom is a single band n though. I was hoping for 5 GHz. I get around 100mbps actual throughput with the DW 1510.

 

But broadcom you listed is still a good option to retain bluetooth and wifi.

 

I wonder if there is a version that is compatible with OSX and a dual-band with bluetooth.

 

Thanks a lot,missed that PXCHD.kext is the usb thing!!!!

 

@ SteveRings

good idea!!!at least l702x has 2 sets of antennas...here is a picture as well as instruction how to open (instructions on the 2nd page).

Open L702x

i will still wait for the broadcomm wlan/bt combo and will let you know if this maybe works out of the box since it was only 13€ on ebay and it has n standard.

 

SteveRings,

 

I was looking through your DSDT and saw some mods for the nvidia card. May be you can help us in enabling the card with in the L502x too.

 

1. Which L702x do you have? One with Optimus or without?

2. Does it have 3D panel? I heard 3D panel disables optimus.

3. Is your nVidia card working in SL? Do you have QE/CI and Native resolution?

 

Thanks for any help and information around this.

wen1

 

Edit: NVM, I found your other posts from the other thread. It appears that you do have a 3D panel and no optimus.

However we could still your help in identifying what fixes you made in the DSDT to enable nvidia

[sybexs]

try tonymacx86 NVIDIA Update 2.0, it enables full screen res for the l702x

[birdibird]

I tried to install the 10.6.8 10k531 combo update

Don't do it!!

 

It crashed while installing and now I'm stuck on 'PCI configuration begin' on boot

trying to extract AppleACPIPlatform.kext and IOPCIFamily.kext now in windows to replace the new versions, I'll keep you updated

[Krooklyn]

Birdibird, you obviously did not follow wen1's guide if the combo update failed. I suggest you go back through and read it again thoroughly. It IS possible to install.

[wen1]

you might have skipped step 11, remove ACPI_SMC_PlatformPlugin.kext

 

That is what causes the update to kernel panic.

 

I tried to install the 10.6.8 10k531 combo update

Don't do it!!

 

It crashed while installing and now I'm stuck on 'PCI configuration begin' on boot

trying to extract AppleACPIPlatform.kext and IOPCIFamily.kext now in windows to replace the new versions, I'll keep you updated

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sybexs, that seems to work only when Intel HD is disabled (only for L702xs with 3D panel).

 

Does yours have a 3D LCD panel too?

 

 

 

try tonymacx86 NVIDIA Update 2.0, it enables full screen res for the l702x

[rawbkk]

you might have skipped step 11, remove ACPI_SMC_PlatformPlugin.kext

 

That is what causes the update to kernel panic.

 

 

@ wen1

hi wen1,i was running yesterday into the same problem after combo update but i wasnt sure if i deleted the ACPI_SMC_PlatformPlugin.kext right.i was using the terminal and your "code".wasnt this right???

sorry for the noob question but i thought terminal and your command line should do the job.i wasnt sure how to remove only part oft the kext package,maybe you can help us out with a little tip ;-)

 

btw: i have the l702x with 3d screen,so intel hd is disabled and for me the tonymac 2.0 nvidia update worked fine when i did the first install,but now im trying to use your guide since nearly everything works with yours.

 

and also to let people with l702x know.when i tryd to install from the mac 10.6.3 retail prepared usb disc i had to use first my left usb port,no other would work,after about 30 sec (beofre the mac os install screen comes up) system stopped and said: waiting for device,so i had to replug the usb drive to one of the backsite usb ports.took me 1 hour to find out...bit strange that but after,the whole installation worked fine.

 

greets and good luck to everybody!!!

 

and thanks a lot to wen1 for his work and of course to all other guys bringing this forward!!!!

[wen1]

rawbkk,

 

No problem at all.

 

Yes you are deletng part of the kext.

 

You will have to do it from a terminal window. For each command you should not see any error messages.

 

Make sure you touch the Extensions in the end and do a proper restart after that. Then, once the system comes back you install the update.

 

@ wen1

hi wen1,i was running yesterday into the same problem after combo update but i wasnt sure if i deleted the ACPI_SMC_PlatformPlugin.kext right.i was using the terminal and your "code".wasnt this right???

sorry for the noob question but i thought terminal and your command line should do the job.i wasnt sure how to remove only part oft the kext package,maybe you can help us out with a little tip ;-)

 

btw: i have the l702x with 3d screen,so intel hd is disabled and for me the tonymac 2.0 nvidia update worked fine when i did the first install,but now im trying to use your guide since nearly everything works with yours.

 

and also to let people with l702x know.when i tryd to install from the mac 10.6.3 retail prepared usb disc i had to use first my left usb port,no other would work,after about 30 sec (beofre the mac os install screen comes up) system stopped and said: waiting for device,so i had to replug the usb drive to one of the backsite usb ports.took me 1 hour to find out...bit strange that but after,the whole installation worked fine.

 

greets and good luck to everybody!!!

 

and thanks a lot to wen1 for his work and of course to all other guys bringing this forward!!!!

[birdibird]

you might have skipped step 11, remove ACPI_SMC_PlatformPlugin.kext

 

That is what causes the update to kernel panic.

hmm, ok.

Didn't realize it was necessary with installing a newer 10.6.8 too.

hmm, now I have to find a way to boot back into the system.

trying now

 

update: no luck, will have to reinstall

update: same problem, automatic reboot of laptop when booting through chameleon or stuck on [ PCI configuration begin ] when booting through [url="http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/"]#####[/url] (after installing 10.6.8 10k531)

also I get various kernel panics in between the reboots. If I then reboot 3 or 4 times, plug or unplug usb stuff, boot into Windows and try again OSX suddenly boots again. What's going on??????

update: also problems with 10k524 also the [PCI configuration begin] thing

Maybe I have bad copies of 10.6.8?

 

for now, I give up

 

btw: dunno if it is because I use the 10.6.0 install, but for the terminal commands I need to use sudo, and chmod the Boot.plist

btw2: I cannot plug something in the usb3 ports, [url="http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/"]#####[/url] legacy doesn't see it. I have to boot my osxinstall partition while plugging the harddisk in the usb2 port and the after a while (after Realtek RTL81xxx) take it out of that port and plug it into a usb3 port

 

ps my bios version is A05

[wen1]

My bios version is A05, So you are good there.

I only used 10.6.3 Retail disk for the initial install. Never used 10.6.0. If you only have 10.6.0, may be you can install 10.6.3 update first and then install this. But i have seen 10.6.0 cause issues before on the newer laptops.

 

For USB3, we are using that initiall on the install usb stick (10.6.3) but it does not get installed on to the laptop. We have to select it again in multibeat right after the 10.6.8 update.

 

I would say get hold of 10.6.3. Retail disk. It will make things lot easier.

 

 

hmm, ok.

Didn't realize it was necessary with installing a newer 10.6.8 too.

hmm, now I have to find a way to boot back into the system.

trying now

 

update: no luck, will have to reinstall

update: same problem, automatic reboot of laptop when booting through chameleon or stuck on [ PCI configuration begin ] when booting through [url="http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/"]#####[/url] (after installing 10.6.8 10k531)

also I get various kernel panics in between the reboots. If I then reboot 3 or 4 times, plug or unplug usb stuff, boot into Windows and try again OSX suddenly boots again. What's going on??????

update: also problems with 10k524 also the [PCI configuration begin] thing

Maybe I have bad copies of 10.6.8?

 

for now, I give up

 

btw: dunno if it is because I use the 10.6.0 install, but for the terminal commands I need to use sudo, and chmod the Boot.plist

btw2: I cannot plug something in the usb3 ports, [url="http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/"]#####[/url] legacy doesn't see it. I have to boot my osxinstall partition while plugging the harddisk in the usb2 port and the after a while (after Realtek RTL81xxx) take it out of that port and plug it into a usb3 port

 

ps my bios version is A05

[edddo]

Hi guys, just registered to say thank you for all your hard work! I also have an l502x and I'm going to give this installation a go tonight and will let you know how I get on. Thanks again!

[edddo]

OK well great, fell down at the first hurdle. Made my Snow Leopard USB stick, added the files as per the instructions, burned the [url="http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/"]#####[/url] legacy disc, booted the disc no problems BUT the [url="http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/"]#####[/url] menu simply doesn't detect the USB stick, regardless of which USB port I use or however many times I hammer the F5 button.

 

I followed the USB creation process to the letter, and it if I plug it in to my MacBook then it mounts as a OS X install disc, so it seems to be OK.

 

Bios version is A05 on L502X, considering we all (should) have identical hardware, this is a bit of a mystery. The only thing I can think of is the Snow Leopard disc I used to make the USB loader is a replacement DVD which I got from Apple since the brand new Snow Leopard disc I bought off Amazon wouldn't read in my drive. Could this have an effect?

 

Thanks in advance,

[wen1]

If the usb disk is bad it should still see it.

 

Chameleon (part of [url="http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/"]#####[/url] CD) does not really care whether the partition has valid content on it or not as long as it is a valid partition.

 

I have seen this issue sporadically. Hers is what i would suggest.

 

1. Make sure you did not change and BIOS defaults for USB. I did not remember having to change any of dell's default values.

 

2. Insert the [url="http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/"]#####[/url] legacy cd and plug the usb disk in to the port on the left (next to CPU vents).

 

3. Power off the laptop completely. (shutdown completely)

 

4. Power on by pressing the power button, it should see the OSX install DVD, sometimes it is not on the screen and you will have to scroll right to see it.

 

Hope this helps

 

OK well great, fell down at the first hurdle. Made my Snow Leopard USB stick, added the files as per the instructions, burned the [url="http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/"]#####[/url] legacy disc, booted the disc no problems BUT the [url="http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/"]#####[/url] menu simply doesn't detect the USB stick, regardless of which USB port I use or however many times I hammer the F5 button.

 

I followed the USB creation process to the letter, and it if I plug it in to my MacBook then it mounts as a OS X install disc, so it seems to be OK.

 

Bios version is A05 on L502X, considering we all (should) have identical hardware, this is a bit of a mystery. The only thing I can think of is the Snow Leopard disc I used to make the USB loader is a replacement DVD which I got from Apple since the brand new Snow Leopard disc I bought off Amazon wouldn't read in my drive. Could this have an effect?

 

Thanks in advance,

[wen1]

minor tweaks to the guide. missed sudo -s in a spot for removing ACPI kext.

[Simon H]

Hi wen1, that's some good work you're doing, thanks for posting your findings.

First of all I'm new to running Mac OS X on non-Apple hardware so bear with me. Do you think this could be ported for use with Snow Leopard as a guest OS on VirtualBox with Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit as the host OS on my L502X in theory? My install is attributing the exact same symptoms as you described, but I'm not on the Developer Program so I would need to wait until July to update to 10.6.8 as you mentioned in your first post to follow your guide exactly.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Simon.

[wen1]

Simon H,

 

The best way for you to install is to use VMWare PLayer. I actually have installed retail leopard in VMWARE running on L502x.

 

Follow the directions from the thread below

 

http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=243274

 

The only exception to that guide for L502x is removal of the cpuid. Do not remove it once you done installing. The system will function fine with it being there.

 

 

 

Hi wen1, that's some good work you're doing, thanks for posting your findings.

First of all I'm new to running Mac OS X on non-Apple hardware so bear with me. Do you think this could be ported for use with Snow Leopard as a guest OS on VirtualBox with Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit as the host OS on my L502X in theory? My install is attributing the exact same symptoms as you described, but I'm not on the Developer Program so I would need to wait until July to update to 10.6.8 as you mentioned in your first post to follow your guide exactly.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Simon.

[wen1]

Major changes to the guide to simplify the process.

Removed redundant reboots and grouped together some install steps.

I just installed it using the steps to confirm.

 

Also, it is not that hard to find 10k542

[rawbkk]

@wen1

 

maybe you have an idea?!im running still into the same probs as birdibird (l702x with 3d display).

tryd several times,also 3 times with your new guide and 10k542 but my system also stops after the final reboot (with -v) and it says:

ACPI_SMCPlatformPlugin: : start - wait For Service (resource Matching (AppleIntelCPUÜowerManagment) timed out

removal of ACPI_SMCPlatformPlugin before was propper done,touch also...

i couldnt find anyway around,after that i cant even start with [url="http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/"]#####[/url] -x.

dont really have an idea,only thing is that im using [url="http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/"]#####[/url] 3.7.1 instaed of 3.7.0.

could this be a problem?also what device is in the dsdt.aml,is it for audio?

has it somthing to do with the 3d and not using optimus?

i would really appreciate some help!

 

also is there somebody installed mac osx succesfully on l702x and can give me some advice.preferred would be somebody with 3d display...

if i remember right steverings had one,are you still around and could you help me out??

 

Thanks so much for all your work here,i hope i will finish my installation soon,using it for musicproduction!

 

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Simon H]

Simon H,

 

The best way for you to install is to use VMWare PLayer. I actually have installed retail leopard in VMWARE running on L502x.

 

Follow the directions from the thread below

 

http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=243274

 

The only exception to that guide for L502x is removal of the cpuid. Do not remove it once you done installing. The system will function fine with it being there.

That's brilliant, you've saved me about a month of banging my head against a brick wall with VirtualBox/VMWare, thanks so much, I got it up and running perfectly in about 2 hours using that link!

 

Sorry for derailing your thread.

 

Simon.

[wen1]

rawbkk,

 

I have not realized that you have a 3D panel too. Sorry if you have mentioned that before.

 

3D panel L702x systems do not have optimus enabled. In that case there are two changes from the guide in the first post.

 

1. Do not add "device-properties" key to your com.apple.Boot.plist since you do not need it.

 

2. Install "Nvidia 2.0 dirver" option when you are installing other stuff in [url="http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/"]#####[/url].

 

No QE/CI for thos systems but you will atleast get a atleast native video resolution.

 

What i have noticed is that, when that message is shown, the system is up but the display is not showing the screen. If you enable screen sharing before you install 10.6.8, you can connect to it via TightVNC after 10.6.8 install and you will actually see the screen.

 

In any case hopefully the stuff above helps. Steve Rings also has a 3d panel system and i did hear that he got full native res.

 

 

 

@wen1

 

maybe you have an idea?!im running still into the same probs as birdibird (l702x with 3d display).

tryd several times,also 3 times with your new guide and 10k542 but my system also stops after the final reboot (with -v) and it says:

ACPI_SMCPlatformPlugin: : start - wait For Service (resource Matching (AppleIntelCPUÜowerManagment) timed out

removal of ACPI_SMCPlatformPlugin before was propper done,touch also...

i couldnt find anyway around,after that i cant even start with [url="http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/"]#####[/url] -x.

dont really have an idea,only thing is that im using [url="http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/"]#####[/url] 3.7.1 instaed of 3.7.0.

could this be a problem?also what device is in the dsdt.aml,is it for audio?

has it somthing to do with the 3d and not using optimus?

i would really appreciate some help!

 

also is there somebody installed mac osx succesfully on l702x and can give me some advice.preferred would be somebody with 3d display...

if i remember right steverings had one,are you still around and could you help me out??

 

Thanks so much for all your work here,i hope i will finish my installation soon,using it for musicproduction!

 

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[edddo]

If the usb disk is bad it should still see it.

 

Chameleon (part of [url="http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/"]#####[/url] CD) does not really care whether the partition has valid content on it or not as long as it is a valid partition.

 

I have seen this issue sporadically. Hers is what i would suggest.

 

1. Make sure you did not change and BIOS defaults for USB. I did not remember having to change any of dell's default values.

 

2. Insert the [url="http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/"]#####[/url] legacy cd and plug the usb disk in to the port on the left (next to CPU vents).

 

3. Power off the laptop completely. (shutdown completely)

 

4. Power on by pressing the power button, it should see the OSX install DVD, sometimes it is not on the screen and you will have to scroll right to see it.

 

Hope this helps

 

Thanks for the advice but no, still not working. I tried plugging it in to my MacBook and rebooting with the option key and it shows up on the bootlist (it doesn't load properly but I guess this is because of the modifications maybe?).

 

I put my BIOS back to default, not many USB options anyway, but again no difference. Tried using the latest [url="http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/"]#####[/url] disc instead of legacy but again, no change. The USB ports work fine in Windows/Linux so no issues there.

 

So frustrating ;/

[sybexs]

@wen1

 

maybe you have an idea?!im running still into the same probs as birdibird (l702x with 3d display).

tryd several times,also 3 times with your new guide and 10k542 but my system also stops after the final reboot (with -v) and it says:

ACPI_SMCPlatformPlugin: : start - wait For Service (resource Matching (AppleIntelCPUÜowerManagment) timed out

removal of ACPI_SMCPlatformPlugin before was propper done,touch also...

i couldnt find anyway around,after that i cant even start with [url="http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/"]#####[/url] -x.

dont really have an idea,only thing is that im using [url="http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/"]#####[/url] 3.7.1 instaed of 3.7.0.

could this be a problem?also what device is in the dsdt.aml,is it for audio?

has it somthing to do with the 3d and not using optimus?

i would really appreciate some help!

 

also is there somebody installed mac osx succesfully on l702x and can give me some advice.preferred would be somebody with 3d display...

if i remember right steverings had one,are you still around and could you help me out??

 

Thanks so much for all your work here,i hope i will finish my installation soon,using it for musicproduction!

 

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

after you install 10.6.8 do not reboot.. first replace the Appleacpiplatform.kext and IOPCIfamily.kext from Snow Leopard and repair permissions. Then reboot. This should fix your issue and the "PCI configuration begin" lock up. You can find the kext here or google.