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

[Rockball73]

You need the one in the Extra folder.

Make it manually, use [url="http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/"]#####[/url] or Champlist and you'll be fine!

 

 

 

I do have UseKernelCache=Yes indeed, but I rebuilt it of course

 

 

I looked already inside ApplePS2Controller and found these kexts:

Are you saying they are voodoo? I don't see it...

 

ApplePS2Keyboard

ApplePS2Mouse

ApplePS2Trackpad

 

More important: anyone has a solution for the unstable 2 finger scrolling?

(right-edge scrolling is working fine all the time)

When I install VoodooPS2 (manually or not), I noticed 2 weird things:

- First is that the cursor is "lagging", like if it was moving step by step but not flawlessly ;

- Second is that if I want to 2-finger-scroll, I've to put one finger on the trackpad, and directly after that the other one, and then move (but it works very randomly!). Because, if I put 2 fingers at the same time, it doesn't work at all...

It's kinda weird I think, but I don't know if I'm the only one experiencing it.

 

I found it while browsing the Internet, but I did never get it working... Even with the prefpane in Library/PreferencePanel : http://www.osx86.net/downloads.php?do=file&id=1448

Tell me if it works for you.

[DoiX]

They are based on Voodoo, specially the trackpad, if you boot with -v you will notice "Voodoo Synaptic <etc etc> is loaded" or something similar. You can confirm this using console.app too (select all messages and search for Voodoo) it's normal and if my memory serves (and considering i haven't slept for over 24H it is foggy) i found out that this kext only allows proper trackpad control, the pure voodoo one was really sketchy specially after waking up from sleep. I'm pretty sure i didn't include it in my auto installer package.. not sure. The Pref panes actually caused KP sometimes when accessing it... so just get my package (auto installer or simple archive) install it, run Disk utility > repair disk permissions then rebuild kext cache with your preferred tool.

[scrappy_coco]

FINALLY SUCCES, NOW I CAN BOOT WITHOUT rBOOT-LE CD......woooooooooooooooohhhhhh

[Rockball73]

They are based on Voodoo, specially the trackpad, if you boot with -v you will notice "Voodoo Synaptic <etc etc> is loaded" or something similar. You can confirm this using console.app too (select all messages and search for Voodoo) it's normal and if my memory serves (and considering i haven't slept for over 24H it is foggy) i found out that this kext only allows proper trackpad control, the pure voodoo one was really sketchy specially after waking up from sleep. I'm pretty sure i didn't include it in my auto installer package.. not sure. The Pref panes actually caused KP sometimes when accessing it... so just get my package (auto installer or simple archive) install it, run Disk utility > repair disk permissions then rebuild kext cache with your preferred tool.

Maybe I do something wrong, or I don't get you but, I've never managed to allow 2 finger scrolling with the kexts in your package (manually or automatically installed)...

I'll try it one more time in a couple of minutes and let you know.

[DoiX]

@Rockabll, I'll try to help you tomorrow after i have some sleep...

 

I've managed to disable the Nvidia GPU without screwing the internal display. I need some testers, with A06 bios, to confirm if their battery lasts longer... or if there is any heat reduction. No CPU or GPU limit

[scrappy_coco]

 

When I install VoodooPS2 (manually or not), I noticed 2 weird things:

- First is that the cursor is "lagging", like if it was moving step by step but not flawlessly ;

- Second is that if I want to 2-finger-scroll, I've to put one finger on the trackpad, and directly after that the other one, and then move (but it works very randomly!). Because, if I put 2 fingers at the same time, it doesn't work at all...

It's kinda weird I think, but I don't know if I'm the only one experiencing it.

 

I found it while browsing the Internet, but I did never get it working... Even with the prefpane in Library/PreferencePanel : http://www.osx86.net/downloads.php?do=file&amp;id=1448

Tell me if it works for you.

 

 

 

i installed the PS/2 drivers while installing iaktos lion 10.7.2. the mouse was perfect without any lagging, two finger scrolling worked stable and fine. After that i installed the PS/2 drivers from DoiX installer package as its mentioned in guide, then i got the same problem as you, with lagging mouse and not moving flawlessly. so i reinstalled the whole system to get back the PS/2 drivers from iaktos L2 installer package. now everything works perfect. So try to get those keyboard and mouse drivers from iaktos lion 10.7.2

[AKennedy_4]

I've managed to disable the Nvidia GPU without screwing the internal display. I need some testers, with A06 bios, to confirm if their battery lasts longer... or if there is any heat reduction. No CPU or GPU limit

Post instructions to test?

 

And this is for either 525 or 540 GPU?

[adv392]

FINALLY SUCCES, NOW I CAN BOOT WITHOUT rBOOT-LE CD......woooooooooooooooohhhhhh

Hey how did you get yours working?

I still need to put the graphics enabler , bus ratio and CPUs flags to get mine to boot , have posted a screen shot in my previous post of the -v boot flag. Waiting patiently for sometime to help me

[DoiX]

followed AKennedy_4's guide using iAktos L2 the 10.7.2

after installing all kexts, [url=&quot;http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/&quot;]#####[/url], system definations 8,1 , only HD(not full HD), SSDT 3 step, kext utility, disk utility for repair permission still unable to boot without -v GraphicsEnabler=No busratio=20 cpus=1

bios is 06

here is a screen shot of -v

any help would be appreciated,

thank you all

 

The Bus ratio and cpus=1 flag are not neccesary.... Check your Extra/ folder... smbios.plist make sure you have this model set as the "board product" Mac-94245B3640C91C81.. delete if you have any other smbiost.plist file on your root partition. Scrappy_coco pretty much gave you the solution in the post numbered #825

[Rockball73]

@Rockabll, I'll try to help you tomorrow after i have some sleep...

 

I've managed to disable the Nvidia GPU without screwing the internal display. I need some testers, with A06 bios, to confirm if their battery lasts longer... or if there is any heat reduction. No CPU or GPU limit

No problem, and thanks a lot!!

 

If I can help you testing it, tell me! I don't know if I'll be able to test it today, because I'm busy with my last exam for tomorrow. But on Saturday or Sunday, there's no problem!

[DoiX]

I've PMed you both with it. So far my findings are that overall heat has been reduced by 2ºC in idle. Battery Life just browsing the internet and IM is around 4 hours now. I assume that it will be higher if i turn off wifi&bluetooth and plug in the network cable.

 

8:50 <---> 3:23 Battery

12:44 <----> 0:05 remaining...

 

Guys don't forget to test external port (miniDP) if you can.

[scrappy_coco]

Hey how did you get yours working?

I still need to put the graphics enabler , bus ratio and CPUs flags to get mine to boot , have posted a screen shot in my previous post of the -v boot flag. Waiting patiently for sometime to help me

 

first tell me did you use the retail way of installing mac os lion or did you use iAKTOS L1/L2 ????

 

 

oh got it, i read your post. you used iAKTOS lion 10.7.2 same as mine. so this is what you need to do. go to root folder then go to 'Extra' folder. there you will find 'smbios.plist', delete it, you dont need this(beacuse this smbios.plist contains system definition of MacPro3,1). Another 'smbios.plist'(containing system definition of MacBookPro 8,1) already exist in root folder . now in mac dock click 'system preferences', at the bottom click on 'bootloader'. Now in Bootloader select the tab 'bios'. There select the smbios file of your root folder. restart and your system will boot without rBoot-LE cd

Edited January 26, 2012 by scrappy_coco

[DoiX]

So far so good, the battery life is improved, heat reduced. I need now to do a comparison test on windows to see if its as long as it should be.

 

Other info: The presence of the nvidia audio chip in IOREG means the card is fully powered.. or more powered than before... not sure yet. Making OS X to use it is either a matter of kext editing or maybe my DSDT isn't yet properly implemented.

 

I tried disabling the Intel GPU (IGPU) doing so i encounter boot KP related to "No available HPETs" this means (i think it does) that it actually disables part of the CPU making it useless or that my DSDT, again, needs more work.

If my first assumption is correct then it means that the unlocked bios would actually hide the IGPU so the drivers would pick the next available thing (i'm referring to the people that have 3D panels on their l502x/702x and os x installed) which leads me to think that maybe i should figure out how to hide the IGPU using DSDT not disable it. Or figure out what kexts are involved into handling GPU selection and through which means.

 

Now i'll repeat what i said a while back: if the osx86 scene would still be active, developer wise, we would have a whole lot of working things.

[Rockball73]

For the windows comparison, I can help you, because I use it to do some works for school, my battery life is about 3h30 in "High Performance" mode (web browsing, 100% brightness, iTunes opened).

 

And I'm about 4h with your new DSDT (only browsing and having mail running, 75% brightness).

[DoiX]

Ok, i assume that with music it will be lower than on windows.. but still it's a huge leap from 2h with the nvidia card activated.

[scrappy_coco]

nice battery result guys. but now adays my battery only last 2 hours in windows with browsing and playing music in itunes with brightness 50 %. my battery is ripped off beacuse i used to do serious gaming. in mac i get around only 1:45 mins.

[Rockball73]

Ok, i assume that with music it will be lower than on windows.. but still it's a huge leap from 2h with the nvidia card activated.

Yes, it's very positive results...

But, I was wondering how does Optimus work. When the HD3000 is running (like when browsing, ...), is the Nvidia one completely disabled, as what we get now with the DSDT I'm using?

[scrappy_coco]

Anyone wants to overclock their nvidia GPU (525M/540M) for better performance with bios mod ???

 

check it out : http://forum.notebookreview.com/dell-xps-studio-xps/635536-l502x-modded-bioses-download-gpu-voltages-more.html

[DoiX]

On windows, it works based on Power States, much like speedstepping on OS X. When the P-State (called G-State i think for the GPU) is over a certain one, the drivers activate the nvidia gpu. You can choose to only work with Intel Hd3000 gpu unless you right click open with <specific nvidia card>. On Mac it's similar with the ati equivalent.

[Rockball73]

On windows, it works based on Power States, much like speedstepping on OS X. When the P-State (called G-State i think for the GPU) is over a certain one, the drivers activate the nvidia gpu. You can choose to only work with Intel Hd3000 gpu unless you right click open with <specific nvidia card>. On Mac it's similar with the ati equivalent.

Oh ok, I've got it now

Thanks for your reply, ad sorry for my "noob" questions.

[adv392]

The Bus ratio and cpus=1 flag are not neccesary.... Check your Extra/ folder... smbios.plist make sure you have this model set as the "board product" Mac-94245B3640C91C81.. delete if you have any other smbiost.plist file on your root partition. Scrappy_coco pretty much gave you the solution in the post numbered #825

 

first tell me did you use the retail way of installing mac os lion or did you use iAKTOS L1/L2 ????

 

 

oh got it, i read your post. you used iAKTOS lion 10.7.2 same as mine. so this is what you need to do. go to root folder then go to 'Extra' folder. there you will find 'smbios.plist', delete it, you dont need this(beacuse this smbios.plist contains system definition of MacPro3,1). Another 'smbios.plist'(containing system definition of MacBookPro 8,1) already exist in root folder . now in mac dock click 'system preferences', at the bottom click on 'bootloader'. Now in Bootloader select the tab 'bios'. There select the smbios file of your root folder. restart and your system will boot without rBoot-LE cd

Thanks a TON guys! Never realized that it booted with the one using 3,1 instead of the one with which I was seeing which was in another folder. Never realized there were 2 of the smbios.plist files. Now I get it. Thanks a lot for helping me out. Will get my system fully running and let you know about the battery life test. My battery is as good as new as I dont charge/discharge it often. I only use AC power with charging disabled as I use it at home and hence it reduces the charge/discharge cycles giving my battery a greater life.

cheers and again thanks a ton

p.s AKennedy_4 please update your guide about the 2 smbios.plist files being created in the root and in the Extra folder and to delete the one with 3,1 and going to bootloader and changing it to the correct file.

 

EDIT: sound now works!! l502x one which wasnt working before! I think the problem was that it was loading the older smbios.plist file hence audio and battery didnt work, AKennedy_4 Please update your guide with this info thanks to DoiX and scrappy_coco for solving that problem

[scrappy_coco]

You are welcome. and guys i need your help in one thing. when my laptop was new, that is when it arrived from dell, in battery icon it had the option to stop charging. after that i had to partition the hard drive so i had to reinstall everything after format. and now i cannot get back that option " stop charging " in battery icon. how can i get it back ?? anyone knows ??

[adv392]

You are welcome. and guys i need your help in one thing. when my laptop was new, that is when it arrived from dell, in battery icon it had the option to stop charging. after that i had to partition the hard drive so i had to reinstall everything after format. and now i cannot get back that option " stop charging " in battery icon. how can i get it back ?? anyone knows ??

install all drivers, i think the all the chipset drivers from Dell. Even I formatted and installed all drivers and I got that option back again, you can also stop charging from BIOS setup, enter BIOS setup and somewhere you will find Charging behaviour

hope that helps

 

EDIT: DoiX even I am ready to test 6 Cell battery, charge/discharge cycle less than 10 times

[scrappy_coco]

ok i will search for it. as far my memory goes i didnt find anything related to battery in drivers section. will have to see by installing other things present in the dell drivers cd, which i didnt try before

[birdibird]

Wow, about the ps2: it is indeed solved by putting my fingers on the trackpad just after one another instead of at the same time.

Then the 2 finger scrolling works.

interesting!!!

 

I started with IAtkos L1, so I'm interested if the apple ps2 kexts in L2 are different and work with fingers simultanious.

Can anyone post them?

 

@DoiX: I'm willing to test for you, I've got a 9 cells battery

 

PS People Installing by IAtkos L1 don't have the bootloader prefpane. The standard used smbios.plist is the one in the /Extra folder. If you use [url=&quot;http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/&quot;]#####[/url] it will change the one in /Extra.

I've got a hunch that DoiX package changes the one in the root folder. That would be the explanation why after installing his package with the 8,1 option it is not possible to boot directly but after using [url=&quot;http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/&quot;]#####[/url] it is. @DoiX can you have a look into this?