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

[DawTaylor]

It BSODed because it's meant to be booted with SATA-IDE mode, not AHCI.. forgot to mention that. But glad that you have figured an alternative.

To see info on the new stuff - read here: http://www.bios-mods.com/reviews/unlocked-motherboards/2012/12/bios-spotlight-uefi-dell-xps-15z-l511z/ (it's a little dated, but still correct).

 

Re: Keyboard. On a real mac keyboard Command key is located where the Alt key is on standard PC keyboard, hence on a USB keyboard it'll be the case. Windows key will become Alt and Alt will become Command. On laptop's keyboard however people tweak it from PS/2 drivers (VoodooPS2 or ApplePS2) and usually map Command to Windows and and Alt to Alt to eliminate confusion. Usually there is a flag somewhere in the info.plist of th ekext to revert this. Also you can revert it from the Keyboard preference pane in System Preferences. I personally prefer having Alt for Command on my laptop since my fingers are already accustomed to such a layout on my Apple Wireless keyboard.

I'll save this site for a read later, since everything is working good.

 

About keyboard. If both keyboards have the same layout (ABNT pt-BR) shouldn't them have keys on "same place"? On my built-in keyboard Alt key became Command key, and Windows key became Option, physically on the same position as they're on an Apple keyboard, so I guess this is good. The messy part is on my external keyboard, without changing anything they are "swapped", and Alt become Option as Windows become Command. Sounds weird to me.

 

Guess that you read everything I wrote about keyboard before I edited it. The mess about some keymapping was caused by incorrect device properties set in my config.plist (Clover), just copy/paste device properties from my org.chameleon.Boot.plist (Chameleon) and everything seems to be correct now.

 

About Bios. The one I flashed is undervolted, althrough my CPU temps are weirdly high 55º to 60º while idle (accordingly to HW Monitor), but the fan is turned off most of time. Gues that this isn't "normal", right?

[DoiX]

@Daw, SpeedStepping working nicely now with the modded bios? 

 

Those temps are a bit too high, but i see you're from Brasil, how is it there around this time of year? That may also play a role... did you by chance check the temps you had under windows? If they're similar, then it's safe to assume it's not OS related but rather hardware...

[TimeWalker75a]

If you have proper power management for CPU (and not NullCPUPowerManagement) and your DSDT is properly edited to support LPCB then you should be seeing same temps as you'd normally get in Windows. Also, I don't see how device-properties string could affect keyboard mapping, there's virtually no way of this happening. 

[DawTaylor]

@DoiX, I've installed AICPUPM 10.8.0 and removed the NullCPUPM, I still got the KPs. I've also installed Clover, nothing changes. Should I do something diferent?

 

@Tw, maybe that's the problem. As I said above, my system doesn't work properly without NullCPUPM.

 

I may be wrong, but with native SpeedStepping shouldn't unpatched AICPUPM work?

[TimeWalker75a]

@Tw, maybe that's the problem. As I said above, my system doesn't work properly without NullCPUPM.

 

I may be wrong, but with native SpeedStepping shouldn't unpatched AICPUPM work?

It should only work properly if you have proper SSDT tables, either generated by bootloader and OEM tables dropped, or OEM tables edited/rewritten to work with OSX. 

[DoiX]

Remove the SSDT tables, they should be compatible with your CPU, but ... meh, you never know, just check at Clover boot under the CPU Tuning menu PStates and CStates.
As long as you have the modded BIOS, it's safe to revert back to vanilla AICPUPM.kext, if you still have it, that is, if not... it's not a big deal, it won't mess with anything.

 

Oh, i just remembered about this: https://github.com/Piker-Alpha/RevoBoot/tree/clang/i386/libsaio/acpi/Tools it generates SSDT tables for you.

The .app should be enough for proper SSDT tables. If you get errors/warnings in the terminal about anything, be sure to open the .dsl file and see if the end has a line like this [child]. If it does, run the script again and re-check the file. When the correct .aml file is generated, rename it to SSDT.aml and copy it in the ACPI folder.

Edited August 7, 2013 by DoiX

[DawTaylor]

It should only work properly if you have proper SSDT tables, either generated by bootloader and OEM tables dropped, or OEM tables edited/rewritten to work with OSX. 

I'm not experienced at handling DSDT/SSDT, I'm using both from Lx02x.mpkg (DSDT = L502x/15z  and SSDT = i5-2430m.

 

@DoiX, I'll try a/b testing the SSDT part. I didn't know that I could check temps under Clover, I have no windows installed.

About AICPUPM, is it safe to extract it from my osx install media?

[DawTaylor]

@DoiX, how do I uninstall the lx02x bundled Hw Monitor? I'm planing to install the latest version.

 

Edit: nevermind, I just found how to remove it from the panel (cmd+drag), I don't know is it's still running.

Edited August 7, 2013 by DawTaylor

[DawTaylor]

@DoiX, I generated the SSDT.aml using this app, deleted my NulCPUPM and restored the unpatched AICPUPM. Now sleep works properly, and shutdown is faster. My battery is at 54% and system gives 2:30 battery left, must use it untill battery runs out to say it's right or not.

[DoiX]

Great, could you upload the SSDT file? In case other i5-2450m users need it.

[DawTaylor]

Sure, here it's. Here's a link for it in dropbox too. https://www.dropbox.com/s/1fb0v5maf3dccsp/SSDT.aml.zip

 

And a big thanks for all your help, without it I would probably drop my hackintosh project soon.

 

@TimeWalker75a, a big thanks for you too, your knowledge about how to flash bioses without windows helped me so much.

 

Now I guess it's time for me to spread what I've learned and help others with their hack projects too.

SSDT.aml.zip

[The_OTTO]

Hi DawTaylor

 

 

 

Now I guess it's time for me to spread what I've learned and help others with their hack projects too. 

 

It´ll be very helpful for all people who´s trying to install mountain lion on their xps if you could make a detailed tutorial with all the steps which are worked for you!

I tried to install it on my xps but I failed every time I tried!

Could you help me?

 

The_OTTO

[DawTaylor]

Hi DawTaylor

 

 

It´ll be very helpful for all people who´s trying to install mountain lion on their xps if you could make a detailed tutorial with all the steps which are worked for you!

I tried to install it on my xps but I failed every time I tried!

Could you help me?

 

The_OTTO

I'll probably do it, but for pt-BR, since this thread already has enough information to get a fully functional hackintosh. Follow this post from DoiX and you might not have many problems. http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/257950-guide-dell-xps-15-l502x-early-2011-snow-leopard-install-possibly-l702x-too/page-11?p=1759951&do=findComment&comment=1759951

 

If you encounter a problem, post it here and probably someone will help you.

 

Hint: create a signature with your system specs, as I did.

[jkbuha]

I'd like to relate an interesting story which I told on my normal corner over at bios mods that happened to me yesterday. Based on DoiX's Clover discussion above was trying to reanimate my EFI boot via Clover, and for some reason I got a KP on OSX booting (for some reason the latest clover loaded the GeForce kext which then collided with my FakeSMC and DSDT, ie: Nvidia disabled). I mistakenly thought it was due to the ACPI DMI settings in the BIOS, so I tried to change all the DMI settings to disabled, saved and rebooted. Nothing - Black screen at first and laptop then powered off by itself. Hmmm. I unplugged power, replugged and tried again. Same thing. Not good.

 

This carried on without any joy, and there I was thinking I now had a proper excuse to get the new XPS. Thankfully I remembered the bios recovery cd me+kasar had done, whipped it into the drive, unplugged power, pressed End key and released it 0.5s after plugging the power cable back in. Voila - laptop boots into recovery mode, I nip into the BIOS setup, reset everything to default, save and restart normally. Worked a treat.

 

So... (i) is the KP (GeForce + FakeSMC) due to a bug in clover or is it an incorrect DSDT (which doesnt seem to manifest itself under normal Chameleon boot) (ii) has anyone ever experienced any BIOS brick issues as I've detailed above?

 

Guess the 15z will be hanging around for a bit longer

 

Nice weekend to all.

[DawTaylor]

@jkbuha, this KP happened to me once, when I realized that graphics injector was set to yes, changed it and the KP were gone.

 

Don't know if it's modded bios or clover issue, sometimes when I power on my l502x clover loads in legacy boot, then I just Ctrl+Alt+Del and it reboots in UEFI boot. Does anyone know what may be causing it?

[Air]

@TimeWalker, I copied the two rc scripts to fix brightness across reboots into /volumes/[disk name]/etc, then set permissions on them by doing "chmod 755 [file]", but brightness doesn't seem to be preserved after shutting down/rebooting several times...would you be able to help troubleshoot?

 

I also noticed that using the IOWMI kext for brightness controls, the computer always starts up (in BIOS) at max brightness as well. Anyone else have this issue or know of a cure?

 

p.s. I'm now running on a GPT disk, thanks for all the help to get it working!

[DawTaylor]

@Air, I have this issue too, but this doesn't annoys me that much, since brightness goes max after turning screen off, then on again.

About the IOWMI kext, shouldn't it only give you proper brightness controls, instead of fixing this "issue"? Or am I wrong?

[TimeWalker75a]

@TimeWalker, I copied the two rc scripts to fix brightness across reboots into /volumes/[disk name]/etc, then set permissions on them by doing "chmod 755 [file]", but brightness doesn't seem to be preserved after shutting down/rebooting several times...would you be able to help troubleshoot?

 

I also noticed that using the IOWMI kext for brightness controls, the computer always starts up (in BIOS) at max brightness as well. Anyone else have this issue or know of a cure?

 

p.s. I'm now running on a GPT disk, thanks for all the help to get it working!

You also have to chown them to root user (chown root:wheel rc.*) otherwise permissions are set, but ownership to execute the scripts isn't.

 

Computer alway stays with full brightness by default, unless you dim the screen in BIOS and it will be preserved. If you actually think that it would store the same brightness level as it was in the OS last time you used it it wouldn't. In OS ACPI driver is used to just read the values, not store them. It's the same flaky way as it happens in Windows, when you set Dell Extended battery power mode to be used it always reverts to 100% brightness when unplugged from power source, which is ridiculous. 

[ITRaider]

@TimeWalker, I copied the two rc scripts to fix brightness across reboots into /volumes/[disk name]/etc, then set permissions on them by doing "chmod 755 [file]", but brightness doesn't seem to be preserved after shutting down/rebooting several times...would you be able to help troubleshoot?

 

I also noticed that using the IOWMI kext for brightness controls, the computer always starts up (in BIOS) at max brightness as well. Anyone else have this issue or know of a cure?

 

p.s. I'm now running on a GPT disk, thanks for all the help to get it working!

I have this issue as well.

http://www.idelta.info/archives/nvram_on_hackintosh/

this blog help me a bit When I  have a nvram.plist at the /  ,    Machine can get the brightness ...

the question is when I del /nvram.plist & add "nvram -x -p >nvram.plist "  at the end of rc.shutdown.local，machine rebooted and I didn't find nvram.plist at the /. 

So I think that  the script (rc.shutdown.local & rc.local)seem not run when the OS shutdown....

PS:

have tried "chown them to root user" 

 

===========================

Edit：

Reinstall the Clover using the pkg, have solved the problem 

don't know why

[TimeWalker75a]

well, the only other thing I can offer you is the following:

 

sudo bash

cd /etc

rm rc.shutdown.local

cp rc.common rc.shutdown.local

sudo nano rc.shutdown.local

 

Hold Ctrl+k (delete a line of text) until every line of the file is deleted

Write the following:

 

#!/bin/sh
nvram -xp > nvram.plist

Press Ctrl+x

Agree with Y, press Enter

Reboot!

[ITRaider]

Problem solved.....

thanks......

Sorry for my foolish and rudeness.......

[Air]

Thanks @TimeWalker I've got the rc scripts working too. However, the brightness still goes to max in the BIOS, even when I push down the brightness to minimum while still in BIOS (which I do every time). I noticed this only started happening after installing the IOWMI kext....could that cause it or was it a coincidence? If the OS doesn't store any memory in the BIOS, maybe something in my BIOS is broken.

[TimeWalker75a]

Everything is this BIOS is broken, lol ... Dell made sure to create the s*bleep*iest BIOS possible..

I'm not even paying attention to this, I just got used to it booting with full brightness and never bothered to check if  this always was the case or this happened after IOWMI. Technically it can't be due to IOWMI family as all it does is parses the expected codes (0xe005 and 0xe006) when you press certain keys, converts these codes into Mac OS native codes for brightness up and down commands and simulates a keypress to trigger the change..

[jkbuha]

Thanks @DawTaylor - UEFI booting problem solved; it was just due to an incorrect config.plist. Used DoiX's USB.zip archive, made the usual DSDT+config+file changes specifically for the 15z and then updated to r2158. Boots fine in UEFI now.

[DawTaylor]

@Air, what are the advantages of running the system on a GPT partition?