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TECHNICAL FAQ

The FAQ is set up to answer many of the technical questions that are commonly asked! This is not a place to ask for help. Use the forum instead.

Frequently Asked Questions:

 

1) Q: What is OSx86?
2) Q: Is it legal?
3) Q: What minimum hardware specs should have to install Mac OS X on a PC?
4) Q: What versions of Mac OS X can be installed?
5) Q: What is a kext and how to install?
6) Q: What is a kernel?
7) Q: What is a bootloader?
8) Q: What is "vanilla"?
9) Q: What is "native"?
10) Q: How do I install Mac OS X on my PC?
11) Q: I get only a grey screen or a grey screen with the Apple logo when trying to boot, how can I fix this?
12) Q: I get this message "Still waiting for root device" when booting, what are the solutions?
13) Q: When I boot, I get the error: "HFS + partition error". Before I booted without problem!
14) Q: What is "boot0: error"?
15) Q: How to change the display resolution?
16) Q: How to show hidden files and folders?
17) Q: Retail? / Release?
18) Q: What is DSDT?
19) Q: What is QE/CI?
20) Q: What is "Natit"? - Outdated
21) Q: What is "Aty_init.kext"? - Outdated
22) Q: What is "com.apple.Boot.plist" / "org.chameleon.Boot.plist"?
23) Q: What. "DS_Store"?
24) Q: MBR, GPT, what is it and what are the differences?

25) Q: How to fix Unknown CPU Error in About This Mac
2012-original by fantomas_1

 

 

Edited by Allan
Updated - 07/28/2018.
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fantomas
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2) Q: Is it legal?

A: Installing a legally purchased copy of OSX on your own hardware is not illegal. It is possible for it to be considered a breach of the EULA, which is a personal contract between YOU and Apple. So while not a criminal offense, you are responsible for your own actions. This is my opinion based on my experience and understanding, but am not a lawyer, and my views don't necessarily reflect those of InsanelyMac or the owners of this website.

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3) Q: What minimum hardware specs should have to install Mac OS X on a PC?
A: Highly Recommended:
- CPU supporting SSE3 instruction set (for Retail/Vanilla install) or SSE2 (for some Release installs)
- Motherboard with Intel chipset
- ATI/AMD or Nvidia external Graphics Card-see wiki for list of supported cards

There are other possibilities, but they will generally be more difficult, or may not work properly. For more details
please see the OSx86 Wiki

Edited by Allan
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4) Q: What versions of Mac OS X can be installed?

A: In the InsanelyMac Forum, there are sections for the last 7 major updates of the operating system Mac OS X, including Tiger (10.4), Leopard (10.5), Snow Leopard (10.6), Lion (10.7), OSx86 10.8 (Mountain), OSx86 10.9 (Mavericks) and more recently OSx86 10.10 (Yosemite) which is released on 16 October 2014.

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5) Q: What is a kext and how to install?

A:.kext is a kernel extensions (extensions of the kernel). Could think of it as serving the same role as drivers under Windows, ie to recognize and operate a device. The.kext are grouped in the folder /System/Library/Extensions.

To install them properly, keeping it simple, you can use a utility that does the work for you, such as Kext Wizard.

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7) Q: What is a bootloader?

A: A bootloader is a software component that can be read by the BIOS and can start the early stages of the boot process, until the point the operating system can take over and finish booting its self. It can also allow for multi-boot, that is to say, it allows you to use multiple systems, at different, on the same machine.

*The most commonly used by the OSx86 community, is the open source project " chameleon ".

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8) Q: What is "vanilla"?

A: When the term is used here, it will usually refer to the kernel (core) and/or .kext (driver) being original and unmodified. Having a installation "vanilla" not only makes updates less likley to cause issues such as a possible KP (kernel panic or BSOD for Windows users) or other crashes, and can provide a very smooth and stable system.

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11) Q: I get only a grey screen or a grey screen with the Apple logo when trying to boot, how can I fix this?

 

post-193719-0-70016200-1330263003_thumb.

 

A: The cause could be just about anything, in order to get more info on where the boot process has stalled, boot in verbose mode. This is done by entering the verbose option in the bootloader before picking which OS you want to boot. If it's set to boot automatically you may need to hit the F8 key to stop the automatic boot selection. In the bootloader menu you would type -v before hitting enter

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12) Q: I get this message "Still waiting for root device" when booting, what are the solutions?

 

post-193719-0-24836000-1330263026_thumb.


A: This is an error that occurs at boot, and often happens when the disk controller is not properly initialized and therefore the system does not see the hard disk. All Intel Macs use the standard AHCI controller.

1) Look in the BIOS of your motherboard for the SATA Control Mode option, make sure it is set to [AHCI]
2) If you do not have this option, you will need a suitable kext to enable alternate IDE mode (ATA kexts ... etc)
3) If your devices (HDD, DVD) are IDE, use the jumper pins to make sure your hard drive is set as the master and the DVD as the slave

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13) Q: When I boot, I get the error: "HFS + partition error". Before I booted without problem!


post-193719-0-10753800-1330263137_thumb.



A:

1) Start theMac OS X installation DVD in single user mode, press F8 to stop the auto boot selection if needed, then type -s before selecting the DVD and/or hitting Enter (F8,-s). A shortened boot process will start and then stop at a command line where you can type
2) In the command prompt, type: 

fdisk -e /dev/rdisk* (replace * with the number of your hard disk)
flag* (replace * with the number of your OSX partition)
update
write
quit
reboot

 

Edited by Allan
Update [23/03/2018] - Text formatting
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15) Q: How to change the display resolution?
A: temporary: at system startup, type F8 and enter as a kernel flag:
"Graphics Mode"="1280x1024x32"

(depends on your resolutions)
permanent: edit your com.apple.Boot.plist and add:
GraphicsMode
1280x1024x32

Clover: https://clover-wiki.zetam.org/Configuration/GUI#gui_screenresolution

Edited by Allan
Clover add
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16) Q: How to show hidden files and folders?

A: There are at least two ways to do so.
I) You can use this simple application: ShowAllFiles
II) Open Terminal (/Applications/Utility/Terminal) and type: 

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles-bool true

Then: 

killall Finder

Mission accomplished, the hidden files and folders are now displayed.
To re-hide, retype in the Terminal: 

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles-bool false

And then: 

killall Finder

 

Edited by Allan
Update [23/03/2018] - Text formatting
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17) Q: Retail? / Release?

A: Retail:

Installation using the Apple created DVD of OS X, that either comes with a purchased Mac (iMac, Mac Pro ...) or sold separately. The Advantage of a "Retail" install is that it has no "fixes" or "patches" that are required to be carefully chosen during the installation process. Of course, you can instead apply any needed fixes once the installation has finished, if it is needed, so that your equipment is recognized in OS X.

The downside is the OS X installation DVD will not boot on a non-Apple hardware without a boot loader. You can use chameleon, the media can be a CD or a USB key, on a CD you would swap it for the retail disk at the boot loader's menu

Release:

Also known as a Distro, or Distribution, an installation DVD of OS X which has fixes and patches added by a team of programmers to simplify the installation for beginners. In general, a "Release" includes: a bootloader that allows you to launch the installation DVD of OS X on non-Apple machines and once first loaded, "customization"options, a menu where you choose patches such as modified .kext to be applied depending on your hardware. Among the most popular, I would mention that JaS, Kalyway, iATKOS.

The biggest difference between Retail and Release is the ability to update the Retail version without risk of conflicts that may be encountered with various Release fixes/patches. In general, Retail installation requires a degree of skill slightly higher, as beginners may find a Release instal less difficult, but potential problems can be harder to diagnose as unlike Retail, you don't have direct knowledge of everything that may have been added.

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18) Q: What is DSDT?

A: DSDT (Differentiated System Description Table) is a series of tables that provide information on how devices are configured to the operating system, which can include the type of audio chipset, video outputs, the number of processors, how hardware should respond to hibernation, restart, shutdown, sleep, etc..

Coupled with a bootloader (chameleon), you can create a perfectly stable system with a modified DSDT correctly.

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19) Q: What is QE/CI?

A: QE (Quartz Extreme), introduced in Mac OS X 10.2, is accelerated graphics via GPU (graphics card). It is used, among other effects for transparency or 3D.

CI (Core Image), introduced in Mac OS X 10.4 is hardware acceleration via GPU (graphics card). It is used by Dashboard for rippling effect of water or for 2D.

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20) Q: What is "Natit"?

A: Open Source clone Titan Omni started by dm_webd. Made to correctly injecto several values of your graphics card into .kext (drivers) ATI NVIDIA or Apple so they can be recognized and enable graphics acceleration (QE/CI). It allows dual display and many other features to work.

Natit FAQ

Not used anymore - Outdated.

Edited by Allan
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21) Q: What is "Aty_init.kext"?
A: This is a generic graphical injector, which allows the default framebuffer for your graphics card to be applied. It was created by Netkas.

Not used anymore - Outdated.

Edited by Allan
Update [23/03/2018]
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22) Q: What is "com.apple.Boot.plist" / "org.chameleon.Boot.plist"?
A: When you install the bootloader "chameleon", this file is automatically installed in Extra folder located on the root of your Mac OS X. This is a list with different instructions apply when you start your operating system.
Easily editable, you can edit it with TextEdit and add different startup commands, such as

Kernel Flags
arch=i386

to start the kernel (core) 32-bit Snow Leopard.
Under Lion:
arch
i386

*Mountain Lion does not support running 32bit kernel*

Edited by Allan
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23) Q: What. "DS_Store"?
A: .DS_Store (Desktop Services Store) is a hidden file created on systems running Mac OS X.
This holds and saves custom attributes/view options for displaying folders/files or image files. It is the equivalent of the desktop.ini file on Windows systems.
By default, Mac OS X automatically creates this file in every folder that is accessed, even in remote files. After several criticisms on the part of users, these files can be disabled for network folders.

Edited by Allan
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23) Q: MBR, GPT, what is it and what are the differences?
A: On the PC, there are two types of partition map:
The MBR (Master Boot Record) and GPT (GUID Partition Table).
The MBR is mainly used on PCs that do not have EFI (Extensible Firmware Environment) but rather the traditional BIOS. It is therefore a type of partitioning more "universal" than the EFI because it is recognized by almost all OS, whether 32 or 64 bits. The downside is that the MBR does not create more than 4 Primary partitions per disk and each partition can not exceed more than 2 TB of data. In most cases, this does not really pose a problem, but it can sometimes be useful to create such partitions.
 

GPT is "limited" than 128 partitions, the size of which can exceed far more than 2TB. Short, there is enough to see it coming. However, booting an OS using GPT requires a motherboard that supports the EFI and all the OS does not necessarily support the EFI (including 32-bit OS). However, it is possible to simulate an EFI (Chameleon and Clover are made for that). Another advantage, the risk of overwriting the MBR and thus making his in-bootable OS is reduced.


On Hackintosh, when installing Mac OS X, you have the choice between these two types of partitioning. GPT is the native format of Mac OS X but depending on your installation, you must choose one or the other.
If your hard drive is blank, you can choose GPT and partition as you see fit. If you have other partitions or a Windows installation or else on your disk, you should choose the MBR because this partitioning will not erase other partitions already present (unlike the GPT).

It is why there are "MBR patches" for installations of Mac OS X Hackintosh.

 

 

2014-original by polyzargone

Edited by Allan
Update [23/03/2018] - Text formatting
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