Vanilla retail 10.6.4 install with Chameleon on a separate partition for the Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3L


News

22nd July 2010

Support Files Updated to v1.4.1
• Added latest build of Chameleon RC5 Pre-release - build r193.
• Latest bootloader now supports vanilla power management (a.k.a. speedstep) - Thanks to Mozodojo
• com.apple.Boot.plists have had the GraphicsMode changed from 1680x1050x32 to 1024x768x32 to aid compatability.
• Removed NullCPUPowerManagement.kext from Part 2/1B/Extra for USB/Extra/Extensions.
More details here

16th June 2010

Support Files Updated to v1.4
Added the patched AppleHDA.kext and SleepEnabler files for 10.6.4.

16th June 2010

10.6.4 Released
There isn't been much to worry about with this update as far as I've seen. If you're still using SleepEnabler.kext then you will have to remove it before updating and after the update you will have to update the AppleHDA.kext with the new revised 10.6.4 one that I have posted. More details here.



Introduction

When Mac OS X 10.6, Snow Leopard, came out there wasn't much info on InsanelyMac about how to install it, so I created this guide at the end of August 2009 from tips I had learned from Lazlo at projectsnow.net. The guide was then tweaked and revised a few times to iron out bugs and make it fairly comprehensive. The guide had racked up over 20,000 downloads since it's inception which is incredible and the Support Files had also been updated continuously to try and keep up to date with all the changes in the world of OSX86. But by the start of 2010 the guide was showing it's age and couldn't easily be amended to keep it up to date with all the latest developments, so I decided to re-create it and in the mean time take the opportunity to split it in to sections to hopefully make it easier to maintain in the future.

Please note that this is not a bible to the only way of doing things and there are now Snow Leopard install guides everywhere so choose which ever one seems to suit your system best. The original purpose of this guide was to show users currently running 10.5.8 on their EP45-DS3L's how to put a vanilla Snow Leopard install on to a spare HDD.

I am currently running a Mac OS X 10.6.4 system with the kernel booting in both 32-bit & 64-bit mode (more info) with sleep, automatic sleep, shutdown, restart, time machine, bonjour networking, video and audio. Native 5.1 surround from digital coaxial posted as working with DSDT (See this post by philippebezoteaux). It's slick, rock solid and operates perfectly for my needs. I am also using a vanilla speedstep solution for my CPU to reduce power and naturally heat, but don't worry about that until you have your machine up and running and feel confident you want to progress to the next level.


Notes

This guide was made for my system using the following hardware. GA-EP45-DS3L Rev 1 BIOS F10. Intel Core2Duo 7300 2.66Ghz, 4GB DDR 800Mhz, nVidia 8800GT 512MB, 2 x 500GB SATA II Hard Drive, SATA II DVD-RW, USB Keyboard & Mouse. If you have different hardware then you will probably experience some differences and if you want to use additional devices, for example Wi-Fi or Firewire PCI cards, then that will be for you to work out how to get them functioning. But I recommend doing that after this install is complete.

If you are coming from using a 10.5 system without ever using a DSDT then get used to hearing about it. But all you need to know for now is you need a patched DSDT to stop Snow Leopard resetting your CMOS when you reboot. I have supplied a generic DSDT for the GA-EP45-DS3L (based on mm67's work) in the Support Files for you to use. If you are using a different motherboard then you will have to build your own DSDT.

Although I have tried to make this guide as simple as possible, it still requires some knowledge of OSX86 and the willingness to research, read and learn. Before posting problems on this thread, please ensure you have read and completed the install guide PDF and have searched this thread for possible solutions.


Requirements (Please don't ignore this!)

• GA-EP45-DS3L
• CPU that supports SSE3 (Core2Duo/Quad/Extreme).
• SATA HDD & SATA DVD drives.
• A purchased Retail Mac OS X install DVD (not a restore DVD).
• A USB keyboard & Mouse (not PS/2).
• nVidia video card (8 series or newer) (For ATI cards please read this & this before attempting this install).
• My Support Files (Download link below).
• GA-EP45-DS3L BootCD (Download link below).
• An existing 10.5 installation (if the BootCD option doesn’t work for you).
• 8GB USB memory stick (if the BootCD option doesn’t work for you).
• A spare HDD.
• Some patience.


Install Guide PDF's

Introduction v1.2 Last updated 4th April 2010
Part 1 - Preparation v1.2 Last updated 4th April 2010
Part 2 - Install Snow Leopard v1.4 Last updated 4th April 2010
Part 3 - Install Chameleon Bootloader v1.2.1 Last updated 4th April 2010
Part 4 - Configure for GA-EP45-DS3L v1.4 Last updated 16th June 2010
Part 5 - Booting with Chameleon v1.2 Last updated 8th April 2010
Part 6 - TroubleShooting v1.2 Last updated 15th April 2010
Part 7 - What's New v1.3 Last updated 22nd February 2010 (Out of Date)
Part 8 - Apple Updates v1.3 Last updated 16th June 2010
Part 9 - Dual Boot Windows7 v1.1 Last updated 22nd February 2010

Previous Install Guide PDF for reference v2.4 (7.13MB) Last updated 12th September 2009


Supplementary Files

Support Files v1.4.1 Last updated 22nd July 2010
GA-EP45-DS3L BootCD v1.09 Last updated 6th June 2010
Note: The bootCD currently contains Support Files v1.3.3 (not v1.4)
Note: The theme for this BootCD has been changed and will look different from the screen shots in the PDF guide.
Previous BootCD's were forged by Trauma's BootCDMaker and edited by hand to suit my needs, though this one was made by hand. It uses three kexts which were originally supplied in Superhai's Dell BootCD which I originally posted about here.

Optional Bootloaders as discussed in 'Part 7 -What's New'
Install Asere's v1.1.9 Modifed Bootloader
Netkas' PC EFI v10.6


Issues

Here's a link to the front page of this thread from 17th December 2009 before I cleaned it up, just incase there is any information I have forgotten to include in the revised PDF guides.


Useful links in this thread
This is a new section here that I will slowly populate with links to posts in this thread

What to know about updates: 10.6.2, 10.6.3, 10.6.4
Can I add a firewire card to my system? Link, Link
Dual monitor problems with 10.6.2

Install Variations:
Using a single HD and a distro (iPC).
Using a Single HD, 2 x partitions, Boot from USB to launch a restored 10.6 DVD image on HD..
Using a single HD with 10.5 already installed and a USB.

Making a bootable USB memory stick.
Adding a Windows7 dual boot option


Credits

Running OS X on non-Apple hardware had been a target of a few for a long time and after years of hard work and research by many talented individuals, the dream was realised. And from all the reading I have done, it is apparent that creating a system using the latest version of OS X on hardware such as the GA-EP45-DS3L is whole lot easier than it was five years ago. So my experience with OSX86 which resulted to the information in this guide is all thanks to various contributions by many, many people across many different places. and some of the info came from way before I came along..... For example, the work outlined in this post was majorly important.

But if I started to list names it would become long and I would only miss somebody out so can I just give out a big thank you to the community as a whole and the individuals from this thread who have contributed in many ways to fine tune, bug test and further develop this guide. Thank you all


And finally...

I only know what I have learnt so far, and if you have any tips, suggestions, better ways of doing things then please share it. If anybody follows this guide then please report your successes, failures etc.

Don't forget to have fun and enjoy this hobby, even if it gets frustrating to start with, you will find a way. Take your time to learn to understand how it all works, learn about your hardware and get used to searching and reading as there is a lot of information already in this thread and on this forum.

Many Thanks

This post was last edited by blackosx on 27th August 2010