Jump to content

[GUIDE] OS X Lion on a ThinkPad W520


nightalon
 Share

30 posts in this topic

Recommended Posts

I succeeded doing a triple-boot. It's tricky.

 

Here's how:

 

*Turn on Discrete Graphics in your BIOS (no Optimus, no auto-detect) and also Legacy BIOS only (these new v2.0 EFIs are not compatible with Apple's v1.1 EFIs)

*Use the latest version of TonyMacx86's [url="http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/"]#####[/url] to boot the Retail Snow Leopard 10.6.3 DVD (please pay for this)

*Boot with the arguments: -v "GraphicsEnabler"="No" after booting up from the [url="http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/"]#####[/url] CD using F12 to select the proper boot device (please note that kernel panics do sometimes occur at this point; keep trying until it works; I disabled TPM, WiMAX and unused boot devices in case that helps)

*Install Snow Leopard on a new partition on a GPT-formatted disk

*Use the 10.6.7 Combo Update after booting into your new install

*Install [url="http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/"]#####[/url] without DSDT; USB 3.0, GraphicsEnabler=No, new boot-loader, SMBIOS=MacPro3,1, FakeSMC, NullCPUPowermanagement, e1000, VoodooPS2

*Use an Auto-DSDT generator to give you a DSDT.aml file (use the "generic" profile) and drop it in root (the / directory at the root of your boot partition)

*Follow the Lion update instructions via 8 GB partition on tonymacx86.com using xMove

*Install Windows 7 on another partition that you designated as "MS-DOS Format" in Disk Utility (you will still have an EFI/GPT/MBR hybrid setup at this point) Note that it must be in the first 3 partitions on the disk

*Load Windows 7 from [url="http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/"]#####[/url]

*Install EasyBCD and use the MBR (yes, I know the setup still has some EFI/GPT components in it, but this was what worked for me) option to add MacOS to your Windows bootloader

*Load the Lion installer partition from [url="http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/"]#####[/url], and then from the MBR OS X boot option you created with EasyBCD in the Windows Bootloader

*Install Lion over your Snow Leopard install

*Again use the [url="http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/"]#####[/url]->EasyBCD-modified-Win7-bootloader->Chimera-bootloader to get into your new Lion install

*Change GraphicsEnabler=Yes in your com.boot.Apple.plist in your Extra directory

*Delete the extra Installer partition via Disk Utility

*Install a MacBookPro-based SMBIOS.plist config with [url="http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/"]#####[/url]

*Boot into Ubuntu 11.04 on a LiveCD(/DVD) (You can optionally install Ubuntu at this point, but make sure to install the bootloader to the partition only, and not the whole disk)

*Delete the first EFI partition with fdisk (you can leave it present in the GPT records...it won't hurt anybody there)

*Optional: create a 4th, storage partition and use mkntfs to format it NTFS, which is read/writable in all 3 OSes

*Use fdisk to mark your Windows partition as NTFS (type 7) again, and set it active/primary/bootable, if necessary

*Congrats! Your disk is now bootable, and you can access Windows and MacOS from the Windows Bootloader. (Feel free to add GRUB2 via EasyBCD if you installed Linux as well.) You may need to format your new Storage partition from Windows if Windows doesn't recognize it. This will not destroy your configuration. You may also need to reinstall the Linux GRUB2 bootloader, since it will now be configured to boot from the wrong partition. Do this with a grub-update /dev/sda* from the Ubuntu LiveCD/DVD where * is your Linux partition. grub-install failed for me.

 

Notes:

1. I have a few strange directories in my Windows root from when I tried to repair my Windows boot-config. I'll have to delete these later via Linux since they are write-protected.

2. The reason the MacOS bootloaders such as Chimera, AnVL, and Chameleon won't be seen by your ThinkPad is that your ThinkPad's BIOS/EFI sees the EFI partition and gives up instead of trying to boot. This is to induce you to boot in EFI-only or Legacy-then-EFI mode in case you installed Windows 7 in EFI mode. Basically you are trying to boot an MBR-style bootloader on an EFI-formatted disk, so the ThinkPad EFI/BIOS freaks out. We get around this by deleting the EFI partition in fdisk in Linux (this is good, anyway, since it allows for a 4th, non-extended partition for storage, since Windows will only see 4 primary partitions, even if GPT technically allows for more).

3. Don't try to use integrated graphics in MacOS just yet. They need to be supported in the bootloader, and this community-based work is not yet complete. Quadro 1000M and 2000M drivers are built-in to Lion, so use them.

4. The TrackStick does not work with the version of VoodooPS2 in [url="http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/"]#####[/url]. I have not tried other options.

5. You may want to add in a battery indicator kext.

6. You will need to hack your BIOS if you want WIFI in MacOS; I am currently working on this. There was a hacked version of the 1.22 BIOS, but it is no longer available. (see mydigitallife forums) None of the ThinkPad WIFI cards (Realtek, Intel, etc.) are supported in MacOS; you will need a Broadcom or Atheros-based card for it to be recognized as an AirPort.

7. You will need to remember to switch your graphics in the BIOS before booting, depending on which OS you want to load

 

UPDATE: Hacked BIOS available on MyDigitalLife forums. Allows Atheros and Broadcom half-height WIFI cards.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, full resolution with QE/CI.

 

I too am frustrated by the lack of compatibility with Optimus, but I'm probably equally bummed that sound support isn't very good, the TrackStick doesn't work, brightness control doesn't work, and I have yet to get a battery indicator working in Lion.

 

None of these issues are irresolvable, though!

 

I agree, the Optimus problem is probably the most frustrating. I don't know exactly why the current drivers in OS X don't support the integrated GMA GPU, but I think it may have something to do with the fact that Intel makes custom chips for Apple. We have no way of knowing that Apple uses a vanilla Optimus configuration for hybrid graphics in its current laptops. Occam's Razor would suggest that this is the case, but perhaps Apple made modifications to the Optimus product. Perhaps Intel did so.

 

I do imagine, though, that at some point, some clever coder will declare victory and get the GMA GPUs functional. That said, no one ever got very many AMD GPUs working on mobile, so it probably isn't a great idea to hold your breath.

 

In the meantime, I'm looking for a cafe-friendly 13" notebook that can run Lion nicely. 1600x900 resolution would be great, though; and while I like Optimus, I think I need to be able to switch to discrete-only in the BIOS. 3G-upgradable is a plus. Anyone have any ideas? (Yes I know I'm hijacking my own thread slightly...!)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey, guys. I have the same laptop and from the above messages I read what you have some problems with hardware. Have you tested the Snow leopard against Lion? I just need a good working system for programming( 10.6.8 and above). So what you can suggest for me: install Lion or to install Snow leopard?

Thanks and sorry for my English.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

nightalon, you can use the app "Spark" to use shortcut you want to control brightness or any other things :D I'm surpised you get FULL HD (1980*1050) resolution, it was a big trouble before, at least that's what i always saw... "Discrete graphics" what does it means? I thought it would be integrated... By the way, if using the MyHack installer, i'm sure it would be much faster to install OSX! PS: If you want a 13' then why not talking the Macbook Air? ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm thinking of replacing my Dell M4400 (currently triple-booting to Windows7,Ubunut,SnowLeopard) with a Leono W520, what kind of temperature do you get with discrete nvidia? do you have working c-states? I mean it OSX usable on the W520 as a LAPtop :-D or under OSX you can heat a little room with it?

 

Thanks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Please post recent successes/failures, trials, and solutions.

 

With regards to the W520...

 

1. If you order with RAID, can you disable it as use it as JBOD? Or use an ODD, or even the Ultra-Bay Battery? And does OS X recognize the Ultra-Bay battery?

 

2. Does anyone have a screenshot of the BIOS?

 

3. Is there a difference in the power mgmt or MB between the i7-2720QM and i7-2920XM or a BIOS lockout?

Are there any foreseeable reasons that would disallow user upgrading the processor from the cheapest?

Are all variations of CPU in the W520 fully supported under OS X?

 

4. Is the 3000m video card completely incompatible with a 15.6in screen? Or is the power demand too high? And would Lion/SL recognize the 3000m?

 

Of those of you who HAVE succeeded at installing Lion, what degree of stability have you found? Are you able to use Disk Utility to make a COPY of the OS X setup on to a SECOND hard drive, and have OS X successfully boot from the second hard drive? Or, must the sequential setup be replicated each time the OS needs to be reinstalled?

 

Thank you all for your time...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wasn't interested in triple-booting as in post #1, but I did want it to boot off HD instead of CD.

 

The W520 refuses to boot a GPT partitioned disk from the HD itself. Turns out I'm not the only W520 owner with this issue.

 

http://www.tonymacx86.com/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=21251

 

The solution was to partition my disk as MBR, and then [url="http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/"]#####[/url] will work.

 

Along the way, I found out I'm also not the only person getting very frequent kernel panics (usually on boot) when any of the VoodooHDA kexts for Audio are installed. My workaround is to place the kext OUTSIDE of /Extra/Extensions/ or OUTSIDE of /S/L/E/ and then just sudo kextload VoodooHDA.kext after the system has finished booting (if I need sound for YouTube or Netflix). I've tried booting with a few versions of VoodooHDA (0.2.7.2, 0.2.7.3) to no avail - rather, I'd get 1 in 10 boots without a KP.

 

Even when manually loading the kext after startup, the system as a whole seems more unstable. Maybe it's a hunch but that kext seems to cause more kernel panics. I guess time will tell.

 

Hope this helps!

 

Colin

 

Reason for edit: autocorrect on Lion changed "kext" to "next" a few times.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I managed to install Mac OS X Lion by using the iAtkos L1 installer, works nicely. For the people who asked: stability is good, and I immediately had perfect graphics support etc.

 

However, a big con of this install is that I can't manage to get the wifi working. There are no drivers for this card, and the only option is, as the first post suggested, to hack your BIOS in some sort of way.. and that is what I want to know. Is there someone who succesfully got the wifi to work by hacking their BIOS? And could you also describe how you did it? I have no idea how to do it..

 

Small additional question: is it possible to get the Mac multitouch gestures to work with the W520 touchpad? I installed the PS/2 voodoo kext but those are really miminal: I can only move the mouse, not even tap to click or scroll...

 

Thanks in advance!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes you can use broadcom after upgrading to hacked bios, they're on a forum but i don't recall where, so just have a search... I use MyHack usually and only SL install boot, Lion refused. So maybe i'll try that new iAtkos, please tell us which options you selected!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I installed iAtkos L1. I saw there was some drivers for HD3000! But forgot to check... Maybe it would make our HD3000 working?! Anyway, i have many usb wireless lan but none worked on Lion! I'd prefer that and keep the original Intel Lenovo card, since those on ebay are clearly not WifiN speed! Also i have no sound, how do you get it? If i check VoodooHDA (last) in iAtkos option, i get just distorsion... Another thing: USB/SATA combo port doesn't work and others sometimes act weirdly. I'm gonna try update 10.7.2 now. Christian0009, what do those Synaptics kext do? Make both trackpad and touchpad works? but then you don't have scrolling and tap i bet..?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Try this.

Those kexts have the same result: only moving the mouse, no tap to click, scroll or multitouch :(

 

I installed iAtkos L1. I saw there was some drivers for HD3000! But forgot to check... Maybe it would make our HD3000 working?! Anyway, i have many usb wireless lan but none worked on Lion! I'd prefer that and keep the original Intel Lenovo card, since those on ebay are clearly not WifiN speed! Also i have no sound, how do you get it? If i check VoodooHDA (last) in iAtkos option, i get just distorsion... Another thing: USB/SATA combo port doesn't work and others sometimes act weirdly. I'm gonna try update 10.7.2 now. Christian0009, what do those Synaptics kext do? Make both trackpad and touchpad works? but then you don't have scrolling and tap i bet..?

Isn't the HD3000 natively supported by Mac OS? All macbooks have i7's too..

I tried a seperate wireless lan usb stick too, Edimax EW-7318USg (Ralink 2870), but it didn't work either.. Weirdly enough I did have this stick working on my Snow Leopard install a few months back. It just doesnt recognise the hardware now, as the wifi stick's led just doesn't light on.

About the sound: as described above, you have to install a VoodooHDA, after which the sound will work. This only lasts for that session, because when you reboot your pc you will either hear distorted noise, or encounter a kernel panic on boot (boot with -v -x flags to get into the install and remove the kext manually to restore).

How did the update go? This could fix a few problems, but it could also break the install.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, you could probably get this working with Intel integrated 3000...however, please do note that the Intel GPU in the W520/T520 is actually closer to a 2000. I am currently trying to get that working on the 13" notebook I ended up purchasing: the AS3830TG.

 

Glad I've been of help!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Battery: http://www.osx86.net...do=file&id=1384

VoodooHDA 2.7.2 .pkg: http://code.google.c.../downloads/list (you must edit the info.plist with vendor and device ID)

 

Maybe my Guide can help you too (German but maybe google-Translate can help): http://thinkpad-foru...f-ThinkPad-W520

http://translate.goo...ad-W520&act=url

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If i understand, we can now get the W520 running OSX with everything working fine? Would someone make a package and upload everything needed in a zip? ^^ I'm not a total noob but DSDT thing hem... I can't get with it. So please someone who made fine DSDT for W520, upload it here (all W520 have same motherboard, HD3000 and soundcard, so it'll be ok for all) ^^ Thanks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

DSDT is in my Guide, but i only work with the 2000M Quadro (you can simple change it to 1000M Quadro -> Guide) and HD3000 is disabled in BIOS. A .zip don't make sense since the tools gets updates, fixes and so on, but you can find a list with tools and .kexts in my Guide.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Right, but someone said, just above, that we can use HD 3000 with a patch. That would be better for the battery, so could you try yourself and maybe make a HD3000 version DSDT? Thanks anyway. About the zip: It's just more practical (at first), updates are not needed if everything's fine ^^

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...