How can I Edit com.apple.boot.plist?, Need to modify so I don't have to manually enter graphics mode Options

[lwilliams1950]

I was editing my com.apple.boot.plist file and saved it back and now when I boot it immediately says "missing boot.plist file". I guess I majorly messed it up someway. Anyway to get to it without having to reinstall the whole OSX86 DVD?
Thanks

[enroh]

Open Treminal from the Utilities Folder, then run this:
sudo pico /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.Boot.plist
the system ask for your password, then add it after the
<key>Kernel Flags</key>
<string>"Graphics Mode"="1280×1024×32"</string>

I don't know why it is not working with
<key>Graphics Mode</key>
<string>1280×1024×32</string>

Just a hint, diconnect the TV connector before boot if it is connected of course.

you mention TV Connector ... exactly what are you referring to there? I have an ATI AIW card with coax connected ... are you referring to that?

thx

[sensimeon]

got it working with macgirls method
thanks a lot!



*didn't get it to work on jas 10.4.8 but yes on uphuck 10.4.9 v1.3*


Is it possible to use 1680x1050?

[hei_zen]

Works nearly fine.
"Graphics Mode"="1680x1050x32" in my com.apple.Boot.plist results in 1400x1050 (unchangable). A real progress in contrast to the formerly unchangable 1024x768.
But does anyone know why it works only with 1400px and not with 1680?


Edit:
?video at Startup shows that there are only 4:3 ratio resolutions like 1024x768, 1280x1024 etc. available. Is there any trick to get 16:10 ratio resolutions like 1280x800 enabled?

[Zealus.com]

you have to
fsck -fy
and
mount -uw /

Before you can edit in single user

Doesn't work in install DVD's Terminal
Also, sudo, pico and chmod/chgrp are "unknown commands".

[fumocamel]

i start my osx in F8 and -s mode
start directly in terminal mode

so i start like root
i try to edit com.apple.Boot.plist
but when i try to change i have this errors
W18: Warnig: Changing a readonly file
E383: Unable to oprn swap file for "/Lib...../com.apple.Boot.plist"


what i have to do?

thanks

[Riverband]

i start my osx in F8 and -s mode
start directly in terminal mode

so i start like root
i try to edit com.apple.Boot.plist
but when i try to change i have this errors
W18: Warnig: Changing a readonly file
E383: Unable to oprn swap file for "/Lib...../com.apple.Boot.plist"


what i have to do?

thanks

Hello fumocamel!

the problem is that you can't modify any file when you're using "-s" at Darwin bootloader. This flag makes system to be in single mode. So it mounts all partitions on "read-only"! To change "com.apple.Boot.plist" you can do it using two ways:

1 - Boot system normaly and copy "com.apple.Boot.plist" to you desktop and open it. You'll change it without problem. Save file and copy it to the original folder.

2 - Boot system normaly and open a Terminal windows. Type command: sudo nano /Lib...../com.apple.Boot.plist change it and save file.

It'll work fine!

My regards!

[zazza]

sono nuovo avrei un problemino ho installato tiger 10.4.9 di Unpuk nativo al riavvio mi da com.apple.boot.plist not found. spero che qualcunopossa aiutarmi a capire cosa fare e sopratutto siate piu dettagliati nella spiegazione. ci capisco poco del terminale. grazie


amd 64 dual core
ram 1 gb
mb msi k9vgm-v
nvidia integrata 25 mb

[ryoaska1]

Works nearly fine.
"Graphics Mode"="1680x1050x32" in my com.apple.Boot.plist results in 1400x1050 (unchangable). A real progress in contrast to the formerly unchangable 1024x768.
But does anyone know why it works only with 1400px and not with 1680?


Edit:
?video at Startup shows that there are only 4:3 ratio resolutions like 1024x768, 1280x1024 etc. available. Is there any trick to get 16:10 ratio resolutions like 1280x800 enabled?

Just to give my experience- this worked for me without any problem. I'm seeing full 1680x1050 resolution on my HP Pavillion dv9000 using macgirls method with the string you used above.

[wired00]

Just to give my experience- this worked for me without any problem. I'm seeing full 1680x1050 resolution on my HP Pavillion dv9000 using macgirls method with the string you used above.

Same with me worked fine, thankyou

Im using

CODE

<key>Kernel Flags</key>
<string>"Graphics Mode"="1680x1050×32"</string>

and works fine. Using Chimei 22" monitor with ATI HD 4870 graphic card. Looks fantastic

[ne0shell]

What would cause the missing boot plist file error on a clean install where the drive was formatted clean in disk utility and verified set as intel bootable? I tried several different 10.5.8 distros and all of them made it completely through the installation and then threw the missing boot file error after restart. 10.5.5 doesn't have this problem on my setup.

I didn't think to go into terminal and verify if the file is actually missing or just has bad permissions set - mainly because the error flashed by too quickly and went away to be replaced by the select boot drive option. Could I stash a known good copy on another drive and just use terminal to replace the bad / missing one? It looks like that's the last issue between me and an updated install.

I even tried doing the Boot 132 / retail snow leopard install and was able to get the dvd to boot but my screen goes dead immediately and nothing further happens. I could try specifying graphics mode and all that but with all the issues I'm having a hard time deciding what the best all around solution / direction to go in would be.

My system has to have a distro DVD in the drive to boot, by the way. Chameleon never seems to work on it.

[ne0shell]

I found another solution for the com.apple.boot.plist error (at least on my system via trial and error but it may be posted elsewhere and I just couldn't find it in search).

My boot drive is a SATA WD Raptor and previously I had all SATA. USB and Firewire drives with a single ATA drive partitioned as non start up Mac format. I traced a previous issue with upgrading past 10.5.5 to the ATA controller so I bought a new SATA DVD burner to replace the ATA one and removed the ATA hard drive. After that I was able to install just about every flavor of 10.5.8 distro and came close to a vanilla snow leopard via boot 132 method but every one of them would throw the boot plist error.

Sure enough, I reinstalled the old ATA drive and the system booted right up (unfortunately I had gone back to the 10.5.5 distro which was also throwing the plist error for the first time I'd ever seen). My SATA start up drive is configured as the boot drive in bios but apparently OSX is writing boot files to the ATA drive. I wasn't expecting that at all and now I'm completely lost on how to go about getting a working boot loader so I don't have to keep the DVD in the drive for start up. This explains why a lot of things haven't worked regardless of the various fixes and so on.

Is this one of those things that's common knowledge I missed along the way?