Note: this started out a s a brave project to help newcomers.. it never got completed. I've opened it in case it may be of use.

It's OK, we've all felt like that at some point:

Can I run mac on my pc? will my hardware work? what machine works 100%, what hardware should I buy? what about this pc? wil it work can I run it? where do I get it? Can I run final cut & logic and does it have viruses, Is it stable?, Is it as good as a mac? Can I use my DVD?is it hard to install? Can I dual boot?

- yes it's all perplexing..

A lot of people solve this by getting an install DVD & having a go.. but alas , they are not cured....

I can't boot!, Can I use my soundcard?, No Internet!, No Picture!, my windowz is gone!, The grey screen with twirly and a no-smoking sign!,It tells me to reboot in 100 languages!


Just take a deep breath & Start at the beginning:

I Have a PC and want to install OS X (if you want to build one, keep reading anyway)

Good.

First you must:

Know Your Hardware

Then you can answer for yourself:

Will this hardware work?

Ask yourself: How well do I know my PC?

You need to know your:

CPU(processor):
AMD/Intel / number of cores

Its maximum sse level: sse2 is minimum, sse3 and above is good.

if you only have sse stop here & give up.

You can find this out with CPUZ in windows,

or by doing /cat/proc/cpuinfo in linux.

Motherboard Chips:
You can find this out from:
Your PC/laptop model - Google it, find the specs,
Your Motherboard model - Google it, check the exact specifications from the manufacturers site.

From these sources,
make a note of the names and vendor/device ID's of:
builtin disk controller,
sound,
network,
firewire
graphics chips
etc...

So at this stage you should have
a nice detailed list of what your machine is *really* made of.

For those of you looking to build, follow the same process, looking up the hardware you want to buy and comparing it to the hardware on the HCL, you can pretty quickly find likely candidates for a build at your favourite hardware vendor. make a shortlist & check the forum & google for any positive or negative reports, & take the plunge, or don't: Apple's hardware is guaranteed to work, your hardware has only your own guarantee.

1. : Does it have sse2/sse3 if not, give up or get something else.
   
2. :Is my Motherboard in the HCL ? if so does it work?
   
3. :If not, is it made of similar components to one that is? Compare motherboard chipsets in particular.
   
4. : finally take a quick look on the forum.

This will tell you whether there is a reasonable chance for it to work. Laptops are trickier than desktops, and you should prepared for a bit of trial & error if you're trying any machine that hasn't been reported as working.

For guides & advice to installing, see most of the "OSX86 Installation" forum

AT this stage, you should be feeling calm & confident & not noobish at all, but wait! there's more!

What about all the other hardware?
Well once agian, start with the HCL. Most builtin & add-on network, graphics sound, etc don't work straight off. drivers are needed.

Most installers these days have a wide selection of drivers for all kinds of hardware available as options when you install. As you now know exactly what hardware you have, you can select these carefully, installing only the ones you need. less is more here.

If once you've installed things still don't work, search the forum & google to find out what solution you need. There are many guides here on how to install drivers and fixes for particular issues.

Beware! learning curve! - this is where many a once-confident installer may loose his nerve and plunge once more into abject noobhood..

you will need to understand what a kext is & what it is, what permissions are & how to set them, a few terminal commands may be useful. "but isn't there an installer I can just click?" panics the inner noob..
Yes, there are, lots, there are also tools like kexthelper that can simplify the task. These can be helpful used carefully, used wrongly they can leave you non-booting.
"{consored} it, i'll just download a different dvd & see if my sound /gfx/network works with that, I hear leo2iARKalyroth v.3 is good" whispers the fading voice of the noob.. generally, this isa waste of time & effot. It's better to bite the bullett & learn how to get your hardware working, if it's possible. If you *do* download a different image, you don't need to reinstall, just get pacifist and install the specific packages you need with that.