Leopard 10.5.2 Step by Step for Dell Inspiron 9400/E1705

[joeventura]

Many have asked what is the best laptop for OSX86?

 

I struggled with that and after doing a lot of research on this site I have found that the best hardware that most people seem to agree upon is the Dell Inspiron 9400/E1705

 

As of Oct 2008 you can get a good quality 2Ghz Dual Core, 2Gb Ram, 100GB HDD for about $600 USD on Ebay (plus shipping)

 

I have spent the better part of a month installing various distributions of OSX86 on this system and the following is my step by step process on how to get the best results for this laptop.

 

This is a more detailed step by step than you may be used to seeing on this site as most people who post these things talk in short hand, abbreviations, and make assumptions of what you should know or where to find stuff. I provide you all the links to all the threads for all the add ons etc.

 

This website would be of much greater value if others did the same instead of forcing beginners to ask a dozen questions in leiu of you just writing the tutorial right the first time.

 

I hope this helps and I look forward to hearing from you.

 

 

Dell Inspiron 9400/E1705 - 2 Gb RAM Dual Core 2GHz

 

 

Install instructions

 

 

What you need:

Kalyway 10.5.2 DVD

Sonotone Dell Laptops Post-installer http://forum.insanelymac.com/index.php?showtopic=97966

That's it!

 

Power up the laptop

 

Go into Bios Setup (F2 at boot)

Disable Dual Core in the Performance section of the BIOS setup

 

Also Disable Firewire (firewire and USB don't seem to work well together)

 

Save BIOS setting and reboot and go into setup F12 and Boot from CD/DVD

 

Boot Kalway 10.5.2 from DVD

 

Choose Language

 

Run Disk utility

 

Erase Drive, Choose Mac OS extended (journaled)

 

Name Drive Leopard (or anything without numbers or spaces or Symbols)

 

Exit Disk Utility when erase is done

 

Click Continue in Install process

Click Agree on License Screen

 

 

Click Customize

 

1. Kernel = Choose all the Kernels

2. Graphics = Nvidia GE Force Go

3. Audio = Intel NVidia VIA ATI HDAudiocontroller, NVidiaAC97Audio,REaltek Sigmatel Conexant and sigmatel_9200_inspiron_9400

4. Network = AppleBCM440XEthernet

5. Wireless = IO80211Family, AtherosWirelessAdapter

6. MOBO Chipsets = I selected all

7. Patches = Selected all except:

OLD_SMBIOS_1.0.1

Boot_with_CPUS=1 Flag

and Francais pc Keyboard layout

 

Click Done

 

Click install

 

Reboot when install is done

 

Fill out all the Welcome {censored}

 

 

 

Install the Sonotone Dell Laptops Post-installer - XPS, Inspiron, Vostro, Lattitude,

http://forum.insanelymac.com/index.php?showtopic=97966

 

 

 

Choose:

 

Graphics - Nvidia GE Force Go

Power Management

Speedstep Enabler

Battery Meter

Lid Sleep

Apple HDA shutdown Fix

Trackpad Scrolling For Inspiron 9400

 

 

 

Other

Media Key Enabler

Dual Core Kernels 9.2 -> 9.4 (choose 9.2)

 

 

After complete do a Shutdown

 

Go into Bios Setup (F2 at boot) and Enable Dual Core in the Performance section of the BIOS setup

 

Save

 

Reboot

 

 

 

Go into system preferences: Sound

Adjust Sound Input and Output and levels in System Preferences

Then turn up volume on front Media Buttons

Sound should now work

 

Install Quicktime 7.5.5 for Leopard from Apple.com (or latest Quicktime)

 

Insert a DVD Video disc into the DVD drive, go to the View Menu then Deinterlace, choose BETTER Quality or else you will not be able to play DVDs

 

 

 

 

 

What should work:

 

Ethernet

Wireless Ethernet

Dual Cores

Sound

Media Buttons

Trackpad Scrolling

Speedstep

CD/DVD Burner

Video QE & CI up to 1440X900 resolution

Time Machine

 

 

 

What should not work:

 

Media card reader

 

Sleep

 

 

 

What is borderline:

 

USB devices seem to only be recognized if installed prior to power up of laptop

 

 

 

If you have any data as to how to get USB recognized normally or a good process to get Sleep working please let me know.

[joeventura]

Just as a follow up I have found if I have a USB device (drive or mem stick) installed at power up then the system will recognize removal and insertion of new USB devices.

[sonotone]

hi joeventura,

 

just wanted to correct few points if you don't mind

 

- You don't need anymore to install appleHda shutdown fix, the lastest sound kext correct this bug.

- sleep should works (don't install USB EHCI sleep from package) and USB/Firewire also.

- If you boot with cpus=1 flag you don't need to disable one core from bios settings.

 

Maybe issues you enconted are related to your install disk options, don't know.

But actually i have a fully working (except card reader, and cheap wireless replacement card needed) decent laptop and easily upgradable.

 

cheers.

[joeventura]

Thanks for the new info and thanks for all your hard work!!

[fr3ak!]

Thx Joeventura !

This guide may help me for make a better installation on M1710.

 

Have you installed Boot-123 ?

About upgrade, have you tried to go up 10.5.2 ?

[Johnny G]

joe, i have an e1705 and i made it up to 10.5.4 successfully. going to try netkas method to get to 10.5.5 (keeps fingers crossed) best thing to do is after updates, to reinstall all devices and kexts from that installer as a precaution. after 10.5.3 to 10.5.4 my keyboard, sound, ethernet, and graphics weren't what i customized into my 10.5.3. no worries, booting into safe mod and using that WONDERFUL post installer fixes everything! sonotone is the man.

 

great link, joeventura. been using his installer after every update to restore my devices (apple ruins your install of most things after an update!)

 

after 10.5.1 kalyway install, that file helped me get up to 10.5.3 no problems, just installed the patches that i needed and voila! very easy computers to get osx86 running on!! =P for 10.5.4, use the apple update, and use the installer yet again to repatch everything. easy as pie. do you plan on getting to 10.5.5?

[NYC Coyote]

joe, i have an e1705 and i made it up to 10.5.4 successfully. going to try netkas method to get to 10.5.5 (keeps fingers crossed) best thing to do is after updates, to reinstall all devices and kexts from that installer as a precaution. after 10.5.3 to 10.5.4 my keyboard, sound, ethernet, and graphics weren't what i customized into my 10.5.3. no worries, booting into safe mod and using that WONDERFUL post installer fixes everything! sonotone is the man.

 

great link, joeventura. been using his installer after every update to restore my devices (apple ruins your install of most things after an update!)

 

after 10.5.1 kalyway install, that file helped me get up to 10.5.3 no problems, just installed the patches that i needed and voila! very easy computers to get osx86 running on!! =P for 10.5.4, use the apple update, and use the installer yet again to repatch everything. easy as pie. do you plan on getting to 10.5.5?

 

 

You should use the dell laptop post installer (link in my signature) and choose the "safe update" kext. reboot. then you can just update to 10.5.5 through the apple site.

 

Thats what I did on my e1505/6400 (which is the same as the 17inch one - just smaller) and it worked perfectly.

 

Everything is working for me except for the card reader and display sleep

[amazinrobert]

Hey, I'm about to purchase this laptop off my friend and I'm pretty much sold but I'm just curious about

the vga/dvi and svideo output, is that functioning?

 

Hi, Sonotone thanks for the awesome postinstaller

I've got a question, I'm buying the 9400 off a friend and I was wondering if you used

kalyway for your install? I'm thinking about using iatkos v4i...and which post installer should I download?

you have 3 different versions of the latest build.

Thanks in advance.

hi joeventura,

 

just wanted to correct few points if you don't mind

 

- You don't need anymore to install appleHda shutdown fix, the lastest sound kext correct this bug.

- sleep should works (don't install USB EHCI sleep from package) and USB/Firewire also.

- If you boot with cpus=1 flag you don't need to disable one core from bios settings.

 

Maybe issues you enconted are related to your install disk options, don't know.

But actually i have a fully working (except card reader, and cheap wireless replacement card needed) decent laptop and easily upgradable.

 

cheers.

[Mootaz]

Hi to everybody. Nice and very helpful forum.

Just two questions before starting my first installation. Crossing my fingers...

If I install a 10.5.6 straight away (like Ipc x86 Final) with voodoo kernel on a 9400 do I have to do the bios 1 core trick or can I bypass that and the 2 cores are recognized automatically?

Which chipset must I choose in the options? In the Ipc I have these choices:

 

Intel ICHx SATA Drivers

LegacyApplelntelPIIXATA

Intel ICH10 SATA Support

AppleNForceATA nForce Drivers

NVIDIA MCP67 Drivers

jMicronATA for JMicron IDE

LegacyJMicronATA

SAS Chipset Support

Silicon Image 3132 Drivers

Silicon Image 3124 Drivers

VIA/SiS/Marvell/SB Chipset Drivers

 

thanks a lot

Luca

[MacMaluco (Dell Insp 9400)]

Hi there! Joe, you saved my life!

 

I finally have a fully functional version of Leo on my dell (no SD, no sleep wich i never use anyways)

 

Video at 1900x1200

 

Any sucessiful attemps on upgrading to 10.5.6 yet?

 

If you want any info as for my instal, let me know!

 

Hi there! Joe, you saved my life!

 

I finally have a fully functional version of Leo on my dell (no SD, no sleep wich i never use anyways)

 

Video at 1900x1200

 

Any sucessiful attemps on upgrading to 10.5.6 yet?

 

If you want any info as for my instal, let me know!

[woodoo]

Hi there! Joe, you saved my life!

 

I finally have a fully functional version of Leo on my dell (no SD, no sleep wich i never use anyways)

 

Video at 1900x1200

 

Any sucessiful attemps on upgrading to 10.5.6 yet?

 

If you want any info as for my instal, let me know!

Hi MacMaluco, it would be nice to see here your step by step install, with your full hardware data (what insp 9400?, CPU?, Videoboard?, RAM. etc.) Wat about additional screen on DVIout?

[neosree]

Hi,

 

Nice guide, even though outdated..

[Inigma]

Is wireless eithernet the same as wifi----> cause for the life of me I can not figure out how to make the wifi work. This tutorial was great and got me right on thrack everything else seems to work fine., but no go on the wifi. Can anyone help me? Thanks.

 

 

Kalyway 10.5.2

Inspiron e1705

 

Thanks

[jamba77]

Click Customize

 

1. Kernel = Choose all the Kernels

 

6. MOBO Chipsets = I selected all

 

WHAT? with THIS you got a working installation?????? If I only choose TWO kernels I get kernel panic during the installation process...

[awesome01]

I have followed this guide step by step and I ran into some problems. I did everything except install Nvidia drivers, but instead installed Intel 950 since that's the card I have. Also, I couldn't find the Apple HDA shutdown fix in sonotone's package.

 

My computer boots into the OSX fine after the installation, however after I install sonotone's package with the recommended drivers provided in this guide, my computer gets stuck on the black screen. I have tried connecting an external display and nothing shows up there. I have also tried using -s, which gives me a firewire error and does not let me continue.

 

I'll try playing around with it some more but as you guys already know, it takes a bit to install and reinstall constantly. If anyone can help me I'd truly appreciate it.