Transluence question (Should be easy!)

[Pikeman85]

What exactly causes the translucence on OSX? I notice with some drivers and settings, I have a sort of reddish/purple top bar, and with other settings (mostly lower or safe modey stuff) I don't have that and the top bar is the straight aqua gray - I also notice that I have problems with the translucence which is why I am wondering what is causing it.

 

Thanks!

[Gringo Vermelho]

The menu bar is only translucent when you have hardware accelerated graphics working.

 

That's why it's not translucent when booting in safe mode.

[Pikeman85]

Is there anyway to disable this while maintaining a high resolution? This appears to be the issue that has been causing me problems. When I get hardware acceleration to work, it lags my computer to high hell.

[Gringo Vermelho]

You can disable translucent menubar in the "Desktop & Screen Saver" preference panel.

[Pikeman85]

No, I don't want to disable the translucence, I want to try disabling hardware acceleration, whilst keeping a high resolution.

 

I'm making progress but still having huge graphical slowdowns, and depending on how I set it up, mouse jumpiness.

[Giorgio_multi]

No, I don't want to disable the translucence, I want to try disabling hardware acceleration, whilst keeping a high resolution.

 

I'm making progress but still having huge graphical slowdowns, and depending on how I set it up, mouse jumpiness.

 

 

Look at the System Preference/Monitor if your frequency refresh is 24 Hz.

[Pikeman85]

When frequency refresh is 24, it is slow and choppy. When it is 60, it is slow and choppy.

 

Nobody has, as of yet, been able to give me any conventional wisdom to make my OSX work. I have determined the problem comes up if and only if hardware acceleration is enabled, hence why I want to disable it.

 

The worst problem is the mouse jumpiness. I got decent resolution (1280x960) with VGA, without the jumpiness one time, but that's the closest I can get. My HDMI to DVI doesn't do it, nor does a straight DVI to DVI.

[Gringo Vermelho]

The problem is not necessarily with video acceleration itself. And you don't really want to use OS X without hardware accelerated graphics.

 

I think you should look into all other possible causes before disabling video acceleration as that's a pretty poor trade off and not really a solution.

 

Try a different injection method. Chameleon GraphicsEnabler=y, NVEnabler (or other injector.kext), DSDT injection, Device-Propertiese "EFI" string.

Read Krazubu's 'guide for all nvidia boards' (google) maybe you're missing something. Also read the NVEnabler release thread over at the Project OS X forum.

 

It could also be a IRQ resource conflict, I'm not sure if you can do these things on AMD hardware, but try to look into DSDT patching, specifically this: http://www.projectosx.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=564

 

Are you using a PS2 or USB mouse?

 

If you're using a PS2 mouse, try a different PS2 driver (there are a couple different ones) or try an USB mouse.

 

If you're using an USB mouse - look in System Profiler and check if your USB ports are seen as external. If they are, you should try to fix it. Again, I don't know anything about AMD hardware so I can't say if the standard DSDT edits and other fixes for this issue can be made to work on your motherboard.

[Pikeman85]

I've tried everything you mentioned - the only thing I may have failed at was DSDT injection. I can consistently get great resolution - it just slows it down incredibly. The only way around this is to use a VGA cable, which sometimes works, but then my resolution is capped at 1280x960.

 

I'm a PS/2 keyboard user, but a USB mouse user.

 

I'll look into USB and IRQ issues.

 

I'm just getting thoroughly frustrated with this issue - I would like to try OSX, and nothing, absolutely nothing I do seems to be able to get it to work - my hardware doesn't seem to be an issue except for graphics. I'm currently running 10.6.4 without a single issue, except for this. 10.6.1 doesn't work either.

 

I'm just thoroughly frustrated, and I can't understand why it would be this difficult to fix this problem. I'm pretty technically competent, and while I didn't know anything about OSX when I started, I've gotten so far, it's just this one stupid problem that is causing me issues.

[Gringo Vermelho]

I'm sure it's something simple, but these "little things" are always difficult to track down.

I'm a PS/2 keyboard user, but a USB mouse user.

It's possible that may have something to do with it.

 

In my +2 years on the forums I've seen several people say to never ever mix USB and PS2 keyboard and mouse.

 

Try with a USB keyboard or, if you're really attached to your PS2 keyboard, try using it with a PS2->USB converter.

 

Then disable PS2 ports in the BIOS and remove your PS2 driver from the system. Remember, Macs don't have PS2 ports.

 

Look under USB in System Profiler, does it say "Expansion card" (or words to that effect) or "Built-in" under "Host Controller Location"?

 

Tip:

 

When starting out with DSDT editing, the first goal to pursue is to get your unmodified DSDT to compile.

The IASL compiler is chatty about the errors, each error type has a number and a standard message you can type into google to find various solutions.

Also try feeding the InsanelyMac search with any of those messages and see what you can find. The most "popular" compiling errors have fixes posted all over the place.

[Pikeman85]

I have three busses, all say expansion slot. I will remove my ps/2 keyboard and reboot. I have a usb wireless keyboard and mouse as well, but the problems were around before I got them.

 

Part of the issue with all of this is that when trying to do DSDT patching is that using the mac is hard to do - my resolution is {censored} - I haven't even tried to get my USB to work. The only way to get my resolution to be ok is to use VGA. And you can't do the editting in 800x600, the utilities that do it are all bigger than that window size.

[Gringo Vermelho]

excuses, excuses..

 

Boot in safe mode with -x, if your video drivers and injection method are working properly, this will retain your native resolution while disabling hardware accelerated graphics.

[Pikeman85]

You'd THINK that would work, but it doesn't. Resolution stays the same, but mouse is still jumpy.

[Gringo Vermelho]

Huh, mouse is jumpy in safe mode?? Then it's probably not a video issue, acceleration is disabled in safe mode.

 

Despite of this fact, I think it would be a good idea to start clean with your injection and video drivers, just to make sure.

 

Revert to vanilla OS X nvidia drivers. (If you have never modified the drivers themselves, then don't, obviously)

If you're on 10.6.4, just download and run the Snow Leopard Graphics Update 1.0.

If you're on any other version, extract drivers from a combo update with the same version number using Pacifist (google it) and install them.

 

Then start over, following krazubu's "guide to all nvidia boards" (google it).

 

Very important: Make sure you don't have more than one injection method active!

 

Check your com.apple.Boot.plist (both of them) check /Extra/Extensions and /System/Library/Extensions for any rogue injector kexts that could mess up things, such as:

 

NVInject.kext

NVDarwin.kext

ATY_Init.kext

NVEnabler.kext

Titan/Natit.kext

 

You should only have one, or, if you're using GraphicsEnabler=y or Device Properties string, none, of those.

[Pikeman85]

You've told me to use the guide for all nvidia boards, and I did - I have my NVCAP, I have my ROM information. I've inserted the NVCAP before, specifically. What else can I do?

 

Going to try it and see what happens.

[Pikeman85]

How do I insert all these values when I will in fact be using GraphicsEnabler = Yes ?

[Gringo Vermelho]

What do you want to insert?

 

When passing flags to GraphicsEnabler, you use /Extra/com.apple.Boot.plist.

 

8600 GT NVCAP values from a post by eskurza on the uphuck forums - I take no responsibility for the correctness of these numbers:

 

NVCAP_xxxx=04000000000000100600000700000000

 

NVCAP_xxxx=04000000000000200600000700000000

 

Where xxxx is your video card's device ID.

 

VBIOS=y (loads a custom video ROM dump)

 

When using VBIOS=y, your video ROM dump must be in /Extra and named nvidia.rom.

 

If you're using AsereBLN 1.1.9 you must instead set UseNvidiaROM=y and the rom dump must be in /extra, named 10de_xxxx.rom, where xxxx is your video card's device ID.

 

However, there is absolutely no reason or benefit to doing this unless you have patched the ROM, or if (for example) you're trying to use a ROM dump from a Mac version of the 8600 GT (if such a thing exists)

 

Also, GraphicsEnabler=y should detect and set the proper NVCAP automatically - you should not have to override it. Proof:

http://forge.voodooprojects.org/p/chameleo...o/nvidia.c#L848

 

Therefore my question still stands, what values do you want to insert?

 

If you're talking about inserting device IDs then you did not read the 'guide for all nvidia boards' properly.

Those needs to be inserted in the appropriate nvidia kernel extensions themselves, regardless of injection method.

But check if your 8600 GT's device ID is not already in there first. It probably is.

[Pikeman85]

What is Asere_BLN?

 

And it is the vanilla Chameleon bootloader 2, RC5. It's the one that is under the "Newly released" section, with an automatic install package.

[Gringo Vermelho]

AsereBLN was a boot loader based on Chameleon 2.0 RC4 that first introduced automatic memory detection and some other nice features. It is not in development anymore and its author has vanished from the OSx86 scene.

 

AsereBLN 1.1.9 has now been obsoleted by Chameleon 2.0 RC5, which has all the same features and much more.

 

btw, you could google these things instead of asking me.

 

I repeat: What do you want to insert?

[Pikeman85]

I don't know what I want to insert. I have an NVCAP, I was going to use Graphics Enabler = yes - I don't know what else would help me from there.

 

The NVCAP hasn't seemed to solve the problem - like everything you're mentioning for me to do, I've done and seen no benefits. I've reset my graphics drivers and right now I have vanilla driver install with no enablers, graphics strings, or anything and I am not sure what to do at this point - I am of the opinion that nothing will work and that I've tried everything.

[Gringo Vermelho]

I don't know what I want to insert. I have an NVCAP, I was going to use Graphics Enabler = yes

Have you set GraphicsEnabler=y in com.apple.Boot.plist then?

What does System Profiler/Graphics say after doing that?

What about System Profiler/USB? Do you see 'expansion slot' or built-in?

The NVCAP hasn't seemed to solve the problem

It is not meant to. You brought it up. Although it's possible, I don't think the NVCAP has anything to do with your issue. The NVCAP value informs the drivers of the order of display outputs on the video card. As I said earlier, you shouldn't have to override the default NVCAP when using GraphicsEnabler=y, it should autodetect the correct NVCAP.

 

Another thing - make sure your monitor is plugged in to the port that's closest to the motherboard. If that port is not a DVI port (you want to use DVI right? It's not clear from your previous posts what output you are using). If you cannot use the output that's closest to the motherboard, you might need to override the display order via NVCAP, depending on what injection method you're going to use. But don't override the NVCAP yet.

 

For now stick to setting GraphicsEnabler=y and tell me if hardware accelerated graphics is working.

 

Since neither you or I can pinpoint the issue that's causing this, I believe that the best possible approach is to rule out issues that you can work with. Such as making sure hardware accelerated graphics is working - which is what we are doing.

If you don't agree with this approach, please let me know, then wait for someone else to help you.

[Pikeman85]

Oh no, your approach seems perfectly logical and scientific. I'm 100% behind you on it.

 

Ok, so what I've done - cleared all injection methods, and I have empty com.apple.Boot.plist files in both extra as well as in library/preferences/systemconfiguration

 

I installed Snow Leopard graphics update 1.0 for 10.6.4

 

I currently have my screen at 800x600, with my DVI port plugged. I can switch this to the VGA - not sure which is closer to the motherboard. Do you mean physically closer, or closer in some manner with an IRQ (are video card ports assigned IRQ? I would imagine they are.)

 

I am about to test using Graphics Enabler = Yes in my com.apple.Boot.plist in my extras folder. If it's better to do the other one, let me know.

[Gringo Vermelho]

Your Hackintosh will not even boot if your com.apple.Boot.plist is empty!

Here's a default com.apple.Boot.plist as it ships with OS X. com.apple.Boot.plist.zip

Leave this alone in /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration, and make all your modifications to the one you keep in /Extra.

 

Yes, I mean the output that's physically closest to the motherboard. As far as OS X is concerned, that's the primary display output.

Each video output does not have an IRQ. The card itself has one.

 

*EDIT

 

Try removing AppleUpstreamUserClient.kext from S/L/E. Put it in a backup folder somewhere. Google the kext to learn why that's worth trying.

 

Try disabling "Spread Spectum" in your BIOS. Disable all hardware that you're not using (such as floppy drive, game/MIDI- serial- and parallel ports). Enable 32-bit data transfer for your hard drives.

 

Make sure your CPU BIOS settings are correct for your CPU. I'm looking at your motherboard manual right now and there's a ton of weird AMD-specific CPU settings in your BIOS that I am not familiar with. Refer to your CPU specs at AMD's website and your motherboard manual.

[Pikeman85]

When I said empty, I meant vanilla re com.apple.Boot.plist - sorry, I should be more exact here.

 

I tried putting

 

<key></key>

<string>GraphicsEnabler=yes</string>

 

which may be wrong - tested it, nothing. I suspect I put the key in wrong. usually when I test graphicsenabler, I let my distro install it automatically.

 

The output closest to the motherboard is the DVI slot.

 

I don't believe I have speed spectrum avaliable to me. I will turn off all settings that you specify as well as move that kext.

 

Thanks for all this help! Hopefully my struggle will help someone else in a similar situation sometime.

[Gringo Vermelho]

Yeah, that's wrong. This is what it should look like:

<key>GraphicsEnabler</key>
<string>y</string>

You should use the Property List Editor that comes with Apple Developer Tools (find it on your retail install DVD or google it), it's made just for editing plist files. Worst case scenario; using other editors can screw up the formatting of com.apple.Boot.plist, resulting in your settings not being read on bootup.

 

The Apple Property List Editor looks like this, as you can see it's really easy on the eyes:

 

According to your motherboard manual, you have the Spread Spectrum option. Usually this setting causes slow downs and in extreme cases even freezes and skipping. Google it to learn more.

 

Please verify that those weird CPU settings are correct, there is a lot of stuff in there. Do some googling on your motherboard, there must be lots of other users out there wondering what the hell all those settings are for.