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InsanelyMac Forum > OSx86 Project > Tutorials (The Genius Bar)
macgirl
Sometimes the boot process is awfully slow, so I made this file:Extensions.mkext with the following steps to avoid the slow and boring wait.

You only need to install this file in your DVD Image and burn it.

Intel:
http://www.mediafire.com/?b1dtwhvjiqz
AMD:
http://www.mediafire.com/?c0ew012fbxh

here is how:
Erase the Extensions folder of your DVD Image, copy this file to System/Library and burn to a DVD.
You will boot faster, less wait than the "retail" patched DVDs

Here is how I created it:

I mounted my BrazilMAC patched image of Leopard with readwrite ability, you can do that if you rename the ISO image to .cdr suffix

then I copied the contents of the Extensions folder to my Destop.
cp -R /Volumes/Mac\ OS\ X\ Install\ Disc\ x86/System/Library/Extensions Desktop/Extensions

or by opening the containing folder and dragged it to the Desktop
open /Volumes/Mac\ OS\ X\ Install\ Disc\ x86/System/Library/

then I make the cache with this on Terminal:
sudo kextcache -a i386 -k -z -m Desktop/Extensions.mkext Desktop/Extensions

I erased the Extensions folder from the mounted Image with the Finder or with this command on Terminal:
rm -fr /Volumes/Mac\ OS\ X\ Install\ Disc\ x86/System/Library/Extensions

then I copied the Extensions.mkext to the System/Library folder of the mounted image with Finder or wtih this command on Terminal:
cp Desktop/Extensions.mkext /Volumes/Mac\ OS\ X\ Install\ Disc\ x86/System/Library/

then I repaired the owner and group:
sudo chown root:wheel /Volumes/Mac\ OS\ X\ Install\ Disc\ x86/System/Library/Extensions.mkext

umount the image, burned it and tested it.

Other advantages is that you have a faster boot DVD in case of emergencies or if you need to a handy Disk Utility or Terminal Apps.

I am planning to do an AMD version for Prawker's method DVD and also test this one with TOH version of Intel and if the AMD version works with the ToH AMD

This could work with other patched DVDs (for Intel of course), also you can do your own Extensions.mkext, but try it with DVD RW media or you could end with a lot of coasters tongue.gif


NOTE:
I prefer to answer in this thread than by PM, if you have a question please post it here.


Edit:
I tested with BrazilMAC and ToH DVDs on my Dell XPS M1330.

Edit2:
AMD version. tested with Prawker's method and ToH with AMD ppf V2
silv3r4sh
thanks heaps for sharing, macgirl!
am trying it out now on my m1330 smile.gif

if i dont post any troubles here in a couple of days, that'll mean it worked a treat!
graffic
Works like a charm!

Using dumped DVD image on USB drive on a Dell Precision 390.

macgirl
QUOTE(graffic @ Dec 9 2007, 09:50 AM) *
Works like a charm!

Using dumped DVD image on USB drive on a Dell Precision 390.


Could you share how you made the dump.

Yesterday I tried some method but the USB drive does not appear as an option to boot, I manage to boot of it with rd=/dev/disk1s1 at my HD's Darwin bootloader but it hangs at some point, maybe I try with other Image that the ToH one.
graffic
Well, I'll write this in a loooonger post but the basics are:

1. I took a portable hard drive and I created the partitions with another leopard: 2 partitions: 10GB HFS+ and the rest FAt32 (for other uses).
2. I dumped the original DVD in the 10GB HFS partition.
3. I checked with a Macbook pro that the dump was working (Original macs boot the dump without adding anything else).
4. Installed pc efi on the portable hard drive.
4.1. Install the boot_v8
4.2. Install the boot1h
4.3. Install the boot0h
5. Test to boot. It booted but it was able to load only the GUI and then I got a spinning pizza wheel.
6. Added dsmos and AppleSMBIOS. Removed AppleEFIRuntime, AppleIntelCPUPowerManager and AppleHWSensor.
7. Do your trick and put in the HD only the new Extensions.mkext.
8. Boot again and I was able to install smile.gif
9. At the end I got a problem because the install program wasn't able to set up the partition to boot. But I restarted the installer and patched again my new installation. and It worked.

That's all (in a few words).
macgirl
Thanks, sounds great, I'm planning to do on a USB memory for emergencies or testings.
silv3r4sh
hi macgirl,

this is what i did:
1) used brazilmac patch script on the retail leopard install dvd iso file
2) at the prompt where it suggests i do a ctrl+z to suspend the job, i do so
3) then i carry out your procedure to remove extensions folder, moved extensions.mkext, repaired permissions, etc
4) resume the suspended job

when i use the resultant dvd, as u said, it took a much shorter time to finish loading, but within the installation environment i found i was unable to get my fat32 usb drive mounted - so i was unable to run brazilmac's postpatch script (i also couldn't see my ntfs partitions in disk utility or within the 'volumes' folder in terminal)

i tried including the postpatch script with all necessary files into the dvd (before resuming the suspended job) so i cud run it off the dvd - but for some unknown reason, the script was unable to find mach_kernel even though the correct path was supplied angry.gif

my crap workaround is this:
install leopard using the brazilmac dvd with your modification (which i labelled 'fast leopard')
but afterwards i boot using the original brazilmac patched dvd (which i labelled 'slow leopard') so i can run brazilmac's postpatch script from my usb drive

laugh.gif
SticMAC™
This is the third time htis has happened!!!

i did the patch, made a new DVD in Disk utility and rebooted, I only get F1 to continue or F2 for setup

My first Brazil DVD and TOH DVD I did cut also did this, then I did something and I can't remember what, recut and got it booting!? Help?

My "Format & Make harddrive Bootable" DVD cut just fine! ANY IDEAS WHY?


Sticman

macgirl
QUOTE(silv3r4sh @ Dec 11 2007, 03:23 AM) *
hi macgirl,this is what i did:1) used brazilmac patch script on the retail leopard install dvd iso file2) at the prompt where it suggests i do a ctrl+z to suspend the job, i do so3) then i carry out your procedure to remove extensions folder, moved extensions.mkext, repaired permissions, etc4) resume the suspended jobwhen i use the resultant dvd, as u said, it took a much shorter time to finish loading, but within the installation environment i found i was unable to get my fat32 usb drive mounted - so i was unable to run brazilmac's postpatch script (i also couldn't see my ntfs partitions in disk utility or within the 'volumes' folder in terminal)i tried including the postpatch script with all necessary files into the dvd (before resuming the suspended job) so i cud run it off the dvd - but for some unknown reason, the script was unable to find mach_kernel even though the correct path was supplied angry.gif my crap workaround is this:install leopard using the brazilmac dvd with your modification (which i labelled 'fast leopard')but afterwards i boot using the original brazilmac patched dvd (which i labelled 'slow leopard') so i can run brazilmac's postpatch script from my usb drive laugh.gif
I don't know why other filesystems can't be mounted, the apropiate kexts are in the extensions folder when I created the Extensions.mkext, since there are no Extensions Folder on the DVD they also can't be loaded manually sad.gif
I will investigate if there is a way to include other filesystems kexts on the Extensions.

QUOTE(Sticman @ Dec 11 2007, 03:48 AM) *
This is the third time htis has happened!!!i did the patch, made a new DVD in Disk utility and rebooted, I only get F1 to continue or F2 for setupMy first Brazil DVD and TOH DVD I did cut also did this, then I did something and I can't remember what, recut and got it booting!? Help?My "Format & Make harddrive Bootable" DVD cut just fine! ANY IDEAS WHY?Sticman
F1 and F2 are options of your BIOS not from the DVD. You need to set up your BIOS to boot from the CD/DVD. When the DVD is booting an option to press F8 will appear.
Wig72
Replaced extensions.mkext as described. Unmounted image and burned but now the image won't boot.
Any idea how to make the image bootable again ?
macgirl
I don't know why it lose boot

This is from the BrazilMAC patch:

bless -folder /mnt/System/Library/CoreServices -bootinfo /mnt/usr/standalone/i386/boot -label "$VOLNAME"

Mount your image and make the necessary changes, it could be like this:

bless -folder /Volumes/ToHLeoX86/System/Library/CoreServices -bootinfo /Volumes/ToHLeoX86/standalone/i386/boot -label "ToHLeoX86"
kinglevel
Could i use this syntax for injection of drivers?
I need to patch a DVD with a AppleVIAATA.kext driver.
macgirl
Of course you can add any kext to the Extensions folder, so you can burn with Extensions folder or with Extensions.mkext cache file
Dense
You can reduce approximately 1.5 minutes off the DVD boot time by creating a kext repository cache. Basically, the mkext (mkext cache) is used up until you see jettisoning kernel linker line, at that point kextd has taken over and loads the kext repository cache to help it work out what other kext it needs to load. If the repository cache is missing, it has to scan every Info.plist and as you can guess, from a DVD that is a lot of seeking.

The information on how to do this is in man kextcache. Note, I am uncertain if you can create a kext repository cache for 10.5 using the 10.4 tool (they are stored in different places with different names).

There are other methods to decrease boot time as well that I have experimented with. Preheating is a system that earlier OS X versions supported but from my own tests i've found that while it saved 2 minutes in the boot time, it took 2 minutes to actually preheat!

There are other possibilities but they are mostly experimental at this time. I do think with a bit of creativity it could be possible to boot the entire DVD in 1-2 minutes though at the expense of a high memory consumption.
antaholics
Hi,

I am trying out this method for booting... but when I get to "kextcache -a i386 -k -z -m Desktop/Extensions.mkext Desktop/Extensions"

it creates "Extensions.kextcache" on my desktop instead of "Extensions.mkext". Any idea why?

Thanks,
Ant
macgirl
Is the Tiger way, Tiger uses two kextcaches, Extensions.mkext and Extensions.kextcache, you can read the manual of kextcache command by simply typing "man kextcache" on Terminal.
antaholics
according to the manual "-m mkext_filename" creates a mkext file, but it still does not. I only get Extensions.kextcache, which doesn't help sad.gif

am I supposed to type something different in Tiger than Leopard? if so, what is it?

Thanks,
Ant
macgirl
The guide that I followed to create this guide was used in Tiger so I don't know why isn't working with you, check the post if I missed something:
http://forum.insanelymac.com/index.php?sho...mp;#entry222574

antaholics
still no luck... it creates a Extensions.kextcache sad.gif

Ant
macgirl
Let me try with my Tiger installation on VMware, I'll post my findings.
Dense
You cannot mix -k and -m.

-k is kext repository cache
-m is mkext cache

Basically, mkext cache is used from the bootloader to help the kernel load files quicker.
kext repository cache is used by kextd to help it know which kexts to load.

The changeover happens when you see jettisoning kernel linker. Thats when kextd kicks in and uses the other cache file.
macgirl
So Leopard could use Extensions.kextcache also?
antaholics
I got around this by using another command I had been using to remake the system mkext file in Tiger... but it was troublesome because I had to rename my old Extensions folder, move the Leopard one in, make mkext, and restore everything back in its own place

Anyhow, the good news is I got this to work! biggrin.gif

Thanks a bunch for the help!
Dense
QUOTE(macgirl @ Jan 5 2008, 05:24 PM) *
So Leopard could use Extensions.kextcache also?


The 3 caches still exist in Leopard but they are named different things now.

/System/Library/Extensions.mkext - mkext cache
/System/Library/Extensions/Caches/com.apple.kext.info - kext repository cache
/System/Library/Caches/com.apple.kernelcaches/kernelcache - kernel cache

mkext cache and kext repository cache will have noticeable impacts over boot time of the DVD and minor speed boosts for the HD install. The kernel cache I can't see having much impact but it was pretty much added for the embedded devices (its a kernel with prelinked extensions) - used in Apple TV and iPod Touch and iPhone.
macaroo
This is for anyone wondering how to create the kext cache(i.e. on the +rw mounted install disc). Credits to the community!

kextcache -a i386 -m /Volumes/vol_name/System/Library/Extensions.mkext -v 1 /Volumes/vol_name/System/Library/Extensions/
macgirl
thanks macaroo
Dense
For those that might be interested if you build the kextcache with -s -l -n (safe mode, local and network kexts) you can wipe the Extensions directory and gain 40 seconds or so in boot time:

kextcache -a i386 -l -n -s -m Extensions.mkext Extensions

With some other tricks its actually possible to get the DVD to boot in just over 2 mins.
macgirl
is possible to not include network kexts, and make it even faster?

Anyway, when isntalling is almost no necessary the network, well only if you are doing "remote installation" I presume.
Dense
You need networking because for some bizarre reason Apple flagged the ramdisk driver as a network kext and its required for the DVD to boot.
macgirl
oh ohmy.gif thanks biggrin.gif
shiv
QUOTE(macgirl @ Dec 9 2007, 03:01 AM) *
Sometimes the boot process is awfully slow, so I made this file:Extensions.mkext with the following steps to avoid the slow and boring wait.You only need to install this file in your DVD Image and burn it.Intel:http://www.mediafire.com/?b1dtwhvjiqzAMD:http://www.mediafire.com/?c0ew012fbxhhere is how:Erase the Extensions folder of your DVD Image, copy this file to System/Library and burn to a DVD.You will boot faster, less wait than the "retail" patched DVDsHere is how I created it:I mounted my BrazilMAC patched image of Leopard with readwrite ability, you can do that if you rename the ISO image to .cdr suffixthen I copied the contents of the Extensions folder to my Destop.cp -R /Volumes/Mac\ OS\ X\ Install\ Disc\ x86/System/Library/Extensions Desktop/Extensionsor by opening the containing folder and dragged it to the Desktopopen /Volumes/Mac\ OS\ X\ Install\ Disc\ x86/System/Library/then I make the cache with this on Terminal:sudo kextcache -a i386 -k -z -m Desktop/Extensions.mkext Desktop/ExtensionsI erased the Extensions folder from the mounted Image with the Finder or with this command on Terminal:rm -fr /Volumes/Mac\ OS\ X\ Install\ Disc\ x86/System/Library/Extensionsthen I copied the Extensions.mkext to the System/Library folder of the mounted image with Finder or wtih this command on Terminal:cp Desktop/Extensions.mkext /Volumes/Mac\ OS\ X\ Install\ Disc\ x86/System/Library/then I repaired the owner and group:sudo chown root:wheel /Volumes/Mac\ OS\ X\ Install\ Disc\ x86/System/Library/Extensions.mkextumount the image, burned it and tested it.Other advantages is that you have a faster boot DVD in case of emergencies or if you need to a handy Disk Utility or Terminal Apps.I am planning to do an AMD version for Prawker's method DVD and also test this one with TOH version of Intel and if the AMD version works with the ToH AMD This could work with other patched DVDs (for Intel of course), also you can do your own Extensions.mkext, but try it with DVD RW media or you could end with a lot of coasters tongue.gifNOTE:I prefer to answer in this thread than by PM, if you have a question please post it here.Edit:I tested with BrazilMAC and ToH DVDs on my Dell XPS M1330.Edit2:AMD version. tested with Prawker's method and ToH with AMD ppf V2
hey can u please help me in getting that blue screen right after installing leopard......please reply.... iam having a compaqc755tu laptop with GMA X3100 ,GM965 chipset please help me....
meansizzler
off topic but i have a kalway 10.5.1 install disc how do I add the 8800GT kexts and nvinjeckt 0.2.1 to it as well as the graphics update?, as they are all needed to otherwise when osx boots with the 8800gt I just get an error, tired of hot swapping with a 7600gt and installing nvinject/kexts/graphics update every time, my system is very small and it take about 40 minutes to swap the cards...

also can you not just burn the osx86 disc to say a BD-R as it has a faster read speed of 20MB/s?, yes I have a blu ray drive so will that work?
amantheboy
wow posted on my bday gonna try this while makin my own distrubute
tazs_10
is there any wat to speed up the boot time of osx after it is installed?
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