NEWEST, easiest, cleanest, installation method for 10.5.6

[Mammoth]

** This is a work in progress, your input very welcome. **

 

With all the releases, patches, helpers, kext files, ad nauseam, I began to wonder if there wasn’t a simpler (or should I say), more strait forward way to install OS X. So I “dared to try”!

 

Please note, every “method” available on the net and the entire OSx86 scene in general is VERY dependent upon available hardware / software intended for use; therefore, no guide, method, tutorial can truly be used with a “cookie-cutter” approach, meaning, to get an OS X installation fully working for YOU will require YOU to make some adjustments here and there to be successful, i.e., it’s almost impossible to provide a “just do this, this, and that, and you are guaranteed 100% success!”

 

With that said, you can see my hardware in my sig, and now, here we go:

 

Booted off my boot-132 (BOOT-KABYL-BUMBY version)

 

- Inserted my retail DL-DVD of OS X 10.5.6, and thusly booted from. Note: You can use 10.5.5 or 10.5.4 also.

 

- With one internal SATA hdd to use, I erased and made a single partition

 

- I installed OS X on my newly created partition

 

o In my case, I remembered to periodically move the mouse, tap keys to prevent the screen from going black and “never going back”. : )

 

- Once done, re-booted to the boot-132 CD, then chose “80” for new OS X install

 

- OS X booted fine, albeit “bare” with no other kext files or patches and with “ugly”, default video.

 

o In my case, my Intel NIC is recognized natively, so I can connect to my WHS to access all my OSx86 related files. I also have access to external USB drives I can use for the same purpose, so you can do this as well. You could download from another machine any files you need and put them on a USB drive, then plug the USB drive into your “bare” OS X installation to start customizing it. Very simple.

 

o NOTE: I AM “cheating” here, just a bit – I have a true Mac USB keyboard and mouse connected to the machine for use during the “bare” installation phase of OS X. I believe the image of the boot-132 CD could be augmented to contain the necessary kext files to allow the use of PS/2 keyboards and mice (track pads), and I would have researched and done this myself had I not the Mac K & M handy. If anyone would like to take this up and post it in this thread, I think you would be a hero to many.

 

- Next, I downloaded a copy of Universal OSx86 Installer, which you can find easily with a Google. This is what I chose to use for the basic need of installing PC EFI v9, and some other patches.

 

- After that, remove boot-132 CD, reboot, and now have a perfectly booting OS X 10.5.6 installation (at least in my case and with my hardware).

 

- Next, I want to start working on getting full, resolution and QE/CI working with GFX card. While you will find much talk about Injectors such as NVinject, TITAN, etc, the correct approach is to use EFI "strings" which are placed in the com.apple.Boot.plist file.

 

The first way you should try to accomplish this is with Universal OSx86 Installer. However in my case, the last time I tried, it did not work for me and my card, but you you SHOULD try this first.

 

Because of my difficulties, I am using some tools (which you should also have) to help me with this, such as PlistEdit Pro, EFI Studio, and gfxutil, primarily. You can find these by searching the net for them.

 

This is the string I am currently using for my 7600 Go 512MB VRAM. It gives full resolution, but not QE/CI, at least not for me. I have the id set for 0398, IOProbe at 0, mem 512 (of course) and my custom NVCAP:

 

920400000100000001000000860400001a00000002010c00d041030a000000000101060000010101

60000007fff04000e0000004e00560050004d0000002000000001000000000000000000000000000

0000000000000000000000000024000000400030002c00630061006e002d0068006f0074002d0070

06c007500670000000400000024000000400030002c005600520041004d002c006d0065006d00730

69007a00650000000c00000000000010000000201c0000006400650076006900630065005f007400

900700065000000100000004e5644412c4765466f7263651c000000400031002c006200750069006

0074002d0069006e0000000400000022000000400031002c006400650076006900630065005f0074

079007000650000000b000000646973706c617920000000400031002c0063006f006d00700061007

00690062006c00650000000e0000004e5644412c4e564d616314000000400030002c006e0061006d

065000000120000004e5644412c446973706c61792d4114000000400031002c006e0061006d00650

0000120000004e5644412c446973706c61792d4220000000400030002c0063006f006d0070006100

400690062006c00650000000e0000004e5644412c4e564d61631e00000072006f006d002d0072006

0076006900730069006f006e0000000b000000333032322d474f100000004e005600430041005000

00018000000040100010e0001000e0000000000010b0100000024000000400031002c00560052004

004d002c006d0065006d00730069007a00650000000c000000000000100000002036000000410041

050004c002c006100750078002d0070006f007700650072002d0063006f006e006e0065006300740

6500640000000800000001000000220000005600520041004d002c0074006f00740061006c007300

9007a006500000008000000000000200e0000006e0061006d00650000000f0000004e5644412c506

72656e74240000004100410050004c00300030002c0069006e007600650072007400650072000000

800000000000000220000004100410050004c002c0067007200610079002d0070006100670065000

000800000001000000320000004100410050004c002c006200610063006b006c0069006700680074

02d0063006f006e00740072006f006c0000000800000001000000420000004100410050004c00300

30002c0062006c00610063006b00730063007200650065006e002d00700072006500660065007200

5006e006300650073000000080000000000000822000000400030002c00640065007600690063006

005f00740079007000650000000b000000646973706c6179160000006200750069006c0074002d00

9006e0000000500000000100000006d006f00640065006c0000001e0000004e56494449412047654

6f726365203736303020474f204546491c000000400030002c006200750069006c0074002d006900

e000000040000001200000049004f004e0061006d00650000000b000000646973706c61792400000

400031002c00630061006e002d0068006f0074002d0070006c0075006700000004000000

 

Please, if you have one that works for you with full QE/CI, I would really like to try it on my machine.

 

 

 

Now I am looking for others for input to continue adding to this straight forward method of installation. Here is what is needed, and as others provide this information; I will update the guide until it is a complete solution.

 

 

 

 

 

WHAT WE NEED INPUT ON NOW:

 

- Using this method, what are the basic / core kext and patches that would be common to most (realizing that different hardware will require different solutions). So here, we are looking for THE MOST COMMON TO ALL.

 

- Next, let’s start breaking out additional needs based on sub categories: AMD vs. Intel, chipset vs. chipset, laptop vs. motherboard vs. motherboard (etc.), video cards, networking… you get it.

 

 

What can you add to this project?

 

NOTE: When the new Chameleon (post v12) is released, HOPEFULLY it will be able to completely replace even this strait forward guide, but we don’t want to wait now do we?

 

 

MY TIPS FROM THE OSx86 BATTLEFIELD:

 

- You're using EFI strings (or trying to) for your GFX. On reboot you have a dreaded all white (or maybe all black) screen. What do you do?

 

Reboot the machine, press F8 upon startup, use single user mode (-s) to boot

 

cd to /library/preferences/systemconfiguration/

 

nano com.apple.boot.plist

 

In nano, go to the first character of your GFX string, hit enter once to move the entire line down one row.

 

Now, go up to the entry that was above the string "<string>" and change it by adding "<string></string>" no quotes of course.

 

Save the file, and you can now reboot into the OS X GUI

 

 

 

List of files discussed, with links for you to download:

 

BOOT-KABYL-BUMBY

 

Universal OSx86 Installer

 

PC EFI; Info & files

 

 

[Scottapotamas]

To use EFI strings, I use a program called UInstaller which I find is the best hackintosh first setup tool, which you select your video card and everything is done for you!!! I think I got this off of pcwiz's site??? It does all the norm stuff, kexts, EFI, auto drivers, mobo packages, boot.plist settings etc... Try it...

 

 

EDIT... Sorry... Missed that bit!

[tweak41]

- Next, I downloaded a copy of Universal OSx86 Installer, which you can find easily with a Google. This is what I chose to use for the basic need of installing PC EFI v9, and some other patches.

 

He did use UInstaller (UInstaller = Universal OSx86 Installer) from ~pcwiz. Why he didn't use it to do the gfx string patch is beyond me...

 

Dude you really made that whole graphics thing a lot more difficult than it needed to be.

[Mammoth]

He did use UInstaller (UInstaller = Universal OSx86 Installer) from ~pcwiz. Why he didn't use it to do the gfx string patch is beyond me...

 

Dude you really made that whole graphics thing a lot more difficult than it needed to be.

 

Hey guys, thanks for both of your inputs.

 

I tried to use UInstaller for GFX, but my card, 7600 Go 512MB VRAM, is not listed. Then I tried to do "custom", but the output did not work for me (I think it black screened on me).

 

I have read so much on so many forums that now I am totally confused as the info spans nearly 3 years. So I have no idea of which procedures are "dated" and should not be used, and which ones are current. For example -

 

IN THE CASE OF USING EFI STRINGS FOR GFX

 

- Are we still supposed to change/add device IDs to files such as NVDANras.kext and NVxxxxx40.kext and GeForce.kext? I have been. Also, in the Info.plist file I have been adding device ID, IOProbe 0, NVCAP, and mem size for 512MB.

 

- Do we need to remove any GFX related .kext files? Many posters said remove all Ge*.* and NV*.* files. This never made since to me, but many reported it working for them.

 

- Is it true that with the EFI string, I should NOT be using any injectors? At this point I have none installed.

 

- Since I am using a clean install of 10.5.6, are there other .kext updates or other files, that I have to mess with or add to my system in order to get QE/CI to work?

 

It has worked briefly, twice, where I had QE/CI, but that was with injectors.

 

I have been trying to get QE/CI to work for over three weeks now on this machine; no sleep and losing hair, literally.

 

Anyone who could help me figure this out and get it working would be a miracle worker in my book.

 

If you have a string and some steps for me to try, that would be amazing.

 

I know it can and will work, I just need someone to help me past my apparent ignorance. It IS my ultimate desire to learn how to do this on my own and become self sufficient and then be able to help others.

 

Thank you.

 

 

 

 

When I get home from work today, I will try UInstaller again using custom. Last time I tried it was NOT on this current installation. Perhaps it will work on a clean install.

 

Tried UInstaller with custom nVidia, 512MB RAM, cleared cache, reboot... white screened Mac! Damned.

 

 

Help!

[Scottapotamas]

What about EFI studio???

 

Any by the way, I tried your method... Works well, except I used Chameleon to boot instead of PCEFI v9... I think that they are almost the same thing... and you could include that lots of people's internal drives show up as external, icon etc... I still have to fix that...

 

Adding that and possibly drivers and stuff for your board, and similar models, like mine the EP45-UD3 as there is no definitive guide (that I can find) for our simmilar boards. I can give the stuff I used for my board if you want...