Jump to content

Dell XPS 1340 mostly working with OSX 10.5.6,10.5.7


bcc9
 Share

514 posts in this topic

Recommended Posts

Ok, I tried voodoohda on this laptop. Like many others already reported, sound comes out but it's distorted. I tested this some more and found that the sound is playing back at a normal speed but much of the notes are being dropped. I then found that how much audio is being dropped depends upon how busy the system is! If for example I start a shell:

/bin/csh
a:
df
goto a

then suddenly I can hear the singing, etc. whereas I could here none of it when the system was idle...

 

So it looks like the problem is with mishandling of interrupts or something like that. Under linux, the HDA audio controller has its own IRQ. I wonder if voodohda is letting the HDA audio controller share an IRQ by accident.

 

@Bcc9, I think your distro is problematic. You tried sleep, but did you try reboot?

 

I didn't get a panic but I got a looping COUT on boot "waiting for device" (I assume for the TP). When I tried reverting back to my Trackpad plug-in build, the entire VoodooPS2Controller.kext still failed to load and no non-USB inputs were allowed; this led me to believe that another plug-in or plist was causing the "waiting for device" on boot.

I had no such problems. Yes reboot works fine for me. Maybe your kext cache didn't get fully rebuilt when you installed it, after setting up the ownership&permissions?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had no such problems. Yes reboot works fine for me. Maybe your kext cache didn't get fully rebuilt when you installed it, after setting up the ownership&permissions?

I did blow out the cache (/System/Library/Extensions.mkext) manually. Absolutely no offense when I say this but is there any chance we had an issue like with the audio driver where you may have uploaded the wrong/work-in-progress version of VoodooPS2Controller? Can you try replacing your VoodooPS2 with what you uploaded, and I will retry your uploaded distro again and ensure it wasn't a fluke on my part.

 

So it looks like the problem is with mishandling of interrupts or something like that. Under linux, the HDA audio controller has its own IRQ. I wonder if voodohda is letting the HDA audio controller share an IRQ by accident.

Pardon my ignorance, but I though IRQ was completely up to BIOS. Those old modem/sound related IRQ conflicts were a result of how you physically placed the modem and sound cards in the old PCI and ISA slots (IRQ errors/conflicts were a result of limits of the hardware and BIOS, not the driver). Judging from the performance improvement you received, it does sound like a multi-core affinity problem (which was the cause of mouse stuttering on some other dell models) or a CPU priority problem. Something like network QoS, where the CPU needs to allocate enough processor to audio processing so there are no breaks due to low processing priority.

 

Much like processor speed limits, memory (RAM) caps and HD size limits and our power-sate change reporting, IRQ's are handled buy the hardware BIOS (mobo chipset). I believe the current industry work around to the physical IRQ limit inherent to a x86 bit system was the popular inventin of the Soft-Modem. AKA a modem which used a virtual IRQ, which was essentially unlimited so no conflicts, but it was a burden on the CPU. If priority was not managed at the driver level properly or your CPU was under powered, you would get poor performance on such "off load" devices such as modem's and video capture devices.

 

Just my two cents (usually worth only a sixpence anyway.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I tried gambit's modified voodoops2controller.kext sleep/resume works by closing lid!

Shutdown has to be done manually by holding power button.

That's the audio driver buddy. Not my driver, you need the "Shutdown Fix v3" I posted on one of these pages as a work-around.

 

bcc9 won't make it a sticky on his first post :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok here is the ultra mini guide for the hard-mod of the cpu/gpu fan!

 

Ok, first of all sorry for not rotating the pics before but anyway:

 

First: you have your laptop upside down...:

post-120132-1246900692_thumb.jpg

 

Then you take out all the screws:

post-120132-1246900725_thumb.jpg

 

Then..well I was lazy to do it again, you have to take out all the heatsink, because there's no space to work with it in there...........but anyway you are aiming this mini plug:

post-120132-1246900742_thumb.jpg

 

When you take out all the heatsink, you jsut unplug the miniplug..and with a pen or something you will press the metal part in the side of the miniplug (blue wire) that will make it possible to take out the cable......After pressing that metal part, just get some nippers and pull the cable...

You should get something like this:

 

post-120132-1246900770_thumb.jpg

post-120132-1246900792_thumb.jpg

 

As you can (barely) see the blue cable is unplugged and in a side. With that the fan will be at fullspeed all the time and your laptop will be cooler.

 

If you need any other detailed explanation let me know!

 

Cheers

 

Nano

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I did blow out the cache (/System/Library/Extensions.mkext) manually. Absolutely no offense when I say this but is there any chance we had an issue like with the audio driver where you may have uploaded the wrong/work-in-progress version of VoodooPS2Controller? Can you try replacing your VoodooPS2 with what you uploaded, and I will retry your uploaded distro again and ensure it wasn't a fluke on my part.
I double checked and the .zip I posted unpacks just fine and is the same kext's as what is working just fine for me.

I suspect you're doing something wrong with installing the kext, like failing to rm -rf /System/Library/Caches

Pardon my ignorance, but I though IRQ was completely up to BIOS.
No its far more complicated than that, and there are several schemes for allocating interrupts between the hardware and the OS. Looks like the voodoo code is just letting the io library do the heavy lifting on that (but it is using a shared interrupt), but I don't see anything obviously wrong there.

 

bcc9 won't make it a sticky on his first post ;)
I thought this would go without saying, but apparently not.

I can't test & document every random idea that comes up here.

I would suggest that it's just as well to press the power off button as a workaround instead of installing that package.

I have never tried "Shutdown Fix v3" and I usually am just rebooting my laptop anyways, and would rather just focus on the root problem (the old 10.5.3 kext).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok here is the ultra mini guide for the hard-mod of the cpu/gpu fan!

Dell + NVidia = ;)

 

My favorite is still the m1330 :hysterical: :

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=268081

 

...I suspect you're doing something wrong with installing the kext, like failing to rm -rf /System/Library/Caches

That's required?

 

...I don't see anything obviously wrong there.

I am still in vote for a debug of the old HDA unload issue. Less fluff and nice audio.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's required?
Yes, just rm'ing /System/Library/Extensions.mkext does not cover all cases.

I am still in vote for a debug of the old HDA unload issue.
By all means. Please someone debug it and report back.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I {censored}ed my osx instalation lol..i think I dont have the "etc" folder...lol XD

/etc is symlinked to /private/etc, and you should have a lot of config files in there. /etc/rc.wakeup only exists if you install sleepwatcher with its startup package.

 

Has anyone besides gambit tried my patched voodoops2controller.kext? Assuming it works for others I should update my instructions.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Its weird. I can boot to osx normally but verbose wont even start loading LOL...And when I boot normally when i get to osx it freezes, it happened after playing with the Rc.wake thing and voodoo :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just curious..........I just tried your modified voodoops2controller bcc9 it works fine after sleep and everything, still some errors when using arrow keys. BUT.....I think my older post got ignored or something, I told you that there was an updated kext in voodoolabs forums.....It has that errors fixed, if you could just patch that kext with your modifications, then we would have a fully working kext!

 

http://forum.voodooprojects.org/index.php/topic,304.0.html <---Working kext

 

cheers!

 

Nano

Link to comment
Share on other sites

has anybody installed from retail leopard dvd and boot 132 disk....

 

i have tried generic, boot kabyl bamby and few others... but darwin bootloader gives the following error message 4 times

 

ebios read error Error 0×32. Block 1627264 Sectors 64

 

and just reboots... can neone help???

 

p.s. the bios is set to sata ahci also...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I install from Retail, but I use my other computer for the instalation, since its faster..but meh Any generic dvd should work, all kexts needed for basic funtions (hdd being this) are already in retail dvd, since its almost the same hardware as MBP

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I install from Retail, but I use my other computer for the instalation, since its faster..but meh Any generic dvd should work, all kexts needed for basic funtions (hdd being this) are already in retail dvd, since its almost the same hardware as MBP

 

yeah i know abt your method..... from the hackint0sh forum.

 

but like i said... i get an error related to ebios... i read somewhere that the dvd pack that came with my sisters macbook air are not considered retail.... you think thats true???

 

m downloading XxX distro as mentioned in this thread earlier....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What version of retail dvd are you using? What im pretty sure is that only 10.5.6 or .7 will work, since there's no nvidia chipset drivers in older instalation disks..

 

hmmmm... that explains quite a lot i think.. am using the setup disks that came with macbook air and they are of 10.5.5.... missed by .1....lol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I mean, Im not 100% sure about it, but the timings fit perfect..the new chipsets where released when 10.5.6 was released.. ;) ....maybe Im wrong! RAWR!

 

well i think you are spot on with the nvidia support in old retail dvds.... i used the generic boot 132 disk and the same retail dvd on my old desktop with p4 and intel motherboard... and no more EBIOS READ ERROR... however the install doenst even start.. it hangs on the first white screen with the apple logo....

 

well is there a way to install it on usb using some other comp and applying the updates.. and then using the disk utility during the boot of the XxX install disk (which is faulty lol.. a lot of bad luck) and transfer the image to my laptop harddrive???

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just curious..........I just tried your modified voodoops2controller bcc9 it works fine after sleep and everything, still some errors when using arrow keys. BUT.....I think my older post got ignored or something, I told you that there was an updated kext in voodoolabs forums.....It has that errors fixed, if you could just patch that kext with your modifications, then we would have a fully working kext!

 

http://forum.voodooprojects.org/index.php/topic,304.0.html <---Working kext

 

cheers!

 

Nano

Often I don't understand you, and when your posts additionally are neither asking me a question, nor providing details or references, it seems best to just ignore :D

 

I just tried the newer voodoops2controller you referenced in your followup, and yes it does fix the scan code errors, but the keyboard doesn't come back after resume from suspend. 1 step forward, 2 steps back it seems...

 

So I still prefer&recommend the VoodooPS2Controller bundle I made right now.

Update: I was testing wrong (problems with my kext cache). Here's a new kext with my trackpad change bundled in with the 0.98_updated_20090511 version.

Oh I also again turned off the "Swap command and option" option in VoodooPS2Keyboard.kext.

 

VoodooPS2Controller.20090511.trackpad.zip

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Again, you just need a generic boot 132 disk, BUT you will need a 10.5.6 retail disk, im not 100% sure of what im saying but, just talking about chipsets and everything, Nvidia MCP79 support afaik is only from 10.5.6 and on....so using a 10.5.0 retail disk wont work.

 

The other thing you could do, it sgetting the sata kexts for nvidia mcp79 chipset and putting them into the boot132 disk, that may work just fine also!

 

Cheers! pmcnano

 

edit: faaak, I just ordered a 9cell battery because i have some relatives comming to mexico (from Washington) ..and I paid for the 2 day shipping........because their flight is on thurday and it says that the delivery date is 17/7/09! WTF?!?!?! meh...................Ill think this will be expensive lol..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

any tutorial for making a boot132 cd specifically designed for Dell 1340? I was trying to do retail install on my rig.

Thank you for posting a working boot132 iso for XPS 13''.

 

well i think pmcnano is right... i could not get 10.5.5 retail installed on mine and its definately the MCP79 problem cuz as soon as the setup tries to send data to the internal display (obviously trying the mother board to work) the system reboots... am trying to get it installed on a usb disk from another comp and then updating it to 10.5.7 and then imaging the disk to my laptop drive... will let you know how it goes....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I could really use some help on the non-working components! Such as:
  • For SLI video, need someone who has the 9500m to try and work on a 2nd graphics EFI string for the 9200m part. I think the right devicepath for the 9200m is:
    PciRoot(0x1)/Pci(0x0c,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0), but I don't have a 9500m to play with this.

 

okay i am trying to work on the 9200m gs.... but you see i am a total noob(i have logged into leopard barely twice yet..) but i catch on to things very fast...

 

so i found this guide on aquamac boards abt getting efi strings for the nvidia cards..... but there are 2 guides... for single cards and for dual cards... and since the dual cards is the one i think i should go with....

 

but it says to put the gpus in one by one to get the root device id with the command ./gfxutil -f display....

and the guide says that this doesnot work on motherboards with nvidia chipsets....

 

so my questions are

1) is there a way to get only one gpu working at one time???

2) will this thing not work with our chipset... cuz its in the the real macbooks already... so shouldnt be concerned right??

3) should i use this dual gpu method or i should use your efi string for 9400m and then follow the guide for the single gpu???

 

ne suggestions will be greatly appreciated..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...