[Guide & Boot CD] D-Series Latitude/w NVIDIA or GMA950 and Intel Dual Core Retail Installs

[Kurto2021]

I just ordered a SSD drive for this thing. Since sleep doesn't work I figured I would increase the boot up speeds.

 

I will get some times and video of the speed increase. I hope to have it by Wednesday

 

Here are my current times

 

Three shutdowns no apps loaded

14.8

14.5

14.4

 

Three boots

1:04.3

55.9

57.1

 

I am expecting to see about 30 seconds on my boot times....that should make no sleep acceptable.

For those of you scoring at home....

 

the SSD RULES!!!!

 

My boot times are now

 

33.2 seconds

30.8 seconds

31.4 seconds

 

My shutdown times are insane

4.1 seconds

3.3 seconds

3.2 seconds

[leppy700m]

For those of you scoring at home....

 

the SSD RULES!!!!

 

My boot times are now

 

33.2 seconds

30.8 seconds

31.4 seconds

 

My shutdown times are insane

4.1 seconds

3.3 seconds

3.2 seconds

That's pretty impressive. My dual monitor desktop doesn't wake from sleep and light up both monitors much faster than that - well, it's faster, but it's far from instant.

 

By the way, if any of you ever want to build a crazy good hack desktop for a reasonable price, I recommend the Gigabyte EP45-UD3P boards highly. Well proven, very stable and everything works as it should. Dual monitors is a breeze with 9800GT vid card installed, and you can run virtually any LGA775 socket CPU. That's pretty much anything from a $40.00 Celeron to a $350.00 Core 2 quad (which I would not recommend as a good value). The EP45-UD3L boards are an even cheaper little brother and should be just as good.

 

Let's see -

 

$25.99 - LITE-ON DVD Writer - Bulk - Black SATA Model iHAS224-06 LightScribe Support - OEM

$49.99 - Western Digital Caviar Blue WD3200AAKS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive

$49.99 - SPARKLE SFPX94GT1024U2 GeForce 9400 GT 1GB 128-bit DDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card

$39.99 - OCZ Gold 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Chan Mem Model OCZ2G8002GK

$79.99 - GIGABYTE GA-EP43-UD3L LGA 775 Intel P43 ATX Intel Motherboard

$67.99 - Intel Pentium E5300 Wolfdale 2.6GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Model BX80571E5300

 

Subtotal: $313.94

 

Add your pref of a budget case with PSU for about $50.00, buy a copy of SL and you've got a competent hack desktop for $400.00-ish. I stuck an old Q6600, 4gb ram, a 9800GT card in mine and it's been great. Your mileage/price may vary with the particular parts you pick, but Gigabyte's EP43-UD3x boards are really easy to work with. Off topic, I know, but I thought it worth mentioning.

[Kurto2021]

My GA41-e2sl runs flawlessly.....I did use my ga311 network card and my 8600 graphics card.

[l3osx]

Please ignore my post about full sleep working on my D620 with Intel graphics. It worked for 1 day, today no more. Not sure what happened. I'm going back to Windows 7

 

@Leppy: It worked with your DSDT. I know it's not supposed to work but it did, at least for 1 day.

[pgreg]

Hello,

I've been browsing half of the pages on this topic but I can't seem to find an answer for what's happening here while installing. Sorry in advance if the solution was in the last remaining half ;-)

I've got a D620 with GMA950 graphics. I've had a 10.5.8 working well for months, which is located on the 1st partition of the 1st (and only) hard drive.

Now I'd like to use my official OS X 10.6.0 (Update, but I read it's the same as Retail) DVD, and the CD made from D620SLV1.iso to re-format this partition and proceed to a clean install of Snow Leopard.

I manage to boot on Chameleon, detect the SL DVD, launch the install process, but while it is running (grey background and apple screen with animated cursor), far before the Disk Utility menu appears, I've got the following icon appearing :

Thanks Leppy and others if you can provide me with some help!

[leppy700m]

Hello,

I've been browsing half of the pages on this topic but I can't seem to find an answer for what's happening here while installing. Sorry in advance if the solution was in the last remaining half ;-)

I've got a D620 with GMA950 graphics. I've had a 10.5.8 working well for months, which is located on the 1st partition of the 1st (and only) hard drive.

Now I'd like to use my official OS X 10.6.0 (Update, but I read it's the same as Retail) DVD, and the CD made from D620SLV1.iso to re-format this partition and proceed to a clean install of Snow Leopard.

I manage to boot on Chameleon, detect the SL DVD, launch the install process, but while it is running (grey background and apple screen with animated cursor), far before the Disk Utility menu appears, I've got the following icon appearing :

Thanks Leppy and others if you can provide me with some help!

I'd try using disk utility in your 10.5.8 installation to make a disk image of the Snow DVD, then restoring it to a 8GB or greater USB flash drive. Then, with the flash drive installed, boot from the boot cd and see how that works. Many of these machine have DVD players that don't play well with the install DVD, even if they can read them fine from an installation.

[pgreg]

I'd try using disk utility in your 10.5.8 installation to make a disk image of the Snow DVD, then restoring it to a 8GB or greater USB flash drive. Then, with the flash drive installed, boot from the boot cd and see how that works. Many of these machine have DVD players that don't play well with the install DVD, even if they can read them fine from an installation.

I'll try that then. Will keep you posted. thanks for a super-fast answer!

[pgreg]

well it DID work flawlessly!!! Congrats and again, many thanks.

[leppy700m]

well it DID work flawlessly!!! Congrats and again, many thanks.

Glad to help. I need a FAQ, and that needs to be in it.

 

For those still stuck because they have no working OS X installation with disk utility, it's also possible to copy the install DVD to a flash drive from Linux using terminal and the dd command, but you have to know how to use dd because paths to input and output could vary an awful lot. Maybe a live CD would provide a method with a consistent command, but I doubt it because the optical drive is pretty busy with the live CD. Then there is dd for windows.

[SA22C]

I'd also like a Macbook Pro. Funny, because before I started playing with hacks, I had no interest in Apple hardware.

 

Once that OS X bug bites, it becomes very tempting to see how well it works when it's running on the intended hardware platform. The complete integration makes the already strong OS X unbeatable, IMHO.

 

I've only had the Macbook Pro a few days, but I'm already convinced that it's the computer for me. I just wish that Apple would ship a high-resolution display for the 13-inch models. After working with the Dell's excellent high-resolution screen, moving back to 1280x800 feels a bit constrained. I'm already getting used to it, but the extra pixels made a huge difference in productivty. I just wasn't willing to move up to the 15 for portability reasons.

[leppy700m]

Once that OS X bug bites, it becomes very tempting to see how well it works when it's running on the intended hardware platform. The complete integration makes the already strong OS X unbeatable, IMHO.

 

I've only had the Macbook Pro a few days, but I'm already convinced that it's the computer for me. I just wish that Apple would ship a high-resolution display for the 13-inch models. After working with the Dell's excellent high-resolution screen, moving back to 1280x800 feels a bit constrained. I'm already getting used to it, but the extra pixels made a huge difference in productivty. I just wasn't willing to move up to the 15 for portability reasons.

I don't blame you. The other thing I wish they'd do is add a real port replicator. If they did that, I'd be parting with cash faster than instantly. I've seen those after market vise port gizmos, and they're a joke. Aside from pixel counts, the Apple displays I've seen look far superior to the my Lattitude Ds, and I don't think it's just a grass is greener kinda thing. Every little subtlety working right, a lit keyboard and a display like that is very, very tempting. Regardless, the 13 inch Macbook Pro will be my next new laptop.

[Kurto2021]

I kind of disagree with you guys. I have had mac hardware for years. A couple G3's and a couple G4's....once they went intel I have used nothing but clones. I love the mac hardware, don't get me wrong, but when I can buy a laptop from ebay for 260 slap in an SSD for 140 and some more ram for 50 bucks I feel like I walk away much better. I have a sub $500 notebook that does everything I do faster than what the current $1000 system does. I have had to deal with the sleep issue so far but the 4 second shutdowns and 30 seconds to boot make it somewhat of a moot point (PS I hate people that say mute point)

[itry2hide]

While I'm no expert, I have used Macs for a long time - my first Mac was a Mac Plus...

From my perspective, there a very few manufacturers that pay as much attention to design, ingenuity, and overall customer experience as Apple. Thats why Apple consistently ranks at the top of overall customer satisfaction year over year.

 

Go to an Apple store, buy an iPhone, use a MacBook Pro, play with a Mac Pro. gaze into a 27" iMac- its a whole ecosystem that is hard to beat. Sometimes, I would prefer a less powerful Mac, over it's more powerful PC counterpart. But, I'm not rich, and I like to tinker.

 

There is some satisfaction using a Dell D630, running 10.6.2, to type in this response. I would prefer a 15" MacBook Pro with a backlit keyboard, but the Dell was free.

[calibre97]

While I'm no expert, I have used Macs for a long time - my first Mac was a Mac Plus...

From my perspective, there a very few manufacturers that pay as much attention to design, ingenuity, and overall customer experience as Apple. Thats why Apple consistently ranks at the top of overall customer satisfaction year over year.

 

Go to an Apple store, buy an iPhone, use a MacBook Pro, play with a Mac Pro. gaze into a 27" iMac- its a whole ecosystem that is hard to beat. Sometimes, I would prefer a less powerful Mac, over it's more powerful PC counterpart. But, I'm not rich, and I like to tinker.

 

There is some satisfaction using a Dell D630, running 10.6.2, to type in this response. I would prefer a 15" MacBook Pro with a backlit keyboard, but the Dell was free.

 

Do you have Intel graphics or the NVidia card? Mine's with NVidia at 1440x900. I have sleep now (thanks to Leppy's latest zip) but no sound until I get brave enough to try secc's kexts in /s/l/e. I'm kind of trying to remain pure, but if that's what it takes, I guess I'll bite the bullet. What is your experience so far with D630? What is your /Extra/Extensions list?

 

If you don't mind my asking.

[itry2hide]

D630 with Intel X3100. I have:

-All the Voodoo kexts (battery, power, controller, keyboard, mouse)

-I got sound using VoodooHDA. The internal mic works also.

-AppleBCMS751Ethernet,kext

-Fakesmc

Then there are 6 kexts in S/L/E

AppleIntelGMAX3100

..3100FB

..3100GA

,,3100GLD

..3100GLDriver.bundle

..3100VADriver.bundle

 

I used an installer specifically for the D630 X3100 (they have one for the nVidia also) that I found on another forum. InfiniteM__ Oh, I also installed VoodooPowerMini. This helps with power management. It doesn't enable C states, but P states seem to work. At least thats how I understand it. The processor can now cycle from 548 MHz(2.5X) up to 2.2 GHz (10X). Maybe this isn't p states. All I know is that my battery lasts around 2.5 hrs, more than double what is was before installing Powermini.kext.

 

I know this is a lot of extensions. The point is, it works, it's stable, and if I don't mess with anything, it keeps working through multiple reboots.

[leppy700m]

All I meant to say is that now I'd like to own a Mac - not spur a debate about which is best - Mac or Hack hardware. Let's all get back on topic before it gets ugly like I've seen in so many other threads elsewhere. And thanks for not sinking to that level we've all seen before.

[pgreg]

Okay so I've got my D620 Intel GMA Graphics-based 99% up and running (faster than my genuine Mac mini?!) under 10.6. With the original post-install pack, the only thing left to fix is Display sleep. When switching to the experimental DSDT, Display sleeps seems okay but audio doesn't work. I guess this is a normal thing? I don't wanna mess up with kexts on my own, so the best thing to do for now is wait for the next DSDT, is that right Leppy?

 

Oh and while we're at it, even though it's not the subject, I could easily make a fully functional SL/W7 dual boot using free program EasyBCD 1.7.2, using this guide : http://thegadgets.net/trickt-boy/tips-and-...dows-7-on-a-pc/

[leppy700m]

Okay so I've got my D620 Intel GMA Graphics-based 99% up and running (faster than my genuine Mac mini?!) under 10.6. With the original post-install pack, the only thing left to fix is Display sleep. When switching to the experimental DSDT, Display sleeps seems okay but audio doesn't work. I guess this is a normal thing? I don't wanna mess up with kexts on my own, so the best thing to do for now is wait for the next DSDT, is that right Leppy?

 

Oh and while we're at it, even though it's not the subject, I could easily make a fully functional SL/W7 dual boot using free program EasyBCD 1.7.2, using this guide : http://thegadgets.net/trickt-boy/tips-and-...dows-7-on-a-pc/

Well, people wanted to know where I was with my DSDT patching, so I just did a snapshot of each machine's DSDT config. I stripped out kexts that I thought might be adding noise to the process - I wanted to see if a lean config would provide working sleep/display sleep etc. Well, I am still not there, so the kexts are still missing. You're free to add back in the kexts required to get sound/ethernet working. For anyone actually using these, I strongly recommend making sure that you are at least running appleacpithermal and either voodoopowermini or voodoopower to keep temps down. Though I haven't had a report of it happening yet, these things can melt down if temps aren't in check. The D630 nvidia chip is particularly prone to meltdown - even on Windows. Anyone with a D630 should make sure they are running BIOS version 12 or beyond for this reason.

 

For the record: I've never put anything in /s/l/e with any script. To back out of any of my configurations it is as simple as deleting /Extra and installing something else entirely or rerunning my original post install. I'll always try to avoid adding to /s/l/e and will never script anything that adds anything there without first fully informing the user and getting consent if I can't find a way to avoid it to add function. Hack packages with fancy installers for retail installations that don't do the same irritate me regardless of how well they work. It's like "I've got some secret sauce here, and I'm not telling you what it is." If things don't work out for whatever reason, back out is a real PIA. I've been fiddling with software for an awfully long time, and the only time I don't have a back out plan is when I could care less if absolutely everything blows up unrecoverably. If a user chooses to update /s/l/e, then it should be a very deliberate choice, and that is absolutely fine.

 

Easy BCD isn't needed for dual or even triple booting. It's pretty easy to dual boot using just the Chameleon boot loader. With WIN7 it becomes only somewhat more involved to set up. That's not to say there is any problem with Easy BCD - I've just never found it necessary.

[pgreg]

You made things perfectly clear about the DSDT patch!

 

regarding dual boot, I'm not a Chameleon expert, but I'm glad to know that it's as easy to do with it. Having read older posts, I thought people were having hard times with hybrid MBR/GPT.

 

Anyway, thanks again for a brilliant topic. I for sure will keep an eye on it

[leppy700m]

You made things perfectly clear about the DSDT patch!

 

regarding dual boot, I'm not a Chameleon expert, but I'm glad to know that it's as easy to do with it. Having read older posts, I thought people were having hard times with hybrid MBR/GPT.

 

Anyway, thanks again for a brilliant topic. I for sure will keep an eye on it

They most likely are having hard times with hybrid partition tables - I have no clue how a hybrid partition table is supposed to work at all - it should only be one type regardless of the various partition types it contains. That's why I use GUID partition tables and reformat partitions created with the OS X disk utility to install other operating systems. After WIN7 installation, I have to reinstall Chameleon, which then breaks the WIN7 startup, but that's easy enough to fix with the WIN7 startup disk - boot the WIN7 recovery mode from the install DVD, first drop to the command line and set the WIN7 partition active, then use the recovery utility to repair the WIN7 startup, then once again run the WIN7 recovery command line to set the SL partition active and presto - Chameleon is dual booting SL and WIN7.

 

That said, there are literally hundreds of dual boot threads out there, and I don't claim to know the best way to do it - I just do what works for me. However I do like the idea of NOT using another boot loader, because I have this idea that it could possibly adversely impact what Chameleon does - or at least provide another unknown variable as I test.

 

Edit:

 

I think it's important to make the distinction between partition table type and partition type. GUID is a partition table type that supports all kinds of partitions, not a partition type. MBR is another partition table type. Having a hybrid partition table does not mean a partition table with multiple partition types, it means using more than one partitioning tool using different table types to create partitions. That hasn't worked for me, and I think it's a very bad practice.

[calibre97]

D630 with Intel X3100. I have:

-All the Voodoo kexts (battery, power, controller, keyboard, mouse)

-I got sound using VoodooHDA. The internal mic works also.

-AppleBCMS751Ethernet,kext

-Fakesmc

Then there are 6 kexts in S/L/E

AppleIntelGMAX3100

..3100FB

..3100GA

,,3100GLD

..3100GLDriver.bundle

..3100VADriver.bundle

 

I used an installer specifically for the D630 X3100 (they have one for the nVidia also) that I found on another forum. InfiniteM__ Oh, I also installed VoodooPowerMini. This helps with power management. It doesn't enable C states, but P states seem to work. At least thats how I understand it. The processor can now cycle from 548 MHz(2.5X) up to 2.2 GHz (10X). Maybe this isn't p states. All I know is that my battery lasts around 2.5 hrs, more than double what is was before installing Powermini.kext.

 

I know this is a lot of extensions. The point is, it works, it's stable, and if I don't mess with anything, it keeps working through multiple reboots.

 

Thanks for the info. From Leppy's base set:

AppleACPIIPS2Nub.kext

AppleACPIThermal.kext

fakesmc.kext

IOATAFamily.kext

OSvKernDSPLib.kext

PlatformUUID.kext (just don't forget to replace the UUID string with your own!)

VoodooBattery.kext

VoodooPS2Controller.kext

VoodooTSCSync.kext

 

I've added the following:

IOAudioFamily.kext (does not work on its own and may be unnecessary with VoodooHDA.kext)

IOPCMCIAFamily.kext (so I can add a Firewire PC Card soon)

VoodooHDA.kext

VoodooPowerMini.kext

 

I did not have sound with just IOAudioFamily.kext, so I just added those other 3 and I'm back. I rebuilt /Extra/Extensions.mkext and restarted (Loooooove that that now works) and upon restart I have sound. Beautiful.

 

I have to agree with Leppy that keeping /s/l/e pure is the way to go. Keeping everything in /Extra means an easy way to try things and an easy way to back out if needed. I now have the basics with sleep (that awakens with a lifted lid if I use Apple menu/Sleep and then shut the lid for moving about), restart and sound. And the artifacts in menus from awakening are gone (!).

[calibre97]

[sNIP]

I now have the basics with sleep (that awakens with a lifted lid if I use Apple menu/Sleep and then shut the lid for moving about), restart and sound. And the artifacts in menus from awakening are gone (!).

 

Weeeeelllll, I *thought* I had sleep. I swear I tried it and it went to "pulsing power light" no fan nighty-night sleep, but now when I try the Apple menu > Sleep method, the fan stays on and it snaps back to life with a flick of the mouse. Pity. Maybe I don't need the mini kext?

[consolation]

Weeeeelllll, I *thought* I had sleep. I swear I tried it and it went to "pulsing power light" no fan nighty-night sleep, but now when I try the Apple menu > Sleep method, the fan stays on and it snaps back to life with a flick of the mouse. Pity. Maybe I don't need the mini kext?

 

you need to disable wake on USB in bios.

[calibre97]

you need to disable wake on USB in bios.

 

Already was. Always was. I've yanked the voodoo mini kext and am trying the straight voodoopower.kext.

Nope, still no sleep. I think it's the HDA kext that gives me sound. So I appear to be able to have sound but no sleep, or sleep but no sound.

[phoenix_iii]

Leppy. You rock. Do you take Paypal?