Snow Leopard on HP HDX18t

[sl_009]

Hi,

 

I'm a newbie and this is my first posting here.

I'm planning to buy HDX18t with the following specs:

 

Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)

Intel® Core2 Quad Processor Q9100 (2.26Ghz, 12MB 6MB L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB)

4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm) - For 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 130M

500GB 7200RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (250GB x 2) with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection

1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 130M - For DDR3 Memory

18.4" diagonal High Definition HP Ultra BrightView Infinity Display (1920x1080p)

Lightscribe Blu-Ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW Double Layer

Webcam + Fingerprint Reader with HP Imprint Finish (Fluid)

Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card with Bluetooth

Full Size Backlit Keyboard

8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery

 

I have couple of questions and would appreciate replies:

 

1. Is the quad core supported in SL and does it boot into 64 bit mode?

 

2. I read that GT 130M is supported. Not sure about SL. I stumbled on this URL and somebody claims GT 130M is working with full hardware accelerated CI/QE. Can somebody confirm please?

http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/lof...p/t169460.html

 

3. I want to replace the Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card with Bluetooth with Dell Wireless 370 w/ Bluetooth card. Will it match and work properly? How difficult is it to remove the Intel card from the HP HDX 18t chassis and put a Dell 370?

 

4. Will the backlit keyboard be supported in SL?

 

No info about what Audio card comes with HDX 18t and whether it works.

 

5. I also like to have the built in Mic and webcam works along with DVI output to a external monitor.

 

I'm no gamer and would be using this notebook for native DV/HD editing.

 

Appreciate replies.

 

Thanks.

[sl_009]

Hi,

 

I'm a newbie and this is my first posting here.

I'm planning to buy HDX18t with the following specs:

 

Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)

Intel® Core2 Quad Processor Q9100 (2.26Ghz, 12MB 6MB L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB)

4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm) - For 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 130M

500GB 7200RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (250GB x 2) with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection

1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 130M - For DDR3 Memory

18.4" diagonal High Definition HP Ultra BrightView Infinity Display (1920x1080p)

Lightscribe Blu-Ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW Double Layer

Webcam + Fingerprint Reader with HP Imprint Finish (Fluid)

Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card with Bluetooth

Full Size Backlit Keyboard

8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery

 

I have couple of questions and would appreciate replies:

 

1. Is the quad core supported in SL and does it boot into 64 bit mode?

 

2. I read that GT 130M is supported. Not sure about SL. I stumbled on this URL and somebody claims GT 130M is working with full hardware accelerated CI/QE. Can somebody confirm please?

http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/lof...p/t169460.html

 

3. I want to replace the Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card with Bluetooth with Dell Wireless 370 w/ Bluetooth card. Will it match and work properly? How difficult is it to remove the Intel card from the HP HDX 18t chassis and put a Dell 370?

 

4. Will the backlit keyboard be supported in SL?

 

No info about what Audio card comes with HDX 18t and whether it works.

 

5. I also like to have the built in Mic and webcam works along with DVI output to a external monitor.

 

I'm no gamer and would be using this notebook for native DV/HD editing.

 

Appreciate replies.

 

Thanks.

 

Anybody?

[bucsboy]

Hi,

 

I'm a newbie and this is my first posting here.

I'm planning to buy HDX18t with the following specs:

 

Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)

Intel® Core2 Quad Processor Q9100 (2.26Ghz, 12MB 6MB L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB)

4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm) - For 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 130M

500GB 7200RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (250GB x 2) with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection

1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 130M - For DDR3 Memory

18.4" diagonal High Definition HP Ultra BrightView Infinity Display (1920x1080p)

Lightscribe Blu-Ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW Double Layer

Webcam + Fingerprint Reader with HP Imprint Finish (Fluid)

Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card with Bluetooth

Full Size Backlit Keyboard

8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery

 

I have couple of questions and would appreciate replies:

 

1. Is the quad core supported in SL and does it boot into 64 bit mode?

 

2. I read that GT 130M is supported. Not sure about SL. I stumbled on this URL and somebody claims GT 130M is working with full hardware accelerated CI/QE. Can somebody confirm please?

http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/lof...p/t169460.html

 

3. I want to replace the Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card with Bluetooth with Dell Wireless 370 w/ Bluetooth card. Will it match and work properly? How difficult is it to remove the Intel card from the HP HDX 18t chassis and put a Dell 370?

 

4. Will the backlit keyboard be supported in SL?

 

No info about what Audio card comes with HDX 18t and whether it works.

 

5. I also like to have the built in Mic and webcam works along with DVI output to a external monitor.

 

I'm no gamer and would be using this notebook for native DV/HD editing.

 

Appreciate replies.

 

Thanks.

 

It's strange that you posted here, I was about to write up a guide for installing Snow on the HP HDX18t. I'll answer the questions that I can, and then give you a run down of what I have so far. Also, don't bump your own thread after only a day; there aren't all that many people who have this model, though there is a thread for this and the 16 in the Leo Install forum. This is also the first week SL has been out. I would say to go with Leo until most of the SL issues clear up. This is how to install on Leo: http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php...aded&start= PROTIP: You can't install SL as of yet without Leo. I got Retail to work, though iDeneb is supposedly much easier to use.

 

1. I don't have a quad core myself, I have a core 2 duo. However, even with that said, 64 bit mode does work, and by default it boots into 64bit mode. I believe quad cores work on SL, but I would research that individually if I were you.

 

2. I don't have the GT 130M, I have the 9600m GT. The 9600 does NOT work with EFI strings as it did in Leo, but it DOES work with the NvInject 64bit kext, and the NVInject 32bit kext. As far as I know, there is no "hybrid" NVInject kext as of yet.

 

3. I have not had experience with exchanging the internal wireless, though I hear it is difficult to do. The HP Whitelist is supposed to be pretty strict. Replacing the wireless card usually takes BIOS hacking, which is also dangerous. I use an external usb wireless card. Also keep in mind that most drivers don't work yet for 64 bit mode, so you will have to most likely run in 32bit mode (I have to do this for my wireless card).

 

4. The backlit keyboard is hardware controlled, so yes it works on any operating system. I also highly recommend getting it. The $50 is entirely worth it.

 

4 1/2. (Audio) The short answer, yes the audio works. Now the long answer. In Leo, there was a kext for the HDX18t that worked downright beautifully with HDAEnabler. Everything worked, from int and ext mic to line in, speakers and headphones. However, in SL this kext does not work so well. I have heard there is a 64bit HDAEnabler kext, though I have not found it yet. Also, the AppleHDA kext we used in Leo is not 64bit compatible.

 

However, there is hope. I have tried VoodooHDA 32/64 hybrid kext, and it does enable audio. Speakers and headphones work, ext mic, int mic and line in don't work. Also, the traditional volume controls don't work except for mute. I have also stumbled across a thread at Infinitemac that depicts how to make a AppleHDA kext for SL, but the process is a long one. When I have more time, I will do this and then post my findings in the HP HDX18t install thread I plan on making in the future for SL.

 

5. Like I said earlier, VoodooHDA really only makes ext speakers and headphones work. I am currently looking into a fix. The webcam itself works on first bootup, but after that does not. You can fix this by removing AppleHPET.kext from Extensions. The webcam works natively in both Leo and SL.

 

On video output. Two things to clear up. This laptop does not have DVI output, it has VGA. I have not tried output yet in SL (sound is a just a bit more important), but in Leo I believe that HDMI works but VGA does not. The thread gave mixed results, and I believe most of those results were negative.

 

Ok, as an owner I have a few tips to give you. First of all, check out this forum that is all about the HDX16/18. http://www.hphdx.netAlso, the thread on Notebook review is also quite useful: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=300221

 

About your specs:

 

Good choice on OS, you can always upgrade later.

You probably don't need the Quad core processor. There's a thread on hphdx.net that discusses the pros and cons. I encourage you to read it.

If you're going with the quad core processor, get yourself some more ram. With 64bit, you can go way past 3. Some people have had very good luck with the 8 gigs of ram.

It's good you are getting two drives; it makes the install process much easier.

I personally like the 9600m GT. It's a little more compatible, and it still supports 1080p resolution.

Lightscribe is pretty useless, but maybe you will use it.

For $25, the bluetooth dongle isn't worth it. Buy a cheapo one and save yourself the time and the hassle.

I would pick up either an extra battery. The battery life for a laptop this size is pretty damn good, but if you're watching a long movie on a plane (not that this really fits on planes), it will run out on you.

 

My personal experience with HP: Good, although some have had a really hard time. If you live in the US, it's easy, but outside the US they tend to give you a lot of {censored}, or so I've heard. Also, they run coupons toward the end of every month, trying to meet quotas. They offer a $250 dollar off or a 30% off depending on the month. For the 30% off, the more you spend the more you save. Check the hphdx forum for more info. There's also a free upgrade to Win7.

[sl_009]

Excellent. I have never had a detailed reply for my questions in other forums. Sorry to bump the posting within a single day as I'm seeing a 30% off coupon on deals2buy.com and it may end anytime soon and I wanted to hurry up. I wanted to wait for a positive reply before shelling out money on 18t.

 

Anyways, here are my questions again (kind of curious

 

1. I found an article that says SL has true support for Quad cores: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Snow-Leopar...res-90654.shtml

 

2. You mentioned that quad core may not be reqd. I was trying to be future proof and at the same time, I thought quad cores will be more efficient in doing native DV/HD editing. Correct me, if I'm wrong.

 

3. The reason why I wanted to go with 130M is because, HP is restricting me to go with DDR2 RAM when selecting 9600M GT. But, I wanted go with DDR3 RAM and the only choice is to go with 1GB 130M GPU. Do you think DDR3 is faster than DDR2 and also 9600M GT would be more than enough for DV/HD editing?

 

4. I'm also planning to go for BluRay writer. But, I read that the drive that comes with HDX 18t doesn't support BD-RE and double layer Blu Ray discs which is scary.

 

Btw, do you know of any other brand other than HP that gives me all this in a 16 inch screen size including Full HD and HDMI out?

 

Again, I appreciate your efforts and thanks for your detailed posting.

 

Thanks.

[bucsboy]

Excellent. I have never had a detailed reply for my questions in other forums. Sorry to bump the posting within a single day as I'm seeing a 30% off coupon on deals2buy.com and it may end anytime soon and I wanted to hurry up. I wanted to wait for a positive reply before shelling out money on 18t.

 

Anyways, here are my questions again (kind of curious

 

1. I found an article that says SL has true support for Quad cores: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Snow-Leopar...res-90654.shtml

 

2. You mentioned that quad core may not be reqd. I was trying to be future proof and at the same time, I thought quad cores will be more efficient in doing native DV/HD editing. Correct me, if I'm wrong.

 

3. The reason why I wanted to go with 130M is because, HP is restricting me to go with DDR2 RAM when selecting 9600M GT. But, I wanted go with DDR3 RAM and the only choice is to go with 1GB 130M GPU. Do you think DDR3 is faster than DDR2 and also 9600M GT would be more than enough for DV/HD editing?

 

4. I'm also planning to go for BluRay writer. But, I read that the drive that comes with HDX 18t doesn't support BD-RE and double layer Blu Ray discs which is scary.

 

Btw, do you know of any other brand other than HP that gives me all this in a 16 inch screen size including Full HD and HDMI out?

 

Again, I appreciate your efforts and thanks for your detailed posting.

 

Thanks.

 

About Quad Cores and DDR3 memory: I understand your need to future proof your laptop; I had a similar reaction when I first came across the 18t. There's a thread in the hphdx.net forum all about this topic. I highly recommend you direct any of your hardware questions there. It is a great wealth of information, and the admins are very nice.

 

However, with my somewhat limited knowledge on hardware that isn't mine, I'll try my best to answer my questions.

 

Excellent. I have never had a detailed reply for my questions in other forums. Sorry to bump the posting within a single day as I'm seeing a 30% off coupon on deals2buy.com and it may end anytime soon and I wanted to hurry up. I wanted to wait for a positive reply before shelling out money on 18t.

 

Anyways, here are my questions again (kind of curious

 

1. If the article says SL supports quad cores, then it does.

 

2. From what I remember, quad cores don't really help you much yet. Inevitably quad cores will be faster than core 2 duo's, it's just a matter of time. This is similar to 64bit support in SL. While it is not useful yet because we don't have 96gb of ram, in the future it will be. Hardware drivers will come in time.

 

3. The 9600m GT is a great GFX card. For gaming I would understand the upgrade to the 130, but if you're editing movies, I'm not sure how great of a gfx card you need. On the other hand, SL does now have support for using your gfx card as a CPU booster sort of thing (I'm not using the right terminology), but that might help you with rendering.

 

4. I don't have the writer, but I don't believe even the DVD writer works in Leo or SL. It will load CDs and DVDs, but it will not burn them. Also, Mac OS X in general does not yet have support for blu-ray, because macbooks don't have bluray drives.

 

In fact THERE IS a laptop, and it's the cousin of the 18t. It's the HP HDX16t! It comes at a smaller size, and still gives you that 1080p goodness (one of the major reasons why I bought this laptop!). However, I would definitely do a price "cross check" between the 16t and the 18t. Try to do the exact same settings between the two. I found that with almost the same settings, the 18t is a much better value. Try it and you'll see what I mean.

 

I'm a guy who likes good details, and I've also been trying to tell someone about my experiences with this laptop, and finally someone comes along with questions.

 

I'm sorry that I'm not directly linking you to anything, but it takes time and I have already read most of the information myself already.

[sl_009]

Hi,

 

Thanks for all the replies.

 

I wanted to start on the process of installing and configuring HDX 18t for installing SL. I know people here have put in lot of effort and time in discovering what works and what not. Instead of searching for each and every fix for each and every component that comes with HDX 18t, I would like anybody to just point to the threads that talk about the fix for the component for 18t.

 

Since, I'm a newbie to this whole thing, I believe somebody out there would honor my request.

 

Btw, bucsboy: you mentioned that you are going to create a guide for 18t with SL. Did you had a chance to upload it or if not, do you know of any guide that exists now on this forum or elsewhere for 18t or to identical specs?

 

Thanks.

 

sl_009

[khan_merrick]

Bump for a guide, I'm considering an 18t at the moment as well.

[knifeline]

I bought an HDX 18t with the idea of using for iPhone development. I was able to get Leopard on easily and figured I'd just swap out the intel card with a dell and have wifi. WRONG!

 

HP has a hardware whitelist in the BIOS and wont let you install any wifi card that's not made by HP. It has been an ongoing hassle. I have not found any wifi card from HP that will work with OSX so for now I'm stuck using a wired connection until project camphor gets around to supporting my card. I will NEVER buy HP again. I spend most of my time on this machine running linux so I can have wireless and only switch to Mac when I have to do iPhone work.

 

Pass on HP.

[adamsih300u]

Hi there,

 

I just got my HDX 18t last week (dual core 2.66 w/ 4 GB DDR2, GT 9600M, etc) and the first thing I did was put Leopard on it. Looking forward for someone taking the plunge on SL and documenting it, I'm pretty content with Leo for now though.

 

On the Wireless card front for these units, if you didn't get the TV tuner, you can place any mini PCIe wireless card in the secondary port. The problem is then using internal antennas, I've bought another set ($2 on ebay) and will be running them under the hard drives. OS X will support the Broadcom secondary, Linux will support the original Intel, and Win 7 should support both (since I'll be triple booting on two hard drives)

 

They are phenomenal machines, I'm in love with mine.

 

-Adam

[axle619]

This site has given me so much, so I wanted to return the favor and contribute a little bit. Snow Leopard running great on my HP HDX18t and I wanted to share some of my experiences.

 

I want to be VERY CLEAR ON THIS. Unless I say otherwise, none of the real work was mine. I merely spent many hours researching and am trying to make it easier for others with this amazing notebook. Also, I am just point you in the right direction. I cannot handhold and explain how to edit a plist or kext, etc. You need to do some of the legwork yourself. It's the only way you will learn.

 

Specs:

 

[brightView Infinity) Webcam+FingerprtRdr

18.4" HighDef UltraBrght Infinty 1920x1080p

4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)

Lightscribe BluRay ROM w/SprMltiDVD+/-R/RW

8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery

Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card (5100 :/)

HP Color Matching Keyboard (not the one with lights :/)

500GB 7200RPM SATA Dual Hard Drives (250GBx2)

No TV Tuner w/remote control

Intel®Core™2DuoPrcssrP8700(2.53GHz)

512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT

 

Not working:

-sleep (still trying)

-card reader (still trying - tried voodoo)

-fingerprint reader (I think it may be showing up in USB but no driver as of yet that I have found.

-wireless card (no driver for 5100 as of this date. using Linksys WUSB54GC with modified 64bit Ralink driver - I modified it myself --just edited the plist--, not hard and works great)

-sound works fine, but using voodoo and cannot raise/lower volume with keys - must use voodoo system propane

-Mac OS X does not have a bluray player (I dual boot to win7 for that. the HDMI out carries sound and video in Win7 so makes for a good BR Player for TV)

-HDMI out works great but only carries video (can use the analog audio out if needed)

 

Not Tested:

-VGA out

-eSATA or Firewire

 

Working: Everything else

 

INSTALLATION:

follow bucsboy's instructions above except where I suggest different methods. He had a great post and it was very helpful. Also, I used http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=182123 as a starting guide because I have that motherboard on my main PC and did that one first.

 

-follow the link above to insert your UUID into the three places it mentions. I am not sure this is necessary, but I did it, and it works great.

 

-Yes, you need to install from a leopard partion (or maybe boot boot 123) (I used a portable USB drive with Leo 10.5.4 on it. Someone made a Leo on USB Stick image that has a lot of fun utilities and seems to boot on most computers)

 

-You CAN use an MBR disk. Use the OSInstall patch I attached. Instructions are inside.

 

-You need to make your own dsdt.aml and patch it for proper USB functioning, HPET, and RTC. Don't bother deleting AppleHPET.kext as busboy suggests. I used an app called DSDTSE and it worked great and showed you how to do all the patching. USB won't work perfectly with out because after first boot, only one side of the USBs will work and you will lose the Webcam. Patching makes it work perfectly. Or you can use mine which I will attach.

 

-I used the SL Pro.dmg from the above link. All this is is the needed Extra folder stuff for Snow. Go ahead and use it. Just make sure to replace the dsdt.aml with mine or you modified one. I would also recommend using my attached fakesmc.kext as this will allow CPU temps in stats app. This is not my kext, I found it one this forum and I think it is in the sticky under 10.6 post installation. To get the right values for CPU temps, modify the info.plist in fakesmc.kext so that tjmax value is 105 instead of 100.Kext Utility is on this .dmg and I recommend having it handy and using it all the time when you make any changes.

 

-Don't bother with any graphic kexts. Just edit the com.apple.Boot.plist in the Extra folder. Add GraphicsEnabler with a value of "y". Full QE/CI support. (you can tell it is working if Spaces app is smooth and chess games works.)

 

-I recommend downloading the 10.6.2 combo update prior to installation. Snow Leo is unstable after fresh install of 10.6 so you may need to boot it in safe mode and apply the update.

 

-During install, i had some problems with the printer drivers. So I tried again and didn't install them (this is the customize install area - just select what is required)

 

-Install Chamelon 2 RC4 - I have attached the installer version. Otherwise research and you will find out how to install it.

 

-for some reason, in console I kept seeing something for sleepwatcher…so I installed that and it is gone now… I have attached it.

 

-Additional Kexts to put in the E/E folder

-voodooPS2controller (keyboard and mouse will not work without it - but work brilliantly with it (including 2 finger swiping)

-VooDooBatttery (for the meter in the menu - you may need to go into the power settings to have it display)

-Additional Kexts for S/L/E folder

-voodooHDA-0.2.52 (doesn't work in E/E folder for some reason

-if, for some reason you have the same USB wireless, the ralink kext goes in the S/L/E folder too. Then download the app RTUSB D71w-1.3.0.0_UI-2.0.0.0_2009_10_30 from ralink.

 

 

NOTES:

 

- Use the KextUtility every time you play around with the extensions folders.

- Everything is 64bit

- The only kexts that had to go in the S/L/E (as opposed to the E/E) folder were the one for my Ralink driver (to use my linksys USB Wireless) and the VoodooHDA. For some reason (beyond me) they were not working from the E/E folder.

- The system is VERY stable shuts down so fast I really don't miss sleep (though would be nice)

 

GOOD LUCK!!

dsdt.aml.zip

fakesmc.kext.zip

OSInstall_SLeo.zip

RT73USBWirelessDriver.kext.zip

sleepwatcher_2.0.5.zip

VoodooBattery.kext.zip

VoodooHDA.kext_2.52.zip

VoodooPS2.zip

Chameleon_2.0_RC4.zip

[lder]

HP HDX 18t Core2 Duo T9600 2.8GHz | 18.4" 1920x1080p GeForce 9600M GT - 512 MB | 4 GB RAM | 500 GB (2X 250GB) | Wireless-N | Blu-Ray +/-R/RW with SuperMulti | Windows 7 Ultimate

 

 

I installed version 10.6 then I installed kest axle619. After that, I upgraded it for 10.6.1. Everything (video, audio, pad) was fine. I also installed final cut studio 3. It was working well but when I installed 10.6.2 it stopped working and this message appears in the screen.

 

 

[manmal]

hi,

have you tried to remove SleepEnabler.kext from E/E folder ? You have to make a new fresh Extensions.mkext file after doing that and fix permissions. You can use pfix script (google helps you in that).

Mal

 

HP HDX 18t Core2 Duo T9600 2.8GHz | 18.4" 1920x1080p GeForce 9600M GT - 512 MB | 4 GB RAM | 500 GB (2X 250GB) | Wireless-N | Blu-Ray +/-R/RW with SuperMulti | Windows 7 Ultimate

 

 

I installed version 10.6 then I installed kest axle619. After that, I upgraded it for 10.6.1. Everything (video, audio, pad) was fine. I also installed final cut studio 3. It was working well but when I installed 10.6.2 it stopped working and this message appears in the screen.

 

 

[manmal]

Hi axle,

thanks for sharing your experience with hdx18. Yes, it's a really great laptop !

 

I have another couple questions :

 

1) have you tried bluetooth ? Does it work for you and (if yes) how did you make it working ?

2) my model has tv tuner and perhaps backlit keyboard. Is there a way for what you know to power it on or is it automatic when external lights go down ? is there any way to make its tv tuner to work under osx ?

3) do you launch (and use) snow in 32 bit or 64 bit mode ? Does it work ok in both modes (with graphics full accelerated and so on)?

4) when you will have news with sleep may you please let us know? Perhaps it needs more dsdt hacking to let it work properly...let us know if you find something new about that.

 

Thanks!

Mal

 

 

 

 

This site has given me so much, so I wanted to return the favor and contribute a little bit. Snow Leopard running great on my HP HDX18t and I wanted to share some of my experiences.

 

I want to be VERY CLEAR ON THIS. Unless I say otherwise, none of the real work was mine. I merely spent many hours researching and am trying to make it easier for others with this amazing notebook. Also, I am just point you in the right direction. I cannot handhold and explain how to edit a plist or kext, etc. You need to do some of the legwork yourself. It's the only way you will learn.

 

Specs:

 

[brightView Infinity) Webcam+FingerprtRdr

18.4" HighDef UltraBrght Infinty 1920x1080p

4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)

Lightscribe BluRay ROM w/SprMltiDVD+/-R/RW

8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery

Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card (5100 :/)

HP Color Matching Keyboard (not the one with lights :/)

500GB 7200RPM SATA Dual Hard Drives (250GBx2)

No TV Tuner w/remote control

Intel®Core™2DuoPrcssrP8700(2.53GHz)

512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT

 

Not working:

-sleep (still trying)

-card reader (still trying - tried voodoo)

-fingerprint reader (I think it may be showing up in USB but no driver as of yet that I have found.

-wireless card (no driver for 5100 as of this date. using Linksys WUSB54GC with modified 64bit Ralink driver - I modified it myself --just edited the plist--, not hard and works great)

-sound works fine, but using voodoo and cannot raise/lower volume with keys - must use voodoo system propane

-Mac OS X does not have a bluray player (I dual boot to win7 for that. the HDMI out carries sound and video in Win7 so makes for a good BR Player for TV)

-HDMI out works great but only carries video (can use the analog audio out if needed)

 

Not Tested:

-VGA out

-eSATA or Firewire

 

Working: Everything else

 

INSTALLATION:

follow bucsboy's instructions above except where I suggest different methods. He had a great post and it was very helpful. Also, I used http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=182123 as a starting guide because I have that motherboard on my main PC and did that one first.

 

-follow the link above to insert your UUID into the three places it mentions. I am not sure this is necessary, but I did it, and it works great.

 

-Yes, you need to install from a leopard partion (or maybe boot boot 123) (I used a portable USB drive with Leo 10.5.4 on it. Someone made a Leo on USB Stick image that has a lot of fun utilities and seems to boot on most computers)

 

-You CAN use an MBR disk. Use the OSInstall patch I attached. Instructions are inside.

 

-You need to make your own dsdt.aml and patch it for proper USB functioning, HPET, and RTC. Don't bother deleting AppleHPET.kext as busboy suggests. I used an app called DSDTSE and it worked great and showed you how to do all the patching. USB won't work perfectly with out because after first boot, only one side of the USBs will work and you will lose the Webcam. Patching makes it work perfectly. Or you can use mine which I will attach.

 

-I used the SL Pro.dmg from the above link. All this is is the needed Extra folder stuff for Snow. Go ahead and use it. Just make sure to replace the dsdt.aml with mine or you modified one. I would also recommend using my attached fakesmc.kext as this will allow CPU temps in stats app. This is not my kext, I found it one this forum and I think it is in the sticky under 10.6 post installation. To get the right values for CPU temps, modify the info.plist in fakesmc.kext so that tjmax value is 105 instead of 100.Kext Utility is on this .dmg and I recommend having it handy and using it all the time when you make any changes.

 

-Don't bother with any graphic kexts. Just edit the com.apple.Boot.plist in the Extra folder. Add GraphicsEnabler with a value of "y". Full QE/CI support. (you can tell it is working if Spaces app is smooth and chess games works.)

 

-I recommend downloading the 10.6.2 combo update prior to installation. Snow Leo is unstable after fresh install of 10.6 so you may need to boot it in safe mode and apply the update.

 

-During install, i had some problems with the printer drivers. So I tried again and didn't install them (this is the customize install area - just select what is required)

 

-Install Chamelon 2 RC4 - I have attached the installer version. Otherwise research and you will find out how to install it.

 

-for some reason, in console I kept seeing something for sleepwatcher…so I installed that and it is gone now… I have attached it.

 

-Additional Kexts to put in the E/E folder

-voodooPS2controller (keyboard and mouse will not work without it - but work brilliantly with it (including 2 finger swiping)

-VooDooBatttery (for the meter in the menu - you may need to go into the power settings to have it display)

-Additional Kexts for S/L/E folder

-voodooHDA-0.2.52 (doesn't work in E/E folder for some reason

-if, for some reason you have the same USB wireless, the ralink kext goes in the S/L/E folder too. Then download the app RTUSB D71w-1.3.0.0_UI-2.0.0.0_2009_10_30 from ralink.

 

 

NOTES:

 

- Use the KextUtility every time you play around with the extensions folders.

- Everything is 64bit

- The only kexts that had to go in the S/L/E (as opposed to the E/E) folder were the one for my Ralink driver (to use my linksys USB Wireless) and the VoodooHDA. For some reason (beyond me) they were not working from the E/E folder.

- The system is VERY stable shuts down so fast I really don't miss sleep (though would be nice)

 

GOOD LUCK!!

[axle619]

Hi axle,

thanks for sharing your experience with hdx18. Yes, it's a really great laptop !

 

I have another couple questions :

 

1) have you tried bluetooth ? Does it work for you and (if yes) how did you make it working ?

2) my model has tv tuner and perhaps backlit keyboard. Is there a way for what you know to power it on or is it automatic when external lights go down ? is there any way to make its tv tuner to work under osx ?

3) do you launch (and use) snow in 32 bit or 64 bit mode ? Does it work ok in both modes (with graphics full accelerated and so on)?

4) when you will have news with sleep may you please let us know? Perhaps it needs more dsdt hacking to let it work properly...let us know if you find something new about that.

 

Thanks!

Mal

 

Sorry, I have been away.

 

Firstly, as to Lder (or Ider?). The kernel panic could be caused bu literally dozens of different things. As you haven't replied since someone mentioned dumping the sleep kext, I am hoping youy have figured out your solution.

 

As to Manmal...

1) i did not get the BT built in. Partly because I didn't think it would work. I use a tiny BT dongle that cost less than $10 and it works great.

2)I do not have a TV tuner, sorry. But I wouldn't get your hopes up on that. I do not have a backlit keyboard (wish I got that, i think) but my understanding is that has little to do with the operating system and should just turn on.

3)I run in 64bit with full acceleration. I have seen no need to boot into 32, but I have tested it, and it works.

4)Sleep is a big one for me too and will post when I figure that one out. My efforts go in spurts as sometimes I just like to enjoy my machines. The nice thing is this shuts down quick, so you barely miss sleep...but I still want it.

[manmal]

Hi axle619,

First of all, i wanted to thank you for your detailed reply, axle!

 

When you will find a solution for sleep please let me know.

 

I would like to try to enable native speedstep in it but it's a difficult task right now for me. As i can do it, i will send you details on how i did it. If you can do it before than me , please let me know how you did the steps to make it working!

 

I try to ask you some other problems i had and that i fixed:

 

1) I have internal bluetooth working now! i just have fixed HPET and USB through dsdt hacks you can find in dsdtse .

 

2) Another problem i have got right now is that it crashes when i plug in or out my power supply . I think it's caused by voodoobattery ... have you ever had such kind of prob ?

 

3) Another thing is that volume control does not work with voodoohda . Perhaps our next step is to patch applehda with the proper settings to make our sound system working 100% also with volume control and so on. As far as i know it has IDT intel high definition audio chipset but i don't know which codec it uses . Do you know something about it ?

 

Thanks axle!

It seems we are a few people having hdx18 lappy running snow... so it would be nice if we get in contact here to share our experiences.

 

Mal

[pepeducks]

Thank you for your posting

I have some question for Snow Leopard on HDX18T

 

1. How to edit dsdt for enable Bluetooth?

2. How about webcam and internal microphone? are they working?

 

Thank you sir.

pepe

 

Hi axle619,

First of all, i wanted to thank you for your detailed reply, axle!

 

When you will find a solution for sleep please let me know.

 

I would like to try to enable native speedstep in it but it's a difficult task right now for me. As i can do it, i will send you details on how i did it. If you can do it before than me , please let me know how you did the steps to make it working!

 

I try to ask you some other problems i had and that i fixed:

 

1) I have internal bluetooth working now! i just have fixed HPET and USB through dsdt hacks you can find in dsdtse .

 

2) Another problem i have got right now is that it crashes when i plug in or out my power supply . I think it's caused by voodoobattery ... have you ever had such kind of prob ?

 

3) Another thing is that volume control does not work with voodoohda . Perhaps our next step is to patch applehda with the proper settings to make our sound system working 100% also with volume control and so on. As far as i know it has IDT intel high definition audio chipset but i don't know which codec it uses . Do you know something about it ?

 

Thanks axle!

It seems we are a few people having hdx18 lappy running snow... so it would be nice if we get in contact here to share our experiences.

 

Mal

[valv]

thanx go to all of u for this topic

 

hdx18 I own is working flawlessly and everythink. but my request is:

have any one here managed to get vanilla speed-stepping working.

 

things not working:

-wifi intel 5100

-card reader

-fingerprint

 

everything else works, temperature of cpu between 31~48C depends on dsdt

[okiegerm]

I have Snow Leopard 10.6.2 running on my HDX18 for about two months now, and it runs great.

 

The only things I still have issues with is the sound level is not using the full spectrum of the volume bar - only the upper half, and when I boot up, I have to adjust the sound once to reset the volume level correctly.

 

I am using a GUID hybrid disk with a hidden EFI partition and my own dsdt file. Chameleon rc4 with several other OSs parallel.

 

In addition to all the things mentioned already as working in this thread, I can also confirm VGA out, HDMI out, firewire, eSata, DVD/CD burning, automatic CPU throttling and bluetooth all work just fine.

 

I didn't keep track of what driver I got from where, but I remember spending the most time getting the sound to work properly. i am still running in 32 bit mode because my express-card wireless adapter only has 32 bit drivers...

 

I was thinking of trying the whole thing again on a second partition and documenting it for everyone...when I have time. This post is just to encourage you all and let you know, except for the TV card, the wireless, and sleep (only screen sleeps no matter what I do) - everything works as it should. I use this laptop for DJing and VJing regularly, and it works better than any macbook pro

[valv]

(only screen sleeps no matter what I do)

For any one over here, getting the same problem, it's a matter of fixing your USB slots in a way you see no "Expansion Slot" but only "Built-in" ones when you look into [About This Mac>More info..> USB

 

here is what to do:

1) Extract your DSDT

2) Insert the product-ID of a mac into your usb device

3) Compile the DSDT and put on the E/Extra

4) Boot with arg DropSSDT=No (chameleon)

 

this was just a sort of guidance, if someone needs me to explain more u can ask.

 

Greetz

[manmal]

hi valv,

thanks for your reply.

Yes, i would need more information about what you mean with "product-ID of a mac into your usb device" and how to do it in detail (or where to read it).

Thanks

Mal

 

For any one over here, getting the same problem, it's a matter of fixing your USB slots in a way you see no "Expansion Slot" but only "Built-in" ones when you look into [About This Mac>More info..> USB

 

here is what to do:

1) Extract your DSDT

2) Insert the product-ID of a mac into your usb device

3) Compile the DSDT and put on the E/Extra

4) Boot with arg DropSSDT=No (chameleon)

 

this was just a sort of guidance, if someone needs me to explain more u can ask.

 

Greetz

[valv]

ok, first off do u know how u extract your dsdt file from linux?

[manmal]

hi valv,

thanks for your reply.

I can extract dsdt.aml through dsdtse software but i guess it's not the same and it lacks a lot of informations.

Unfortunately i am not able using linux a lot ... if you may give me some instructions and what i need to do it and how i would appreciate it a lot.

Mal

 

PS: If you also may send me your working hp hdx18t extra folder (including kexts, dsdt file, smbios.plist, com.apple.Boot.plist and so on) it would be VERY great !!

[bucsboy]

hi, unfortunately i am not able using linux a lot ... if you may give me some instructions and what i need to do it and how i would appreciate it a lot.

Mal

 

PS: If you also may send me your working hp hdx18t extra folder (including kexts, dsdt file, smbios.plist, com.apple.Boot.plist and so on) it would be VERY great !!

 

To whoever manmal directed this at, could you please post it in the topic? Mediafire is a great file hosting service. I've been meaning to get back into OSX86, but I lost my usb wireless card, which made it pretty much useless to me.

[valv]

using someone's dsdt could harm your lappy, lets take a step by step guide, as this would benefit everybody over here to understand better what we're doing. going to open a new topic on this next few days. keep ready

[manmal]

Ok, thank you very much for that valv!

I asked your dsdt just for educational purpose ... i won't use the same exact dsdt , but i could see what you did to let it work properly.

We will wait for this new topic in this sub-section then!

Thanks a lot!

Mal