10.5.6 Final on AMD with odd installation hangup

[jgiffen]

Hello all, I've decided to make my old Vista box a triple boot (first timer for both Mac and Linux). Forgive the accuracy of this post, I'm doing it from memory at work...

 

Heres the layout of my hard drives (explanation below)

HD1: NTFS, still contains working Vista install

HD2.0: GUID, 40GB partition for OSX

HD2.1: 210GB space (will be further split for Linux once OSX works)

HD3: NTFS, my personal data

 

The first attempt installing OSx86 10.5.6 Final:

I succeeded in getting the DVD to boot up, and using disk utility to repartition my HD2, making the 40GB GUID partition and the space (I didn't zero it out).

I then installed OSX using the following options:

kernel: Voodo 10.5.6

chipset: appleNforce (not MCP67, the one above it)

video: 9800GTX

audio: ALC850 (my mobos onboard audio)

ethernet: forcedeth (first one)

applications: a whole bunch, mostly the AMD ones

I ran the install, and it appeared to complete. I rebooted, switched the hard drive priority to boot the HD2.0, and removed the DVD. Reboot, slammed on F8 to get Darwins boot options, typed in -f -v, and it kept repeating:

com.apple.boot.S/library/preferences/com.apple.boot.plist not found

The second attempt: (thinking that I should have REALLY formatted the HD2)

Same as before but this time completely zeroing out HD2 before partitioning it into 40 and space,

also installing only one application, OSx86 Tools (the 9800GTX+ description said I needed it to install the GFX string).

Reboot, switched the boot priority to skip the DVD and go straight to HD2, left the DVD in. Reboot, and I think I booted via Darwin with F8 using the -v -f switches. My memory is fuzzy here, I may have booted without the switches. In any case, it didn't throw the error from before, but actually booted up, and I had a (partially) working Hackintosh!

 

Now, of course there were some obvious issues (no sound, card wasn't installed right as I had no QE), but I got most of those worked out...when I accidentally did something to corrupt the HD2.0 partition. I think it was (mistakenly) attempting to install EFI v8 with OSx86 tools (I know now it comes with 9, also I find it odd that it wrecked it cause it said it failed). Attempting to boot after this said something like

HFS partititon corrupt

Installation attempt 3: (to repair my partition idiocy, and hopefully get the audio working at the same time)

Fully zeroed out HD2 and repartition, installed with AC97 instead of ALC850, and most of the apps back. However, I got the error again:

com.apple.boot.S/library/preferences/com.apple.boot.plist not found

Since then, I've installed a few more times (like 4 more), each time zeroing out the drive and repartitioning, switching between ALC850 and AC97, apps and no apps, booting after install with DVD in and without, with switches and without, and I can't get past the error!

 

Please help, while it was running, OSX was pretty nice!