[SOLVED] Custom kernel -> no VMware Fusion, Parallels or VirtualBox

[D43m0n]

Hi Everyone,

 

last week I've succesfully installed iATKOS S3v2 on my Dell Optiplex 745.

I selected the default setup, but used the custom kernel since I've got a Pentium D 800.

 

This is how I installed:

I also selected the 32bit boot option which adds key arch with value i386 in com.apple.Boot.plist.

And I selected the Intel Pro 100 kext. Everything worked out of the box, except the nVidia GeForce GS7300 with dual display setup. I had saved the correct NVCAP values from my previous iATKOS v5 install and used those to create a new EFI string with EFIstudio for com.apple.Boot.plist. Every piece of hardware works, fast and stable (iATKOS releases are simply awesome).

 

Updating using Software-update went fine

After that, I tried updating to 10.6.4 (and the other usual Apple updates) using Apple's standard Software-update and kept my fingers crossed. To my delight everything still worked like a charm after the update. A truly, awesome release, again.

 

Here's my problem

However, when I want to run VMware Fusion (3.x), Parallels Desktop (5.x) or Sun's VirtualBox (3.2.x) I get the feeling there's something in the kernel I'm using that won't allow me to run virtualization software anymore.

 

• With VMware Fusion, I get a kernel panic, I can't see what it actually says, perhaps taking a picture will work.
  
• With Parallels Desktop, I get the message it can't be installed on this computer because it doesn't support the hardware.
  
• With VirtualBox, I get the message that I can't start any virtual machine because the Intel VT-X instruction set isn't available.
  

 

I've had VMware Fusion 1.x, 2.x and 3.x running perfectly on my old install of iATKOS v5 (10.5.5). That gives me the impression it's not a limitation of the hardware. Combining this knowledge with the kernel panic when I start a virtual machine with VMware Fusion, leaves me to believe that the kernel I'm running doesn't allow me to use any of the virtualization software.

 

My question is: what kernel can I use with iATKOS S3v2 (already updated to 10.6.4) and still use Fusion for example?

 

Or, is there some other trick I can pull off with the current kernel? I have found topics claiming similar issues, but with older versions of OS X86 releases and Fusion and Parallels. In those topics there seems to be a relation to the name of the Kernel value in com.apple.Boot.plist. If that does not match to mach_kernel, (in mine, it says custom) behaviour is unpredictable. However, I do have a mach_kernel in my root folder, but I doubt it's the actual running kernel:

 

root# file /mach_kernel 
/mach_kernel: Mach-O universal binary with 3 architectures
/mach_kernel (for architecture x86_64):   Mach-O 64-bit executable x86_64
/mach_kernel (for architecture i386):   Mach-O executable i386
/mach_kernel (for architecture ppc):   Mach-O executable ppc

 

AFAIK, Snow Leopard dropped support for PPC, and I doubt that my running kernel will support PPC architectures:

 

root# uname -a
Darwin Dennis-Ortsens-iMac.local 10.3.0 Darwin Kernel Version 10.3.0: Sun Apr  4 19:13:55 EDT 2010; annappirtrvh v3 :xnu-1504.3.12/BUILD/obj/RELEASE_I386 i386

 

Does anyone have a clue, tip. advice to help me get any virtualization software running on my (otherwise perfectly running) iATKOS S3 v2 (updated to 10.6.4)?

 

Thanx in advance

[D43m0n]

I've been busy the last week, but I thought I'd share my findings with the rest:

 

I managed to get VMware Fusion (3.x) running on my iATKOS S3 v2 (updated to 10.6.4).

 

As mentioned before, some old topics on various forums led me to believe that the source of my problem might be related to the mismatch in running kernel (the output from uname -a) and the actual kernel image in /mach_kernel. I tried to search my filesystem for the actual image, but was unable to find it, don't know why, must be some unexpected filename. However, I inserted the iATKOS S3 v2 installation DVD, and use Pacifist to extract the qoopz 10.3.0 kernel (the one I was running) and copied that to the root, and named it mach_kernel.

 

That did the trick. I was able to start my old virtual machines again. I haven't bothered trying Parallels or VirtualBox anymore, but I'm pretty sure they both won't run on my PC, since they both require Intel's VT-X to be present, which my CPU (Pentium D 800) simply lacks.

[PierreEotile]

I've been busy the last week, but I thought I'd share my findings with the rest:

 

I managed to get VMware Fusion (3.x) running on my iATKOS S3 v2 (updated to 10.6.4).

 

As mentioned before, some old topics on various forums led me to believe that the source of my problem might be related to the mismatch in running kernel (the output from uname -a) and the actual kernel image in /mach_kernel. I tried to search my filesystem for the actual image, but was unable to find it, don't know why, must be some unexpected filename. However, I inserted the iATKOS S3 v2 installation DVD, and use Pacifist to extract the qoopz 10.3.0 kernel (the one I was running) and copied that to the root, and named it mach_kernel.

 

That did the trick. I was able to start my old virtual machines again. I haven't bothered trying Parallels or VirtualBox anymore, but I'm pretty sure they both won't run on my PC, since they both require Intel's VT-X to be present, which my CPU (Pentium D 800) simply lacks.

 

hello!! I have the same problem..can you be more especific?..please..I used Pacifist but a don´t know what I have to copy,,help me please..

[Dellmantt]

hello!! I have the same problem..can you be more especific?..please..I used Pacifist but a don´t know what I have to copy,,help me please..

Just make sure the kernel you are using is named mach_kernel. If it is named for example legacy_kernel, chocolate_kernel or qoopz_kernel, then rename it to mach_kernel. Then change your com.apple.boot.plist.

eg

<key>Kernel</key>

<string>mach_kernel</string>