[Help] Installing OSX on external hard drive.

[JPCanaverde]

Hi.

 

I have a HP Compaq Presario C790EP, and I want to install Mac OS X Snow Leopard. But, I don't want to mess up with my PC, because I don't have enough space to create a new partition, and I don't want to format it.

 

So I thought of installing it on my external hard drive. But I don't know WHAT to download, what kexts to download, what I need to do, or even if it is possible.

 

So... Can you help me, please? I'm very n00b at this.

 

Thanks,

 

JPCanaverde.

[JPCanaverde]

Hey there. I downloaded iDeneb 1.6, burned it at the minnumum speed, and booted it. But, when I got to "Where to install" there were no options.

 

So, since I was there, I checked my System Details. I typed those on my iPod Touch, and here they are:

 

Intel corporation 82801 mobile pci bridge

Realtek semicondutor co ltd rtl-8139/8139C/8139C+

Intel corporation 82801HEM (ICH8M) LPC interface controller

Intel corporation 82801H (ICH8 family) USB UHCI controller

Intel corporation 82801H (ICH8 family) USB UHCI controller

Intel corporation 82801H (ICH8 family) USB UHCI controller

Intel corporation 82801H (ICH8 family) USB UHCI controller

Intel corporation 82801H (ICH8 fAmily) USB2 EHCI controller

Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 family) PCI express port 1

Atheros comunications inc AR242x 802.11abg Wireless PCI express adapter

Intel corporation 82801H (ICH8 family) HD Audio controller

Intel corporation Mobile GM965/GL960 integrares graphics controller

Intel corporation 82801HBM/HEM (ICH8M/ICH8M-E) ide controller

Intel Corporation SATA AHCI controller

Intel corporation 82801H (ICH8 family) SMBus controller

Intel corporation Mobile GM965/GL960 integrated graphics controller

Intel corporation Mobile PM965/GM965/GL960 memory controller hub

 

Hope they are worth something. Also, my disk isn't a real external.

 

It's a 500GB Western Digital PATA (aka IDE)/16MB Cache WD5000AAKB internal disk, connected to my laptop by a IDE-to-USB adapter, and it is connected to the electric power too. Just like a real disk...

 

Can you help me, please?

 

EDIT:

 

Also... The partition I created is not a partition, it is blank space.

[J.B]

you probably need to put an IDE kext (driver) into your installer before installing...not sure how you can do this without an already functioning OSX environment though...try getting the JaS 10.4.8 boot CD and see if it gets to to somewhere where you could modify files

[JPCanaverde]

Where can I download the kext? That JaS boot CD, that means I have to download 3GB again? Oh boy...

 

EDIT:

 

Can't I trow the kext into the ISO, burn it again, then fire up the terminal, and type something to install it?

[J.B]

yeah, if you aren't happy about downloading 3GB, better of not doing so, nothing said here it is guaranteed to work, because a lot of the initial process is just trail and error

 

this thread here suggests an IDE kext, but suggest doing your own searches for you hardware

 

you could also search the kexts.com kext database for any possibly relevant IDE kexts

[JPCanaverde]

That driver is for NVidia chipsets. I found one kext simmiliar in kexts.com, but it is for AMD. I can't find any for Intel, and Mac uses Intel! O_o

 

If I find the kext, in what place do I throw in to the ISO, and what do I have to type in the terminal to install it?

 

Thanks for the help so far.

[J.B]

if you do find it, i would try booting into windows or linux (with windows you will need something like magic iso) and putting it in the

 

sorry, i just had a thought, if you do get that Live CD, you could download then get a retail copy of SL, make an imae of it and restore it to an 8GB USB drive. (thats your installer) you could then use the myHack Installer Package to drop in any kexts that you might choose from its menu, as well as add any of your own. (the installer makes a functioning "extra" folder on the installer that would otherwise not be there) Then you simply need to regenerate the mkext of the installer using the "pfix" utility (made by the same person) and in theory if you selected the right options according to your hardware it should boot

 

BTW: check out the forums other sections, some specialize in certain areas like the SATA/IDE kexts board, there is a live CD board here

[JPCanaverde]

I'm not getting it... First off, I need to find that kext. I'll keep looking, but any hint is appreciated.

 

And when I found that kext, what? I couldn't understand your explanation J.B. Can you please make it a bit more clear, please?

 

Thanks.

[J.B]

ok, sorry, was probably going a bit too quick

 

first off, after you are able to find the right kexts and get a basic, non permanent working OSX, you can start prepping a USB to use as your real installer. You can use the disk utility of your non permanent OSX to make an image an original apple vanilla installer (which you would have had to get beforehand) to an external medium (anything big enough to hold the image) After making this image, you could restore it to a blank 8GB USB stick and then use that to install OSX (I assume your PC can boot from USB)

You would now have the basic disc on USB, but we want to add some extra kexts to it (including you own) so we would install the "myHack" package to the USB (link above, check it out). This would create an extra folder on the USB installer you just made. You will then need to add the kexts you found and rebuild the mkext file to include those kexts. After that you should be able to restart and boot

 

That sound any clearer?

[JPCanaverde]

Hum, so:

 

1 - Backup and format my pendrive.

 

2 - Install an iDistro to a VM.

 

3 - Create an image there, and copy it to the pendrive.

 

4 - Get myHack installer and kexts to the pendrive.

 

5 - Boot up with the pen and install.

 

Is that it, or I got it wrong?

 

If it is, so now I just have to find the kext, wich I can't find anywhere. I just finds AMD's and NVidia's IDE chipsets kexts, not Intel's one.

 

EDIT:

 

I remembered now that I already have a retail Snow Leopard!

 

EDIT 2:

 

Ok, so I downloaded myHack. Now what?

 

EDIT 3:

 

It's not necessary to be Snow Leopard, if Leopard or Tiger are easier, it can be them too.

[J.B]

HOLD ON, i just saw your first edit, remember that you can only install OSX to a GUID (not MBR without mod) HFS based partition use disk utility to format it (assuming that the kext wasn't the problem, and that it was just down as free space

 

 

yeah, thats pretty much it, just make sure you DON'T copy to the pendrive, use the disk utilities restore feature to restore the image to the drive.

 

then fire up the myhack installer and MAKE SURE YOU SET ITS TARGET AS THE USB DRIVE.

 

customize the install as you like with the kext you need and install

 

when thats finished, drag and drop all the other kexts you want to the USB installers "extra" folder, then get the pfix utility (on the same myhack site) and run it on the USB drive

 

when done, reboot to the USB drive and you should be in the installer, from here install to the external HDD

 

when finished installing (you may get an install failed message, ignore it) boot into the USB again and select the external HDD, but before pressing enter, press the down key and select boot verbose, this will let you see any errors that occur

 

if you are lucky, you will boot into OSX SL and the intro video will start

[oldtopman]

remember that you can only install OSX to a GUID (not MBR without mod)

 

A little offtopic, but where do you get that info? My experience (and apparently one other's) say otherwise here.

[J.B]

sorry, ive never seen it done like that before, in fact, the only 2 ways i thought you could do it where by installing on a GUID based HDD, then backing up and restoring to a MBR based HDD or by modding the OSinstall.mpkg

[JPCanaverde]

What's a GUID? I googled it, but I didn't understand.

 

Can you please make a step-by-step (the main things) please? It's so much stuff that I don't know what to do.

 

Ok, and I'm deseperate in finding that kext. I can't find anywhere. Can someone help me with this too, please?

[J.B]

the guide here should give you a decent idea of how to get your USB drive ready and how to install

[JPCanaverde]

Ok, backing up my pen. I think I found the kext:

 

http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=165696

 

It's for DVD drives, but they are IDE/PATA. I think it's the same. Well, trying doesn't hurt.

 

P.S. Is the retail DVD really 7GB? I don't have a double-layer DVD. Is that why I need my pendrive?

[JPCanaverde]

This was referred by myHack Installer guide:

 

http://www.kexts.com/view/319-ioatafamily.kext.html

 

I think I'll download that one too. I'm downloading the retail DVD right now. And what do I do next?

[J.B]

hey, thanks for that link, i may try it out too! (got 2 IDE DVD drive not working under OSX)

 

yes, the disc is 6GB, so that is why you want the 8GB USB stick

 

with the dmg you get, use disk utility to RESTORE it to your HFS+ formatted USB stick

[JPCanaverde]

You're welcome.

 

Hum, but I can't format it to HFS+. I formated my USB stick, and now it is blank space. In GParted, when I go to create new volume, the HFS+ option is greyed out. So, step-by-step:

 

1. Format my pen to HFS+.

 

2. "Burn" the .dmg file to the pendrive.

 

3. I don't understand what to the next. Where do I put the myHack Installer and the kexts?

 

If that helps, I'm using Ubuntu 10.04, but I have Windows 7 installed, if needed.

 

Do I need to boot GParted Live-CD so that HFS+ option becomes available?

 

EDIT:

 

Yes, I need. I booted up the GParted Live-CD and the HFS+ option wasn't greyed out. So now, I have my pendrive formated to HFS+. The Snow Leopard retail is at 25 %. After it finishes, what do I do?

[J.B]

so you have SL installing?

 

(ignore if it says install failed at the end)

 

ok, after that, boot into the USB stick but select the HDD you just installed SL to, the stick should boot it, boot with the -v flag so that you can see if any errors appear, if not you should get into the welcome video, fill out the login info etc (to skip registration, press winlogo+q and select skip)

 

once you are in, use time machine so that you have a backup (if you can/want to) you can restore in case you can't undo something (save to external drive is best) then start messing with kexts, DSDT.aml etc to get all functions working

 

they include:

 

all drives (SATA and IDE) working

full graphics (QE/CI) working

sound

ethernet

sleep

booting

restart

shutdown

 

list keeps going

 

best to get a safe internet, stable boot first, back that up, then start experimenting

[JPCanaverde]

It isn't installing, it is downloading and it is 40% completed. I want to know what to do when it finishes downloading.

[J.B]

right, get a LiveCD from insanely mac and burn it to cd and boot into it, then restore the image your getting to a blank USB, then follow the rest of my previous post, the basic guide is detailed here

[JPCanaverde]

What Live-CD? Where is the download section?

[JPCanaverde]

Wow, that means downloading 6GB again?! And the download hasn't finished yet (65%)! Is there any other way? I know some utilities that can burn ISOs in pendrives. So, if I converted the .dmg to a .iso, I could just throw it to the pen.

 

Please, I don't want do download 6GB again...

 

And is this the guide?

 

http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=144128

[J.B]

honestly i dont know if it is required to use Disk Utility to restore the image, as long as you think you will be able to install the dmg to the USB and keep it bootable, go ahead

 

like i said, i the basic outline of what you should do to make it boot from USB is linked above, not sure about your link though, sorry