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Booting XNU kernel with 'noapic' flag


elkos
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Hello all

 

Here is the problem:

After a nightly freeze of my MacBook the OS X didn't boot any more. The kernel stopped loading right after these lines:

...

IOAPIC: Version 0x20 Vectors 64:87

ACPI: System State [s0 S3 S4 S5] (S3)

 

I then started in target disk mode and modified the kernel flags in 'com.apple.Boot.plist' with no success. I tried almost every secure mode, single user, ...

 

Booting my Mac mini off the MacBook's HDD in target disk mode however worked perfectly! So the HDD and the file system was OK (and yes, I also checked the disk - no errors).

 

Then I tried to start from the installation DVD. The result was the same, which led me to the point, that it has to be a hardware malfunction.

 

Well, the next obvious step was to reset the SMC, PRAM and NVRAM. Done, no effect ...

 

Then I accidentally put a Knoppix Live DVD in the tray and started playing with the Linux boot flags. And look, what a miracle - Linux booted with only the 'noapic' flag set !!! The full blown system came up and ran nicely and flawlessly.

 

OK, the MacBook was not to be thrown away, but I prefer keeping OS X instead of going Linux. So the question is:

 

- How could I load XNU with a noapic equivalent to Linux?

 

Following some lists with XNU boot parameters (http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=106861 or http://www.hackintosh.nl/handleidingen-tip...strucktie.html) I tried out these flags with no success:

 

noapic, nolapic, disableapic, pci=noacpi, acpi=off, acpi=ht

 

The only difference made the acpi=ht: the kernel came over this step just to panic a few lines later ...

 

I however don't know much about XNU, so I could have made wrong combinations. Is there a guru out there who knows how to achieve the same behaviour like the Linux noapic flag?

 

Thank you in advance!

Erik

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Hello all

 

Here is the problem:

After a nightly freeze of my MacBook the OS X didn't boot any more. The kernel stopped loading right after these lines:

...

IOAPIC: Version 0x20 Vectors 64:87

ACPI: System State [s0 S3 S4 S5] (S3)

 

I then started in target disk mode and modified the kernel flags in 'com.apple.Boot.plist' with no success. I tried almost every secure mode, single user, ...

 

Booting my Mac mini off the MacBook's HDD in target disk mode however worked perfectly! So the HDD and the file system was OK (and yes, I also checked the disk - no errors).

 

Then I tried to start from the installation DVD. The result was the same, which led me to the point, that it has to be a hardware malfunction.

 

Well, the next obvious step was to reset the SMC, PRAM and NVRAM. Done, no effect ...

 

Then I accidentally put a Knoppix Live DVD in the tray and started playing with the Linux boot flags. And look, what a miracle - Linux booted with only the 'noapic' flag set !!! The full blown system came up and ran nicely and flawlessly.

 

OK, the MacBook was not to be thrown away, but I prefer keeping OS X instead of going Linux. So the question is:

 

- How could I load XNU with a noapic equivalent to Linux?

 

Following some lists with XNU boot parameters (http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=106861 or http://www.hackintosh.nl/handleidingen-tip...strucktie.html) I tried out these flags with no success:

 

noapic, nolapic, disableapic, pci=noacpi, acpi=off, acpi=ht

 

The only difference made the acpi=ht: the kernel came over this step just to panic a few lines later ...

 

I however don't know much about XNU, so I could have made wrong combinations. Is there a guru out there who knows how to achieve the same behaviour like the Linux noapic flag?

 

Thank you in advance!

Erik

 

With the Knoppix Live CD you are booting from the Linux kernel rather than the OS X kernel on your MacBook.......?

 

BTW it is easier to help if you put your system details in your signature.........

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With the Knoppix Live CD you are booting from the Linux kernel rather than the OS X kernel on your MacBook.......?

 

BTW it is easier to help if you put your system details in your signature.........

 

Thank you for your attention!

 

Yes, I am booting the Linux kernel. Linux also refuses to load without kernel flags, but boots on the MacBook without complains when I only put one parameter: noapic

 

On the other hand I couldn't manage to boot the XNU kernel even after days trying all possible parameters. Yes, I do have a hardware bug, but yes, I could use the computer with Linux and don't need to trash it. I hope there is a way to also bring OS X back to life ...

 

Regarding the hardware signature, errrrhh, it is difficult to look into the system profiler when the OS doesn't start. But it is a white MacBook 2,1 with a Core 2 Duo CPU (has been) running Snow Leopard. If needed I could post an output from lspci under Linux ...

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Thank you for your attention!

 

Yes, I am booting the Linux kernel. Linux also refuses to load without kernel flags, but boots on the MacBook without complains when I only put one parameter: noapic

 

On the other hand I couldn't manage to boot the XNU kernel even after days trying all possible parameters. Yes, I do have a hardware bug, but yes, I could use the computer with Linux and don't need to trash it. I hope there is a way to also bring OS X back to life ...

 

Regarding the hardware signature, errrrhh, it is difficult to look into the system profiler when the OS doesn't start. But it is a white MacBook 2,1 with a Core 2 Duo CPU (has been) running Snow Leopard. If needed I could post an output from lspci under Linux ...

 

Since you are using a real MacBook, this is not the correct IM forum to be posting in.........

 

However, when you boot the Mac Mini with the MacBook connected to it in Firewire Target Mode, are you not booting the Mac Mini's OS X system (Host Mac) rather than the MacBook's OS X system (Target Mac)?

 

You could try the following with your MacBook running as a Target Mode HDD from your Mac Mini:

 

1. Download the appropriate OS X Combo Update .dmg and install it onto the MacBook HDD

 

2. Do a "real" archive and reinstall of Snow Leopard on your MacBook HDD.....see here........

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Since you are using a real MacBook, this is not the correct IM forum to be posting in.........

 

However, when you boot the Mac Mini with the MacBook connected to it in Firewire Target Mode, are you not booting the Mac Mini's OS X system (Host Mac) rather than the MacBook's OS X system (Target Mac)?

 

Yes, this is indeed the completely wrong forum for this question, but I am not allowed to post elsewhere B)

 

OK:

When I put the MacBook in target disk mode, the Mac Mini boots off it without problems, as it should to.

When I put the Mini in TDM the MacBook refuses to load the kernel in the same manner as when it tries to boot from its own internal HDD.

Bottom line: the MacBook can not boot from any source: internal HDD, external HDD in TDM, Install DVD (!!!) ...

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Yes, this is indeed the completely wrong forum for this question, but I am not allowed to post elsewhere B)

 

OK:

When I put the MacBook in target disk mode, the Mac Mini boots off it without problems, as it should to.

When I put the Mini in TDM the MacBook refuses to load the kernel in the same manner as when it tries to boot from its own internal HDD.

Bottom line: the MacBook can not boot from any source: internal HDD, external HDD in TDM, Install DVD (!!!) ...

 

That was my guess.......see my earlier reply with two suggestions.....

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That was my guess.......see my earlier reply with two suggestions.....

 

Thank you verdant, but unfortunately I already did this :wacko: And far beyond ...

 

- I installed OS X at least 2 times straight on the HDD alone incl. combo to 10.6.5

- then I tried repartitioning with MBR and Chameleon, which worked up to the point that Chameleon tried to load the kernel. The result was the same as the EFI boot loader ...

- then I read in a forum, that the Chameleon boot loader does no good to a real Mac and installed Darwin BL instead. Well, now I could pass kernel flags at boot time, but the point is that I don't know which kernel flag(s) on XNU achieve the same result as the 'noapic' on Linux. If Linux boots, then there has to be a way OS X will do it.

 

Greets,

Erik

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Thank you verdant, but unfortunately I already did this :( And far beyond ...

 

- I installed OS X at least 2 times straight on the HDD alone incl. combo to 10.6.5

- then I tried repartitioning with MBR and Chameleon, which worked up to the point that Chameleon tried to load the kernel. The result was the same as the EFI boot loader ...

- then I read in a forum, that the Chameleon boot loader does no good to a real Mac and installed Darwin BL instead. Well, now I could pass kernel flags at boot time, but the point is that I don't know which kernel flag(s) on XNU achieve the same result as the 'noapic' on Linux. If Linux boots, then there has to be a way OS X will do it.

 

Greets,

Erik

 

Have you tried installing BootPicker.......or rEFIt...........

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rEFIt has always been running on the MacBook ... of BootPicker I haven't heard until now. Good to learn something new :) However the boot loader is not my problem as I always come to the xnu kernel of OS X and it starts loading.

 

I made my suggestion as it seemed from what you were saying that you could not even boot as far as the OS X kernel........

 

Have you considered getting Apple to check for a hardware fault.......it could be a failed thermal sensor and since on many laptops the thermal management is ACPI controlled rather than OS controlled......this could explain why you can boot the Linux kernel with the noapic=yes boot flag.....whereas OS X may need ACPI enabled if it is to boot the kernel assuming that thermal management via ACPI is OS X controlled........

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  • 2 weeks later...

Yes, a thermal sensor is also what I am suspecting ... Apple told me to send the MacBook in and they would check it, well there are better ways to spend money :)

 

I will try to check the sensors now ...

 

Thank you very much for the inputs!

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