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Dell XPS 410 Resource Extravaganza


slave-zeo
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Hi guys, I am new to this so hopefully I didn't forget anything obvious.

 

Here is what I have done so far:

 

1) Formatted a 16 GB USB flash drive with 2 partiitions. One for Chameleon RC 4 along with the EXTS found in this thread (replacing the KEXTS on that partition).

 

2) On the other partition restored an image of Snow Leopard 10.6.3.

 

3) Ensured RAID was ON so that AHCI BIOS kicked on.

 

4) Removed all other devices but SATA hard drive on SATA PORT 0.

 

Now I can boot from the USB and Chameleon comes up and then boots into the MAC OSX installer fine. However, when it gets to the Disk partition step all it sees is the USB drive. I have checked in Disk Utility and the System info thing and don't see my SATA drive anywhere. I have tried every single SATA port on the motherboard as well as trying to flip RAID to AUTO but nothing. Chameleon does see the partition if I hit like Ctrl+I during the initial load as it asks me where I want to boot from but once I choose the USB Image to boot of off it seems that it just doesn't recognize my drive. I have tried with 2 different SATA drives but no luck.

 

I have seen some other posts where people have used Ubuntu Live to format the drive partition to HFS or something and about to try that but wasn't sure if I am missing something simple. Thanks.

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Never got the installer to see my internal disk when i booted from USB, I put the installer on a disk partition and used chameleon to boot from the internal partition then the installer saw my internal disk.

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Never got the installer to see my internal disk when i booted from USB, I put the installer on a disk partition and used chameleon to boot from the internal partition then the installer saw my internal disk.

 

Hmm. In order to do that though I need that partition to be Mac Journaled right? I am using an older VMWare MacOSX image to do my formatting of my USB. Don't think I will be able to use it to partition the drive VMWare is running off of though heh.

 

 

Update:

 

Going to try and use Transmac tonight and see if I it can make me a 8 GB HFS+ partition from Windows and then restore the DMG/ISO of 10.6.3. Then boot chameleon off of USB still but select the HD partition to load the Installer. Then hopefully it will see the other HD partitions so I can install it.

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Well looks like I am kinda stuck. I can use Transmac and/or MacDrive to format my hard drive as Mac Journal HFS+. Problem is once I do that I have no way to restore the DVD image to that drive. Transmac has that option but it doesn't appear to do anything. If I boot into my VMware of MacOSX and then attach that drive VM sees it but fails on the Restore because apparently VMware doesnt allow you to restore remote hard drives or something.

 

Is my only option now finding a friend with a Mac to put the image onto the hard drive so that the installer can see it?

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Ok almost there!

 

Transmac actually did work to restore the OSX image to the hard drive and once I did that like Rob said the disk utility saw all my hard drives.

 

Now I am trying to figure out the EFI Finisher bit. I ran the EFI finisher but did not get a Vanilla folder off of my root hard drive. So I coped the Vanilla folder here, ran all the update.sh script, and did the fix permissions thing. Removed my USB and rebooted and as soon as I try to boot I get Boot0: Error on the 4th line down.

 

Was the EFI Finisher actually supposed to create another partition on the disk where I should see the Chameleon loader cause I don't see either one on booting (chamelon nor any other partitions on that drive when looking at it from Disk Utility when using USB).

 

So I can use USB Chameleon to boot and everything works fine (including network and sound which weren't until I ran the update.sh scripts). It feels very close just have to figure out how not to use the USB if possible.

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Browndogfred got efi finisher to work. I just use a 128mb flash drive to boot, that way no matter what happens to my HDD I still have everything nessesary to boot and reinstall.

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Here is a quick guide and all files needed to upgrade from Leopard to SL on the XPS 410.

 

1. Download this file http://www.megaupload.com/?d=0TXJ4DXL and use disk utility to restore the disk image to a USB flash drive. (Its the boot loader and kext needed to startup)

 

2. use disk utility to restore a retail ISO or DMG of 10.6 to a 8gb partition on a internal HDD (must be GUID Partition)

 

3. Set your computer to boot from the USB flash Drive.

 

4. Select "Install Mac OS X" from the boot menu and hit enter.

 

5. Finish the install.

 

6. Copy all kext from the boot flash drive (extra/extensions) to system/library/extensions/ on your system Drive.

 

7.reboot.

 

8.install the 10.6.3 update from the delta update from http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1017

 

9. before you restart install the file called (waiting on root device xps 410 fix) to system/library/extensions ( if you using the nvidia 7300 le also install the kext in the file called "7300 le xps 410" in to system/library/extensions

 

10. reboot

 

11. enjoy Snow Leopard 10.6.3

 

 

 

Files:

 

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=0TXJ4DXL boot loader

 

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=BM38QETR Waiting on root device fix

 

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=4MDBCGL8 Kext for Graphics nvidia 7300 le Snow Leopard

 

Hi, I've followed your guide but at the point "3", nothing happend. The screen remain freezed at the "usb device" choice. What now? Can anyone write down a definitive and complete procedure?

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Try with raid off and see if u can get past the freezing. There is nothing wrong with the procedure. Ur flash drive could be the problem or your bios could be the problem. The bootloader may have not restored to the flash drive correctly.

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Sorry, RobG...I tried your guide several times and got nowhere as well. All sorts of issues with booting from the USB...never was able to get it to boot.

 

Switched to Chameleon 2 RC3, and I was able to boot from the USB and Chameleon was able to see my Windows drives. Had Snow Leopard restored to a different partition on the USB and was able to boot to that. Once I was in the installation program, it didn't see any drives but the two partitions on the USB.

 

I"ve been going through different pages on this forum, and I must be thick as a brick. I can't figure out what files I need to have on the USB (and where they need to be) so that I can finish this install. Thanking you in advance for your assistance...

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10.6.4 final installed great from software update, If you get waiting on root device after the update turn raid off and boot in to os x and install the proper kext to system/library/extensions delete mkext repair permissions and restart with raid on and your golden.

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Okay...now I'm getting downright grumpy about this. Used files from the posts on pages 45 and 51 of this forum. I can either do the bootloader, but then the install program only sees my flash drive, or I can get the bootloader but when I go to select the install program, I get "mach_kernel not found".

 

Really frustrated, because I've been working on this for the last three evenings and I'm still basically at square one. Guess I was spoiled by how easy it was to get 10.5 running on the Dell. Any assistance would be appreciated.

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The Mach kernel not found error can be fixed by high lighting another drive the move back to the install volume and hit enter. If your in the USA I can help you over the phone this weekend if you would like. Just let me know.

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No luck yet. Although, Rob G...you solved the "mach_kernel" error for me. I never noticed that before.

 

here's where I'm at now: I can get the bootloader to pull up the Snow Leopard installer on the 2nd USB partition, but it sees NONE of my SATA drives...even the one that's already MAC formatted and connected to drive 0 on the motherboard.

 

It's especially frustrating, because I know I'm close...if I could just get the system to see the drive that's already set up...I'd be golden.

 

I may take you up on the phone call offer Rob G. I live in Michigan, so I'm Eastern time zone. Fathers Day being this weekend, I'll have family responsibilities and not be working on this.

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So I edited the /Extra folder on the Chameleon installer above. It now contains all 9 kexts needed for the XPS 410 to run Snow Leopard.

 

You should be able to just format an 8gb USB drive w/ 2 partitions as MBR.......

 

- 200mb partition called BOOTLOADER

- a retail DVD restored to the rest

 

THEN run Chameleon and install to the BOOTLOADER partition. After that is finished, boot your computer off the USB and run the install.

 

I must have something wrong, I am getting a kernel panic (grey screen of death)...

 

I found this comprehensive guide:

herebut i still get a kernel panic :D

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Havescoke, don't try to install snow Leo from USB flash drive. It always kernel panics. Install Chamellion to a USB and format the snow Leo installer to an internal partition.

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get rid of the intel 82574 kext and try it. that kext is causing the panic. If you have a xps 410 only use the drivers I Linked in my post a page or so back. They All Work. And Boot with -f and -v

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get rid of the intel 82574 kext and try it. that kext is causing the panic. If you have a xps 410 only use the drivers I Linked in my post a page or so back. They All Work. And Boot with -f and -v

 

I was unable to restore the your boot loader image (got the error: "invalid argument" when trying to scan the image for restore in disk utility) to my usb drive, so i was using browndogfred's method for the usb drive part.. i also tried using your kexts and the other guide i found and still get a kernel panic... i did try and get rid of the intel 82574 kext on each try with and without it and still get a kernel panic, also did boot with -f and -v on each as well no change...

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I was unable to restore the your boot loader image (got the error: "invalid argument" when trying to scan the image for restore in disk utility) to my usb drive, so i was using browndogfred's method for the usb drive part.. i also tried using your kexts and the other guide i found and still get a kernel panic... i did try and get rid of the intel 82574 kext on each try with and without it and still get a kernel panic, also did boot with -f and -v on each as well no change...

 

the problem was the network kext was not loading, but apple's was and causing the panic... i found a replacement that is based in the newest code available in google code. It works fine in 32 and 64 bit modes for snow leopard only. i am installing snow leopard right now.. we'll see how it goes...

Intel82566MM.kext.zip

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I am able to boot from the usb and install snow leopard and even enter the system... but without the usb i get no boot device... i have tried installing chameleon and darwin... but the bios still gives me no boot device found...

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get rid of the intel 82574 kext and try it. that kext is causing the panic. If you have a xps 410 only use the drivers I Linked in my post a page or so back. They All Work. And Boot with -f and -v

 

Hey, i've been following your outline and trying to get snow leopard installed on my xps410 and i can get it to recognize the drive during install but it fails shortly after pressing install. I've attached a copy of the screenshot. Do you have any ideas on how to fix this? Im so close! thanks!

 

scr.jpg

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Hello all,

 

I've tried pretty much every guide on here and can't seem to get anything working on my Dimension 9200/XPS 410. Everything I use either gives me the mach kernel error, still waiting for root device, or a kernel panic. I have an XPS m1330 that has 10.6.4 on it that I was able to install from a 10.6.3 retail ISO. I've used that to do all the work on creating the USB drives and boot disks, etc. I've tried manually editing the kexts on the different USB boot partitions along with manually adding kexts to the usb drive partition that contains the SL install. I'm not new to computers, both Windows and Mac OSX, at ALL, but this is kicking me in the ass and my ego is pissed off LOL. Any help or tips or anything would be appreciated. Thanks

 

bsadler

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I finally got it... i'm running 10.6.4.. I used the following guide and just added the XPS 410 kexts:

 

http://osx86.sojugarden.com/installer/

 

I did have to use a different version of the network kexts because I was getting a kernel panic with the ones found in the forum.. and 10.6.4 killed it so I have no network (it shows it being unplugged)... any help with this would be greatly appreciated!

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I finally got it... i'm running 10.6.4.. I used the following guide and just added the XPS 410 kexts:

 

http://osx86.sojugarden.com/installer/

 

I did have to use a different version of the network kexts because I was getting a kernel panic with the ones found in the forum.. and 10.6.4 killed it so I have no network (it shows it being unplugged)... any help with this would be greatly appreciated!

 

Awesome. I used that guide and I was able to get 10.6.3 retail up and running. I even got Nvidia working but no network. Haveacoke, were you able to get network working in 10.6.3? which kext did you use? Anyone else have any ideas on the kext for network? Intel 82566MM

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