How do I start hackintoshing?

[SevenTheAppleKitty]

4 minutes ago, Mac Hosehead said:

Chameleon? Wow, something else I might have played around with long ago but I don't remember much. I guess it is still around. I've had better success with install DVDs on old hardware. In your case maybe Sierra or High Sierra.

I think Lion or ML would fit better with the time period on this thing (I also just don't like the yosemite+ UI but that's an opinion), so I'll test that out first
honestly, I think the main hiccup would be getting the OS X VM set up so I can actually set up the USB flash drive

[Shaneee]

A legacy OpenCore USB should work in theory. You can create the USB on Windows rather than messing around with a VM, https://dortania.github.io/OpenCore-Install-Guide/installer-guide/windows-install.html  That'll work for Lion onwards.

[SevenTheAppleKitty]

38 minutes ago, Shaneee said:

A legacy OpenCore USB should work in theory. You can create the USB on Windows rather than messing around with a VM, https://dortania.github.io/OpenCore-Install-Guide/installer-guide/windows-install.html  That'll work for Lion onwards.

I've already failed to use opencore multiple times, so I'll pass unless I'm out of options (if chameleon doesn't work, i'll still have a working VM to mess around with in the meantime)

[Slice]

Opencore or Chameleon? Do you know there is one more bootloader named Clover?

[SevenTheAppleKitty]

6 minutes ago, Slice said:

Opencore or Chameleon? Do you know there is one more bootloader named Clover?

again, the clover manual is a complete mess. I'm not using clover.

[deeveedee]

@SevenTheAppleKitty I like both Clover and Open Core and see the value in each.  The Clover and Open Core manuals look similar to me, but I can see how a beginner would be intimidated by the manuals.  If manuals aren't your thing, start by reviewing the numerous hackintosh examples posted by others.  An internet search engine is your friend.  Or if that's too old-school for you, try ChatGPT, Grok, Gemini or your favorite AI assistant.

Edited April 10 by deeveedee

[SevenTheAppleKitty]

I feel like everyone is trying to get me to use their favorite bootloader, and I'd like to say that I'm taking the chameleon bootloader idea seriously (old software usually runs better on this computer, for some reason), now where can I find chameleon tutorials that don't have dead links?
edit: and also preferably make sense?

Edited April 11 by SevenTheAppleKitty

[Slice]

On 3/20/2025 at 8:31 PM, Slice said:

My computer #4 in the signature is still useful no matter what dortania may say.

4. GA 965P-S1, E6300 Conroe, Radeon HD5570, ALC888, OS⌘ 10.11.6 (15G22010), Clover 4928.

[SevenTheAppleKitty]

is anyone going to actually help me with chameleon or are they just going to ask me to use clover/opencore/whatever complicated modern bootloader they want me to use

[verdazil]

12 hours ago, SevenTheAppleKitty said:

again, the clover manual is a complete mess.

You are absolutely right. I could add a lot, but I will refrain out of respect for those present.

With Chameleon you will not be able to install and use systems newer than macOS Yosemite (10.10). This is a very old system that does not support modern hardware and software. So whether you like it or not, you'll have to use OpenCore.

[SevenTheAppleKitty]

11 minutes ago, verdazil said:

With Chameleon you will not be able to install and use systems newer than macOS Yosemite (10.10). This is a very old system that does not support modern hardware and software.

...So, exactly what I was hoping for? This is old hardware (and I'm insistent on trying to run (Mountain) lion) so the bootloader should be perfect in this case?

[eSaF]

1 hour ago, verdazil said:

So whether you like it or not, you'll have to use OpenCore.

The old saying 'Flogging a dead Horse' comes to mind. 

[verdazil]

7 hours ago, SevenTheAppleKitty said:

so the bootloader should be perfect in this case?

If you mean Chameleon, it will be able to boot the system, although it can't be called perfect. The problem is that all this is very outdated, hardly anyone has the necessary files or manuals...

 

7 hours ago, SevenTheAppleKitty said:

This is old hardware (and I'm insistent on trying to run (Mountain) lion)

The following rule does not work here: an old system needs an old bootloader.
Even the oldest system needs the latest version of OpenCore or Clover and the latest kexts.

[deeveedee]

9 hours ago, SevenTheAppleKitty said:

I feel like everyone is trying to get me to use their favorite bootloader...

 

No.  You're asking questions of people who created their hackintosh solutions before there were manuals. There is more information about hacking available now than at any other time in history - it's all there for you to find.  You started this thread with the title "How do I start hackintoshing?" but it doesn't seem to me that you want advice or are open to other opinions.

[STLVNUB]

I've NOT Read Thru The Thread Just Skimmed It, 

 

I'd Be Inclined to use one of the distro's As

That Is Usually Guaranteed To Install

here try this

https://archive.org/details/iatkosv2

Install Snow Leopard ( I love The Spotted Cat )

it's a starting point, never used that distro

it should give you a bootable system ( I Think )

After You Install It.

 

If You Don't Have A DVD Writer, No Problem

Use Disk Utility To Transfer The Iso Image To USB

 

Good Luck

[SevenTheAppleKitty]

12 hours ago, STLVNUB said:

I've NOT Read Thru The Thread Just Skimmed It, 

 

I'd Be Inclined to use one of the distro's As

That Is Usually Guaranteed To Install

here try this

https://archive.org/details/iatkosv2

Install Snow Leopard ( I love The Spotted Cat )

it's a starting point, never used that distro

it should give you a bootable system ( I Think )

After You Install It.

 

If You Don't Have A DVD Writer, No Problem

Use Disk Utility To Transfer The Iso Image To USB

 

Good Luck

The info about the distros not working are in a different thread, so you wouldn't have seen this anyway, but I HAVE tried iATkOS before, and it froze on startup, like every other distro... won't hurt trying again though!
 

 

18 hours ago, deeveedee said:

 

No.  You're asking questions of people who created their hackintosh solutions before there were manuals. There is more information about hacking available now than at any other time in history - it's all there for you to find.  You started this thread with the title "How do I start hackintoshing?" but it doesn't seem to me that you want advice or are open to other opinions.

Eh, fair enough. it still felt like everyone was ignoring me entirely though :v

[eSaF]

1 hour ago, SevenTheAppleKitty said:

Eh, fair enough. it still felt like everyone was ignoring me entirely though :v

Not to appear dismissive or flippant to your requests but personally I have forgotten how to install old MacOS on Legacy machines although my first successful install was with S/Leopard with Chameleon.

(Still have the DVD in mint condition). That was so long ago, I wouldn't know where to start to install it on my current machine.

 

I tried to a few months ago with OC and failed miserably, my take was that it was too old to put on a modern system without jumping through too many loops to warrant any kind of satisfaction (my excuse).

BTW my first attempts of installing and running S/L all those years ago were fraught with more reinstalls and more crashes than Ayrton Senna, it was a steep learning curve.

 

I don't think anyone here is aiming to discourage you but trying to offer valid info so that you will make a viable decision the best way forward.

At the end of the day all I wish is good luck and hope a good ending. 

[SevenTheAppleKitty]

14 hours ago, STLVNUB said:

I'd Be Inclined to use one of the distro's As

Tried to use the distros again (My laptop doesn't see distro's boot disks as bootable, so I boot them with ventoy), and both iDeneb 1.3 and the iATKOS version you suggested simply "Still waiting for root device"d

 

10 minutes ago, eSaF said:

Not to appear dismissive or flippant to your requests but personally I have forgotten how to install old MacOS on Legacy machines although my first successful install was with S/Leopard with Chameleon.

Lel. I can sort of relate on just outright forgetting how to do something tech related.
 

 

12 minutes ago, eSaF said:

BTW my first attempts of installing and running S/L all those years ago were fraught with more reinstalls and more crashes than Ayrton Senna, it was a steep learning curve.

Basically how all tech misadventures work with this laptop! (I'm still internally wondering how i could install windows 10, despite it being basically impossible and pretty useless to do so :‌P)

[SevenTheAppleKitty]

15 minutes ago, eSaF said:

I don't think anyone here is aiming to discourage you but trying to offer valid info so that you will make a viable decision the best way forward.

At the end of the day all I wish is good luck and hope a good ending. 

once again, fair enough. I'd still prefer to use chameleon, just for making this laptop truly era accurate, but if it runs OS X, it's still a hackintosh regardless of the bootloader!

[verdazil]

@SevenTheAppleKitty, just understand and accept: you won't get any help here regarding Chameleon. And that's fair. No one will resuscitate a cart pulled by a half-dead nag instead of using a car.

[Mac Hosehead]

6 hours ago, SevenTheAppleKitty said:

wondering how i could install windows 10

I recently put Windows 10 on an old laptop that had Windows 7 by using an install DVD. It makes me appreciate MacOS but if you want games, well....

[SevenTheAppleKitty]

32 minutes ago, Mac Hosehead said:

I recently put Windows 10 on an old laptop that had Windows 7 by using an install DVD. It makes me appreciate MacOS but if you want games, well....

Bit offtopic, but I have tried that, but it just bluescreens on boot. (my hypothesis is from driver issues?) windows 8 (not even 8.1!) is the newest that this system can take without causing the installer to immediately BSOD. when I said "wondering how", I was more saying wondering how I can force it to install

[SevenTheAppleKitty]

How do I check what version of the install media do I have? I'm trying to apply patches but there are different versions for the updates that the OS got

 

Might just try the 10.8.0 version :v

for the sake of thread continuity, I asked about an issue causing a crash from "Still waiting for root device" here.

Edited April 14 by SevenTheAppleKitty

[Shaneee]

If you're booting an installer via USB then "still waiting for root device" is the USB... If it's USB3 this can generally be fixed with GenericUSBXHCI.kext

[SevenTheAppleKitty]

Just now, Shaneee said:

If you're booting an installer via USB then "still waiting for root device" is the USB... If it's USB3 this can generally be fixed with GenericUSBXHCI.kext

Seems like iATKOS doesn't have this preincluded, but i managed to get past the issue by just actually following the guide. ....it now kernel panics instead 

 

additional note: I just booted it for another time to write down the KP... and it booted to the installer correctly? what the scallop?
So... er... Does anybody happen to know where the iATKOS welcome music is stored? I don't want to get jumpscared by turkish jazz if the audio kexts are working correctly