i have faith, but...

[chickenofthewoods]

ok.

specs on the lappy:

mobile amd athlon 64 3400+ (clawhammer)(sse2)

chipset is via k8t800 (vt8383)

southbridge vt8235

1g RAM

ac97 audio

video radeon 9600/9700 64mb

 

This is a Gateway 7400 series...

 

I've been reading here for a few hours, but having never dual booted before (i have only tooled around with live linux) i am a bit squeamish about trying to install osx86 on this book.

It is the old lady's notebook, and she uses the Macs at school for photo stuff.

i have the 80gigs pretty full, but i have at my disposal another 60 in an external case...

MY QUESTION IS:

Using the generic install dvd, would i be better off installing to the external, or going for the dual - having limited experience and a bit of concern over the Data situation (the photography is irreplaceable).

 

I have read references to not only the generic dvd, which is on it's way right now, but also to a "flat-img", the deadmoo, and a .bz

Which should i be looking at for ease of install and the least amount of glitch?

I am prepared to do the post install deletion and patching, ready for the bcom wireless to possibly not work, ready to fix the ac97 chipmunk...in short, i'm getting ready, but want some specific and last minute advice.

i see in the HCL that someone has had success with a 7400 series already.

I am somewhat comfy with partitioning, using Ultimate Boot cd and other boot cds to tinker with drives and such. I'm not a total idiot, and i can read, but i guess i'm a wuss. She could really use osx at home.

ANY COMMENTS, ADVICE, OR SUGGESTIONS?

[pc_guru]

Well, i've never installed using DVD method, but i've read several times that DVD install is better than tiger-x86-flat.img method. I've isntalled several times with the last one method (.img file), without any trouble, except one minor, because i was installing previously with Fat32 partition (Win XP) and the right thing is using NTFS (Win XP). Also, i've read than DVD install is better with a blank HD, so almost all tutorials/guides say Back-up before to install, if you wish your data are safe, but i read in a guide that's possible to install in a no blank HD too. You can to burn several CDs (or DVDs) for to back-up your important info and after go ahead. Good luck !!.

[chickenofthewoods]

thanks for the reply, guru.

have since spent some time looking at all the torrents out there and am now owndering if i should mess with the pre-patched (phenix,viper) or Marklar... or just the flat .img or dvd...

crazy how many options there are already. i am waiting on my files to finish up anyway.

 

neeed more hdd's.

i guess the real problem is not being able to reinstall xp - and really i should know how to clone that mother and just get on with it, but that i've never done either.

wish these new fangled jobbies just came with an xp cd for easy reinstall, then i wouldn't be so uneasy.

 

Any body care to suggest the most efficient method for cloning the current install of xp?

[kday]

The person that had success with the a 7400 series would be me . I own a 7426GX. I have an AMD 3700+ (Newark Core) SSE3 processor. I think I accidentally wrote Venice on the HCL. I have the same chipset as you (K8T800) and same Southbridge. I have a broadcom wireless card, and I got it working with a little tweakage. I have the same video card as you.

 

The only thing that stops me from using OS X on my laptop is the stretched 1024x768 resolution (Lack of working ATI drivers). When I use OS X, I hook it up to an external monitor and run it at 1400x1050. The other resolutions don't look very sharp on my external monitor. 1400x1050 would be the resolution of my choice anyway.

 

Anyways about booting off of an External drive.... I have tried USB, and unfortunately my laptop BIOS doesn't support that. I was able to format and dd the image over to the external USB, however, I could not boot to it. I think Firewire will work, however I have not tried that. As for the installation goes, I partitioned and then did the windows dd dual boot method. I did not have to boot into linux to install OS X. I have not tried the Bootable DVD on my laptop, as I was unclear how to dual boot with it, and I didn't want to risk losing information on my Windows partition. I have tried the Bootable dvd on another system, and it works rather well if you are installing to a single hard drive and want to make use of all the space. With the dd method, you will only have 6 GB of space on your OS X partition, and there is nothing you can do (as of yet) to expand this partition. You can make another partition though if you want more space.

 

For partitioning your disk, I recommend using PartitionMagic. It's an easy, nearly worry free way to partition your hard drive without losing information. After you add a 6 GB partition to your hard drive, look up the Windows dd method to a separate partition on the Wiki. I was a little squeemish at first too, but everything went fine and I didn't lose anything. If you are not lazy like me, I recommend backing up your important files before partitioning and installing OS X.

 

The speed of OS X on my laptop is pretty good to say the least. With the new 10.4.3 userland patch and some minor tweaks, my XBench score is around +/- 50-55. It varies. What brought down my score was the lack of ATI drivers slow HD access speeds. Imagine what the score would be if all my components were supported. To get an idea of the speed, I went to CompUSA recently and downloaded XBench on the new 17" Powerbooks. The 17" Powerbook only scored a 43. This a great little zippy laptop and the only thing that keeps me from using it as an everyday OS is the lack of ATI drivers.

 

edit: I used the deadmoo image

 

edit2: For Ghosting XP you can use Norton Ghost. This will create a backup image of your hard drive. Some people have problems with it (data loss). I use Norton Ghost and I never had a problem.

[chickenofthewoods]

-Kday - Sweet, Now i have MORE faith. Plus a generous dollop of hope.

The generic dvd install is almost finished, and the deadmoo image only halfway... These torrents sure perform strangely. Like maybe there are a bunch of fakers in the swarm.... wouldn't surprise me.

 

Anybody else had luck with a stupid gateway? Specifically one with only sse2, like my clawhammer?

 

Also, Kday, does the deadmoo img have the maxxuss patch, or is it the bare setup img? Do you think it's worth it to try the prepatched img's out there?

 

thanx for the responses. Also looking to get myself a refurbished lappy here soon, if this check comes through

 

Any suggestions on the most compatible pc lappy out?

 

 

 

 

 

(that's the sound of the 15's hittin in my trunk)

[pc_guru]

...Also, Kday, does the deadmoo img have the maxxuss patch, or is it the bare setup img? Do you think it's worth it to try the prepatched img's out there?...

Well, the tiger-x86-flat.img image that i did install isn't prepatched, so i had to patch it after install it. The TPM patch is really necessary, without it you won't can to run PowerPC app, in others words, you only will get a nice desktop.

[kday]

I haven't tried any of the prepatched img's. They should work fine. The deadmoo img is just old and doesnt contain the Maxxuss patches. The bare deadmoo img should still run on your machine, with the exception of not being able to run PowerPC applications. Maxxuss has a website with all of his patches. It's really easy to install the patches yourself. His patches are automated and you don't really need to know any Terminal stuff. After you install his patches, you will be able to run PowerPC applications. You can dd the deadmoo img and then install the Maxxuss patches after, or you can pick up a prepatched img. It doesn't really matter. It's not much harder just using the deadmoo img if you already have it. It's up to you.

 

For the most compatible Laptop out, the Dell 700M is a good choice (Full accelerated video, Audio, LAN, Wireless).... however, the screen is very small (12 inch?).

 

If you need a bigger screen, maybe someone else can make a suggestion.

[theweaselslayer]

I've got a Gateway 7422GX. It appears the be the same specs as yours. OS X86 is running like a top on my machine; very quick. A few things you should know:

• You won't have accelerated graphics and your resolution on your LCD will be stuck on 1024x768 instead of the native widescreen of 1280x800.
  
• You might be able to get sound working, but it will be very difficult and the sound will only come out the left speaker (even if you plug in speakers to the headphone jack)
  
• It's possible to get wifi working, but it's very difficult. Check the forum for a patched Airport2 kext and download iStumbler to get things working
  
• Very few USB devices work. The only known USB device I've gotten working is a Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer. Any mass storage USB device (hard drive, jump drive, iPod) will crash; I do not know of a solution to that.
  
• I'd venture to say you won't be able to get it running off a USB drive because of the previous bullet point, but I have not tested it myself.
  

The stretched resolution is probably going to be the biggest downfall since you're wanting to use this for image editing and photography; if you can live with that, then go for it.

 

I'd strongly advise you to install with the Generic Install DVD. The VMware image has a 6gb partition size limitation that is extremely difficult to work around (especially on a laptop.)

 

Oh and PLEASE: backup those photos first!

[Metrogirl]

Have confidence! The advice you've been given so far is absolutely right. When you've got OSx86 installed be prepared for some serious effort getting your peripherals up and running but we've got some great FAQs and the Wiki has a lot of information - essential reading which will save you a lot of questions. Enjoy!