Gateway MT6709 Fully supported (maybe other MT6000 series)

[evultrole]

I'm posting this from my OS X 10.4.10 installation using the built in wireless (unsupported according to the wiki).

 

Hardware specs:

Intel Core Duo @1.73Ghz (Supported)

Intel GMA950 video (Supported)

Sigmatel 9250 Audio (Supported -- See below)

Marvel 88E8038 Network - Wired (Supported -- See below)

Realtek 8187L Wireless USB 2.0 Interface - Builtin (See Below)

SATA Hard drive - ICH7 (Supported without extra kexts)

 

 

This is really just a hair away from the design Apple used earlier on, so it's a pretty easy fix to get it working.

 

For Audio, use the AppleHDA patcher Here. This only works in 10.4.8+, the patcher for 10.5.0 doesn't work (so use Patcher 1.16)

 

Drag and drop this file into the AppleHDApatcher icon. Don't reboot yet.

 

Next, we want the Marvel 88E8038 working. Edit /System/Library/Extensions/IONetworkingFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AppleYukon.kext/Contents/Info.plist

 

Replace the default number under <key>IOPCIPrimaryMatch</key>

with this one:

<string>0x435211AB</string>

 

Don't reboot yet.

 

Last thing to get is the wireless. Realtek was nice enough to make their own driver for this, it it works since Gateway connected the built in wireless through the USB bus for some reason. You can grab the file from Realtek's website Here. This one also doesn't work in 10.5.x yet (it will load up and then kill your wireless router, forcing a hard reset. Really weird problem, it happens on two routers from different manufacturers.).

 

Reboot. The HDA patcher removed the kext caches, so you don't need to worry about any of that. When it comes up, everything should be working (You'll have to go to the network settings in system preferences and enable the new network cards before they will work, which takes 20-30 seconds of playing with settings).

 

There you go. Everything else is either standard with any installation CD (I used macdotnub 10.4.10 DVD) or built-in to the hacked kernels.

 

It's not a bad system, I got it "new" (open box return) with 2GB of RAM, 160GB HDD, DVD burner, and Vista Premium (Ugh) for $550 ($250-350 less than the equivalent macintel goes for on Ebay). Yeah, it's a little on the old side (6 month old design?) but it works well and is very well designed.

 

I haven't tried Native (no hacks) with EFI yet, but I'll try it tonight/tomorrow and see how it goes. As far as I can tell this is an intel designed board (Gateway doesn't tend to make their own parts) so it might work. I'll update for anyone interested.

[N!CK]

Well, speaking for the AMD side of the MT6000 series, MT6451 to be exact, This definately isnt the fist choice in the realm of building a power mobile hackintosh. Well, let me stop lying if it wasnt for the 200M graphics chip then there would be no problem with it

[-emory-]

Hey, I'm glad to hear about your success. I've actually got the same laptop (mt6709) and my luck has been less than yours it appears... I've been using ubuntu for about t2 years now, but I've never tinkered wtih osx until now, so I could just be getting it wrong somewhere. I was hoping you could help me out a bit.

Anyways, I followed your guide to install the sound, works beautifully.

I followed your instructions to install the wifi... the installation goes throuhg, but for some reason, under network settings the only card is registered as en0, and it can't connect to the networks. It's weird, when I first turn the computer on, it's like the program can pick up the signals, but only for a short period, then when i press "refresh" it can't find the signals again. I HAVE connecte to the internet successfully once, but since then I have NOT been able to do so.

For installing the ethernet port, how exactly do you edit a .kext file. I can't figure out HOW to get to that .plist because the .kext file (is it supposedto be a folder) is just some lego icon and i don't know what to do with it from there.

Other than that, I'm loving it. I actually installed this out of half curiousity, half disgust that there is NO dvd ripping software for *nix that uses multithreads or utilizes dual core, so everythign goes frightfully slow. One more question, a bit off topic, I'm dual booting with ubuntu now, is there anyway to give read/write support to both os's so that they can write to both partitions. I usually have all my music on the ubuntu partition (my mainly used os) but i would like to muck about with it with itunes and the such. Thanks a lot for any help.

emory