[HowTo] Building my first OSx86 box...

[bofors]

Also does the 945GNTL support EFI ?

 

Yes.

[rope]

Did anyone tried latest version with Intel 945GNTL? Someone wrote that he has problems with Sigmatel 9220 on wiki...

 

Just found instructions on this forum

[rockspeter]

Hi bofors,

all parts arrived!!! I put everything in and connected everything. The heat sink fan plastic screws where a little hard to get in, besides that everything went great.

Now when I turn the pc on the blue front led is on and i can see the green ethernet light (in the back of the pc case) flash for a tiny second. When I press the start button the harddrive and dvd drive start up, the big fan which was on the back of the motherboard turns on...but im not seeing anything on the screen!?!?i think it might be because the ram is not in the right slot...i have CORSAIR ValueSelect 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM Unbuffered DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) System Memory.. and i have no clue if they need to go into dimm0 or 1 and channel a and b or both. Maybe you can tell me what you think it is... and where to put the two ram sticks. i have a a loose sound wire from the front, but i guess that just has to be like that+you wrote that you had the same issue...I could post a picture, but maybe you can tell me "BLIND" which connection is still missing or wrong

[bofors]

...but im not seeing anything on the screen!?!?i think it might be because the ram is not in the right slot...i have CORSAIR ValueSelect 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM Unbuffered DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) System Memory.. and i have no clue if they need to go into dimm0 or 1 and channel a and b or both. Maybe you can tell me what you think it is... and where to put the two ram sticks.

I think your computer should work either way (as the D945 boards automatically from single to dual-channel mode) but I think you will want one dimm in channel a and the other in channel b (EDIT: both on dimm 0).

 

So, I do not think memory should be the problem here and furthermore, the motherboard should issue some thing like a three beep error message if "bad" RAM is detected (I ran into this when setting my timing too agressive).

 

If you have an ADD2-N card in, I would take it out and make sure you have your panel set to the correct input for VGA (#1 for 2005FPW).

 

i have a a loose sound wire from the front, but i guess that just has to be like that+you wrote that you had the same issue...I could post a picture, but maybe you can tell me "BLIND" which connection is still missing or wrong

 

Actually, I do not think my front audio jack works and I have yet to get back to that cable issue either.

[rockspeter]

found the problem, i forgot the small 4 pin power cord on the motherboard...yes im stupid!...

mac os x setup loads fine, can go through the first steps...except for there is no harddrive to format under disk utility...the bios recognizes the western...but the setup just doesn't...how can i solve this issue. do i need the red molex wire to be connected...right now i have that, plus a power wire plus one of the sata wires connected.thanks!

[doc]

Why the hell are these losers STILL using floppy drives? Why can't I just burn their BIOS {censored} to CD or even better, use a USB drive? When is this going to end? How about parallel and serial ports? This is bull {censored}!

 

Yeh that totallly sucks, what you can do if you have a windows system with a floppy drive is make a bootable floppy with the bios update on it,then use nero to turn that into a bootable cd, just select boottable cd from the projects list and select your floppy drive as the source, ive done that several times, especially with my dell laptop which for some reason refused to go into bios (ignored the F-key) until i flashed it, and with no FD i had no choice but to use a cdrom.

 

doc

[bofors]

except for there is no harddrive to format under disk utility...the bios recognizes the western...but the setup just doesn't...how can i solve this issue.

This sound like you have BIOS set to AHCI and not IDE, if you are trying to install 10.4.3.

 

What version OS X are you trying to install?

 

do i need the red molex wire to be connected...right now i have that, plus a power wire plus one of the sata wires connected.thanks!

 

No, and in fact I think that can damage your drive. Two cables: the SATA cable to the motherboard and the special SATA power cable, that's it.

[rockspeter]

10.4.1 just to see if it works. im waiting for the .4.5 dvd to come out...how does the sata cable to the motherboard look? how would you go to get an easy install of 10.4.5

cheers rockspeter

[bofors]

10.4.1 just to see if it works.

OK, but I would recommend 10.4.3 instead. I have no experience with 10.4.1 and I know there some issues with it on these 945 boards.

how would you go to get an easy install of 10.4.5

I am sticking with 10.4.3 for the moment and I guess I would encourage you to do the same at least until your box is running fine.

how does the sata cable to the motherboard look?

It is a thin red ribbon, Intel gives you two with the motherboard. You can see them here:

 

Here is a picture of the SATA interface and SATA power cable ready for the drive:

[rockspeter]

thanks, those two red cables which came with the board if you look on their tag (its on the right cable in the picture ) that says molex wire. so i have that on the harddrive plus regular power wire and then the cable which is the sata cable. so three wires total, is that one too much?which spot on the motherboard did you plug the red wire in. i have it in sata 0 right now out of the four possible plugs.

regards rp

[bofors]

thanks, those two red cables which came with the board if you look on their tag (its on the right cable in the picture ) that says molex wire.

Molex is a company that makes connectors and such (and even an ADD2-N card): http://www.molex.com

 

Some people use the word "molex" to refer to the standard 4-pin power connectors for drives: http://www.xpcgear.com/molexcon.html

so i have that on the harddrive plus regular power wire and then the cable which is the sata cable. so three wires total, is that one too much?

Yes, do not use the the "regular power wire". Two wires: special SATA power cable and SATA data interface (red ribbon).

which spot on the motherboard did you plug the red wire in. i have it in sata 0 right now out of the four possible plugs.

SATA 0 should be fine.

[rockspeter]

all right mate, this is funky stuff...its in sata 0 and i have only the sata power wire connected...in the bios it shows up as harddrive under sata 0...and sata is set to ide...BUT it doesnt show up on the install for mac osx or disc utillity...

now one thing which i thought was odd, is that the primary master is the dvd drive and than there is no primary slave...i can change anything in the bios there though!? doesnt the hdd need to be the primary master, or what could it be? since the hdd is showing up fine in the bios...

cheers rp

 

im kinda tempted to boot a linux install, just to see if that shows the hdd

[bofors]

all right mate, this is funky stuff...its in sata 0 and i have only the sata power wire connected...in the bios it shows up as harddrive under sata 0...and sata is set to ide...BUT it doesnt show up on the install for mac osx or disc utillity...

Are you using 10.4.1? If so, that could be expected behavior for all I know. Under 10.4.3 the SATA hard drive should show up with the BIOS set to IDE. Again, I recommend that you work with 10.4.3 for now.

 

now one thing which i thought was odd, is that the primary master is the dvd drive and than there is no primary slave...i can change anything in the bios there though!? doesnt the hdd need to be the primary master, or what could it be? since the hdd is showing up fine in the bios...

Just leave the DVD drive as the master. I do not think that SATA drives use the master-slave paradigm, they each have their own channel (not sharing like the IDE/ATA devices).

 

im kinda tempted to boot a linux install, just to see if that shows the hdd

Yes, at least verify your hardware works to isolate the problem back to OS X.

[rockspeter]

Alright, tried to install Novell Linux Desktop. Same thing, no harddrive found. Im beginning to wonder if there is a bios setting, which i need to change.

I booted with knoppix linux on a live dvd and it showed a harddrive but refused to mount it. One thing I have not updated the bios of the board, since i didnt install a floppy drive yet...is that the problem or is my hdd broken (maybe because of the two power cables i stupidly plugged in)

[bofors]

I think I remember a warning about damaging SATA hard drives if both power cables are used. That may be the problem, you may want to search online for more information on that possibility.

 

I would also recommend that you update the BIOS, I did with no floppy drive using Windows.

[Ben22]

Bofors,

 

Just a quick question, did you manage to get your raid setup working and detected by OSX?

[Hitesh]

Just a brief update...

 

The box is built and seems to be working prefectly and boots the OSx86 install disk.

 

Right now I am trying to update the BIOS without a floppy drive.

 

I am installing Windows 2K, but this thing say it can boot off of USB so I going to try substituting that for floppy.

EDIT: OK, BIOS is being flashed, should be installing 10.4.3 in a few minutes.

 

EDIT2: 10.4.3 is installing, seems to be going slower that I would expect though...

 

I guess this is known issue that is solve with some of the 10.4.4 kext's, but I have to set my SATA drive an as IDE (not AHCI) in BIOS or OS X does see it. See here for the solution: http://forum.osx86project.org/index.php?showtopic=6995

 

 

hi bofor....lovely setup ....I just got the same board but the classic model 945GNTL ....could u tell me how to set my sata drive to IDE ?as OSX doesnt see it !!

[bofors]

Just a quick question, did you manage to get your raid setup working and detected by OSX?

 

No, not with 10.4.3. I am hoping that 10.4.4/5 might solve this issue, but I will not be testing for a while.

 

hi bofor....lovely setup ....I just got the same board but the classic model 945GNTL ....could u tell me how to set my sata drive to IDE ?as OSX doesnt see it !!

 

Make sure you update your BIOS to lastest version from Intel first, then make sure that "IDE" is set in BIOS (not "AHCI" or "RAID").

[rockspeter]

http://downloadfinder.intel.com/scripts-df...38&submit=Go%21

 

what do you think of the iso with the 3592 update? that would be nice, if i wouldn't have to install a floppy. do i need to have linux installed before i put the disk in though...it says its bootable...so it would just boot of the cd right? thing is i think i have to install the 1788 update first, since my bios version is 1451...so yeah i have to put in a floppy drive... this is stupid

[Hitesh]

No, not with 10.4.3. I am hoping that 10.4.4/5 might solve this issue, but I will not be testing for a while.

Make sure you update your BIOS to lastest version from Intel first, then make sure that "IDE" is set in BIOS (not "AHCI" or "RAID").

 

I have bios version 2487.... I tried to update it to 3592....but it fried the board and its just come back from replacement ,,,, so im scared to try it again ....but i cant find the option for "IDE" and "ACHI" or "raid" though i dont have raid on my sys 945gntl .. i could only find in the advance option -->> drive configuration -->> ATA/IDE options are = LEGACY or ENHANCED.... please specify where is this option in your bios.

[pluggulp]

I've just built a very similar setup which works fine (Celeron instead of Pentium and less RAM due to budget limitations).

Just a question regarding the ADD2-N cards ... locally I can only find ADD2 cards, and I don't want to order from overseas (i.e. US or Europe). Is there a difference between ADD2 and ADD2-N ?

[bofors]

Is there a difference between ADD2 and ADD2-N ?

I do not think so, but post the manufacturer and model number of the "ADD2" so we can make sure.

[pluggulp]

Thanks Bofor, and kudos for starting this nice thread.

 

http://www.paw.com.au/catalogue/detail.jsp?productID=12033

 

It mentions compatibility with Intel extreme graphics (see below), that would probably include GMA950.

 

Specs below

 

 

ADD2 SH DVI ADAPTOR DC7 CMT DX6100

 

 

 

FORM FACTOR: Low-profile card

DVI-D CONNECTOR: Compliant with DDWG (Digital Display Working Group) and

VESA specifications for a single-link digital DVI (DVI-D) connector.

COMPATIBILITY: The DVI ADD Card is compatible with HP Business Desktop

dc7100 small form factor and the dx6100 slim tower

DISPLAY DEVICES SUPPORTED: HP & Compaq TFT1520; TFT8030; TFT7020; TFT5030

HP & Compaq TFT1720; TFT1825; TFT2025;

COLOUR DEPTHS: All modes support 8-bpp, 16-bpp, and 24-bpp color depths

(up to 16.7 million colors)

DOT CLOCK: 165 MHz maximum

HOST INTERFACE CONNECTOR:

* Mechanically compliant with PCI-E standard

* Complies with the Intel ADD2 and Intel Serial Digital Video OuPAWut

(SDVO) specifications

FEATURES:

* The DVI ADD2 card is a single-link DVI-D solution operating at up to

165MPs to support all resolutions from VGA to UXGA.

* Enhances Intel's Extreme Graphics2 integrated graphics solutions by

providing an all-digital DVI-D graphics connector.

* Adds low-cost support for DVI-D devices, such as digital flat panels

and projectors

* Allows an attached DVI-D display to work with or independently of a

display connected to the VGA port integrated on the motherboard

[bofors]

what do you think of the iso with the 3592 update? that would be nice, if i wouldn't have to install a floppy. do i need to have linux installed before i put the disk in though...it says its bootable...so it would just boot of the cd right?

Yeah, that's great. All I can say is it is about time. I see no need to for Linux here, this appears to be just a FreeDOS bootable CD that flashes BIOS upgrade.

 

Seeing my BIOS is 3309 and I have no floppy, I will probably be trying this ISO myself later. However, Hitesh's report of frying his board with 3592 update is making me hesistant (I assume he used the ISO). So, perhaps you should just upgrade to 3528 instead.

 

thing is i think i have to install the 1788 update first, since my bios version is 1451...so yeah i have to put in a floppy drive... this is stupid

Yes, it is stupid but a least Intel now is providing use with the ISO option. Otherwise, Windows can be used in lieu of a floppy drive.

 

I have bios version 2487.... I tried to update it to 3592....but it fried the board and its just come back from replacement ,,,, so im scared to try it again

Hmm... so are we to assume you tried to use Intel new ISO/CD-R BIOS upgrade technique?

 

....but i cant find the option for "IDE" and "ACHI" or "raid" though i dont have raid on my sys 945gntl .. i could only find in the advance option -->> drive configuration -->> ATA/IDE options are = LEGACY or ENHANCED.... please specify where is this option in your bios.

"Advanced" -> "Drive Configuration" -> "Confingure SATA as"

 

Note that "Confingure SATA as" is below "ATA/IDE Mode" and above "S.M.A.R.T" on running BIOS 3309.

[bofors]

http://www.paw.com.au/catalogue/detail.jsp?productID=12033

 

It mentions compatibility with Intel extreme graphics (see below), that would probably include GMA950.

 

Specs below

ADD2 SH DVI ADAPTOR DC7 CMT DX6100

FORM FACTOR: Low-profile card

So, this is an HP branded ADD2 card:

http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/quicksp...a/12008_na.HTML

 

OK, I have spent a few minutes trying to the bottom of the "ADD2" versus "ADD2-N" question but failed. However, I did note that Intel makes almost no mention of "ADD2-N" on it's website, just "ADD2". Then I looked at this ADD2 card page:

 

http://www.xpcgear.com/inteladd2pcie.html?...CFRB9JAodWWwLnQ

 

These "-N" suffixes caught my attention:

"Fully PCI-Express slot compatible; PCI-E type: 4X-N type"

"ADD-7307-DVI-N

 

I think an "ADD2" card is same thing as an "ADD2-N" card, and that whatever this "N Type" is refers to, it is the same thing for PCI-E and ADD2. Thus I am 99% sure that this HP ADD2 card will work fine in your system, provided you want or are prepared to deal with a low profile card (not full height).