Acer Laptop users (Intel).

[twistedfish]

Update!

 

When I start my computer I HAVE to press F8 and enter cpus=1 -v or OSX will never start(just hangs on the white screen with the apple on it. Is there a way to permanently enter this? Or is this a sign that I messed up? Other than the small inconvenience of that it still boots twice as fast as Vista does (I am an IT guy in a PC world, so that hurts to say) and other "issues" that I layed out above it runs very smooth and is very responsive. I even installed my Sprint wireless card and it worked perfectly.

[commissio]

Mine works flalessly just use 9.2 TOH as kernel.... :oP

[Taru]

HI!

 

I have a Acer 5720Z /CPU: Intel T2310, X3100, 1GB ram, 160GB SATA drive Atheros WLAN/ and I've tried to install first the Kalyway version /which simply cannot erase or format or even see any of my partition on the drive, or if it does see it even then cannot use it or erase it/ then the ToH version /which doesn't even boot into the install screen/ and now the iATKOS v4 but I have no luck. The iATKOS seems to work though the install stops /a.k.a the laptop simply shuts down suddenly/ at about 50% /sometimes earlier like at 15-20%/. Ive read it somewhere that it could happen 'cause of heat /it overheats itself during install, which is not surprising since I've found that the fan stops after getting into the installer and won't start again: / so I've tried to cool it down a bit with a fan /it stayed at a not too hot temperature, a.k.a I could easily hold it it only seems a bit warm but not hot and it didn't get hotter at all/ but it still stops at 50%, though I only tried to install the very basic of the installer /the kernel and a boot loader, I didn't select drivers or anything else/. What's wrong with my laptop or did I get a damaged iso?What should I do, I really would like to install an OSX /I've tried to install Leopard too but that doesn't support SATA drives / Someone help please!

[Detosx]

Update!

 

When I start my computer I HAVE to press F8 and enter cpus=1 -v or OSX will never start(just hangs on the white screen with the apple on it. Is there a way to permanently enter this? Or is this a sign that I messed up? Other than the small inconvenience of that it still boots twice as fast as Vista does (I am an IT guy in a PC world, so that hurts to say) and other "issues" that I layed out above it runs very smooth and is very responsive. I even installed my Sprint wireless card and it worked perfectly.

 

Hi twistedfish. The cpus=1 issue should cease to become a necessity when you install natit.kext from the iATKOS installer DVD. If you don't want to start your install all over again, bootup os x, pop the installer DVD into your DVD device, power up Pacifist (I think you should find that in the Applications folder on your hard drive but if not google it. Use pacifist to get to Natit.kext and put it on the desktop. The startup kext helper, which again should be in your Applications folder. Drag Natit.kext into kext helpers window, type in your password and let it do its thing. I should tell you it has installed. Then go up to Go / Utilities / Disk Utility and repair permissions on your hard drive. The next time you boot you should be able to do so without the cpus=1 command.

 

Sound will work with Taruga's alc628 package. The question is will shutdown work - all of the time. I will look out the link for the package.

 

Ethernet and Wireless are no go out-of-the-box, but if you look through this thread you will find suggested replacement wireless cards that will work - broadcom BRCM1020 is one; you could sell your old card on ebay - or you can use a cheap and cheerful usb wireless dongle. The internal wireless card is not hugely difficult to change out but the contact's plug/socket is very fragile, so be gentle and patient or go with the USB dongle. Ethernet remains unsolvable but I have no use for it on my laptop. There is a kext for the card reader but not the SD card reader. For SD cards pretty well any USB SD card reader will work.

 

DO REMEMBER TO UNMOUNT/EJECT any SD card reader or USB hard drive - if you simply remove the cable you don't always just get a warming, sometimes the screen displays flashing squares of colour in a very dramatic and ugly crash. You live and learn, right!

 

 

Again, read through the thread.

 

Hey Guys,

 

i'm currently using an Acer 7730G - Centrino 2 Book.

 

I just got Jas OSX86 10.5.4 and tried to install it.

 

The installation was done well, my keyboard was working, all was good.

 

BUt after i booted the finished install of Mac OS X, it is telling me, that there is no keyboard present..

 

Maybe i used the wrong kexts? Is there anyone who installed a OS X on a Centrino 2 Book?

Or should i try leo4all,kalyway or something else... I read about a boot disc which simulates an EFI Boot Environment, so i theoretically just have to put in a standard leopard dvd, has anyone tried this yet?

 

I think there are almost the same components like the 7720G, except of the CPU,Graphiccard..

Intel Core 2 Duo P7350 2GHz 3GB RAM 320GB HDD Nvidia 9600M-GT Please help me ;-)

Hi Risker, I am not familiar with your laptop but... JAS is a hero of the community but he was absent for a while before bringing out his variation on the Leopard installer. I have no experience with it. I imagine Leo4all (there is a new intel version due out soon) or iatkosV4i might be the way to go. I am not familiar with your graphics card. It might be an idea to google search instead of using insanelymac's cranky search engine. Just enter the name of the component you want to check if there is a driver for and the word insanelymac. I'm sure someone out there will have a similar setup.

 

I haven't tried the boot disc that you speak of though I am very interested to do so, at some point. The important thing is that everyone buy's Leopard from Apple. The cheapest way of doing so is if you are a student.

 

HI!

 

I have a Acer 5720Z /CPU: Intel T2310, X3100, 1GB ram, 160GB SATA drive Atheros WLAN/ and I've tried to install first the Kalyway version /which simply cannot erase or format or even see any of my partition on the drive, or if it does see it even then cannot use it or erase it/ then the ToH version /which doesn't even boot into the install screen/ and now the iATKOS v4 but I have no luck. The iATKOS seems to work though the install stops /a.k.a the laptop simply shuts down suddenly/ at about 50% /sometimes earlier like at 15-20%/. Ive read it somewhere that it could happen 'cause of heat /it overheats itself during install, which is not surprising since I've found that the fan stops after getting into the installer and won't start again: / so I've tried to cool it down a bit with a fan /it stayed at a not too hot temperature, a.k.a I could easily hold it it only seems a bit warm but not hot and it didn't get hotter at all/ but it still stops at 50%, though I only tried to install the very basic of the installer /the kernel and a boot loader, I didn't select drivers or anything else/. What's wrong with my laptop or did I get a damaged iso?What should I do, I really would like to install an OSX /I've tried to install Leopard too but that doesn't support SATA drives / Someone help please!

Heat can be a killer and some of the ACER Gemstone range have problems without the Vista and Acer power management software that they came with; you might be tied to them if the laptop's motherboard/bios isn't automatically sensing overheating and engaging the fan to compensate.

 

You might want to do a google search with Acer 5720Z and insanelymac and see if someone else has installed successfully on that model. While you're at it, check and see if you have the latest bios installed.

 

It could be a damaged ISO, I'm not sure. Check on uphuck's forum on how to check if you have a clean download (you will need to register but, again, it's worth doing so because you might find someone there using your model of laptop). Incidentally, did you select SATA (additional SATA controller support) from the installer? I found that I need that on the Extensa 5620Z. Some laptops are unhappy with certain kernels. Mine work well with the default speedstep kerenel and speedstep package, which also help to keep heat down. Also, research this bit with regards to your set up but, in the installer, with my laptops, I went with uphucks advice and "remov(ed) thermal kexts.

 

EDIT. I don't usually do searches for folks as I'm time pressed but overheating strikes a chord!

 

Read this: http://forum.insanelymac.com/index.php?sho...mp;#entry775343

 

If that link doesn't work, you're looking for the one and only post on the forum by nomayo

 

Looks like you need to update the bios. Do some background reading on that one and don't attempt it unless you are plugged into the mains. If you can't find the bios update on the American homepage, try the European one. Ideally you want to install the bios relevant to your country and model number sub revision number but... the European site could be considered a plan B and possibly a small gamble. Nothing is without risk. There are rare cases where people have installed the wrong bios and turned their laptop into a brick... albeit a cool one! Again, google check with your model number and the words bios update; you might find someone who has found the European bios update is fine to use on your model.

[twistedfish]

DETOSX

Thanks for your response. I ordered the broadcom card from eBay earlier today so I should be able to resolve that issue. I will try the fix for the sound and the cpus=1 tomorrow.

 

 

Quick question ( I apologize if it's a dumb one) Can I allow Mac OS to run updates? will this "break" me? Or do I need to search for updates and if I need to search for them will I have to reinstall to "upgrade"?

[twistedfish]

I GOT SOUND!!!!! YEAH!!!!!!

 

I am doing the cpu fix now. I can hardly wait till the wireless card gets here, but my Sprint card works great so not the end of the world.

 

My kid saw me on it last night and went crazy (he has been begging me for a Mac for sometime now). This may actually be the push for me to purchase an actual Mac!

[Detosx]

DETOSX

Thanks for your response. I ordered the broadcom card from eBay earlier today so I should be able to resolve that issue. I will try the fix for the sound and the cpus=1 tomorrow.

 

 

Quick question ( I apologize if it's a dumb one) Can I allow Mac OS to run updates? will this "break" me? Or do I need to search for updates and if I need to search for them will I have to reinstall to "upgrade"?

Hi there, there is a sound package out there with taruga installer 1 and installer 2, AppleHDAhelper and a shutdown fix, as previous sound on many laptops using the ALC268 killed shutdown, or rather gave you the dangerous illusion that the laptop had shutdown; if you were fortunate enough to hear the fan spin up to speed (or in the case of the 4720z - see the thankfully large and unmissable illuninated power button) you wouldn't then bake your laptop by putting it in a relatively air tight bag. I will try and find you a link a little later.

 

At the time of writing, if you went with the default iATKOS4i speedstep kernel and speedstep package, which for a laptop user I would have said are essential, you can install most updates including, as of the present, security updates. What you can't install on such a setup is the new 10.5.5 kernel/system.kext update. If you try, you won't even be able to boot up, it will just panic. My advice would be to wait a while and Mysticus C* might have bought out a 10.5.5 updater, with a suitable Customize tab and the speedstep kernel as an option. That will give you all of the advantages of the 10.5.5 update but without the vanilla 10.5.5 kernel. Vanilla is fine for desktops, if you're intent on running full tilt and without speedstep, but I can't see the sense in using it on a laptop; you want to keep heat down and battery life up. It frustrating reading all the fanboys posting 'Just updated my laptop from 10.5.4 vanialla to 10.5.5 via apple update without issue'. There isn't a 10.5.5 speedstep kernel, yet, never mind a 10.5.4 or a 10.5.3 one. I know someone is working on a workaround but it's still in early beta stage.

 

Generally it can be a good idea to hold off for a while when there is a new kernel/system.kext, to see if they break or add anything! Rarely pays to rush to be an early adopter of anything, unless a show off or if it solves a known problem that you are having. Being an Apple owner, even nomially, is about stability and productivity.

 

Edit: -

 

http://forum.insanelymac.com/index.php?sho...mp;#entry773294

 

When and if he brings out a 10.5.5 updater, which I would think would be in the next few days or weeks, you will need to mail him for a download link. I have always preferred his updaters to those of the others out there.

 

If curiosity eats you, there are tutorials on how to update using a downloaded update from Apple. First you make a copy of your Exensions folder, then use a terminal command to begin with, then run updater... before reboot you replace the kernel with, say, speedstep kernel and associated system.kext... and any needed kexts from your backed up Extensions folder, repair permissoins and reboot. But in the world of dead cats, it pays for curiosity to hold off.

 

I GOT SOUND!!!!! YEAH!!!!!!

 

I am doing the cpu fix now. I can hardly wait till the wireless card gets here, but my Sprint card works great so not the end of the world.

 

My kid saw me on it last night and went crazy (he has been begging me for a Mac for sometime now). This may actually be the push for me to purchase an actual Mac!

 

http://forum.insanelymac.com/index.php?sho...=96434&st=0 - Sound with the all important shutdown fix. You might notice that the speaker icon doesn't appear in the Finder bar, but it should still be working. You need to follow the instructions to the letter.

 

Macs are great, a lot of used models with recent specs are appearing. The whole aesthetic of the complete package is... hard to describe. Not only does it make you a productive individual, in terms of worrying less about security issues, it's fun, too.

[Taru]

Thank you answering and especially for searching for me Detosx!

I've done what you said and updated the BIOS, now it installed, now I only have to get in it somehow.

For some reason Kalyway still think that there are no partitions and cannot create any stating that the drive is busy,

while iATKOS installed easily on one of the pre-made partitions /created it with ubuntu LiveCD then erased and then installed

ofcourse/. If I only select the Darwin Bootloader and the iATKOS installer /which is 5.1gb/ then after install I get till start up

then a stop sign /in black and white/ on the top of the apple. I f I select other stuff too /like ToH kernel or even the x3100

driver/ then instead of booting it gives a bootselector and if I select the hfs+ drive it does nothing /but it'll load my Win if I

select the other one/. Now I'm waiting for the Leo4all /since in the link you gave someone could installed that on a

notebook like mine after BIOS update/ and also for an older Kalyway /also read that the newer one won't work on my notebook but the older should so I give it a try/.

 

I start to feel like I might end up with a working Leo it's a matter of time to find the right image all thanx to you .

[urgonah8me]

Long time since I posted in this thread

 

I can now say my acer aspire 5634wlmi (in my sig) is running Jas 10.5.4 perfect ! except that shutdown doesnt work (unless I hold the power button till it goes off) and sleep doesnt work properly..

 

Iv seen you guys mention some patch or something that fixes the shutdown issue with audio? but im confused... it only seems to mention one type of audio... im using alc883 audio will that patch help me out at all?

 

wouldnt mind having a safer shutdown option...

[Mount]

Laptop: Acer Aspire 5715Z

Motherboard:-Mobile Intel® 965 Express Chipset Family (448 MB)

-Intel® Pentium® Dual CPU T2310 @ 1.46GHz, 1463 MHz

-Mat{censored}a DVD-RAM UJ-850S ATA Device

-CPU Typ Mobile DualCore Intel Pentium T2310, 1466 MHz (11 x 133)

-Motherboard Name: Acer Aspire 5715Z

-Motherboard Chip: Intel Crestline-GML GL960

-Ram: 2037 MB (DDR2-667 DDR2 SDRAM)

-supports x86, x86-64, MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3

-Broadcom BCM94312MCG WiFI chip

-Broadcom Netlink 10/100/1000 adapter

 

Installed it with leo4all v3, with SATA, X3100 and Intel ICH drivers checked. Got wifi fixed with this and the sound with this

 

Things that won't work:

 

- Sleep

- Cabled network

[hoboscat]

Hi all,

 

I was looking into buying an aspire AS7720-6182, as I can get a good deal on one, but it comes with an intel 3945abg. Can anyone tell me if this can be easily swapped out with another mini pci-e card? I'd rather not use a usb dongle if I can help it.

 

If anyone who has this notebook can let me know it would be much appreciated

[bemac]

Hi Guys,

 

This is my third attempt at experimenting with OSX on x86.

 

( we have more than one Mac & PC; the mac notebook moved on; trying to see if I could get a pc notebook going)

 

Previously attempted with Koolkal & Uphuck versions, amongst other things. Could only get wifi with a retail purchased mac certified external dongle, that was bulky and cumbersome. Couple other things didn't work either. I gave up when the known to work Dell wifi card I bought didn't work in my Acer. Bus problem many have (had). Dell wifi card works fine in Vista.

 

I have some revamped energy due to this guide: http://forum.insanelymac.com/index.php?showtopic=96552

 

Hardware: Notebook, Acer Aspire 5570z-2609 14"ws + Core Duo T2060 1.6 + 2 GB RAM + 80GB HDD

+ Graphics : GMA 950

+ Sound: Audio Realtek HD (10EC 0883)

- WiFi - Atheros AR5007 (168c 001c) --- Not working

- (or) WiFi - Dell 1394 --- Not working

- Ethernet - Marvell Yukom 88E8038 (11AB 4352) --- Not working

? PCMCIA

 

In my current attempts I have used iAtkos v4i and v2i.

 

I can complete the installation fine with either v2i or v4i, but when I get to step 3 in the guide [ http://forum.insanelymac.com/index.php?showtopic=96552 ] I get a kernel panic with something ACPI in it.

 

I have tried a dozen different installs, ranging from using the default two options, to ones with several selections ... doesn't seem to make a difference. Kernel Panic.

 

When I post for help in the guide thread and the linked NIC thread [ http://forum.insanelymac.com/index.php?showtopic=87592 ] ... they get buried instantly without responses. Poster of the guide couldn't help because he doesn't have his Acer any more.

 

So, I am hoping one of the fellow Acer owners in this thread might be able to point me in the right direction as to how they solved this problem if they experienced it or how they avoided it.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

Hi all,

 

I was looking into buying an aspire AS7720-6182, as I can get a good deal on one, but it comes with an intel 3945abg. Can anyone tell me if this can be easily swapped out with another mini pci-e card? I'd rather not use a usb dongle if I can help it.

 

If anyone who has this notebook can let me know it would be much appreciated

 

Swapping the card was easy in my Acer 5570z. No idea how much variation there is model to model and series to series. Hopefully somebody with the exact model can chime in. FYI. On mine it involves two screws to release the large cover in the center of the notebook (wifi card & memory access). It is a pressed in place cover (not a locking sliding one with tabs) so it is a bit scary to remove the cover with little nudges of bending & pulling carefully. Once the cover is removed you can pull two little antenna connecters out of the existing module. Unscrew two tiny screws. Remove old card. Install new card. Etc.

[si_asyu]

@all

Thanks for sharing your experience for acer notebook

 

@Detosx

thanks for starting this thread and warning

 

this is my experience

 

Jas 10.4.8

 

install and boot smoothly, but no network and non accelerated display

after a few week play around I think its time to upgrade to Leopard

 

Kalyway 10.5.1

hmmm, I think this version is unstable for my machine, I frequently have 'you must restart your ...." in different languages .... even if the installer can boot smoothly and have change variant customization installation

 

Kalyway 10.5.2

install and boot smoothly (to avoiding looping "do you already own a mac" you can use tips somewhere written in this forum, or alternatively you can use usb lan or using another working USBWLAN card - I'm using Belkin G USB with zydas driver at the customization option) and you can unplug the USB to avoiding eth0 used by the USB, you can fix the BCM 5787 later ...

 

after boot you got non working USB, and must patched with System.kext from 9.2.0 because Kalyway somehow using 9.0.0, something not mach with the kernel (CMIIW), everything working except the network (both lan card and WLAN)

 

you can upgrade the graphic card with LeopardGraphicsUpdate1.0 later without any problem,

 

sound ..... if you just need the machine have sound then you can use ou can using appleazalia.kext but without working mic.

 

.... and for the first time I can see the welcome scren in many language with sound ....

later you can use taruga ALC268_Installer2, but sometime have problem with shutdown if you are using only the battery (the led still light on and you can feel the wind blow from the back fan (thanks Detoxs for the warning .... )

 

after a few month playing around (browsing, chat, burning, gaming, and for work at the office), I think this is the stable version ... . (thanks Kaly ...)

 

Leo4allv3 10.5.2

same as Kalyway 10.5.2, but the USB working OOTB no need to patch

for the lack of network, you can use working WLAN USB (look at HCL 10.5.2 at Wiki for the start), and you can start enjoying the 'hackintosh' ......

 

stable version .... (thanks eddieC ...)

 

still wait for the proper shutdown though

 

again, thanks all for sharing the experience ....

 

peace ....

[Detosx]

This one is for those of you who, like me, wondered if we would ever see working Ethernet on our Acers!

 

It applies to Acer models using the Broadcom BCM5787M.

 

If in doubt about what hardware your Acer has, google and install OSx86 Tools Utility. It allows you to view PCI Device/Vendoer IDs and has a host of useful tools. Not least, it can install a kext to the partition of your choice. Very handy if you killed one of your two setups; I always have a parrallel/dual boot, in case I mess up one or the other. Here is the link.

 

http://forum.insanelymac.com/index.php?sho...127903&st=0

 

If it works for you, give thanks to nobb1x. This is a biggie!

 

Links go down or change from time to time. If so, the name of the thread you want to google is Broadcom BCM5787M - A solution, specific kext for cynderella lan card

 

Incidentally, to get it working on my on 4720z, I firstly had to install PCCard.10.5.2.Beta2.pkg.zip - kudos to benni134 for mentioning it - a link to which can be found on page two of the above thread. Once that is installed, follow the instructions carefully in the read me of the Broadcom BCM5787M folder.

 

I have had a chance to road test it and see if it holds the connection when downloading, but the fact that I was able to connect to good old Apple's homepage was bliss!

 

Wi-Fi, on the other hand... I hope there aren't piles of unloved incompatible wi-fi cards out there!

[alexmak]

hello, i am not new to this forum, but i usually dont post lol anyway

i just bought an Acer Aspire AS5735-4624 from bestbuy today and i am planning to OSX it.

the laptop is still in the box lol. i wanna try to read as much as possible in here before i put osx on it.

 

now i am looking at the spec of the laptop and i dont know which iso i should use it begin with...

any suggestion?

[Detosx]

hello, i am not new to this forum, but i usually dont post lol anyway

i just bought an Acer Aspire AS5735-4624 from bestbuy today and i am planning to OSX it.

the laptop is still in the box lol. i wanna try to read as much as possible in here before i put osx on it.

 

now i am looking at the spec of the laptop and i dont know which iso i should use it begin with...

any suggestion?

I'm afraid that model uses the new GMA 4500MHD graphics chip, which isn't yet supported and may never be, I don't know at this point.

 

If support isn't imminant or likely for that GPU, you'll need to change that laptop for a different model. How about going for a used MacBook? The logic being that once you factor in the price of Leopard and iLife08, a used MacBook is good value. Battery life on MacBooks is much better than project pc 'Macs'. If you're determined to change it for something else, at that price you would be looking for a model with intel GMA X3100 (folks, best always to google your laptop's model number against insanelymac and see if it is known to work, stablely). I imagine Best Buy have a restocking charge. On the other hand, why not hang on to it, it looks like an excellent buy.

 

I'm actually a big fan of both XP and Vista - they can be skinned to look like they are running Tiger/Leopard http://www.aqua-soft.org/board/news.php and there are many other theme/skin sites, XP and Vista themes that look more or less identical to Tiger/Leopard or themes even better than, most are free and don't require Windowblinds which isn't - and with the 2 gigs of memory on that machine, Vista will run nicely for you. Also, it will have Acers empowering technology suite/drivers within Windows, which will give you decent battery life and keep the temperatures down. I managed to fry an HP laptop that didn't shutdown fully because of a Taruga alc628 driver that, though it gave sound, killed full shutdown; with the screen black/off I put the laptop in my daypack - and it cooked... With some Acers, if running Linux or OS X, you need to keep an eye on the temperatures and, if nothing else, get a laptop cooler.  

[twistedfish]

Once again a great victory!! I followed the directions for the Ethernet and I am able to use an Ethernet connection!! but only if I do a tcpdump and leave the terminal running. I am sure that I am just not following the directions correctly (not the first time this has happened) and i will put further effort into getting it to work. But for now I will enjoy being able to surf directly on my wired conneciton.

 

Funny how little victories have great value.

[EL_KAISER]

Hello, I´m thinking to buy an Acer 5930G with the P8400, 9600M GT.

And I am interested to know if it is possible to install MAC OS X in this laptop?

 

I didn´t found anything in the search, and by the word 5930 doesn´t search anything

 

Thanks and greetings

[Detosx]

The short answer is, I don't know about the newer graphics chips, it seems unlikely unless Apple are about to deploy the same chip in their hardware. You need to Google each component against insanelymac and even then, if you don't find someone with the same model, there are no guarantees.

 

The longer answer is that there is a rumor circulating that Apple are about to bring out an $800 laptop. Someone told me there would be an announcement on the 15th of this month. I would strongly advise anyone against buying a laptop expressly to put Leopard on it. There is a time-is-money commitment, an element of risk and, to stay on the right side of doing the right thing, you still need to buy Leopard and iLife08. Also, with a real MacBook, you are looking at huge battery life. If you can, I would hold off! If you're someone who already owns a compatible laptop and you won't have money for the real thing for a long time, this stopgap hobby has it's place, perhaps!

[Detosx]

Today Apple unveiled their new MacBooks and very nice they are, too. The entry level model is $999 which, for what it is, doesn't seem like a bad deal. It looks gorgeous! It also makes picking a used MacBook a viable option. Please, guys, don't buy a laptop purely with the aim of turning it into a hackbook, from a time-is-money standpoint it doesn't make any sense. It can be a fairly time consuming hobby and it's not without risk. Turning a pre existing laptop into a hackbook may make sense as a stopgap to Mac ownership. In terms of battery life and coolness, go for the real thing.

[bb10]

Today Apple unveiled their new MacBooks and very nice they are, too. The entry level model is $999 which, for what it is, doesn't seem like a bad deal. It looks gorgeous! It also makes picking a used MacBook a viable option.

That's entry level hardware for a non-entry level price.

 

Please, guys, don't buy a laptop purely with the aim of turning it into a hackbook, from a time-is-money standpoint it doesn't make any sense.

That's actually pretty stupid, unless you know that it will work correctly on that laptop. It's not really from a "time=money" standpoint, but more like an "it may never work correctly" standpoint.

 

It can be a fairly time consuming hobby and it's not without risk.

For me it is a hobby, time consuming or not.

 

Turning a pre existing laptop into a hackbook may make sense as a stopgap to Mac ownership. In terms of battery life and coolness, go for the real thing.

Not really, turning a pre-existing or even a newly bought laptop into a hackbook does not have to be a stopgap to Mac ownership. I for one would never buy one. Like I said, it's just a hobby.

 

It could be though, but I wouldn't recommend it. Some people think that a hackintosh experience is the same as a Mac experience...

[Nadeo]

Here the Story of my success. I bought a Acer 5920G for less than 700€ (brand new!). Including:

 

Intel Centrino Core 2 Duo T5780 (correct me if iam wrong) running at 2x2.0 Ghz

4GB of DDR2 667mhz Ram

Geforce 8600m GT with 512meg of Ram

320GB SATA2 HDD with 5200rpm

Intel 4965bgn Wlan (not working)

and many more ...

 

First i installed the Kalyways release (10.5.2) to my hdd. I installed the following:

 

- vanilla Kernel

- smbios (doesnt matter wich one)

- azalia audio

 

i didnt need the rest. after successfull install the first boot mostly hangs at the gray apple. so reboot, and see. it boots up fine.

then i downloaded the 10.5.5 combo update from apple, installed it how it is described in the forum here (remove Intel-Kext). then it boot up but nothing is showing! so boot into safe mode, installed gfx-util for adding a gfx string into my efi. reboot, see - it works!

 

now i got running 10.5.5 with nearly 99% of original kexts. that is crazy, but its working. now i just installed the old 10.5.2 kexts for nvidia. cos otherwise i wouldnt have QE/CI support. so graphics works.

 

the build in wlan dont work, cos until now there arent any solutions for several problems. lan the same problem. but - installing the driver for pcmcia cards (i think it was nun-chan) helped me to activate my express card slot. after installing this driver, my system wont boot anymore! everytime it shows an kernel panic. but dont panic, just boot into safe mode (-x -s) and see, no KP. then just reboot, and it works. then installed an belkin express card wlan adapter to get internet access.

 

after that i installed chameleon efi and did some fine tuning (i.e. for USBEHCI Sleep, etc.) and installed the new AppleSMBIOS AvN Style.

 

thats all. the best is - even sleep work after the last step!

 

yeaha. sorry for my bad english, if there are any questions. i will try my best to help!

[hackinjosh]

Acer Extensa 4620

 

I have an Acer Extensa 4620z laptop, 2gig mem, 160gb HD, intel GMA 3100 graphics, Broadcom WiFi, Intel HDA audio, iDeneb 10.5.5

 

This hackintosh is close to working perfectly.

 

Intel Graphics: working perfectly with full acceleration including quartz

Intel HDA Sound: Built in speakers and Headphones out w/ switching, built in mic works, volume control works, mute does not work, all else is untested

Broadcom Wireless: works perfect

Broadcom Ethernet: NOT WORKING (I never use it so I don't care)

Crystal Eye Camera: Works perfect

Firewire: looks like it's working, haven't tested it

USB: perfect

 

It took a few tries to get it, but here is how I did it.

 

Intstall vanilla kernel. When you customize the install, the only driver you should check is Broadcom wireless. all the rest of the vanilla drivers work best. I think I selected the AGP driver but whatever you do, DO NOT select ANY video drivers! THIS REALLY HOSES THIGS UP!

 

Ok, now when you reboot, almost everything is already working! all you will need is sound. After numerous attepts I found this thread which guided me to a working setup. DO NOT use the installers, the don't work. I posted a reply with instructions on how to get it working, follow these instructions.

 

To get your CD burner working with Disk Utility you will need to make any part of this folder tree that is not already there. For a global install you need:

/Library/DiskRecording/DeviceProfiles

for a user only install:

~/Library/DiskRecording/DeviceProfiles

to install unzip and copy the attached device profile to the DeviceProfiles folder. you may need to reboot.

 

GSAT20N.drprofile.zip

 

I have a very stable and usable computer. I am stoked!

 

For fair play I will list downsides:

No Ethernet, I did get it working at one point but it broke my wifi... I need that more, so I reinstalled Wifi

No Mute button

No fancy trackpad gestures (2 finger scrolling etc.)

No IR (haven't tried very hard though)

No 5-in-1 card reader support (not yet anyway, I haven't tried too hard)

 

If you have any questions, PM me.

[IMPALER]

Got a blinking cursor after a clean LEOPARD install on an ACER 5610 laptop over an empty hdisk. So I reboot with the DVD (ToH) hit F8 got the boot: -legacy and I got a system config file ´com.appleBoot.plist´ not found Before I install the leopard I delete all partitions on the hdisk, then I create one partition 74Gb were I installed the leopard so it went all the way to the end where I got a green check mark stating that installation OK. I don´t want it to coexist with windows just Leopard.

[Detosx]

Got a blinking cursor after a clean LEOPARD install on an ACER 5610 laptop over an empty hdisk. So I reboot with the DVD (ToH) hit F8 got the boot: -legacy and I got a system config file ´com.appleBoot.plist´ not found Before I install the leopard I delete all partitions on the hdisk, then I create one partition 74Gb were I installed the leopard so it went all the way to the end where I got a green check mark stating that installation OK. I don´t want it to coexist with windows just Leopard.

Sounds like the partition either isn't set to 'active' or 'boot' - I use the gparted live CD - or possibly the bootloader is damaged. I think the TOH is getting on a bit, not to say it's not perfectly good, just not one I have used. A newer simpler setup might be to use ideneb. In the installer, don't select GMA X3100 graphics driver if that's what your laptop uses; you should find that the default 3100 driver will work.