[HowTo] Intel GMA 900 (for 915GM and 910)

[Tak]

With regards to people curious about whether the memory is a key factor, has anyone tried flashing their bios on their laptops with a different make/model laptop with different video ram tuning options to see if that works?

 

No no no! Bad idea. Flashing with an unsupported BIOS is a risky business and I'd only recommend doing it if you have a socketed BIOS chip and access to a backup chip otherwise you could end up with a dead laptop. Some BIOS chips are hard-soldered to the board and the only way to flash them is with specialist equipment from the manufacturer.

 

However, editing the video BIOS that has been loaded into memory is safe - like what those Linux apps do.

[JoeP]

Hey there, i have a fully working laptop now (except Atheros Wifi and Universal Binary iTunes).

 

Internal LCD displays 1280x800 even at "cold boot". I can also plug a 2nd screen and have extended desktop with QE and CI active on both screens. Sometimes it won't boot with the correct display but it is *very* rare.

 

I'll post the details of what i did. Roughly: added "Graphics Mode" key with "1280x800x32" value in com.Apple.Boot.plist, and modified the com.apple.windowserver.plist to change the resolution values. Don't forget to verify that the file owners & permissions are correct everytime.

[Tak]

Are you getting consistent QE and CI support without bluescreen and no external monitor plugged in?

[JoeP]

Yes i do. Well, i call that consistent: maybe 5% times i needed to reboot once to get full 1280x800 on main display without anything plugged. So let's say, 95% okay

 

And i always have QE/CI active, even with two monitors.

[suleiman]

so...that's to say with only your internal LCD on you get QE and CI working fine? 95% of the time?

 

By God man....post what you did!

[Tak]

Kendall over on win2osx.net has reported some findings that supports the memory theory. He's got video memory options in his desktop board's BIOS, and by changing one of the memory options, it toggles between bluescreen/no bluescreen. This is on a D915GAV board.

 

I found your other post over osx86project.org concerning GMA900 for laptops and decided to make some changes to BIOS.

Here are my results:

 

Frame Buffrer 8MB-16MB-32MB makes no difference

DVMT Mode - Fixed/DVMT/Both makes no difference

IGD DVMT/Fixed Memory 32MB-64MB-128MB makes no difference

IGD Aperature Size 128MB-256MB *** Here's the key-256MB ***

 

So, it's possible to have Frame Buffer set to 8MB, Fixed Memory set to 32MB as long IGD Aperature Size is 256MB

otherwise on reboot it would hang with blue screen.

 

Now we have something more concrete to work with. Quoting Intel, the aperture size is "the amount of system memory available for direct access by the graphics device."

[suleiman]

hmmm...I don't know if that makes too much sense.

 

On my GMA 900 laptop, for example, it says that the MAX amount of ram that windows can allocate, or any other OS for that matter, is 128 MB. This is not to discount the possibility, indeed, even the probability, that IGD Aperature Size is what makes the difference, but on a laptop the most you can allocate is 128, even with an external monitor plugged in.

 

Just some food for thought, hope this lead is promising.

[Tak]

Yes, on a laptop chipset everything is scaled down, but it's the same principle. We may only need to allocate 128MB (or even less) on laptops to get it working.

 

What these results show us is the fact that memory allocation does appear to have a direct effect on whether you get a bluescreen or not.

[JoeP]

By God man....post what you did!

 

Here you are, buddy

 

WARNING: This tutorial was written according to a particular experience. It may or may not work for you. I'm only describing what worked for me, without any warranty. I've written this text on a windows PC without access to my Mac or to my OSX PC, so i had to remember everything: details may vary, and there are probably mistakes in the code lines. If something seems strange, ask me to verify the step (the numbers at every step are made for that). I'll watch this topic several times a day.

 

1. Go to the BIOS and set the display option to "AUTO-DETECT" instead of "VGA+LCD".

 

2. Plug an VGA display.

 

3. Boot MacOS X or MacOS X patched install DVD. The screen should be displayed on external VGA monitor, the internal LCD should remain blank. If not, press FN-F5 until you get that situation.

 

4. If not done yet, install MacOS X and reboot the same way.

 

5. Check that you have correct image on the VGA monitor. Shutdown.

 

6. Go to BIOS, set display option to "LCD+VGA".

 

7. Boot MacOS X. During the grey apple logo time, press FN-F5 several times to get display on both internal LCD and VGA monitor.

 

IT MIGHT BE DIFFICULT TO GET TO STEP 8. Try hard, change settings, reboot, press FN-F5 more, less, not at all, until you get the right situation.

 

8. You should now have MacOS X displayed on both screens, in "extended desktop" mode, i.e. the 2 monitors display different things and you can move the mouse between the 2 monitors.

 

9. Go to Apple menu > System Preferences > Display. A preference panel should appear on each screen. One of them should have a tab called "Arrangement".

 

10. In the "Arrangement" tab, move the menubar to your internal LCD. This will cause the LCD to become the main monitor. (Optionnal: in the tab, move the VGA monitor on the good side of the LCD, so that it represents the real layout of your *real* desk).

 

11. Choose the best resolutions offered in the display preference pane for each monitor.

 

12. Close the System Preferences and reboot.

 

13. Check that your settings have been respected by the reboot: you should have the menubar on the internal LCD, and the VGA monitor should only show the nice wallpaper. Check that you can drag a window between both monitors.

 

14. Shutdown the computer. Unplug the VGA display. Go to the BIOS. Set the display setting back to "AUTO-DETECT". Shutdown again.

 

15. Boot into MacOS X and don't touch anything until it's complete. You should have 1024x768 pixels displayed on your internal LCD, leaving the rest of the screen black. You should have the menubar, the Dock and the desktop icons on the internal LCD. You shouldn't be able to move the mouse outside the internal LCD: follow the edges to check that, or go to the "Display" System Preference pane, the "Arrangement" tab should have disappeared.

 

16. Open "System Profiler" (or go to Apple menu > About this mac and click the more info button). Go to the Display line (don't remember the exact name). Check that Quartz Extreme and Core Image are enabled.

 

17. Go to /Library/Preferences/SystemSettings and backup your com.apple.Boot.plist file. Edit a copy of the file using a real text editor (like SubEthaEdit, or "pico" in the terminal) and add the 2 following lines after the other paramaters (CAUTION: i assume that your LCD is the same as mine, i.e. 1280x800 pixels):

 

<key>Graphics Mode</key>
<string>1280x800x32</string>

 

18. Be careful to keep a copy of the original file elsewhere. With the terminal check the authorizations and owner:group of the original file in /Library/Preferences/SystemSettings. Replace your modified file to the SystemSettings folder. With the terminal, check that the file owner:group and auth are OK, if not, correct them using chmod and chown with -R (recursive) option.

 

19. To be sure, repair the authorization using Disk Utility.

 

20. Reboot. Maybe it will be OK, maybe not. Check the "Display" system preferences pane. Maybe you'll have 1280x800, but i doubt it. If you have it, choose it and try to reboot (and shutdown / restart later) to see if it's consistent. If not, go on to nr 21.

 

21. Go to /Library/Preferences/, edit com.apple.windowserver.plist the same way you did for com.apple.Boot.plist (backup file elsewhere, check auth and owner:group) except that you should open it using the Property List Editor (available in the developer package, with XCode). It's easier with this editor but you can do without.

 

22. Examine the content of the file. I noticed that the first occurence of a "resolution like" number was a "height" key with value 768. In the same block, there was a "unmirroredHeight" with the same value and also "width" and "unmirroredWidth" with value 1024. I changed those values to 800 and 1280 to get 1280x800 pixels.

 

23. Put the com.apple.windowserver.plist file back to /Library/Preferences/ the same way you did before (check auth and owner:group, etc...)

 

24. To be sure, repair the authorization using Disk Utility.

 

25. Reboot. You should now have fullscreen display. Check the "Display" system preferences pane: you should have access to several resolutions, including strange "wide" resolutions intended for wide fullscreen games.

 

26. Verify that you have both Quartz Extreme and Core Image enabled in the System Profiler (see 16.).

 

27. If everything seems fine now, you should have fullscreen 1280x800 nearly* everytime you boot.

Troubleshooting: If you get abnormal 1024x768 during the following test, just try to restart (Apple menu > Restart...), it usually works for me.

Now try the following tests:

 

A. Try to simply restart (Apple menu > Restart...).

B. Try to shutdown (Apple menu > Shutdown...), wait for a few seconds or minutes, and boot MacOS.

C. Try booting Windows, wait for it to finish loading, and reboot to MacOS X.

D. Try booting Windows, wait for it to finish loading, shutdown. Wait for a while, then boot to MacOS X.

 

28. Final extra challenge: DUAL DISPLAY

DON'T TRY THIS IF YOU ARE SATISFIED WITH YOUR SITUATION: you may break something and have to restart this tutorial from the beginning!

You may be able to use dual display now, with Quartz Extreme and Core Image enabled on both monitors, and perfect resolution on both monitors (1280x800 and 1024x768 for me). To check that, shutdown, plug your VGA monitor, and boot MacOS X.

 

 

 

ENJOY!

[blue.mobile]

Here you are, buddy

..................

 

TOOOOOOOOOOOOO complex!

[Tak]

TOOOOOOOOOOOOO complex!

 

JoeP has put a lot of time into writing that post. If you can't be bothered to try it that's fine but please don't disrespect his work.

 

JoeP - thanks for that. I don't have access to my laptop at the moment but I'll give it a try when I do

[JoeP]

Easy man! it's *not* complex, i swear! I'm no good hacker, I'm just used to MacOS X because I've using it for over a year, and I've been reading this forum and the wiki for hours.

 

I mean, every step is very basic. The whole is long, but not hard. If you follow the steps carefully, it should work. I guess it takes about an hour to complete (assuming that OSX is already installed).

 

And as I said in my post, I'm here, I watch this topic several times a day, so if someone is stopped, just tell the step and try to explain what happens.

 

[suleiman]

JoeP, I too really appreciate the time you put into preparing that guide. I'll try it out later, only because for me it means having to upgrade to 10.4.3...which I don't have the time to do right now thanks to exams!

[JoeP]

Maybe it works with 10.4.1, I have no idea.

 

By the way, I noticed that I may have forgotten to clear the kextcache somewhere in the tutorial... I don't remember

[MrFoo]

It didn't work for me.

I have a Sony VAIO FS730/W laptop.

 

The BIOS doesn't have AUTO-DETECT or LCD+VGA options.

 

However, by default it uses both monitors. I can get to Step 15, at which point... blue screen on the internal LCD monitor.

 

Thanks for all the effort, though. I'm glad you found something that worked for you.

[brighttie]

Here you are, buddy

 

1. Go to the BIOS and set the display option to "AUTO-DETECT" instead of "VGA+LCD".

 

2. ...

 

 

It's pretty easy for me to get through until unplug the external monitor. Actually, my laptop doesn't have any VGA options in BIOS But, thanks, man.

[JoeP]

The BIOS doesn't have AUTO-DETECT or LCD+VGA options.

However, by default it uses both monitors. I can get to Step 15, at which point... blue screen on the internal LCD monitor.

It's pretty easy for me to get through until unplug the external monitor. Actually, my laptop doesn't have any VGA options in BIOS But, thanks, man.

You mean that you both managed to get step 13's dual-display, right? Did you manage to put the menubar on the internal LCD, and is this setting kept after a reboot?

 

Have you well inspected the whole BIOS, to check any setting that would at least *look like* a display thing?

 

A possible workaround solution would be to make a kind of dongle telling the PC that there is no possible resolution... maybe this article could help: http://developer.apple.com/technotes/hw/hw_30.html

It describes the way a mac probes the possible resolutions.

 

[EDIT] Oh, by the way, try to clean the kext cache: remove the 2 cache files in /System/Library and reboot.

Edited November 29, 2005 by JoeP

[MrFoo]

>You mean that you both managed to get step 13's dual-display, right?

>Did you manage to put the menubar on the internal LCD, and is this setting kept after a reboot?

 

 

Yes. No problem here.

The Laptop's LCD has the menu bar, and the external monitor has just a nice wallpaper.

I can drag a window across both screens.

And I can reboot, and it stays that way... as long as the external monitor remains connected.

 

But once that external monitor gets disconnected... next reboot always shows me a plain blue screen on the laptop's LCD.

 

 

>Have you well inspected the whole BIOS, to check any setting that would

>at least *look like* a display thing?

 

Yes. No such luck. Almost no options at all in the Phoenix BIOS the VAIO is using.

Certainly nothing about the screens or graphics.

 

>A possible workaround solution would be to make a kind of dongle telling the PC that there is no possible resolution... maybe this article could help:

 

This is the route I will try next. The article looks great!

Thanks so much for the link to it.

[brighttie]

>You mean that you both managed to get step 13's dual-display, right?

>Did you manage to put the menubar on the internal LCD, and is this setting kept after a reboot?

Yes. No problem here.

.....

 

Same here. W/ an external monitor, you can do everything you want; W/o it, only onething, blue screen. I know pretty much about hardware and BIOS, but no luck.

[JoeP]

If I were you, I would look for a kind of hacked BIOS for your particular laptop... maybe you'll find one with more options... it would be far easier than the dongle thing. But i'm not familiar to PC laptops, I've had only one PC at home and it is a desktop, so my girlfriend's Toshiba is the first PC laptop I've been using regularly (I have had an iBook and a Powerbook).

[zorxd]

Here you are, buddy

 

WARNING: This tutorial was written according to a particular experience. It may or may not work for you. I'm only describing what worked for me, without any warranty. I've written this text on a windows PC without access to my Mac or to my OSX PC, so i had to remember everything: details may vary, and there are probably mistakes in the code lines. If something seems strange, ask me to verify the step (the numbers at every step are made for that). I'll watch this topic several times a day.

 

1. Go to the BIOS and set the display option to "AUTO-DETECT" instead of "VGA+LCD".

 

2. Plug an VGA display.

 

3. Boot MacOS X or MacOS X patched install DVD. The screen should be displayed on external VGA monitor, the internal LCD should remain blank. If not, press FN-F5 until you get that situation.

 

4. If not done yet, install MacOS X and reboot the same way.

 

5. Check that you have correct image on the VGA monitor. Shutdown.

 

6. Go to BIOS, set display option to "LCD+VGA".

 

7. Boot MacOS X. During the grey apple logo time, press FN-F5 several times to get display on both internal LCD and VGA monitor.

 

IT MIGHT BE DIFFICULT TO GET TO STEP 8. Try hard, change settings, reboot, press FN-F5 more, less, not at all, until you get the right situation.

 

8. You should now have MacOS X displayed on both screens, in "extended desktop" mode, i.e. the 2 monitors display different things and you can move the mouse between the 2 monitors.

 

9. Go to Apple menu > System Preferences > Display. A preference panel should appear on each screen. One of them should have a tab called "Arrangement".

 

10. In the "Arrangement" tab, move the menubar to your internal LCD. This will cause the LCD to become the main monitor. (Optionnal: in the tab, move the VGA monitor on the good side of the LCD, so that it represents the real layout of your *real* desk).

 

11. Choose the best resolutions offered in the display preference pane for each monitor.

 

12. Close the System Preferences and reboot.

 

13. Check that your settings have been respected by the reboot: you should have the menubar on the internal LCD, and the VGA monitor should only show the nice wallpaper. Check that you can drag a window between both monitors.

 

14. Shutdown the computer. Unplug the VGA display. Go to the BIOS. Set the display setting back to "AUTO-DETECT". Shutdown again.

 

15. Boot into MacOS X and don't touch anything until it's complete. You should have 1024x768 pixels displayed on your internal LCD, leaving the rest of the screen black. You should have the menubar, the Dock and the desktop icons on the internal LCD. You shouldn't be able to move the mouse outside the internal LCD: follow the edges to check that, or go to the "Display" System Preference pane, the "Arrangement" tab should have disappeared.

 

16. Open "System Profiler" (or go to Apple menu > About this mac and click the more info button). Go to the Display line (don't remember the exact name). Check that Quartz Extreme and Core Image are enabled.

 

17. Go to /System/Library/Preferences/SystemSettings and backup your com.apple.Boot.plist file. Edit a copy of the file using a real text editor (like SubEthaEdit, or "pico" in the terminal) and add the 2 following lines after the other paramaters (CAUTION: i assume that your LCD is the same as mine, i.e. 1280x800 pixels):

 

<key>Graphics Mode</key>
<string>1280x800x32</string>

 

18. Be careful to keep a copy of the original file elsewhere. With the terminal check the authorizations and owner:group of the original file in /System/Library/Preferences/SystemSettings. Replace your modified file to the SystemSettings folder. With the terminal, check that the file owner:group and auth are OK, if not, correct them using chmod and chown with -R (recursive) option.

 

19. To be sure, repair the authorization using Disk Utility.

 

20. Reboot. Maybe it will be OK, maybe not. Check the "Display" system preferences pane. Maybe you'll have 1280x800, but i doubt it. If you have it, choose it and try to reboot (and shutdown / restart later) to see if it's consistent. If not, go on to nr 21.

 

21. Go to /System/Library/Preferences/, edit com.apple.windowserver.plist the same way you did for com.apple.Boot.plist (backup file elsewhere, check auth and owner:group) except that you should open it using the Property List Editor (available in the developer package, with XCode). It's easier with this editor but you can do without.

 

22. Examine the content of the file. I noticed that the first occurence of a "resolution like" number was a "height" key with value 768. In the same block, there was a "unmirroredHeight" with the same value and also "width" and "unmirroredWidth" with value 1024. I changed those values to 800 and 1280 to get 1280x800 pixels.

 

23. Put the com.apple.windowserver.plist file back to /System/Library/Preferences/ the same way you did before (check auth and owner:group, etc...)

 

24. To be sure, repair the authorization using Disk Utility.

 

25. Reboot. You should now have fullscreen display. Check the "Display" system preferences pane: you should have access to several resolutions, including strange "wide" resolutions intended for wide fullscreen games.

 

26. Verify that you have both Quartz Extreme and Core Image enabled in the System Profiler (see 16.).

 

27. If everything seems fine now, you should have fullscreen 1280x800 nearly* everytime you boot.

Troubleshooting: If you get abnormal 1024x768 during the following test, just try to restart (Apple menu > Restart...), it usually works for me.

Now try the following tests:

 

A. Try to simply restart (Apple menu > Restart...).

B. Try to shutdown (Apple menu > Shutdown...), wait for a few seconds or minutes, and boot MacOS.

C. Try booting Windows, wait for it to finish loading, and reboot to MacOS X.

D. Try booting Windows, wait for it to finish loading, shutdown. Wait for a while, then boot to MacOS X.

 

28. Final extra challenge: DUAL DISPLAY

DON'T TRY THIS IF YOU ARE SATISFIED WITH YOUR SITUATION: you may break something and have to restart this tutorial from the beginning!

You may be able to use dual display now, with Quartz Extreme and Core Image enabled on both monitors, and perfect resolution on both monitors (1280x800 and 1024x768 for me). To check that, shutdown, plug your VGA monitor, and boot MacOS X.

ENJOY!

 

It didn't work on my Asus Z71A

and the files com.apple.something are somewherelse

[Murat]

is everyone here had a builtin camera?

[JoeP]

and the files com.apple.something are somewherelse

oh yes! thanx. I correct it. (could you unquote in your post? no need to propagate errors...)

[Murat]

joep,

 

can you please post your com.apple.windowxxx file here?

[JoeP]

here you are: com.apple.windowserver.plist.zip