General Noob Questions

[zef]

Sure, you can install the boot files onto that hard drive partition as well, but forget that sleepenabler.kext first It just causes issues.

[kbear]

I have already searched the forum topics, and I could not find anything to answer my (mostly simple) questions. So here goes:

I want install Mac OS X 10.6 from the original retail DVD to a number of different PCs. By reading various tutorials and posts, I concluded that the best strategy is...

1. Create a bootable USB stick and install Chameleon on it, along with any necessary kexts.
2. Boot the PC from the USB stick.
3. Select the retail DVD from the Chameleon boot menu.
4. Boot from the retail OSX DVD, and start the Mac OS X install process.
5. Reboot from the USB stick and this time choose the new OSX partition.
6. After Mac OS X boots, install Chameleon to the new OSX partition.

The problem is, I'm stuck at step 3. The Chameleon bootloader boots fine, but the icon for the install DVD does not show. Only the icon for the current Windows partition on the HD is visible.

I tried the rescan CD command (F5) and the rescan devices command (F10) without any success. I tried this with two different versions of Chameleon (RC3 and RC4) on two DIfferent PCs, and I got the same result.

So my main question is, does Chameleon need any special configuration to be able to show the Mac OS X install DVD icon on its boot list?

I'd also like to know if there are any tutorials about Chameleon which explain what each component does.

For example, is the com.apple.Boot.plist file nesserasy for Chameleon to work, or is it optional?

And do the kexts work if you simply place them inside the Extras\Extensions directory, or do I need to do something more? Some tutorials mention creating a kext cache. Is this required, or optional?

There are many tutorials online, but most deal with following steps for specific hardware, and do not explain these basic questions. I have been unable to find answers so far. I'll keep searching, but if someone could post an answer on this topic, I'd be grateful.

[There's a thread we keep open for basic questions, almost identical title too. Teleporting you there]

[rocksteady]

Steps 1-6 are fine, you can also achieve step 1 with a bootable CD…

Unless you used /boot instead of /cdboot (from /i386) your DVD should be showing up on your device list
 
(/boot can not boot optical media, /cdboot does that)

/Extra/com.apple.Boot.plist is necessary, otherwise the default one in /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.Boot.plist will take over and you don't want that

Did you try any of the Apps under Spin-Off Projects?

You may also restore your Retail DVD on a usb stick and install this way (much faster).

mkext is recommended, chameleon can read kext(s) form /Extra but some fake kexts have to be part of a mkext in order to load. In other words, do not use kexts that you do not understand/know what they do (to your hardware).

[outragedtony]

Damn, too slow (but nice feature, reply-posted-while-typing warning)... cdboot already mentioned now, so I am leaving only the first part of my post:

I feel your pain re "It worked for me on <somehardware> with <some prepatched distro> when I tried out the following steps but I am not sure what it all means" - Guides.

However, there is a sticky in this very forum explaining the inner works of Chameleon: (unofficial)Documentation for Chameleon 2 RC

[kbear]

Steps 1-6 are fine, you can also achieve step 1 with a bootable CD…

I prefer the USB stick approach, because it allows for easier trial and error with the various kexts. I want to be able to experiment with adding or removing kexts from the USB stick until I find a combination that works, before I add the kexts and Chameleon permanently on the Mac OS X partition of the Hackintosh.

Unless you used /boot instead of /cdboot (from /i386) your DVD should be showing up on your device list
 
(/boot can not boot optical media, /cdboot does that)

That's what I did wrong then. The instructions I followed to prepare the USB stick mentioned adding boot to the root directory. Not cdboot. I did try to move cdboot to the root directory, but I had renamed it to boot, assuming that the bootloader needed to see a specific name (i.e. boot) in order to recognize the file. This did not work, and I didn't think of simply moving cdboot to the root directory without changing the name. I was looking for a more complicated solution, and the simple solution did not occur to me.

/Extra/com.apple.Boot.plist is necessary, otherwise the default one in /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.Boot.plist will take over and you don't want that

Did you try any of the Apps under Spin-Off Projects?

No, I'm trying to find a formula that will work without an existing installation of Mac OS X. I own several Macs, but I have to write an article about building  a hackintosh, and I want to find a generic solution that does not require a Mac, and can be completed entirely from Windows.

All the hackintosh-related apps I found so far are Mac-only. Talk about the chicken and the egg. 

You may also restore your Retail DVD on a usb stick and install this way (much faster).

mkext is recommended, chameleon can read kext(s) form /Extra but some fake kexts have to be part of a mkext in order to load. In other words, do not use kexts that you do not understand/know what they do (to your hardware).

So, can I build a kext cache (mkext) from Windows or a Linux distribution running on VirtualBox? Or does this require a Mac OS X install? (I suspect the latter).

[Blackosx]

No, I'm trying to find a formula that will work without an existing installation of Mac OS X. I own several Macs, but I have to write an article about building  a hackintosh, and I want to find a generic solution that does not require a Mac, and can be completed entirely from Windows.

All the hackintosh-related apps I found so far are Mac-only. Talk about the chicken and the egg. 

Hi kbear

Have you seen this post by r0m30?
http://forum.voodooprojects.org/index.php/topic,911.0.html

[kbear]

Hi kbear

Have you seen this post by r0m30?
http://forum.voodooprojects.org/index.php/topic,911.0.html

Yea, I've seen it, thanks.  Only problem is, that guide does not tell you how to install Chamelon on a USB stick, but how to install Chameleon directly on a partition of the Hackintosh PC, which is not what I want to do.

r0m30's guide was very useful in some respects, as in how to use Parted Magic to create the USB stick without using Mac OS X (I actually did it using VirtualBox in Windows, which I think is easier than actually booting from a bootable Parted Magic USB stick, because you can read the PDF with the instructions while you're running the Parted Magic environment).

However, r0m30's instructions assume that you're not going to have a trial-and error approach to the kexts, and that you already know exactly which kexts will work with your hardware configuration. So if you mess up and end up with an unbootable partition, you have to start from scratch. That's why I wanted to have Chameleon installed on the USB stick first, do all my kext tests there, and add chameleon and the kexts to the OS X partition of the Hackinotsh PC only after everything is tested on the USB stick (which I can modify from the Parted Magic environment until I get it right) .

[editorial note: You do not have to start from scratch, you can reboot the pmagic USB, mount the chameleon partition and modify it without reinstalling (add/remove kexts etc) ... r0m30]

I have managed to combine r0m30's instructions with other tutorials that require the use of Mac OS X to create the Chameleon USB stick, but I was stuck because all the instructions I read mentioned the /boot file, and not the /cdboot file.

Thanks to rocksteady, I hope I'll be on track now. I appreciate the help guys. I'll try the /cdboot file tip tomorrow.

[kbear]

Damn, too slow (but nice feature, reply-posted-while-typing warning)... cdboot already mentioned now, so I am leaving only the first part of my post:

I feel your pain re "It worked for me on <somehardware> with <some prepatched distro> when I tried out the following steps but I am not sure what it all means" - Guides.

However, there is a sticky in this very forum explaining the inner works of Chameleon: (unofficial)Documentation for Chameleon 2 RC

Thanks!  I don't know how I missed it. I downloaded other documentation for Chameleon from this forum, but it only covered the basic commands and install procedure. I wish I've seen this sooner...

[Blackosx]

......but I was stuck because all the instructions I read mentioned the /boot file, and not the /cdboot file.

Are you planning on using the cdboot file for a bootable USB? I ask because I don't think it will work, as the cdboot is used on a bootable CD only.

Can somebody correct me if I'm wrong here?

[kbear]

Are you planning on using the cdboot file for a bootable USB? I ask because I don't think it will work, as the cdboot is used on a bootable CD only.

Can somebody correct me if I'm wrong here?

Yes, that's what I'm planning. I'll try it tomorrow, and I'll let you know if it worked.

[outragedtony]

kbaer,
did you manage to create the chameleon boot image without needing a working OS X system? If so, it would be great if you could elaborate how it worked or point me to more infos. This would help me a lot to try out stuff.

edit: arrgh.. it was late and I was tired. mentioned r0m30's instructions should cover this. thanks.

[r0m30]

Yea, I've seen it, thanks.  Only problem is, that guide does not tell you how to install Chamelon on a USB stick, but how to install Chameleon directly on a partition of the Hackintosh PC, which is not what I want to do.

OK, so if you use the guide substituting the USB drive for the internal drive on your target PC you will have chameleon installed.  Then:
mkdir -p  /c/System/Library/CoreServices
touch /c/System/Library/CoreServices/SystemVersion.plist  on the USB drive
[edit: the correct commands if following the guide would be
mkdir -p  /c/System/Library/CoreServices
cp /s/System/Library/CoreServices/SystemVersion.plist /c/System/Library/CoreServices/SystemVersion.plist
...r0m30]
You will have a bootable USB that can mount the retail DVD once you get past the KP's.

Then it's boot, KP, google, fix ... rinse & repeat.

When you get the "still waiting for root device" message you have the kext combo that will get you to the installer so you can either run the installer from the USB drive or transfer the kexts to the target drive and use it to install. You can either remove the "Scan Single Drive" key from com.apple.boot.plist and use the USB drive to boot your osx install or install Chameleon on the hard drive.

One caveat, you may still run into issues with your internal hard drives because up until this point you have not accessed them.

....I actually did it using VirtualBox in Windows....

Grrr so many toys so little time....

.... which I think is easier than actually booting from a bootable Parted Magic USB stick, because you can read the PDF with the instructions while you're running the Parted Magic environment...

I've considered posting the instructions on the web and linking them so you could read them using firefox while booted into pmagic but the forum rules prohibit that (for good reason a pdf is forever, a web site not so much).

I don't understand why this would be preferable to rebooting the pmagic USB, mounting the Chameleon partition and modifying the kexts in /Extra/Extensions on the target drive.

[calreid]

Hi there

I used the iAtkos 7 installer and everything is running fine.

Graphics card took a fair bit of work, however my ram is comming up at the wrong speed.

It should be DDR 3 1440 MHz, but the system detects it as 667 MHZ DDR 2.

My FSB reads wrong too

I noticed the machine identifies itself as a mac pro 2.1. Could that be the reason for the ram speed issue?

Any suggestions on how to alter this? The motherboard identifies the ram correctly on start up.

Not sure if this is the right place, but this is my first post and although i've been a lifelong mac user, i've only been into hackintoshing a few months.

Here's my specs as they should be:

Vanilla Kernel

Leopard 10.5.7

Gigabyte X58 UD3R Motherboard

Intel core i7 920 - 2.66 (Overclocked to 3.6)

6GB DDR3 triple channel PCZ Gold ram 1333MHz (Overclocked to 1440 mhz)

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 275 - 896 MB

Need anymore info just let me know

Calum

I've moved your post, it's not a bug report and doesn't belong in the bug reporting sub forum.

[Gringo Vermelho]

Please search and/or browse around the forum before asking basic questions that have been answered several times already.
http://forum.voodooprojects.org/index.php/topic,85

Set up /Extra/smbios.plist with correct clock speeds for your RAM and FSB, and spoof any Mac model you want. You could use MacPro4,1, as you have an i7 CPU. Refer to the docs and the FAQ, also google smbios.plist.

Delete your existing smbios injector kext from /System/Library/Extensions (if any), and make sure your AppleSMBIOS.kext is unmodified.

[outragedtony]

I don't think it will work, as the cdboot is used on a bootable CD only.

Did not work for me, only with boot. Bummer.