Lnx2Mac's RTL81xx gets installer !

While the development of a new beta driver is taking longer than I would like, I decided to create an OS X Installer Package for a slightly modified version of the current Beta 0.0.67

This should help in getting a smooth installation of the driver in no-time (while requiring less Hackintosh expertise).

Lnx2Mac's Realtek RTL81xx Driver goes Beta

Mac OS X Realtek 8111E/8168E support is here !

Hi !

Due to the shortcomings of the current Realtek 81xx Hackintosh drivers (such as lack of or limited support of 8111E, 32/64-bit, sleep issues), I endeavored to port the Linux RTL81xx driver to OS X.

RealtekRTL81xx.kext is the result of this work, and it fully supports the RTL8168/RTL8111 family of NICs.

After weeks of coding, compiling, rebooting and debugging this, I can proudly say that it's now ready for prime time !

Moving OS X /Users to a separate partition

After considering the Alternatives for separating the OS X users' home directories, I decided to use a separate partition.

In this post, I'll explain in detail how to use a separate partition ("Volume" in Mac OS X parlance) for /Users.

Alternatives for separating the OS X users' home directories

Most OS X installations you'll find, probably use just one partition per disk. This may be convenient, but coming from years on Unix/Linux, that's a no-go for me... We can do better...

So, let's see how we can get the users' home directories on a separate partition ("Volume" in Mac OS X parlance) or disk.

Lnx2Mac's Realtek RTL81xx Driver about to go Beta

OSX Realtek 8111E/8168E support coming soon

Hi !

Due to the shortcomings of the current Realtek 81xx Hackintosh drivers (such as lack of or limited support of 8111E, 32/64-bit, sleep issues), I endeavored to port the Linux RTL81xx driver to OSX.

Multiple Partitions on OS X - Pros and Cons

Whether to have multiple partitions or not has been a topic of debate for ages... You might think it even predates the invention of storage.

Here, I'll give a rundown of the many reasons why you might want (or not) to have multiple partitions on your OS X hard disk drives.

Fixing the Orange HardDisk Icons

Upon upgrading to OS X 10.6.3, the P55 chipset was supported OutOfTheBox.
But there's a downside...
Apparently due to a Gigabyte BIOS bug, all SATA hard drives appear as External (Orange Icons).

While it's just a cosmetic issue, it affects the familiar feeling of the OS X desktop.

Several methods were developed to overcome this.
I'll briefly describe the options here, and present my own 'Vanilla' Solution.

Installing OS X Snow Leopard - Part Three

In Part One of this article, we gathered all required components for a smooth installation, and in Part Two we did the actual OS X install...

But we need to keep booting off a CD with iBoot... It's time to fix that !
...and while we are at it, we'll pick the optimal MultiBeast options for the GA-P55M-UD4.

Installing OS X Snow Leopard - Part Two

In Part One of this article, we gathered all required components for a smooth installation, it's time to install OS X...

Installing OS X Snow Leopard - Part One

In the past, installing OS X on non-Apple hardware used to be a long journey, which involved gathering a lot of kexts (kernel extensions or drivers), and manually tweaking and installing lots of files...

Those days are over !

Optimal BIOS Configuration

Configuring the BIOS is something that almost every PC user had to deal with.

However, it's usually full of terms than even some tech-savvy users don't understand.
This lead vendors to provide a way of choosing "Optimal" settings.

I found out that, even after using Gigabyte "Optimized settings", there's a lot to improve !

With the settings here, we'll tune the PC to optimal settings.

Updating the Gigabyte BIOS

Updating the BIOS of a Gigabyte motherboard is very easy (and safe, thanks to the Dual-BIOS).

There are several alternatives for this:

• The Q-Flash Utility (embedded in the BIOS),
• The @BIOS Windows utility
• The FLASHSPI.EXE MS-DOS utility (included with the BIOS update)

Unpacking the Gigabyte BIOS without Windows

Before moving on to installing the OS, let's take care of updating the BIOS.
Gigabyte publishes (quite often) updated BIOS with new features and fixes.
So let's download and unpack the new BIOS.

Finalizing the build

OK, we are almost there...

It's time to start cabling the components.

No special surprises here, just follow the instructions on the motherboard's manual.

A couple of tips though:

• OS X supports the SATA controller included in the P55 chipset, so we'll use the Blue SATA connectors.
  Connect the HDD to SATA2_0, and the DVD to SATA2_1.
• When connecting the Front Panel Audio, use the HD-Audio connector, not the AC'97 one.

Now for the fun part...

Installing Hard Drive and DVD

Of the many nice features included in the Antec Sonata Designer 500 are the 3½" HDD suspension mechanism and 5¼" Universal Drive doors.

Lets see how helpful these are for the installation...

Installing the Mugen-2 Rev.B CPU Cooler on the GA-P55M-UD4

Installing a massive heatsink that requires a backplate might be intimidating for some.
However, the back-plate and bolt-thru mechanism are much more sturdy and stable than the tension-mount or plastic push-pins most small heatsinks use.

While the instructions included with the Scythe's Mugen-2 Rev.B are very easy to follow, here are some tips.

Installing the Motherboard

Assembling a PC requires a little practice... and a couple of free hours to burn.
Personally, I've been doing this for almost 30 years, so it's become kind of second nature.

Following these simple steps, our PC will be ready in little time for installing and running OSX.

The Lnx2Mac Build Components

Picking the right hardware components for your Hackintosh build is a bit more challenging than building a regular PC, as OS X was designed with Apple Hardware in mind only.

Not doing this, can result in an installation "polluted" with custom drivers (in the best case), or to a combination which just can't run OS X...

So, wondering which components I used ?

Lnx2Mac Blog

Hi, I'm known as Lnx2Mac in the tonymacx86 Hackintosh Forum.

I've been developing software and hacking hardware since the early '80s... The good part of them on Unix and Linux.

In 2008, I switched my main system (a Linux Laptop) to a MacBook Pro.

Wanting to add a Desktop companion to it, I decided to play and build a Hackintosh.

Started this blog to collect my notes, hoping it will also help others.
If you, like me, get a kick out of hacking and tweaking, are planning to make the transition from Linux, or are just building a Hackintosh and looking for solutions... Stay around !

I'd love to hear your comments !

Lnx2Mac