tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847325812037724692024-03-18T03:27:34.140-07:00Lnx2Mac's BlogReminiscences of a Linux guy migrating to OSXLnx2Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657587386685255719noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484732581203772469.post-37979149079571088452012-08-12T14:28:00.000-07:002012-08-12T14:28:25.816-07:00Vacations... and back!<div class="separator" style="clear: none; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi787QccU27xeHVQ01xhDOqrZQb1LO_vrhux3iL6Bx_SCxLxHTptXiEnl7OqSiIR5Ylbnj9rzNmzt9HzL4HQWB07Hne4DS0I4QomvcfnNct5UVXDjmW8sbFDq1uHXZ3LCHbgw7BmgjRNvg/s0/Vacations.png" width="400" /></div>
<br />
Having overworked myself for the last <i>too-many months</i> (which also explains the
lack of posts here), it was finally time to get some vacations from paid
work...<br />
<a name='more'></a>
<br />
And no better kickoff for my vacations than 10 days abroad with my wife and 3
kids, enjoying the beach, swimming pools, nice meals...<br />
In other words, empty my head, have fun and refill my batteries before getting
back to Hackintoshing and improving my <a href="/p/realtekrtl81xx-osx-driver.html">Realtek RTL81xx kext</a>.<br />
<br />
While Software development is both my profession and my hobby, there's one
other thing I'm passionate about: <b>R/C (Radio-Control) planes!</b><br />
<br />
Lucky me!<br />
I found an hotel with <u>not just</u> a pool for us all to relax, but also with a flying field for me to have some <i>"stick-time"</i> !<br />
<br />
Surprisingly (or not?), R/C modelling seems to be extremely popular among Software
Developers, IT guys, SysAdmins and all-around Hackers.<br />
<br />
And, this got me thinking...<br />
<br />
<h2>Are you too an R/C Enthusiast ?</h2>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowtransparency='true' frameborder='0' height='280' scrolling="no" name='poll-widget422648928350570525' src='http://www.google.com/reviews/polls/display/422648928350570525/blogger_template/run_app?txtclr=%23333333&lnkclr=%2300aa00&chrtclr=%2300aa00&font=normal+15px+Arial,+Tahoma,+Helvetica,+FreeSans,+sans-serif&hideq=true&purl=http://lnx2mac.blogspot.com/' style='border:none; width:90%;'></iframe></div>
So, stay tuned for news in the coming weeks...Lnx2Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657587386685255719noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484732581203772469.post-23730372931608014132011-10-06T10:33:00.000-07:002011-10-06T10:34:00.110-07:00Steve Jobs, 1955-2011<div class="separator" style="clear: none;">
<img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYh6t6ndDg1gOkqCEdv5P3eWoJQWUbwAm3ndLMu63X8JVJj0nSigaQLmZWow7iAX4N4oux0iItu5U8bSRRZjiYUd72Nf8NKW_HtUtC2GETxqaMIXMjebPGpK6RzvB-bQkKTzW7Ltp5zGXx/s400/Apple-Jobs-Logo.png" width="400" />
<span style="color: #b0b0b0; font-size: 65%;"><br /><i>Image credit: Jonathan Mak <a href="http://jmak.tumblr.com/post/9377189056">http://jmak.tumblr.com/post/9377189056</a></i><br /></span></div>
<br />
<i>The moment I touched the Apple ][ in 1982, my life changed forever !!!</i><br />
<br />
Since then, you changed the world and almost everything around our lives...<br />
Not just how we look at and interact with computers, but how we listen to music, watch movies and communicate with others.<br />
<br />
Thank you Steve Jobs !<br />
<br />You'll be missed... But your vision will live forever...<br />
<b>R.I.P. Steve Jobs</b><br />
<br />
Lnx2Mac<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB8PwVk_jU29QyULepxoiZ8s_zpGLRsC6BAe3bFd7chj11bGZL1d_pTlENin7d6nigTbohEk9gJfyPD5624CmDExxpp3IlRXRGfGilY6ZWnK33rXDrv8tC_dqHnRJzUB6-taloxnGbxd0D/s1500/Sad_Finder_Icon.png" width="100" /></div>
<br />Lnx2Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657587386685255719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484732581203772469.post-24248981644796445912011-09-27T16:10:00.000-07:002011-09-27T16:10:18.813-07:00Lnx2Mac Releases new RTL81xx Beta<div class="separator" style="clear: none; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXurQEGKuCSasfFC1W2HIeC0i32aCHW-mJfZ77ZKfXLMorxuhtVSMdqwz5dIyXplYsIKxKAXxjqldjHh-RBp4H079iogJ8l6e5Se4C15cZvTbpUL9cuZKibHpaz9yluUTCaS7pEv-umcQ/" width="400" /></div>
After several months of development (and regrettable delays due to work obligations and health issues), 203 packaged builds, 71 Alpha testers, and 4 test iterations, a new beta version of the Realtek RTL81xx driver is finally ready to be released.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
The Functional/Visible Changes are:
<ul>
<li>Adds support for newer RTL8111E, RTL8111E-VL, and RTL8111F chips (as found on many SandyBridge motherboards),</li>
<li>Full support for WakeOnLAN,</li>
<li>Full support for WakeOnDemand,</li>
<li>Slight performance improvements</li>
</ul>
<br />
But the really exciting changes happened <i>under the hood</i>:
<ul>
<li>Massive code refactoring (almost a full rewrite),</li>
<li>Merged code with r8168 Linux driver v024,</li>
<li>Partial Linux emulation layer</li>
</ul>
<br />
You might be asking why those changes are so <i>exciting</i>...<br />
Well, a lot of effort has been invested to make the source more similar to the Linux Realtek driver.<br />
<br />
The purpose of this is to allow to track changes in the Linux driver more easily, thus shortening the time needed to support new chips.<br />
<br />
Additionally, with this, I'll be able to implement new features much more quickly.<br />
<br />
The focus of this release was to provide a stable solution for RTL811x chips on Snow Leopard and Lion, adding support for chips found on many SandyBridge boards, and fixing some bugs of v0.0.67.<br />
<br />
I want to take this opportunity to <b>thank the 71 Alpha testers</b> that put this version <b>v0.0.90</b> through its paces, in several iterations, and on very different configurations for the last 3 months.<br />
<br />
So, you might ask: <i><b>Should I install this ?</b></i><br />
Short answer: <b>Definitely !</b><br />
<br />
<br />
For more details, head on to the <a href="http://lnx2mac.blogspot.com/p/realtekrtl81xx-osx-driver.html">RealtekRTL81xx OSX Driver</a> page.<br />
<br />
Thanks,<br />
Lnx2Mac<br />Lnx2Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657587386685255719noreply@blogger.com80tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484732581203772469.post-62568954251101904982011-07-20T05:39:00.000-07:002011-07-20T06:54:17.865-07:00Mac OS X Lion Available for Download<div class="separator" style="clear: none; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBGx4iyKnkbXdj7fHzIE3J5jwJDmyKRslE8Tegn7Ky0eKJPXT7rvYM2hqqOOwBIE_25mT8hI6SW2O3jNB2nS0qwFvcyj-9FohOImMYoGmK_1mPFZFvmKLBFGhA45Yc73B5VFOvosY2KDQ/" /></div>
<br />
Just a quick post to let you know (that is, in case you missed it) that Mac OS X Lion is NOW available for download from the Mac App Store !<br />
<br />
Be patient, as Apple's servers seem quite overloaded...<br />
<br />
Oh, and <b>don't forget to backup</b> <u>before</u> starting the upgrade...Lnx2Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657587386685255719noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484732581203772469.post-28093668634873667212011-06-24T10:12:00.000-07:002011-06-24T10:12:40.130-07:00Mac OS X 10.6.8 UpdateLong hiatus... Too long...<br />
<br />
Anyway, Apple's release of the 10.6.8 Mac OS X Snow Leopard update yesterday are news big enough to free some time, get over my <i>writer's block</i> and write this post.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXtA2gyjsIdUSMCWLr8lXmeyd3HhfRXf94kuq4l330OD50DEZQGZmBqj4xEkvbI2uJR1AcGaytlqPXvXrUbE-W_pr-dmDTTSxteov_1L_2ecQE9_OIT3XXSm6g6tgnqdBYCwuNUABXxYU/s200/Software_Update_icon.png" width="200" /></div>
<br />
As usual, <i>“this update is recommended for all Mac OS X Snow Leopard users...”</i> Is it? Really? And what about <i>Hackintosh</i> users?<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Besides the several system and security fixes, the most exciting news about this update are enhancements to the Mac App Store to ready it for Mac OS X Lion.<br />
<br />
But before you rush to get the <a href="http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1399">10.6.8 Combo</a> or <a href="http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1400">Point update</a>, you might want to know that many iMac and MacBook users are reporting issues with this upgrade, including <i>display streaks</i>, <i>printing problems</i>, and <i>kernel panics on boot</i>...<br />
<br />
Consider that one user's experience doesn't mean you'll encounter the same problem (you might find other issues, or none at all).<br />
This is as true for this upgrade, as for any other.<br />
<br />
So, should you take a chance? And, more important, what can you do to avoid getting into trouble?<br />
<br />
What I always recommend, before taking the plunge is to make sure you <b>have backups of your system <u>and data</u></b>.<br />
Having to reinstall your machine isn't an exciting adventure, but it's something you'll recover from easily...<br />
You'll just be losing precious time, not your invaluable and irrecoverable data...<br />
<br />
Did I mention time?<br />
Make sure you have plenty of it before starting a software upgrade!<br />
It's not unusual for me to have to delay some days (and sometimes even weeks) before I can apply a Software Update.<br />
Remember that you want to have enough slack to fix or restore your system in case of trouble.<br />
Two days before an important deadline is not the right time to do it!<br />
A Friday afternoon is a good time for this (if you are mentally willing to potentially “sacrifice” a week-end)<br />
<br />
A valuable addition to my systems is a <i>small</i> Volume (partition) used for “testing”.<br />
This doesn't have to be a full-blown installation, with all your software... Somewhere between 15GB to 50GB should be more than enough.<br />
So my procedure consists of applying any updates to this Volume first.<br />
If I encounter trouble, I can try to overcome it here, without damaging my “production” Volumes.<br />
As an added benefit, I can always boot from this Volume and access the other Volumes, should I need to fix anything.<br />
<br />
One last recommendation... <b><i>Backup!</i></b><br />
I keep a Time Machine live backup of my system and data, and about monthly I clone an Image of my system to a networked drive.<br />
<br />
And... What about Hackintosh ?<br />
Many Hackintosh users were <a href="http://www.tonymacx86.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=22882">reporting issues</a> upgrading to 10.6.8<br />
<br />
I tried upgrading the test partition on my <a href="http://lnx2mac.blogspot.com/p/perfect-hackintosh.html">Perfect Hackintosh</a>, and found everything works, <u>except for Audio</u>.<br />
It seems that due to changes in the current AppleHDA driver, <a href="http://macmanx86.blogspot.com/2010/12/new-unified-realtek-onboard-audio.html">MacMan's ALC8xx driver</a> stopped functioning.<br />
I'm sure an update will soon follow!<br />
<br />
So, what will I do? In the meantime, I'm holding this update a bit, while keeping an eye on <a href="http://www.tonymacx86.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=22882">Tonymacx86's Forum - Official 10.6.8 Update Thread</a>...<br />
<br />
What about you?Lnx2Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657587386685255719noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484732581203772469.post-50904987856438983042011-03-01T13:23:00.000-08:002011-03-02T05:36:43.076-08:00Reviving Dead Ethernet PortsDoes your OnBoard Realtek Ethernet port seem dead ?<br />
Can't you get it working on any Operating System ?<br />
Are you getting the dreaded "Self-Assigned IP" ?<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIV7HtOsthwSN_mZaj4rkOBa_SGD_I4-MQTeAVORUqx8cRclkFdKJFcFkPTIxvS7z1xdTpU7f7uoj_Ijr6FbEeioZoQ4JVe-2360_ckpPOJQKncjuGQaBKWcdmDZP2_ZwjJiZCKvBHDVw/" width="370" /></div>
<br />
If so, this post is for you...<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>
Many people contact me with issues getting their LAN working.<br />
Some ever though of replacing the motherboard as the LAN appears to be "dead".<br />
<br />
In most cases, it's nothing to be afraid of... The "Dead Realtek NIC" symptom is quite common on Gigabyte boards (among others), and, usually, there's no need to RMA it, nor hurry and buy a new NIC or Motherboard.<br />
<br />
Just follow this procedure, testing again after each step, until your NIC is working again:<br />
<ol>
<li>Verify that the Ethernet port is clean of dust and lint</li>
<li>Check your Ethernet cables are working<br />
You might want to try the cable with another computer, or try another set of cables</li>
<li>Check your switch/router port is functional (might want to try a different port)</li>
<li>Verify that LAN is enabled in your BIOS</li>
<li>Unplug your PC, and leave it off for a couple of minutes. Then plug and turn on your PC, enter SmartLAN in BIOS.<br />
Most of the times, this solves the issues !</li>
<li>Clear CMOS and <a href="http://lnx2mac.blogspot.com/2010/07/optimal-bios-configuration.html">reconfigure BIOS</a></li>
<li>If it still doesn't help, <a href="http://lnx2mac.blogspot.com/2010/06/updating-gigabyte-bios.html">reflash BIOS</a>, and <a href="http://lnx2mac.blogspot.com/2010/07/optimal-bios-configuration.html">reconfigure</a> your BIOS.</li>
</ol>
By this time, your NIC will probably be OK.<br />
<br />
Still having problems ?<br />
Leave a comment below and I'll try to help !Lnx2Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657587386685255719noreply@blogger.com58tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484732581203772469.post-24779203404250179292010-11-12T07:47:00.001-08:002010-11-12T07:53:13.170-08:00Lnx2Mac's RTL81xx gets installer !<div class="separator" style="clear:none;text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRQk9FHGb5Mp8rklwLXsWOO-QvMjhaO057iqCdSNiXBZB17du2iyqLbrry_-ZvdX9wq5Aal76B7NvAigL5A7ANU_Xe4FrdON1CRSMES85YEiqiAGouK08lVYM2t3DVUx7H7s_yzH15sQ8/" height="376" width="400"/><br />
</div>
<br />
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<br /><br />
This should help in getting a smooth installation of the driver in no-time (while requiring less Hackintosh expertise).<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
The benefits of using this Installer Package are:
<ul>
<li>Extremely easy installation</li>
<li>Allows installing <b>Release</b> <i>or</i> <b>Debug</b> version</li>
<li>Moves away conflicting kexts (but keeps them safely on your desktop)</li>
</ul>
<br />
I dub this version <b>v0.0.67+</b> as it fixes an issue when installed on systems with both an RTL8168 and the <i>(currently unsupported)</i> RTL8169 NICs.<br />
<br />
So, you might ask: <i><b>Should I install this ?</b></i><br />
Short answer: <b>If v0.0.67 works for you, <u>there's no need to install this !</u></b><br />
<br />
<b>This is the preferred (and supported) installation method</b> for new installs, as all future versions will be using an installer like this one.<br />
<br />
For more details, head on to the <a
href="http://lnx2mac.blogspot.com/p/realtekrtl81xx-osx-driver.html">RealtekRTL81xx
OSX Driver</a> page.<br />
<br />
Thanks,<br />
Lnx2MacLnx2Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657587386685255719noreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484732581203772469.post-40169021023604939942010-09-20T13:22:00.000-07:002010-11-12T17:18:50.557-08:00Lnx2Mac's Realtek RTL81xx Driver goes Beta<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear:both;text-align: center;">
<a href="http://lnx2mac.blogspot.com/p/realtekrtl81xx-osx-driver.html"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPEDXdID0XuNK5PZOKwoMo8GTModD7p23TGSFq2sqzJhaCvCXZUNf6qCVmZhny4kfIxx7MnxPVMFxhZOoV_qwMjezFIQIucfTX0DBh5yfOvTwhyuakDts81DH0r3TowQ3UIAeYg8v_Yd2C/" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Mac OS X Realtek 8111E/8168E support is here !</span><br /></div>
<br />
Hi !<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
RealtekRTL81xx.kext is the result of this work, and it fully supports the RTL8168/RTL8111 family of NICs.<br />
<br />
After weeks of coding, compiling, rebooting and debugging this, I can proudly say that it's now ready for prime time !<br />
<a name='more'></a>
<br />
Some highlights of the issues it fixes, and features provided are:<br />
<ul>
<li>Support for the following Realtek chips:
<ul>
<li>RTL8168 / RTL8168B / RTL8168C</li>
<li>RTL8111 / RTL8111B / RTL8111C / RTL8111CP / RTL8111D / RTL8111D(L) / RTL8111DP / RTL8111E</li>
</ul></li>
<li>Full 32-bit and 64-bit support</li>
<li>Fixed Sleep/Wake issues</li>
<li>Improved Auto-Negotiation</li>
<li>Implemented negotiated-media reporting</li>
<li>Improved stability and performance</li>
<li>Numerous unreported/minor bug fixes</li>
</ul><br />
Over 80 members of the <a
href="http://tonymacx86.blogspot.com/">tonymacx86 Forum</a> participated in 6
restricted beta-testing cycles, testing it on several platforms, P55, H55,
X58.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><i>November 12, 2010 Update: Now available as an <a href="http://lnx2mac.blogspot.com/2010/11/lnx2macs-rtl81xx-gets-installer.html">Installer Package !</a></i></b><br />
<br />
For more details, head on to the <a
href="http://lnx2mac.blogspot.com/p/realtekrtl81xx-osx-driver.html">Realtek RTL81xx
Mac OS X Driver</a> project page.<br />
<br /><br />Lnx2Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657587386685255719noreply@blogger.com41tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484732581203772469.post-8486722635271666662010-09-02T15:52:00.000-07:002010-11-15T05:50:38.781-08:00Moving OS X /Users to a separate partitionAfter considering the <a href="http://lnx2mac.blogspot.com/2010/09/alternatives-for-separating-os-x-users.html">Alternatives for separating the OS X users'
home directories</a>, I decided to use a separate partition.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL1-hvcT4zvExmadHjTR9CzZgIYpAS9WzQJuAY7eiqAwyriMV45wFRyaIVEcMl78fQm7nqwpqHzHY2yuyrs0SWNReTzLUpWmN4j0E7DsjlkGBqB3jZG2yDB8gVxr2FN_ol1QZiIubHft8/" width="320" /></div>
In this post, I'll explain in detail how to use a separate partition ("Volume"
in Mac OS X <i>parlance</i>) for /Users.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
While the actual procedure is not difficult, it involves several steps.<br />
<ul>
<li>First, we'll rename /Users to /UsersOld, and we'll create a new /Users directory
that will serve as the mount-point for our new partition</li>
<li>Then we have to edit the /etc/fstab to instruct OS X to automatically mount
(that is, make it accessible) the new partition on /Users</li>
<li>Afterward, we'll "move" the contents of our /UsersOld folder into its new
place.<br />
<li>Lastly, we might want to tweak the set-up a bit to make it look, as much as
possible, as a regular installation</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
Mac OS X, being a Unix system, has the almighty '<i>root</i>' user. However, on
OS X Snow Leopard, it's disabled by default.<br />
As we'll be using the '<i>root</i>' account for this procedure, check <a
href="http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1528">Apple's support article on 'root'</a>
if yours is not enabled.<br />
<br />
<br />
Throughout the rest of this guide, we'll also be using the Terminal.<br />
I'll be marking the commands to be typed in bold, as follows:<br />
<div class="codewrapper"><div class="code"
># <span class="typedcode">echo you type this</span>
you type this
#</div></div>
<br />
<h2>Getting Ready</h2>
<ul>
<li>Make sure all your users (if any) are logged-out</li>
<li>Login as 'root'</li>
<li>Launch the Terminal</li>
</ul>
<br />
<h2>Renaming the /Users directory</h2>
Now we'll move our current /Users folder aside, so we can set-up a new one for
our mount-point.<br />
<div class="codewrapper"><div class="code"
># <span class="typedcode">mv /Users /UsersOld</span>
#</div></div>
<br />
<h2>Setting up the new /Users mount-point</h2>
We'll now prepare the new /Users Mount-Point.<br />
This is as simple as creating a Folder, and setting correct ownership and
permissions.
<div class="codewrapper"><div class="code"
># <span class="typedcode">mkdir /Users</span>
# <span class="typedcode">chown root:admin /Users</span>
# <span class="typedcode">chmod 755 /Users</span>
#</div></div>
<br />
<h2>Identifying the Partition</h2>
Mac OS X identifies each partition by a UUID (Universal Unique Identifier).<br />
We'll need the UUID to instruct OS X to automatically mount the partition in the
next step, so let's gather it.
<ul>
<li>Open Disk Utility</li>
<li>Find the partition you wish to use as '/Users', right-click it and select
'Information' (or hit <span class="CmdKey"><span>CmdKey</span></span>i)</li>
<li>Select the value of '<b>Universal Unique Identifier</b>', and copy it
(<span class="CmdKey"><span>CmdKey</span></span>c)</li>
<li>Close the information window</li>
<li>If the partition is mounted, right-click on it, and 'Unmount' it</li>
</ul>
<br />
<h2>Setting up auto-mounting of /Users</h2>
It's time to instruct Mac OS X how to mount our new /Users partition.<br />
Being a Unix-based system, this can be done by editing the /etc/fstab file.<br />
<ul>
<li>Before editing this file, it might be wise to save a backup of the
original one.<br />
<div class="codewrapper"><div class="code"
># <span class="typedcode">touch /etc/fstab</span>
# <span class="typedcode">cp /etc/fstab /etc/fstab.orig</span>
#</div></div>
</li>
<li>Launch TextEdit (or, if you are familiar with the <b>vi</b> text editor,
you can use <b>vifs</b>)<br />
<div class="codewrapper"><div class="code"
># <span class="typedcode">open -a TextEdit /etc/fstab</span>
#</div></div>
</li>
<li>The TextEdit window opens (probably with an empty file if you haven't already edited it)</li>
<li>Make sure it's in plain text format (if not, select from the Format menu the "Make Plain Text" option)</li>
<li>Append the following line at the end of the file:<br />
<div class="whitecode"
>UUID=<span style="color:#ff0000">TheValueYouCopiedAbove</span> /Users hfs auto</div>
<br />
After editing, your file should look similar to:
<div class="whitecode"
>UUID=<span style="color:#ff0000">84BA91DE-C37F-F13D-B5C9-FECA5184DEB7</span> /Users hfs auto</div>
</li>
<li>Save the file and Quit TextEdit</li>
</ul>
<br />
<h2>Mounting the new /Users for the first time</h2>
At this stage, our /etc/fstab file is ready, and, on the next boot, Mac OS X
should be able to automatically mount our /Users partition.<br />
Let's verify that it can be mounted, as expected, on /Users.<br />
<ul>
<li>In Disk Utility, find the partition you designated for '/Users',
right-click it and select 'mount'</li>
<li>The new /Users Volume should appear in Finder (and in the Desktop if you
selected that in your Finder's Preferences)</li>
</ul>
<br />
As we want to keep the same level of permissions as we had before the move,
we'll make sure file ownership is preserved.<br />
<ul>
<li>In Finder, locate the 'Users' Volume, right-click on it and select 'Get
Info' (or hit <span class="CmdKey"><span>CmdKey</span></span>i)</li>
<li>Verify that the '<b>Ignore ownership on this volume</b>' is <u>NOT</u>
checked.</li>
</ul>
If you prefer, this can also be done from the Terminal, as follows:
<div class="codewrapper"><div class="code"
># <span class="typedcode">diskutil enableOwnership /Users</span>
#</div></div>
<br />
<h2>Moving the home directories contents to the new /Users partition</h2>
With our partition mounted, and permissions properly set, it's time to move all
users' home directories to the new partition<br />
<i>Note that depending on the size of your users' home directories, the 'mv'
command below might take quite a while to complete</i>
<div class="codewrapper"><div class="code"
># <span class="typedcode">mv /UsersOld/* /UsersOld/.[^.]* /Users/</span>
# <span class="typedcode">rmdir /UsersOld</span>
#</div></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>We can now reboot and verify the /Users is
correctly mounted !</i></b></span>
<br />
At this time, all our users home directories are in the new partition, and as we
instructed OS X to mount it automatically (via the /etc/fstab file), it should
be accessible just as before.<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>... But don't uncork the champagne yet
!</i></b></span><br />
<br />
<h2>Final tweaks</h2>
You wouldn't notice it's been relocated, except for a couple of details:<br>
<ol>
<li>The familiar Users folder icon has been replaced by a disk icon,</li>
<li>If you've set your finder preferences to show the hard disks on the
desktop, /Users is also shown there.</li>
</ol>
<br />
We can fix these two easily:<br />
<h3>Fixing the icon</h3>
Fixing the icon is as simple as <a
href="http://lnx2mac.blogspot.com/2010/08/fixing-orange-harddisk-icons.html">Fixing
the Orange HardDisk Icons</a>, however, instead of using the
<b>Internal.icns</b> file, we'll be using the <b>UsersFolderIcon.icns</b> file
found in
<b>/System/Library/CoreServices/CoreTypes.bundle/Contents/Resources/</b><br />
<br />
If you prefer, this can also be done from the Terminal, as follows:
<div class="codewrapper"><div class="code"
># <span class="typedcode">cp /System/Library/CoreServices/CoreTypes.bundle/Contents/Resources/UsersFolderIcon.icns /Users/.VolumeIcon.icns</span>
#</div></div>
<br />
<h3>Hiding the /Users icon</h3>
If you don't want the Users Volume to appear as a separate one (eg. on the
Desktop, or finder's sidebar), we'll append an option to the line we added in
/etc/fstab.<br />
The option is <b>nobrowse</b>, and we'll add it immediately after <b>auto</b>,
separated by a comma.
<ul>
<li>Launch TextEdit (or, if you are familiar with the <b>vi</b> text editor,
you can use <b>vifs</b>)<br />
<div class="codewrapper"><div class="code"
># <span class="typedcode">open -a TextEdit /etc/fstab</span>
#</div></div>
</li>
<li>The TextEdit window opens with contents similar to this:
<div class="whitecode"
>UUID=84BA91DE-C37F-F13D-B5C9-FECA5184DEB7 /Users hfs auto</div>
</li>
<li>Change <b>auto</b> so it reads <b>auto<span
style="color:#ff0000">,nobrowse</span></b>, as follows:
<div class="whitecode"
>UUID=84BA91DE-C37F-F13D-B5C9-FECA5184DEB7 /Users hfs auto<span
style="color:#ff0000">,nobrowse</span></div></li>
<li>Save the file and Quit TextEdit</li>
</ul>
On the next reboot (actually, on the next mount), the Users icon
will no longer appear on the Desktop or in Finder as a separate
disk.<br />
<br />
<i><b>Caveats (Update 15-Nov-2010):</b></i><br />
There are a couple of side-effects to hiding the /Users folder
that make this a less-than-optimal solution:<br />
<ul>
<li>Browsing /Users over the network is complicated</li>
<li>It will be hidden in the Time Machine "space" interface too, so it's tricky to restore files or folders.<br />
<a href="http://lnx2mac.blogspot.com/2010/09/moving-os-x-users-to-separate-partition.html?showComment=1289780185880#c5077956124006186119">Showing hidden files</a> is a way around this, but it clutters all Finder windows, and restores the /Users desktop icon (Defeating the purpose of nobrowse).</li>
</ul>
Given these two <i>limitations</i> I stopped using the <span style="color:#ff0000"><b>nobrowse</b></span> option.<br />
I can live with that /Users icon on my Desktop !<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Now... Where's that champagne
!</i></b></span>Lnx2Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657587386685255719noreply@blogger.com255tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484732581203772469.post-50429291086747350142010-09-02T10:37:00.001-07:002010-09-02T17:14:12.807-07:00Alternatives for separating the OS X users' home directoriesMost 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...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTuM_faqGD4SS6Sg8aTvrzJo5738dOGwy-jhGii4xPzW5TkdHm05cZ0EQipB5ZChIYdWMQw6UT6HeAbeIf8mpm-KLDJl6ZO00ou_dj7Db_k4y2vVGp3COCvJLRPFM37I57kiiq1n9gDbA/" width="320" /></div>
So, let's see how we can get the users' home directories on a separate partition
("Volume" in Mac OS X <i>parlance</i>) or disk.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
You might be asking why? and what is that good for?<br />
Well, having /Users on a separate partition makes it easier to backup and manage
your installation, and if you ever want to reinstall your OS, your data will
remain untouched (For a more in-depth description of considerations, check out
my post on <a href="http://lnx2mac.blogspot.com/2010/08/multiple-partitions-on-os-x-pros-and.html">Multiple
Partitions on OS X - Pros and Cons</a>).<br />
<br />
This will also be beneficial for owners of SSDs, as it allows them to have the
OS and applications on the SSD, and user data on a hard disk drive.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
Alternatives</h2>
There are several ways of separating a user's home folder:<br />
<h3>
Option 1: Using System Preferences|Accounts</h3>
Right-click on a user's icon, select 'Advanced', and change the user's "Home
Directory".<br />
Nice and easy... But we have to do it for each user (and when we add new users,
we have to <u>remember</u> to do it again).<br />
Worse yet, some applications insist on looking for the user's home directory
under /Users...<br />
<br />
<h3>Option 2: "<i>Symlinking</i>" /Users to the new partition</h3>
A hackish way of doing it...<br />
Just create a symbolic-link (shortcut) from /Users to point to the new
partition.<br />
While this works, we still have to deal with mounting the new volume.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 120%;"><b>But there's a "cleaner" way... <i>The Unix Way</i>...</b></span><br /><br />
<h3>Option 3: Mount the new partition on /Users</h3>
Sysadmins' delight !<br />
We'll modify the /etc/fstab file so the new partition is mounted on /Users.<br />
<br />
<br />
You probably guessed it... I prefer <i>The Unix Way</i><br />
<br />
I'll explain this in detail <a href="http://lnx2mac.blogspot.com/2010/09/moving-os-x-users-to-separate-partition.html">How to move the OS X /Users to a separate partition</a> in the next post.<br /><br />Lnx2Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657587386685255719noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484732581203772469.post-46589783974453473842010-08-27T19:25:00.000-07:002010-09-02T17:02:34.752-07:00Lnx2Mac's Realtek RTL81xx Driver about to go Beta<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear:both;text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPEDXdID0XuNK5PZOKwoMo8GTModD7p23TGSFq2sqzJhaCvCXZUNf6qCVmZhny4kfIxx7MnxPVMFxhZOoV_qwMjezFIQIucfTX0DBh5yfOvTwhyuakDts81DH0r3TowQ3UIAeYg8v_Yd2C/" /><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">OSX Realtek 8111E/8168E support coming soon</span><br /></div>
<br />
Hi !<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
With the help of <a href="http://macmanx86.blogspot.com/">MacMan</a> and <a href="http://tonymacx86.blogspot.com/">tonymacx86</a>, we alpha tested it on several platforms, P55, H55, X58, with RTL8111D and RTL8111E.<br />
<br />
I feel it's almost ready for a restricted Beta test cycle !<br />
<br />
Among the issues it fixes are:<br />
<ul>
<li>RTL8111E Support</li>
<li>Full 32-bit and 64-bit support</li>
<li>Sleep/Wake issues</li>
</ul><br />
<a href="http://macmanx86.blogspot.com/">MacMan</a> and <a href="http://tonymacx86.blogspot.com/">tonymacx86</a> proposed creating a restricted area in the <a href="http://www.tonymacx86.com/">tonymacx86 forum</a> for this beta test !<br />
<b>Thanks guys, you rock !</b><br />
<br />
So, if you are willing to help testing, go to <a href="http://www.tonymacx86.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=5101">this topic</a> in the tonymacx86 forum, post your current configuration (and any caveats on it), and I'll consider you for inclusion in this Beta cycle.<br />
<br />
Thanks,<br />
Lnx2MacLnx2Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657587386685255719noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484732581203772469.post-44836420971521155482010-08-18T06:32:00.000-07:002010-09-02T17:00:47.578-07:00Multiple Partitions on OS X - Pros and ConsWhether to have multiple partitions or not has been a topic of debate for
ages... You might think it even predates the invention of storage.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Harddisk-motor.png"
imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="133"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio3iPiKKVx7v3SzuAfTSA5SS3CH6ipQwwVu03-nQk31E6s4-2N9rWQLoh8yosg2FVU7fvMeO7oenki-QuqDY5sAiOiwPU-9X3mFTUvkFDQ0kc_vNv48slIPiBR1fK0oYGEY5ZVtdIMcCg/"
width="400" /></a></div>
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.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
However, it's important to remember that partitioning is as personal as a
computer task can get.<br />
<br />
Why? Because every person's usage pattern are unique; Different
applications, different storage needs, etc. You get the picture.<br />
<br />
As for how many partitions, and what size is right for you, well, only <i>you</i>
can reply to these questions.<br />
<br />
As with all things in life, there are <a href="#pros">Pros</a> and <a
href="#cons">Cons</a>... Let's go over them.<br />
<br />
<a name="pros"><h2>Pro 1: Easier backups and management</h2></a>
Keeping the OS separate from your personal data, makes backups easier.<br />
"Cloning" or making an "image" of the OS and Applications is a great way to have
your system up-and running, with your specific configuration and tweaks, should
something go wrong.<br />
With the huge size of current hard disks, it's impractical to clone very big
partitions to optical media.<br />
<br />
Also, think about the frequency at which the OS and the Applications you use
change.<br />
Now compare that to your iTunes library, your email folders, and your work
files.<br />
It's clear those don't change at the same frequency.<br />
Losing a week's worth of OS and application updates, configuration and tweaks
is, in most cases, not the same as losing a week's worth of changes on the files
you work on.<br />
<br />
<h2>Pro 2: Reinstall OS without touching your data</h2>
If you ever want (or actually, "When you will need") to reinstall your OS (for
example, at the next major update), your data can remain untouched.<br />
This <b>doesn't</b> mean you shouldn't back it up... But it will save you from
having to restore it.<br />
<br />
<h2>Pro 3: Improved performance - Less fragmentation</h2>
A small OS partition that rarely changes will be less prone to fragmentation
than, the one with your data which is constantly being modified and
overwritten.<br />
And, while OS X automatically defragments files, there are some limitations to
it, like it will only do this on files smaller than 20MB.<br />
<br />
<h2>Pro 4: Improved performance - Hot File Clustering</h2>
As Hard Disk Drives rotate at a constant speed (See: <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constant_angular_velocity"
target="_blank">CAV - Constant Angular Velocity</a>), regardless of the position
of the Read/Write heads, higher throughput can be achieved from the outer tracks
than the inner ones.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Carousel.jpg"><img
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPpP0eGFOr4zvbW_yGWNeC7CQ7lGDiT3A-0H5wEwkGHI6_DX0C4eSQNdkkATwJLzHNaLKMavSk9rv1PNgtTANbgffqbaY8FOw9OattNgOoZSz75n0ypab8XVZU9kah35EP0m9aAv4xRFE/"
style="float:left;"/></a><i>Remember how it was much funnier standing on the
outer edge of the Carousel than riding the horses near the center ?<br />
<br />
Yes, you can thank CAV for that too.</i><br />
<div style="clear:both;"></div>
<br />
So, keeping your OS on the outer tracks will lead to faster application launches
and your system will feel snappier.<br />
<br />
The effects of this are so dramatic that it was implemented in HFS+ as an
optimization scheme for boot volumes, and it's called "Hot File Clustering".<br />
Under this scheme, the most used ("hottest") files are dynamically selected,
defragmented and moved to the "Hot Zone" (the 0.5% outer tracks) of the boot
volume.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name="cons">However, there are some disadvantages too...</a><br />
<h2>Con 1: Requires planning</h2>
This is one of the biggest disadvantages.<br />
We are all too eager to get our system up and running and don't want to spend
time <i>planning</i> such a seemingly "insignificant" thing.<br />
Or not?<br />
<br />
<h2>Con 2: Requires understanding your usage patterns</h2>
OK, so you've decided you want to plan...<br />
Now this requires gathering replies to some questions:<br />
<ul>
<li>Which applications do you use?</li>
<li>How big is their installation footprint?</li>
<li>Will it be enough to have just "OS" and "Users"?</li>
<li>Or it might be wise to have also an "Archive" for seldomly modified
files (where performance is less important, so we can put it in the "inner"
tracks)?</li>
<li>May be a "Media" volume for music, photos and movies?</li>
</ul>
As you can see, there are many questions which require some careful
consideration.<br />
<br />
<h2>Con 3: Requires anticipating your Applications needs</h2>
Now, this is another tough one.<br />
Even if you do understand your usage patterns, how can you anticipate the
storage requirements of the applications you use?<br />
Now, and in the future?<br />
What about the next version of iWhatever?<br />
Will it be distributed on a zillion DVDs and require 400TB?<br />
<br />
Let me tell you that <u>there's no answer to these questions</u>...<br />
<br />
So, how can you deal with it? Well, we'll do the best we can.<br />
I normally try to estimate the current needs, and factor a 50% to 100%
growth.<br />
This should help keeping the file system "not too full" (which degrades
performance), and give me enough time to use my system, without having to
repartition...<br />
<br />
<h2>Con 4: Repartitioning is annoying</h2>
Yes, doing it right the first time is better than having to backup, go back to
the drawing board, repartition and restore.<br />
However, and no matter how good your planning is, you'll eventually hit the
strict limit of one of your partitions.<br />
<br />
<h2>Con 5: There's free space but not on the "right" volume</h2>
Accept it, at one point or another, you'll hit the brick wall, with one of your
volumes full, and plenty of free space on other ones.<br />
And, yes... This <i>is</i> irritating too.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Having said all this, take in mind that in some cases, you still might want to
dedicate a whole drive for a specific purpose.<br />
Good candidates for this might be your digital music library, a Final Cut
Scratch disk, an iMovie raw footage repository, etc.<br />
<br />
<br />
I'll later post my partitioning scheme, for the curious among you...<br />
<br />
So, what's your stand on this?<br />
Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?
What works best for you? Why?<br />
<br />Lnx2Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657587386685255719noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484732581203772469.post-51604870934058132782010-08-12T13:10:00.000-07:002010-08-12T14:29:47.682-07:00Fixing the Orange HardDisk IconsUpon upgrading to OS X 10.6.3, the P55 chipset was supported OutOfTheBox.<br />
But there's a downside...<br />
Apparently due to a Gigabyte BIOS bug, all SATA hard drives appear as External (Orange Icons).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxT8ycaZj5GBHuXgNuOfWzM94lI1EUJAbx9yM4JwVyaqDujgpmcVRjEc_OZlvbKaYixALCnqlMvdgpKARxY6lwto10Ir7aFcCUJhyphenhyphenSZf8gtdtAjZtdMAq7RBWsz9MPAioacWUV4dc08iw/" width="320" /></div>
While it's just a cosmetic issue, it affects the familiar feeling of the OS X desktop.<br />
<br />
Several methods were developed to overcome this.<br />
I'll briefly describe the options here, and present my own 'Vanilla' Solution.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<h2>Option 1: Using the IOAHCIBlockStorageInjector kext</h2>
One of the options we skipped in the MultiBeast configuration in <a href="http://lnx2mac.blogspot.com/2010/07/installing-os-x-snow-leopard-part-three.html">Part Three</a> was the <b>IOAHCIBlockStorageInjector</b>.<br />
This kext, makes all SATA drives appear as internal.<br />
I call this a pseudo-kext, as it doesn't load a kext/driver binary, but instead overrides some options/configurations of the OS X original kext.<br />
<br />
Although it's not an additional kext, I don't like it, as we lose Hot-Swap support.<br />
It's still possible to unmount and remove drives, but upon reconnecting, those don't get mounted automatically (and it's necessary to use <b>Disk Utility</b>).<br />
<br />
<h2>Option 2: Using the JMicron36xSATA kext</h2>
The <b>JMicron36xSATA</b> is identical to <b>JMicron36xeSATA</b> (which we selected in MultiBeast in <a href="http://lnx2mac.blogspot.com/2010/07/installing-os-x-snow-leopard-part-three.html">Part Three</a>), except that it uses an approach similar to the <b>IOAHCIBlockStorageInjector</b>, thus losing Hot-Swap again.<br />
<br />
<h2>
Option 3: Overwriting the External.icns file</h2>
This was used by some users in the <a href="http://www.tonymacx86.com/">tonymacx86 forum</a>.
It consists of overwriting the contents of the <b>/System/Library/Extensions/IOStorageFamily.kext/Contents/Resources/External.icns</b> file with the contents of <b>/System/Library/Extensions/IOStorageFamily.kext/Contents/Resources/Internal.icns</b>.<br />
The easiest way to do this is to rename (so it also keeps a backup) the External.icns file, and copy the Internal.icns as External.icns.<br />
<br />
The shortcomings of this method are, in my opinion, the "destruction" of the original icon file (albeit it's backed-up), and as a side-effect, all external drives on the SATA controller are shown as internal.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>Option 4: <i>Lnx2Mac 'Vanilla' solution...</i> Assigning a custom icon</h2>
As the orange icons is just a cosmetic issue, I though it would be best to apply to it, well... "<i>Make-Up</i>"...<br />
<br />
So we are going to assign a custom icon to our hard drive icon.<br />
<br />
You might not be aware of it, but it's possible to alter the icon assigned to <u>any</u> file in OS X.<br />
This is easily accomplished, by pasting the contents of the clipboard into the icon.<br />
<br />
Great ! Let's do it on our hard drive icon!<br />
<br />
So, first, we want to grab the original <b>Internal Hard Disk</b> icon into the clipboard.<br />
We'll use Preview.app for this:<br />
<ul>
<li>Open Preview.app</li>
<li>Select File|Open... or hit <span class="CmdKey"><span>CmdKey</span></span>O</li>
<li>When the Open dialog appears, hit / (A "Go to the folder:" sub-dialog will appear)</li>
<li>Continue typing (or Copy/Paste) the following path:<br />
<b>/System/Library/Extensions/IOStorageFamily.kext/Contents/Resources/</b></li>
<li>Click on "Go"</li>
<li>Select <b>Internal.icns</b> and click "Open"</li>
<li>If the preview sidebar is not shown, click on its icon</li>
<li>Select the first image, <b>Internal.icns-1</b>, and select Edit|Copy (or hit <span class="CmdKey"><span>CmdKey</span></span>C)</li>
<li>You can now Quit Preview</li>
</ul>
<br />
With the Icon in the clipboard, we can now apply it to our hard disk icon.<br />
<ul>
<li>Click on your Hard Drive's icon, on the desktop</li>
<li>Hit <span class="CmdKey"><span>CmdKey</span></span>i to get the "Info" dialog</li>
<li>Select the small icon on the top of this dialog (not the one under Preview). A blue aura will appear<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA2_8GG8qW_grJ4hisj8z2bC858iXOLFKjtNsNd2tnvpFzy88ADr_-3zmweg3-2gsZ1JJJPu818kwegfRJFlDmDc_O9wCTAhg_JnfggX_imJ78w1QZX5nyMd3ZP02Pdv2R-uItCBT6-Cg/" /></div>
</li>
<li>Hit <span class="CmdKey"><span>CmdKey</span></span>V to paste the icon</li>
<li>Close the Info dialog</li>
</ul>
<br />
If you have multiple drives, you can repeat the Pasting process.<br />
<br />
<br />
What's missing here ?...<br />
<h2>Option 5: <i>The holy grail...</i> A DSDT based solution...</h2>
Ideally, we'd like to solve this at the DSDT level.<br />
There were several attempts at it, but short of disguising the P55 as another Chipset, no other endeavor that I know of was successful at this...<br />
<br />
Post your ideas, and we might collectively succeed at it !<br />
<br />
<br />
Until then... Enjoy your familiar desktop !<br />Lnx2Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657587386685255719noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484732581203772469.post-90997640824403228492010-07-22T19:33:00.000-07:002010-09-24T08:17:14.001-07:00Installing OS X Snow Leopard - Part ThreeIn <a href="http://lnx2mac.blogspot.com/2010/07/installing-os-x-snow-leopard-part-one.html">Part One</a> of this article, we gathered all required components for a smooth installation, and in <a href="http://lnx2mac.blogspot.com/2010/07/installing-os-x-snow-leopard-part-two.html">Part Two</a> we did the actual OS X install...<br />
<br />
But we need to keep booting off a CD with iBoot... It's time to fix that !<br />
...and while we are at it, we'll pick the optimal MultiBeast options for the GA-P55M-UD4.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
If we got the <i>"old"</i> 10.6 OS X Snow Leopard DVD, it doesn't support our Intel Core i7 CPU (support for this CPU was added with the introduction of the Core i5 and Core i7 based iMacs, in 10.6.2).<br />
<br />
If we got the 10.6.3 OS X Snow Leopard DVD, we don't have to upgrade to 10.6.4, but we can... so we'll do it here.<br />
<br />
<h2>
Upgrading to Mac OS X 10.6.4</h2>
Remember we downloaded the update and saved it to a USB stick ?<br />
It's time to use it...<br />
<ul>
<li>Boot your system with the iBoot CD (if it's not up and running)</li>
<li>Plug the USB Stick, and in Finder, navigate to it</li>
<li>Open the MacOSXUpdCombo10.6.4.dmg</li>
<li>Double click on MacOSXUpdCombo10.6.4.pkg to run it</li>
<li>The upgrade procedure is quite straightforward<br />
<b>Just <u>don't reboot</u> when asked to !...</b></li>
</ul>
<br />
<h2>
Adding custom drivers for your build</h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-k2OlBzrALGLkn3ZGwIWqbaS8oW_p88bl8hXefyNCoEPuEKWL9GZxArGruhImFZ1eWmLBpITkBji4c0rV2YqC2X2KYTFX8xYyABccRi38UXnKu3_e1ISMXUyS5XjxFMX5Tf9o1JbX9es/" /></div>
tonymacx86 created MultiBeast, the wonderful post-intallation utility, so we can all easily customize an OS X installation, adding needed kexts and configuration files, without much difficulty...<br />
We just have to know which options to select...<br />
<br />
Personally, I prefer DSDT-based installations, as this leaves us with an as-vanilla-as-possible build (<i>Vanilla</i> is what we call a system without modifications such as extraneous <b>K</b>ernel <b>Ext</b>ensions).<br />
<br />
So MultiBeast provides the option of using a custom DSDT... It's the UserDSDT option.<br />
For this, we'll copy from the USB stick the DSDT we downloaded (or edited) in Part One, place it on the Desktop, and make sure it's called <b>DSDT.aml</b>
<br />
Now it's time to run MultiBeast...<br />
<br />
<h2>
MultiBeast selection for the GA-P55M-UD4</h2>
After agreeing to the license, and selecting our System partition for install, we are ready to make our selection...<br />
<ul>
<li>As we want our DSDT.aml installed, we start by selecting UserDSDT.<br />
The comment states it installs the following:
<br />
<ul>
<li>our <u>DSDT.aml</u></li>
<li><u>Chameleon 2.0 RC4 by AsereBLN</u>: the bootloader that will allow us to boot off the hard disk, without the iBoot CD</li>
<li><u>fakesmc</u>: A kext that emulates a hardware component found in real Macs, so that OS X can run on our build</li>
<li><u>32-Bit com.apple.boot.plist</u>: A configuration file, which directs it to load the 32-bit OS X kernel</li>
<li><u>iMac11,1 smbios.plist</u>: A configuration file, which identifies our build as an i5 iMac</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It also states that we have to <b>install with <u>System Utilities</u> tasks</b>, so we check that option too</li>
<li>As UserDSDT does not include any Network, Sound, or Graphics support (besides the one found in Chameleon), we'll have to select some <u>Advanced Options</u></li>
</ul>
<br />
<h3>
Sound</h3>
Sound configuration can be tricky, and many users are confused while configuring it...<br />
The reason for the confusion is that configuration is different if using a DSDT or not.<br />
As we are using a DSDT, we <u>don't need an <b>HDAEnabler</b></u> (that would be for systems without DSDT).
Our motherboard uses the ALC889a audio codec, so we just select it (under <u>Advanced Options</u>|<u>Kexts</u>|<u>Audio</u>|<u>LegacyHDA</u>).<br />
<br />
Unfortunately (for owners of other boards), as of OS X 10.6.3, AppleHDA no longer supports <u>other codecs</u> (ALC887/888/888b/889), but MultiBeast is smart enough to apply the <u>AppleHDA 10.6.2 Rollback</u> in addition to a <b>LegacyHDA</b> kext.<br />
<br />
You might be intrigued by the VoodooHDA kexts. Those are Audio Drivers developed by the Open-Source community, to support other audio codecs. We don't need these.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Disk</h3>
If we plan on using IDE drives, we'll need the JMicron36xATA driver (found under <u>Advanced Options</u>|<u>Kexts</u>|<u>Disk</u>|<u>JMicron36x (aka GSATA)</u>).<br />
There, we'll also find another two drivers, JMicron36xSATA and JMicron36xeSATA. These enable the "white SATA" ports in the Gigabyte motherboard.<br />
We should need <u>at most</u> one of these. If you want to be able to hot-swap eSATA drives, pick the JMicron36xeSATA one.<br />
<br />
You'll also find there <b>IOAHCIBlockStorageInjector</b>, which makes all SATA drives appear as internal.<br />
We won't be using it (as we want the minimum number of kexts possible, remember ?)<br />
<i>[Edit: An alternative solution for this is described in <a href="http://lnx2mac.blogspot.com/2010/08/fixing-orange-harddisk-icons.html">Fixing the Orange HardDisk Icons</a>]</i><br />
<br />
<h3>
Graphics</h3>
Chameleon already supports our nVidia card, so we don't need the NVEnabler. Other users might need it.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Network</h3>
As our motherboard uses an Ethernet controller of the <b>Realtek 8xxx</b> family, <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">we'll select the <b>RealtekR1000SL</b> option (under <u>Advanced Options</u>|<u>Kexts</u>|<u>Network</u>|<u>Realtek Gigabit Ethernet</u>)</span>.<br />
<i><u>Updated 24-Sep-2010</u>: Don't select any option for this, instead check my own <a href="http://lnx2mac.blogspot.com/p/realtekrtl81xx-osx-driver.html">Realtek RTL81xx Driver</a>, which is a better alternative to the RealtekR1000SL.</i><br />
<br />
<h3>
com.apple.boot.plist</h3>
While UserDSDT already installed one for us, it's 32-bit.<br />
Having 8GB RAM, we want the <u>64-bit Apple Boot Screen</u> (under <u>Advanced Options</u>|<u>com.apple.boot.plist</u>).<br />
Normally, Verbose is recommended for initial installations, but we can always force a verbose boot from the Chameleon prompt upon booting.<br />
<br />
<h3>
smbios.plist</h3>
Another one already installed by UserDSDT, but, according to our CPU, we select <u>Core i7</u> (under <u>Advanced Options</u>|<u>smbios.plist</u>|<u>iMac</u>)<br />
<br />
<h3>
Themes</h3>
UserDSDT already installed for us the tonymacx86 Theme...<br />
<br />
<h3>
OSx86 Software</h3>
You can choose here a selection of OSx86 tools. These are optional.<br />
<br /><br />Following is a screenshot of the whole selection in MultiBeast v2.1.0:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="864" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYXwn-gKxQEKxPwK2UYt4e_Yn0fhR8bBZoW6Fri_BOCkeix4pgz_9fSFAfm0wF0tNR_722KB-XD_YY2kIV1qMubUOxWk9PmdC9noPwr1ENlPpSLvd6A8a24zUk9V7Vs4riH7xcEU9LBtE/s864/GA-P55M-UD4%20Multibeast210.png" width="435" alt="MultiBeast v2.1.0 options for GA-P55M-UD4" title="MultiBeast v2.1.0 options for GA-P55M-UD4" /></div>
<br />
Verify it matches your selection, and continue...<br />
<br />
<h2>
Enabling sleep</h2>
As a final step before rebooting, open <b>System Preferences</b>, select the <b>Energy Saver</b> section, and make sure all three checkboxes are selected. Otherwise, your system might not sleep/wake up correctly.<br />
<i>Note that you might need to click the "Lock" in order to modify these settings.</i><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Congratulations !<br />
Your PC runs a fully functional OS X Snow Leopard !...</i></b></span><br />
<br />
In future posts we'll keep improving our system...Lnx2Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657587386685255719noreply@blogger.com90tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484732581203772469.post-75936888398694685772010-07-20T05:21:00.000-07:002010-08-15T05:42:55.201-07:00Installing OS X Snow Leopard - Part TwoIn <a href="http://lnx2mac.blogspot.com/2010/07/installing-os-x-snow-leopard-part-one.html">Part One</a> of this article, we gathered all required components for a smooth installation, it's time to install OS X...<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
In the <a href="http://tonymacx86.blogspot.com/">tonymacx86 blog</a>, you'll find detailed instructions for using iBoot (See "Step 2" in <a href="http://tonymacx86.blogspot.com/2010/04/iboot-multibeast-install-mac-os-x-on.html">iBoot + MultiBeast: Install Mac OS X on any Intel-based PC</a>).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://tonymacx86.blogspot.com/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIWf4miiLIdhyphenhyphenZ8mATGGm7PXJVQfJ0X2qflYzKtpBHzNUYkF_tlRf3apxC5bcTYJ6rrphWVQKWz5mWLb4dAr1Z8KpqSftnDkbkwELbI__boZq84j36xWfm-gZ4krAjwUD5OCF6rtiREqA/" /></a><a href="http://tonymacx86.blogspot.com/2010/04/iboot-multibeast-install-mac-os-x-on.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimC0LISmKwAmreP-_LgFO3tQ4eSbkSMc9hjk2cK9P0hGQpAineEjHjRRxFhBsX6TVED5OITAY5-YUiHEb_kdTs27XLyecr0fEEc-W6hYVYihAvt9lGh57aHDlNSnlhyZzuK1i42sjxmPE/" /></a></div>
<br />
Here are some things to note, though:<br />
<h2>Booting with iBoot</h2>
If you followed my <a href="http://lnx2mac.blogspot.com/2010/07/optimal-bios-configuration.html">Optimal BIOS Configuration</a> guide, you'll notice it defaults to <u>not</u> booting from CD (to speed up the regular boot process).<br />
So, to temporarily boot off the CD, we'll invoke the Boot Priority Menu by hitting the F12 key.<br />
<br />
One thing that many readers seem to miss in the <a href="http://tonymacx86.blogspot.com/2010/04/iboot-multibeast-install-mac-os-x-on.html">iBoot Guide</a> is usage of the F5 key to rescan drives...<br />
When swapping the <b>iBoot CD</b> with the <b>Retail OS X Snow Leopard DVD</b> in the drive, you have to <u>wait a couple of seconds and press F5</u> (some error messages might be displayed while the disk is being read).<br />
Once the OS X DVD is recognized, we'll be back at the Chameleon BootLoader, but this time with the Mac OS X Install DVD icon.<br />
You'll have to keep doing this until after installing Chameleon to your Hard Disk Drive, as we'll do in <a href="http://lnx2mac.blogspot.com/2010/07/installing-os-x-snow-leopard-part-three.html">Part Three</a>.<br />
<br />
<h2>Disk Partitioning</h2>
"Regular" OS X installations normally use a single partition.<br />
Coming from Linux, my personal preference is to separate <u>Users' home folders and data</u> from the <u>OS and applications</u>.<br />
I also keep a relatively small partition for testing OS X and some application updates before putting them in "<i>production</i>".<br />
<br />
A lot can be written about this (and I'll dedicate separate posts to this), but for the time being, I'll briefly describe how my partitioning scheme looks.<br />
<ol>
<li>System Partition (System) for OS X and Applications (Depending on the number of applications you use, you will want to allocate between 50GB and 300GB for this),</li>
<li>Big partition (Users) for Users' home folders and data,</li>
<li>Small Partition (LegoLand) for testing OS X updates, and hackintosh experimentation (50GB).</li>
</ol>
Another thing to consider is the Volume Format to be used.<br />
Most people will select the default <b>Mac OS Extended (Journaled)</b> format.<br />
Here again, accustomed to Unix and Linux file systems, which normally differentiate between Upper- and Lower-case letters, I prefer the <b>Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled)</b> format.<br />
<br />
OK, enough talking... Back to work.<br />
<ul>
<li>From the menu bar, select <b>Utilities</b>, then <b>Disk Utility</b>, to partition your disk </li>
<li>Once done partitioning, click on the <b>Apply</b> button, and close <b>Disk Utility</b></li>
</ul>
<br />
<h2>
OS X Components selection and installation</h2>
<ul>
<li>The installer will proceed, prompting where to install. Select your <i>System</i> volume (or only partition)</li>
<li>You can then customize the selection of components (Printer Drivers, Additional Languages, etc.) to be installed</li>
<li>When done customizing, the installer will proceed to copy the selected components to your disk<br />
<br />
<i>Tip: In order to avoid your screen to enter power-save mode, move the mouse every couple of minutes</i><br /><br />
</li>
<li>I used the iBoot-Supported (which uses the Vanilla kernel), so I didn't get the <i>harmless</i> "Installation Failed" error message, mentioned in tonymacx86's guide.
</li>
</ul>
<br />
<h2>
Final OS X configuration and registration</h2>
<ul>
<li>We need to boot off the iBoot CD again.</li>
<li>Select your <i>System</i> volume, and press Enter</li>
<li>I missed the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPTp-YInbJ0">Mac OS X Snow Leopard Welcome Video</a> as, at the time of this writing, the iBoot-Supported apparently has a bug which prevents the Video from playing.</li>
<li>Follow the instructions on screen to configure your keyboard, network, and register your OS X Snow Leopard copy.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Congratulations !<br />
You have installed OS X Snow Leopard on your PC !...</i></b></span><br />
...but you'll need to keep booting with the iBoot disk.<br />
<br />
<br />
In <a href="http://lnx2mac.blogspot.com/2010/07/installing-os-x-snow-leopard-part-three.html">Part Three</a>, we'll configure the system to boot off the hard disk drive...Lnx2Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657587386685255719noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484732581203772469.post-90045109940223835022010-07-19T16:18:00.000-07:002010-07-24T06:21:44.309-07:00Installing OS X Snow Leopard - Part OneIn the past, installing OS X on non-Apple hardware used to be a long journey, which involved gathering a lot of kexts (<b>k</b>ernel <b>ext</b>ensions or drivers), and manually tweaking and installing lots of files...<br />
<br />
Those days are over !<br />
<a name='more'></a>Fortunately, tonymacx86 developed iBoot + MultiBeast...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://tonymacx86.blogspot.com/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIWf4miiLIdhyphenhyphenZ8mATGGm7PXJVQfJ0X2qflYzKtpBHzNUYkF_tlRf3apxC5bcTYJ6rrphWVQKWz5mWLb4dAr1Z8KpqSftnDkbkwELbI__boZq84j36xWfm-gZ4krAjwUD5OCF6rtiREqA/" /></a><a href="http://tonymacx86.blogspot.com/2010/04/iboot-multibeast-install-mac-os-x-on.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimC0LISmKwAmreP-_LgFO3tQ4eSbkSMc9hjk2cK9P0hGQpAineEjHjRRxFhBsX6TVED5OITAY5-YUiHEb_kdTs27XLyecr0fEEc-W6hYVYihAvt9lGh57aHDlNSnlhyZzuK1i42sjxmPE/" /></a></div>
<br />
So, let's download what we need:<br />
<ul>
<li><u>tonymacx86's iBoot</u>: This Bootable CD image will let us boot and start the installer from the OS X Snow Leopard DVD.<br />
Depending on our Graphics card, we should pick either the <a href="http://www.tonymacx86.com/Public/iBoot.zip">iBoot nVidia</a>, or the <a href="http://www.tonymacx86.com/Public/iBoot-ATI.zip">iBoot ATI</a>.<br />
It's also possible to use the <a href="http://www.tonymacx86.com/Public/iBoot-Supported.zip">iBoot Supported</a>, which includes a Vanilla Kernel for supported processors (i3, i5, i7).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.tonymacx86.com/Public/iBoot.zip" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaIw04lc6hwXy2LS-iYQaH6wqbQeogvya5Gfwd5b34gNfLP2vZI4G50mj2ZEU03hqLngfb94lWE-oto-s0qu_D-bkV-OY3Y3gxSoiNms12tkSIq98h71AcWVNQ8roLmzgz6ch8KPuByGo/" /></a><a href="http://www.tonymacx86.com/Public/iBoot-ATI.zip" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh6Ic4Vr6gw0D7nupBnvlKQM4vUhEFbusDcW0v468cPqDbcPfnZrlUK-2aKaloSxjBrl9R0_sxuh3AvaKciSASoihNLkADTOGPh3DxZ1iv0PWaZqUv7prb53WhFcLp15exOvNEEfxws_E/" /></a><a href="http://www.tonymacx86.com/Public/iBoot-Supported.zip" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIADvRCqGbuRv8FgzjW3gnG8TqkxtfJrLO0yLPYJKfKtl4Whu0Zheb8rxyywvla3ILrKOVefipD9QrtNDLmqShLvCTpPnxrrJAZUMVzdZZ8breC5Gwee4Qe4BjzMU6AbCL-9NGxKXc9xU/" /></a></div>
</li>
<li><u>Mac OS X Update</u>: Earlier Snow Leopard disks included the 10.6.0 version, while the last ones ship with 10.6.3.<br />
If yours is the 10.6.0, you'll want to download the <a href="http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1048">Mac OS X 10.6.4 <i>Combo</i> Update</a>, which includes all point releases.<br />
But if you have the newer 10.6.3, you can save some bandwidth, and download the <a href="http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1049">Mac OS X 10.6.4 Update</a>.</li>
<li><u>tonymacx86's MultiBeast</u>: tonymacx86's wonderful post-intallation utility.<br />
<a href="http://www.tonymacx86.com/Public/MultiBeast.zip">MultiBeast</a> allows to easily customize an OSX installation, adding needed kexts and configuration files.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.tonymacx86.com/Public/MultiBeast.zip" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-k2OlBzrALGLkn3ZGwIWqbaS8oW_p88bl8hXefyNCoEPuEKWL9GZxArGruhImFZ1eWmLBpITkBji4c0rV2YqC2X2KYTFX8xYyABccRi38UXnKu3_e1ISMXUyS5XjxFMX5Tf9o1JbX9es/" /></a></div>
</li>
<li><u>DSDT</u>: One of the advantages of using a DSDT is that it makes your hardware <i>"look"</i> more friendly/Mac-like to OS X drivers, allowing for a more Vanilla (with less extraneous kexts) installation.<br />
You can extract and edit your own DSDT, or download a pre-edited one from <a href="http://tonymacx86.blogspot.com/2009/12/dsdt-database-for-p55-motherboards.html">tonymacx86 DSDT database</a>.<br />
I contributed edits for the GA-P55M-UD4, so those are readily available in the database.</li>
</ul>
<br />
Let's do it !<br />
<ul>
<li>Unpack <u>iBoot</u>, and burn the iso image to a CD-R (Some users reported problems with some CD-RW disks and DVDs)</li>
<li>Save the <u>Mac OS X 10.6.4 update</u> to a USB Stick</li>
<li>Unpack <u>MultiBeast</u>, and save it to a USB Stick</li>
<li>Save the downloaded DSDT to the USB Stick</li>
</ul>
<br />
In <a href="http://lnx2mac.blogspot.com/2010/07/installing-os-x-snow-leopard-part-two.html">Part Two</a>, we'll start the actual OS X installation...Lnx2Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657587386685255719noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484732581203772469.post-43661802554670863152010-07-07T16:09:00.000-07:002011-01-29T16:18:02.582-08:00Optimal BIOS ConfigurationConfiguring the BIOS is something that almost every PC user had to deal with.<br />
<br />
However, it's usually full of terms than even some tech-savvy users don't understand.<br />
This lead vendors to provide a way of choosing "Optimal" settings.<br />
<br />
I found out that, even after using Gigabyte "Optimized settings", there's a lot to improve !<br />
<br />
With the settings here, we'll tune the PC to optimal settings.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
The screenshots below show the actual values we'll get after finishing tweaking all our settings.<br />
<br />
From the M.I.T screen, we'll start our tweaking...<br />
Here we see the BIOS version we are running, current CPU and Memory frequencies, temperatures and voltages.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKLL-a9G834BAxFyDh5kmLBBRMcD5be7qnKCvYSdJHbQHVAitGP15cXEOdQX_0sC4lNr8k9iL-Mos4N8Q89lsN9_MFMIH_vxhIE2RXcDzxTDYOqNYNzvfigRClMtnTB6yKIf_tKQibY4Q/s1600/BIOS_MIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKLL-a9G834BAxFyDh5kmLBBRMcD5be7qnKCvYSdJHbQHVAitGP15cXEOdQX_0sC4lNr8k9iL-Mos4N8Q89lsN9_MFMIH_vxhIE2RXcDzxTDYOqNYNzvfigRClMtnTB6yKIf_tKQibY4Q/s400/BIOS_MIT.jpg" width="400" title="BIOS MB Intelligent Tweaker(M.I.T.)" /></a></div><br />
Let's get an in-depth view of the M.I.T Current Status...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVvnfZm0QUXEIL-zyJsG4vevMMfm4FaZpt6iJhh5dARMvSUqbi08VjpyNgaS0ZN5xDLTjDSiy2mS3CQ0DiAmNcqHPzoSvu9HY2enaEzIxiZg1viI79ihSIZMTDrx4W7o3mjuqyA-uGsW8/s1600/BIOS_MIT_Status.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVvnfZm0QUXEIL-zyJsG4vevMMfm4FaZpt6iJhh5dARMvSUqbi08VjpyNgaS0ZN5xDLTjDSiy2mS3CQ0DiAmNcqHPzoSvu9HY2enaEzIxiZg1viI79ihSIZMTDrx4W7o3mjuqyA-uGsW8/s400/BIOS_MIT_Status.jpg" width="400" title="BIOS M.I.T Current Status" /></a></div><br />
We'll start from the Advanced Frequency Settings, to adjust the Memory Frequency.<br />
I'll just select XMP to let it configure all clocks (and memory voltage).<br />
When using an i5, the XMP will also adjust the BCLK and Memory Multiplier to suit best values for both CPU and RAM.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKmEmWTUjamo0GGuVwnF_-My2cESv81l58WHjNk2AS_TAno7yjitxNMnItWxqqZ1hUIEq7lvaUe2PJGymz9chw7IZ0IxOM9k3eu3NgpKlGfkiZMrSvArcXB_F2Ang1wmM4Yr60dn_e14s/s1600/BIOS_Advanced_Frequency_Settings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKmEmWTUjamo0GGuVwnF_-My2cESv81l58WHjNk2AS_TAno7yjitxNMnItWxqqZ1hUIEq7lvaUe2PJGymz9chw7IZ0IxOM9k3eu3NgpKlGfkiZMrSvArcXB_F2Ang1wmM4Yr60dn_e14s/s400/BIOS_Advanced_Frequency_Settings.jpg" width="400" title="BIOS Advanced Frequency Settings" /></a></div><br />
It's important to <b>enable <u>all</u></b> Advanced CPU Core features.<br />
As, once we started tweaking, the BIOS might Disable some settings if we leave them at [Auto].<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzPeS3mpAzebVf5AKQ3ZUa8Hl3NEeKGCfsnp46-12MLpbzSN41ewf5whE-0gL6fA1GfXD2so8pV3xMZv2q3rYaz-rT966EIIMovCSmr6FLAqTk4nvCw7atECcU6pGAK8wLY3PZnSHnwY4/s1600/BIOS_Advanced_CPU_Core_Features.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzPeS3mpAzebVf5AKQ3ZUa8Hl3NEeKGCfsnp46-12MLpbzSN41ewf5whE-0gL6fA1GfXD2so8pV3xMZv2q3rYaz-rT966EIIMovCSmr6FLAqTk4nvCw7atECcU6pGAK8wLY3PZnSHnwY4/s400/BIOS_Advanced_CPU_Core_Features.jpg" width="400" title="BIOS Advanced CPU Core Features" /></a></div><br />
Here we see that the BIOS read the frequency and voltage values from our RAM's XMP Profile1.<br />
It's also possible to squeeze a bit more by selecting a different value in "Performance Enhance".<br />
We won't be tweaking any timing here.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjspU03zKyWRcHqgFzpjm7txVkkLK7hhGWuzglby7lyO9jJU3wUFYjqiSOjjTaOyY6rGSUjP493Oi3twGe7Ev8QHfN4EYgxhyI2Ua5cuebWAuug-gEmEVo4mday5eIHwUll3hJWuTI9xVE/s1600/BIOS_Advanced_Memory_Settings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjspU03zKyWRcHqgFzpjm7txVkkLK7hhGWuzglby7lyO9jJU3wUFYjqiSOjjTaOyY6rGSUjP493Oi3twGe7Ev8QHfN4EYgxhyI2Ua5cuebWAuug-gEmEVo4mday5eIHwUll3hJWuTI9xVE/s400/BIOS_Advanced_Memory_Settings.jpg" width="400" title="BIOS Advanced Memory Settings" /></a></div><br />
We can leave voltages at Auto or Normal.<br />
However, as of the F9 BIOS version, there seems to be a disagreement regarding DRAM Voltage, as if we leave it on Auto, our G.Skill Eco (which is 1.35V) RAM will run at 1.44V.<br />
Not a problem (this RAM can safely tolerate up to 1.65V), but we can make it run a bit cooler with this low voltage, so we select 1.3V (or 1.4V).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqrS9jdmf22SPJSuYRuFVXx1tjaBkhLB2ITaJaubv4H-VuD6vQBLiNR4zOlvuS9PdN2z-mGuoz5PFX3wtVPGyXY1YzJ5s1s9ytb6ldEyv45SJzBuLbmna7zCZdBuKtP5FB7wi_EY1K7-U/s1600/BIOS_Advanced_Voltage_Settings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqrS9jdmf22SPJSuYRuFVXx1tjaBkhLB2ITaJaubv4H-VuD6vQBLiNR4zOlvuS9PdN2z-mGuoz5PFX3wtVPGyXY1YzJ5s1s9ytb6ldEyv45SJzBuLbmna7zCZdBuKtP5FB7wi_EY1K7-U/s400/BIOS_Advanced_Voltage_Settings.jpg" width="400" title="BIOS Advanced Voltage Settings" /></a></div><br />
Just enable these two.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBtVRpt6jhIT-l7_72RpVjoOJlRwhgojNDcU5y8kGA6i3rtjFYCTEt1YAZ4ZHyB-11vIUV8uL0B95vLJmqjMY6kj88yyYDx210XH2sV5FqQwYrOCurd8ZErqQi-4JfAnV6okWmoCxqlXI/s1600/BIOS_Miscellaneous_Settings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBtVRpt6jhIT-l7_72RpVjoOJlRwhgojNDcU5y8kGA6i3rtjFYCTEt1YAZ4ZHyB-11vIUV8uL0B95vLJmqjMY6kj88yyYDx210XH2sV5FqQwYrOCurd8ZErqQi-4JfAnV6okWmoCxqlXI/s400/BIOS_Miscellaneous_Settings.jpg" width="400" title="BIOS Miscellaneous Settings" /></a></div><br />
Here we want to make sure CD-ROM/DVD is not in the list of Boot Devices, as it will slow down the boot process...<br />
And if we later need to boot off a CD ? We can always manually invoke the boot menu by hitting the <b>F12</b> key.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC7Wb6-Kr34zT8SjW2s9956o5LVANzlCWChNsG5-IF60Y3mnkH9fZr5S5p1ncejeSRFP8Mdqw3JggEQeRNVGmEQIKx0KlaBocp0WKjoWZnstyURMg8n0Qvqej67aiTv13blcNvhuedSkQ/s1600/BIOS_Advanced_BIOS_Features.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC7Wb6-Kr34zT8SjW2s9956o5LVANzlCWChNsG5-IF60Y3mnkH9fZr5S5p1ncejeSRFP8Mdqw3JggEQeRNVGmEQIKx0KlaBocp0WKjoWZnstyURMg8n0Qvqej67aiTv13blcNvhuedSkQ/s400/BIOS_Advanced_BIOS_Features.jpg" width="400" title="Advanced BIOS Features" /></a></div><br />
As with most Hackintosh guides, we want to set the SATA controllers to AHCI mode.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZatBYkoaq26l8yYnVCdupBshZqxwpyvRROIhmsZY7pNI8l20_xn_q9_W917EP292nuB_wmBK5wScUlLciz4YpZevIlenPxk_c697Uo1CyE548XxujPs3uSZBbOYY0pisKPLCWmMr5mwg/s1600/BIOS_Integrated_Peripherals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZatBYkoaq26l8yYnVCdupBshZqxwpyvRROIhmsZY7pNI8l20_xn_q9_W917EP292nuB_wmBK5wScUlLciz4YpZevIlenPxk_c697Uo1CyE548XxujPs3uSZBbOYY0pisKPLCWmMr5mwg/s400/BIOS_Integrated_Peripherals.jpg" width="400" title="BIOS Integrated Peripherals" /></a></div><br />
Another Hackintosh classic... Enable the HPET and set it to 64-bit.<br />
If you want WoL (Wake on LAN) to work, you'll have to <i>Enable</i> "<b>PME Event Wake Up</b>".<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBwKrkAXrRSmCXQOZzlgFMy8u35S0v4nmXk-Co_k7ZhSgCh0lTQwlGOU7VKmnomOVrAWO3IlYUAVU9T6W_idFhS2_fKJHS9kyqsTF8IR6kOz1RTvn8oC75XWhyphenhyphenaeqz34VnkuIpsOA4CKg/s1600/BIOS_Power_Management_Setup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBwKrkAXrRSmCXQOZzlgFMy8u35S0v4nmXk-Co_k7ZhSgCh0lTQwlGOU7VKmnomOVrAWO3IlYUAVU9T6W_idFhS2_fKJHS9kyqsTF8IR6kOz1RTvn8oC75XWhyphenhyphenaeqz34VnkuIpsOA4CKg/s400/BIOS_Power_Management_Setup.jpg" width="400" title="BIOS Power Management Setup" /></a></div><br />
Here we can see the current temperatures and fan speeds.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-rfekEmQwm416nUy4Q6F2xEveMy69wNRTwucIY8Q_eGY2YXuilepLytGC17aW9iaPxdAtDWIaKttRoJ7dUCO1xUn0z4F_m-3Ih3EYSe7rYDFTxja_ljUNqhivm4AwABpL1rv3oiDyTNM/s1600/BIOS_PC_Health_Status.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-rfekEmQwm416nUy4Q6F2xEveMy69wNRTwucIY8Q_eGY2YXuilepLytGC17aW9iaPxdAtDWIaKttRoJ7dUCO1xUn0z4F_m-3Ih3EYSe7rYDFTxja_ljUNqhivm4AwABpL1rv3oiDyTNM/s400/BIOS_PC_Health_Status.jpg" width="400" title="BIOS PC Health Status" /></a></div><br />
<br />
After setting all this, we'll hit the <b>F10</b> key to save and reboot.<br />
The we'll reenter the BIOS, to verify all settings are in effect (it has to recognize the SATA devices using the AHCI mode, etc.)<br />
<br />
Good Luck !Lnx2Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657587386685255719noreply@blogger.com51tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484732581203772469.post-40436581969864031922010-06-27T13:23:00.000-07:002011-01-02T11:46:50.647-08:00Updating the Gigabyte BIOSUpdating the BIOS of a Gigabyte motherboard is very easy (and safe, thanks to the Dual-BIOS).<br />
<br />
There are several alternatives for this:<br />
<ul><li>The <b>Q-Flash Utility</b> (embedded in the BIOS),</li>
<li>The <b>@BIOS Windows utility</b></li>
<li>The <b>FLASHSPI.EXE MS-DOS utility</b> (included with the BIOS update)</li>
</ul><br />
<a name='more'></a>As I don't use DOS or Windows, I always use the <b>Q-Flash Utility</b>.<br />
<br />
Once I <a href="http://lnx2mac.blogspot.com/2010/06/unpacking-gigabyte-bios-without-windows.html">unpacked the BIOS</a>, I copy it over to a USB stick (USB flash drive or DiskOnKey).<br />
<br />
Reboot, and enter Q-Flash (hitting the <b>End</b> key in the welcome screen, or <b>F8</b> in the BIOS)<br />
<br />
The Q-Flash main screen appears:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXT4ArSwnks2dlyQCFQUuAZgwRYACOqzCTZh9yzdWVijpkdpFORuyhl2iID1bYDX0agYLAyX5OED5XaPebQaCYOSpwBypY1I6opgj3MHuCH6kzQAuF8bAvkpIPGMT7t9J9sh17cFIYQ7A/s1600/QFlash.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXT4ArSwnks2dlyQCFQUuAZgwRYACOqzCTZh9yzdWVijpkdpFORuyhl2iID1bYDX0agYLAyX5OED5XaPebQaCYOSpwBypY1I6opgj3MHuCH6kzQAuF8bAvkpIPGMT7t9J9sh17cFIYQ7A/s400/QFlash.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Now we insert the USB stick, and select "Update BIOS from Drive"<br />
<i><b>Edit: Based on comments from some readers, it seems not all USB sticks are recognized at this point. So, if yours is not, you might need to reboot with the USB stick plugged-in.</b></i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1yzOZcZGMwjKZvSeXrD_LSzQ67Uvz5b4neTROTBUAYxb5p7xCUbY5ju12Ycecc_c0G3HIRLV7pfF-fmRuQZSJZdVEQg3ZRSfT2VK6HBwz-DJw1AOK02u9ANpNZuFGS_qtvBykoa6ZZAM/s1600/QFlashDrive.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1yzOZcZGMwjKZvSeXrD_LSzQ67Uvz5b4neTROTBUAYxb5p7xCUbY5ju12Ycecc_c0G3HIRLV7pfF-fmRuQZSJZdVEQg3ZRSfT2VK6HBwz-DJw1AOK02u9ANpNZuFGS_qtvBykoa6ZZAM/s400/QFlashDrive.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>At first, I was surprised that the USB Stick was being shown as "<b>HDD 1-0</b>"...<br />
<br />
Selecting it allows me to navigate down to where I put the BIOS in the USB stick.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAGF3YsysrnZ1B4hyphenhyphenZZV8h-nE6dwWdwYLxLI00N203AB2FZfwYeVmVhD4JRMBIChTeeWW024hrq20zSadp9PUwz8w3_gvpjRxcs1UCpy-RBxLbjRKle0bhlMNguizhCSEE4WTMyIds8NY/s1600/QFlashFile.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAGF3YsysrnZ1B4hyphenhyphenZZV8h-nE6dwWdwYLxLI00N203AB2FZfwYeVmVhD4JRMBIChTeeWW024hrq20zSadp9PUwz8w3_gvpjRxcs1UCpy-RBxLbjRKle0bhlMNguizhCSEE4WTMyIds8NY/s400/QFlashFile.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
That's it, after a confirmation message, the BIOS is updated, and my PC reboots.<br />
<br />
<b>NOTE</b>: It's very important, and many users forget to do that, to reset your BIOS settings to the "Optimized Defaults".<br />
This guarantees that there are no left-overs in the configuration from a previous BIOS version.<br />
<br />
Now, we can move on to <a href=http://lnx2mac.blogspot.com/2010/07/optimal-bios-configuration.html>Configuring the BIOS Settings</a>Lnx2Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657587386685255719noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484732581203772469.post-34255085504767078432010-06-27T10:13:00.000-07:002010-08-12T14:17:27.289-07:00Unpacking the Gigabyte BIOS without WindowsBefore moving on to installing the OS, let's take care of updating the BIOS.<br />
Gigabyte publishes (quite often) updated BIOS with new features and fixes.<br />
So let's download and unpack the new BIOS.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>At the time of the download, the latest was version F9.<br />
<br />
OK, so here I have my <b>motherboard_bios_ga-p55m-ud4_f9.exe</b> file...<br />
<br />
But, how am I going to execute the .exe in my Mac or my Linux PC ?<br />
Easy... I won't !<br />
<br />
The BIOS file is a self-extracting 7zip compressed file.<br />
<br />
So I can use <a href=http://www.kekaosx.com/>keka</a>, Stuffit Expander, or 7za on my Mac OS X (or p7zip on my Debian Linux PC) to unpack it.<br />
<br />
Once open, I find the p55mud4.f9 there...<br />
<br />
Time to move on to <a href="http://lnx2mac.blogspot.com/2010/06/updating-gigabyte-bios.html">Updating the BIOS</a>Lnx2Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657587386685255719noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484732581203772469.post-61160071573731172832010-06-27T08:02:00.001-07:002010-08-12T14:16:59.968-07:00Finalizing the buildOK, we are almost there...<br />
<br />
It's time to start cabling the components.<br />
<br />
No special surprises here, just follow the instructions on the motherboard's manual.<br />
<br />
A couple of tips though:<br />
<ul><li>OS X supports the SATA controller included in the P55 chipset, so we'll use the <b>Blue</b> SATA connectors.<br />
Connect the HDD to SATA2_0, and the DVD to SATA2_1.</li>
<li>When connecting the Front Panel Audio, use the <b>HD-Audio</b> connector, not the AC'97 one.</li>
</ul><br />
Now for the fun part...<br />
<a name='more'></a>
<h2>Cable management...</h2>The Antec Sonata Designer 500 includes plastic "hooks" in the back side of the HDD cage.<br />
These are great for cable management, allowing to wrap the spare length of the cables, or even unused PSU cables.<br />
<br />
Not only it looks all neat and tidy, but by putting all the cables aside, the airflow in the case is improved, and so is its thermal performance.<br />
<br />
Go ahead ! Plan which cables you are going to use, route the unused ones between the case main structure and the side panel, and tuck them neatly on the hooks. <br />
Just don't forget you are going to need one PCI-E 6-pin connector for the Graphics Card. <br />
<br />
When everything is set-up neatly, we can install the Graphics Card.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtViyPNbHx0iPppvV6wCfrl4zFMc6K-3HyGxusXtoMGRdUgQltv87_f5cb1tbfIeexyWARkfBmceNQA2z6nb6hyphenhyphenQLhuyAxM4XedzTSLXIY61jVLDMVOZuGuIBJKB_8o-QPN-0aAleoVL8/s1600/Lnx2Mac%20Build.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtViyPNbHx0iPppvV6wCfrl4zFMc6K-3HyGxusXtoMGRdUgQltv87_f5cb1tbfIeexyWARkfBmceNQA2z6nb6hyphenhyphenQLhuyAxM4XedzTSLXIY61jVLDMVOZuGuIBJKB_8o-QPN-0aAleoVL8/s400/Lnx2Mac%20Build.jpg" width="400" title="Lnx2Mac build inside and out" /></a></div><br />
As a final touch to the case, take one of the neat Apple stickers included with your retail OS X Snow Leopard DVD, and stick it to the front panel...<br />
<br />
Let the world know which OS you are running !Lnx2Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657587386685255719noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484732581203772469.post-60244438217798746252010-06-26T17:40:00.000-07:002010-06-27T07:16:41.415-07:00Installing Hard Drive and DVDOf the many nice features included in the Antec Sonata Designer 500 are the 3½" HDD suspension mechanism and 5¼" Universal Drive doors.<br />
<br />
Lets see how helpful these are for the installation...<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<h2>Installing the Hard Drive</h2>For building my quiet Hackintosh, I decided to use the suspension mechanism of the case, as it greatly reduces hard drive noise, by eliminating transmission of the vibrations generated by the HDD to the case.<br />
<br />
With the help of the well-written Antec manual, I mounted the HDD in a breeze.<br />
It all comes down to:<br />
<ul><li>Twisting the front suspender,</li>
<li>Slide the HDD through the suspender,</li>
<li>Twisting the rear suspender,</li>
<li>Slide the HDD through the suspender.</li>
</ul><br />
<ul></ul><h2>Installing the DVD</h2>The Antec Sonata Designer 500 includes two Universal Drive Doors.<br />
These white doors are a nice touch that keeps the aesthetics of the case, even with a black DVD drive.<br />
I proceed to install the DVD Drive:<br />
<ul><li>Attached a pair of drive rails to the drive,</li>
<li>I started by positioning it so it's as deep in the case as possible,</li>
<li>Then moved it forward until the "eject" button of the white cover makes contact with the actual Eject button of the drive,</li>
<li>Not installing it "deep" enough in the case obstructs the DVD door's spring</li>
<li>It took some fiddling to get the right position</li>
</ul>With the mechanical parts in place, it was time to start cabling.Lnx2Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657587386685255719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484732581203772469.post-89506277709545240392010-06-26T15:38:00.000-07:002010-08-12T14:16:24.758-07:00Installing the Mugen-2 Rev.B CPU Cooler on the GA-P55M-UD4Installing a massive heatsink that requires a backplate might be intimidating for some.<br />
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.<br />
<br />
While the instructions included with the Scythe's Mugen-2 Rev.B are very easy to follow, here are some tips.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Did I mention this thing is huge ? It's enormous !<br />
<br />
The Mugen-2 is not-symmetric and can thus be mounted in two directions.<br />
Also, the Fan can be installed in one of four positions, and it's also possible to attach a 2nd fan.<br />
<br />
My preferred setup is to mount the Mugen-2 so the slits are perpendicular to the RAM slots.<br />
This way, the fan is located over the RAM, blowing through the fins and toward the rear exhaust.<br />
<br />
Without delay, let's get this baby installed.<br />
<h3>Preparation</h3><ul><li>Start by attaching the "Screw Cup" to the Clip for LGA1156, and fix with the "Fixing Cup",</li>
<li>Secure the Clip for LGA1156 to the cooler,</li>
<li>Apply a <u>small quantity</u> (about the size of a small rice grain) to the center of the CPU, and spread evenly,</li>
<li>Remove the protective film from the cooler.</li>
</ul><h3>Mounting the Cooler</h3><ul><li>Lay the Mugen-2 without the fan on a table, upside down (on the heatpipes bolts),</li>
<li>Turn the motherboard upside down with care, so as not to bend any components or get the thermal compound dirty,</li>
<li>Put the backplate in place,</li>
<li>Using just one screw line up the motherboard and the cooler,<br />
If you don't feel comfortable with this, you might want to use toothpicks or paper clips to line-up all 4 holes, and then proceed to replace them by screws,</li>
<li> Install the opposite screw in the backplate,</li>
<li>Proceed to install the other 2 screws,</li>
<li>Tighten gradually all 4 screws. </li>
</ul>Here is how it looks when done...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwJoLRbuZmNLgfe13eVBoZz1QpdqOp8bxl7rC89ipdGdeoSXy6DonE6tJ6eoT8mvI56WFKw1ZeEjgFT6EOWBAFzceOw1xsG07Iz9uig8M7aDgisendjmNznUAPTBVm-1VGN5nP4_HXbl4/s1600/IM000338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwJoLRbuZmNLgfe13eVBoZz1QpdqOp8bxl7rC89ipdGdeoSXy6DonE6tJ6eoT8mvI56WFKw1ZeEjgFT6EOWBAFzceOw1xsG07Iz9uig8M7aDgisendjmNznUAPTBVm-1VGN5nP4_HXbl4/s400/IM000338.jpg" width="400" title="Scythe Mugen-2 Rev.B on a Gigabyte GA-P55M-UD4" /></a></div><br />
We can now go back and <a href="http://lnx2mac.blogspot.com/2010/06/installing-motherboard.html">finalize motherboard installation</a>.<br />
<br />
<h3>Notes on RAM sticks with High heat-spreaders</h3>It's still possible to use RAM sticks with high heat-spreaders (e.g. G.Skill RipJaws), but in this case, the cooler Fan will be displaced upwards, as can be seen in this image.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS5zl4E_qyRJ_xt9RRQc4uN5xVD1QJjD1Bs_qAk50IKj54oLW2n4FCntnqcNqNlpypf8BlGUkou8WiTvq7BM7PTFstiE-M9R9CB6IEfUWUHcXJFuyW4IFFWzWRfF2KZsnspnFYBtLaxnA/s1600/26032010064.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS5zl4E_qyRJ_xt9RRQc4uN5xVD1QJjD1Bs_qAk50IKj54oLW2n4FCntnqcNqNlpypf8BlGUkou8WiTvq7BM7PTFstiE-M9R9CB6IEfUWUHcXJFuyW4IFFWzWRfF2KZsnspnFYBtLaxnA/s400/26032010064.jpg" width="400" title="Scythe Mugen-2 Rev.B over G.Skill RipJaws on a Gigabyte GA-P55M-UD4" /></a></div><br />
Compare this with how it looks when using the G.Skill Eco<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVUiWo0DBU5jZvk3im7A689ENqJMAcoYhx-yI6Z1yq985so7oMVhyphenhyphennHM0cWyO5cI-MbH5uc71JoKiIqLrnEUeEkWG5JXS1C9mWM2CBLeGD-0H5Ignu3jJtZc64ojZLTRIjhoS_Rz2GSAI/s1600/P55M-UD4%20Mugen2RevB%20GSkillEco%20Clearance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVUiWo0DBU5jZvk3im7A689ENqJMAcoYhx-yI6Z1yq985so7oMVhyphenhyphennHM0cWyO5cI-MbH5uc71JoKiIqLrnEUeEkWG5JXS1C9mWM2CBLeGD-0H5Ignu3jJtZc64ojZLTRIjhoS_Rz2GSAI/s400/P55M-UD4%20Mugen2RevB%20GSkillEco%20Clearance.jpg" width="400" title="Scythe Mugen-2 Rev.B over G.Skill Eco on a Gigabyte GA-P55M-UD4" /></a></div>Lnx2Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657587386685255719noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484732581203772469.post-87375387078549902472010-06-26T13:19:00.000-07:002010-08-12T14:15:55.129-07:00Installing the MotherboardAssembling a PC requires a little practice... and a couple of free hours to burn.<br />
Personally, I've been doing this for almost 30 years, so it's become kind of second nature.<br />
<br />
Following these simple steps, our PC will be ready in little time for installing and running OSX.<br />
<a name='more'></a><h2>Preparing the case</h2><ul><li>Start by unpacking the Motherboard,<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic1Ptb2TL4aMfEvBLRUv1qieTXKh4azo_zC18nBkGqgnGwzHsHi56rl8su0oZokhVIv6ZyTq6S9wIeBuT0URI6dWI_XNKYP1Zu3DI4xUvq_Fb5L26qCYI76rMmTaEM7qWyiuGusNqbigw/s1600/IM000324.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic1Ptb2TL4aMfEvBLRUv1qieTXKh4azo_zC18nBkGqgnGwzHsHi56rl8su0oZokhVIv6ZyTq6S9wIeBuT0URI6dWI_XNKYP1Zu3DI4xUvq_Fb5L26qCYI76rMmTaEM7qWyiuGusNqbigw/s400/IM000324.jpg" width="400" title="Gigabyte GA-P55M-UD4 Box" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnaJARjUB6UZPz63TIjwIrm03NOAu20hXVBk8hyKIW-TmEJ66k0CPmx_n0yF_1X3dVfg7xtv4V-Y1tH3QUS2GYwQY-gKaGreQozclwH00ZqyDTwhZ6MDaIoTsK1kebxj7Oz_R-uPVC2jo/s1600/IM000325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnaJARjUB6UZPz63TIjwIrm03NOAu20hXVBk8hyKIW-TmEJ66k0CPmx_n0yF_1X3dVfg7xtv4V-Y1tH3QUS2GYwQY-gKaGreQozclwH00ZqyDTwhZ6MDaIoTsK1kebxj7Oz_R-uPVC2jo/s400/IM000325.jpg" width="400" title="Gigabyte GA-P55M-UD4" /></a></div></li>
<li>Handling it carefully, we'll align the motherboard in the case, and install motherboard spacers (I used 8 for mine) in the case,</li>
<li>With the case ready, we set it aside and focus back on the Motherboard,</li>
</ul><br />
<h2>Setting up the Motherboard</h2><br />
<ul><li>Install the CPU on the LGA1156 socket,</li>
<li>Mount the Mugen-2 Rev.B heatsink on the CPU (See <a href="http://lnx2mac.blogspot.com/2010/06/installing-mugen-2-revb-cpu-cooler-on.html">this post</a> for the gory details)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwJoLRbuZmNLgfe13eVBoZz1QpdqOp8bxl7rC89ipdGdeoSXy6DonE6tJ6eoT8mvI56WFKw1ZeEjgFT6EOWBAFzceOw1xsG07Iz9uig8M7aDgisendjmNznUAPTBVm-1VGN5nP4_HXbl4/s1600/IM000338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwJoLRbuZmNLgfe13eVBoZz1QpdqOp8bxl7rC89ipdGdeoSXy6DonE6tJ6eoT8mvI56WFKw1ZeEjgFT6EOWBAFzceOw1xsG07Iz9uig8M7aDgisendjmNznUAPTBVm-1VGN5nP4_HXbl4/s400/IM000338.jpg" width="400" title="Scythe Mugen-2 Rev.B on a Gigabyte GA-P55M-UD4" /></a></div></li>
<li>Insert the G.Skill Eco RAM in the RAM slots,</li>
<li>Mount the Mugen-2 Fan on the Cooler,</li>
<li>Connect the cooler fan to the "CPU Fan" header of the motherboard.</li>
<li>Motherboard is ready<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio5NHrD0GB14jeh5gdE5pORYOrIBFUAhNBqljKU1_60iYUhq6DTSgVK-y2b8YPU7I8ntp0x9BrMwEl77JPrHWgBi_Z0GnnBjWfSiN6HDOe0VymnoCpDeizLBGp8lAl4SFndWNRYRDcyBY/s1600/My%20GA-P55M-UD4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio5NHrD0GB14jeh5gdE5pORYOrIBFUAhNBqljKU1_60iYUhq6DTSgVK-y2b8YPU7I8ntp0x9BrMwEl77JPrHWgBi_Z0GnnBjWfSiN6HDOe0VymnoCpDeizLBGp8lAl4SFndWNRYRDcyBY/s400/My%20GA-P55M-UD4.jpg" width="400" title="Scythe Mugen-2 Rev.B over G.Skill Eco on a Gigabyte GA-P55M-UD4" /></a></div></li>
<li>It's time to install the motherboard in the case</li>
</ul><br />
<h2>Fixing the Motherboard in the case</h2><br />
<ul><li>It might help to connect the 8-pin ATX_12V CPU Power connector from the PSU to the board before fixing the motherboard to the case, as it's going to be tight there.</li>
<li>Fix the motherboard to the spacers in the case.</li>
</ul><br />
OK, we can now proceed to <a href="http://lnx2mac.blogspot.com/2010/06/installing-hard-drive-and-dvd.html">installing the hard drive and DVD</a>Lnx2Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657587386685255719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484732581203772469.post-61396974808224621242010-06-26T10:48:00.000-07:002010-08-18T03:33:12.056-07:00The Lnx2Mac Build ComponentsPicking 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.<br />
<br />
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...<br />
<br />
So, wondering which components I used ?<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>After a long research (<i><b>way too long</b></i>, if you ask Mrs. Lnx2Mac), I hand-picked the following components...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Motherboard:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Lq7QKul9WjGWErkfspaYe0-Ak70VJCbkzEnULuhH1TxvGBS2aVgKc2hwe_ZxG5f0al39LqLE889uD1d-2t09xAIvgQn2pyShSshLACBVg66E5bfKqxiMchtFBFCozZ4tD3muzS4r154r/s1600/Gigabyte_GA-P55M-UD4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Lq7QKul9WjGWErkfspaYe0-Ak70VJCbkzEnULuhH1TxvGBS2aVgKc2hwe_ZxG5f0al39LqLE889uD1d-2t09xAIvgQn2pyShSshLACBVg66E5bfKqxiMchtFBFCozZ4tD3muzS4r154r/s200/Gigabyte_GA-P55M-UD4.jpg" width="186" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128404">GIGABYTE GA-P55M-UD4</a></div><hr width="75%" /><br />
CPU:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgxrBEtY__Ff-S0kkQwGhDbsleYz1knD4quBmTkXW88Y-sSQhRo0zLkwH0GAjxDbW92VU6Sk-tuCt4MQ3N7diIG8cbyapJ4TUxJ2Pxo_ErE-px2ghokbU7uzvvhiapREijdArzCN3wWD_W/s1600/Intel_Core-i7-860.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgxrBEtY__Ff-S0kkQwGhDbsleYz1knD4quBmTkXW88Y-sSQhRo0zLkwH0GAjxDbW92VU6Sk-tuCt4MQ3N7diIG8cbyapJ4TUxJ2Pxo_ErE-px2ghokbU7uzvvhiapREijdArzCN3wWD_W/s200/Intel_Core-i7-860.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115214">Intel Core i7-860 2.8GHz</a></div><hr width="75%" /><br />
CPU Cooler:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh44PFkNtLYVvqwtEY3Mcq5SImCBzVrbfko1aPBk90XknxX91eVb0Jvf42kDVlLCfhuPd0-MDBTMNpwcn0MbYKHkHma9ItlMvfFjz0Z9wm3h26tTRhRrGdECp_cfxgVnrcAGH3xftc1whwK/s1600/Scythe_Mugen2-SCMG2100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh44PFkNtLYVvqwtEY3Mcq5SImCBzVrbfko1aPBk90XknxX91eVb0Jvf42kDVlLCfhuPd0-MDBTMNpwcn0MbYKHkHma9ItlMvfFjz0Z9wm3h26tTRhRrGdECp_cfxgVnrcAGH3xftc1whwK/s200/Scythe_Mugen2-SCMG2100.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185142">Scythe Mugen 2 Rev. B (Model SCMG-2100)</a></div><hr width="75%" /><br />
RAM:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSap1mXB_1sB4268GSVGGRKZcvhYIqxi3wShcaww1sSe3YdZCG7eEzz8Alo1lU2QFm4OTxU9vgOH0jpRBx6YpZ-mpHU_TxYC_vfMk2x3coRubgDmoJe1IVSnRLAFJKuM4MKNpN7vPB95OT/s1600/GSkill_Eco12800-4GB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSap1mXB_1sB4268GSVGGRKZcvhYIqxi3wShcaww1sSe3YdZCG7eEzz8Alo1lU2QFm4OTxU9vgOH0jpRBx6YpZ-mpHU_TxYC_vfMk2x3coRubgDmoJe1IVSnRLAFJKuM4MKNpN7vPB95OT/s200/GSkill_Eco12800-4GB.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">2 * <a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231321">G.SKILL ECO 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231321">(Model F3-12800CL7D-4GBECO)</a></div><hr width="75%" /><br />
Graphics Card:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4s8W5fjcdWaGFUxhLmdJMFXUOPuCe3eXwamAJQ660u5WQzSb0L5P85oC7ZAPCUuS-32cgsE9Yp5S5lpSzOljOWqnzx5WGkXU8Xhyphenhyphenm7cTCRl3jB0wZKzl7cp_HcIFa5RoqTmBBDYTgeauA/s1600/Gigabyte_GV-N98TSL-1GI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4s8W5fjcdWaGFUxhLmdJMFXUOPuCe3eXwamAJQ660u5WQzSb0L5P85oC7ZAPCUuS-32cgsE9Yp5S5lpSzOljOWqnzx5WGkXU8Xhyphenhyphenm7cTCRl3jB0wZKzl7cp_HcIFa5RoqTmBBDYTgeauA/s200/Gigabyte_GV-N98TSL-1GI.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125282">GIGABYTE GV-N98TSL-1GI GeForce 9800 GT 1GB Silent Cell</a></div><hr width="75%" /><br />
Hard Disk Drive: <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgggRdoggsW2_bgk-x2rpRjEQu8DG9wQYiJRIQXrknSpOIQEpIqDG124NN54tvXbdyV5JQsMo6lU-QpVu3h00NIhYRt7hD83Yleh2STRgOphaOuaUdyr5gH73SdOMhxkGcwWiqhaSR4gyc0/s1600/Samsung_Spinpoint-F3-HD103SJ-1TB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgggRdoggsW2_bgk-x2rpRjEQu8DG9wQYiJRIQXrknSpOIQEpIqDG124NN54tvXbdyV5JQsMo6lU-QpVu3h00NIhYRt7hD83Yleh2STRgOphaOuaUdyr5gH73SdOMhxkGcwWiqhaSR4gyc0/s200/Samsung_Spinpoint-F3-HD103SJ-1TB.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185">SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA</a></div><hr width="75%" /><br />
Optical Disk:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjbf5TSrSEHLIESNGfRsmX69e-Z_gDA0ugxYFuOjbDCu6kpyNylLAAb3GYkNvyx2jnwmds-HQ-vr4DiFLr-ZDcdzD7ihFYg4zChblvOywlqQbUt8B-w5Uu-9zCmX8E2FREDu5kvDdClj2d/s1600/SonyOptiarc_AD-5240S.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="71" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjbf5TSrSEHLIESNGfRsmX69e-Z_gDA0ugxYFuOjbDCu6kpyNylLAAb3GYkNvyx2jnwmds-HQ-vr4DiFLr-ZDcdzD7ihFYg4zChblvOywlqQbUt8B-w5Uu-9zCmX8E2FREDu5kvDdClj2d/s200/SonyOptiarc_AD-5240S.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.sony-optiarc.eu/products/dvddrivesdesktoppcs/ad5240s.html">Sony-Optiarc AD-5240S 24X DVD+R SATA</a></div><hr width="75%" /><br />
Case:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ks0oLpVz5lw_WL5WppvXgUWIilZVb-KGnN6x4XrjwAyO4U6r9rZ7SgTW4n6zySliimH6HERiBoXu5knrc_FpilLKqTJD277bkX2H_ZTDrqrFjk46qvs7bmdp3BUGLakvXVF_sLdIS_28/s1600/Antec_SonataDesigner500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ks0oLpVz5lw_WL5WppvXgUWIilZVb-KGnN6x4XrjwAyO4U6r9rZ7SgTW4n6zySliimH6HERiBoXu5knrc_FpilLKqTJD277bkX2H_ZTDrqrFjk46qvs7bmdp3BUGLakvXVF_sLdIS_28/s200/Antec_SonataDesigner500.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129036">Antec Sonata Designer 500 White/Silver (with 500W PSU)</a></div><hr width="75%" /><br />
Display:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkOWGPKG4DjRkDeoPfh_B7oByKGnPRQg4JH6kxk_cOXXa0TMzIExunE-4nQMGyIvxwtNBBYpqByKqwfnRYRhDqT6nYy9bQ2_0Oecf64PJmIiGvby0scWZW55caZ9K4pwDXOWiqavnp-H0g/s1600/Samsung_T260HD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkOWGPKG4DjRkDeoPfh_B7oByKGnPRQg4JH6kxk_cOXXa0TMzIExunE-4nQMGyIvxwtNBBYpqByKqwfnRYRhDqT6nYy9bQ2_0Oecf64PJmIiGvby0scWZW55caZ9K4pwDXOWiqavnp-H0g/s200/Samsung_T260HD.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001391">SAMSUNG T260HD 25.5" 5ms Widescreen 1920x1200 LCD Monitor</a></div><hr width="75%" /><br />
Keyboard:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ZlBJEQAnPA4dS8GuABlZkf2o6MtKfnULfXhqiRmdzyHwHUF77UrEIgNKY5gLLqORJ4odARx5PpSlZB0bEIXhmQVnLHKsU75kjEkJo9M59bIbBacnRhX9-NKgDXwJauudaWuOeCDEPYdv/s1600/Apple_WirelessKeyboard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ZlBJEQAnPA4dS8GuABlZkf2o6MtKfnULfXhqiRmdzyHwHUF77UrEIgNKY5gLLqORJ4odARx5PpSlZB0bEIXhmQVnLHKsU75kjEkJo9M59bIbBacnRhX9-NKgDXwJauudaWuOeCDEPYdv/s200/Apple_WirelessKeyboard.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC184LL/A">Apple Wireless Keyboard</a></div><hr width="75%" /><br />
Bluetooth Dongle (Already owned):<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7TVghaRxO_g1_6RG0KTAVM-joNcTEby7MhneWxI6WyaJbP5U6vp90v7VRQ8yGdJU2ZEin5MVH3G5htzfS1W4YNnuVJvoK5py459X07-8nrR6aHpC8rNk1IY-gfhJkdASe4OOAn4SX3bf6/s1600/Trendnet_tbw101ub-ver2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7TVghaRxO_g1_6RG0KTAVM-joNcTEby7MhneWxI6WyaJbP5U6vp90v7VRQ8yGdJU2ZEin5MVH3G5htzfS1W4YNnuVJvoK5py459X07-8nrR6aHpC8rNk1IY-gfhJkdASe4OOAn4SX3bf6/s200/Trendnet_tbw101ub-ver2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.trendnet.com/downloads/list_subcategory.asp?SUBTYPE_ID=341">TRENDnet TBW-101UB V2</a></div><br />
<hr width="75%" /><br />
OS:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpj9xEs9C4SrvlWCHWgdaNh2CaT3EUmdkjincp4yVALn09etvHvFNCW6lanxoRv3Te8oMEgsUBasD-2VYr5SFyOkHnA-6Xr1_JOzEU0OHaenrURtMrPy7Bl9C2ETEqMXLx0hHQaQpy_mm8/s1600/Apple_SnowLeopard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpj9xEs9C4SrvlWCHWgdaNh2CaT3EUmdkjincp4yVALn09etvHvFNCW6lanxoRv3Te8oMEgsUBasD-2VYr5SFyOkHnA-6Xr1_JOzEU0OHaenrURtMrPy7Bl9C2ETEqMXLx0hHQaQpy_mm8/s200/Apple_SnowLeopard.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC574Z/A">Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard - Family Pack</a><br />
(Yes, I bought the Family Pack, as I'll be installing this on multiple machines) </div><br />
<br />
<br />
This is it for my main build...<br />
<br />
Oh, and in case you wonder, Mrs. Lnx2Mac's got a computer similar to the above...<br />
Just with an Intel Core i5-750, only 4GB RAM, and a Samsung P240 Display...<br />
<br />
After all, Daddy's toys are supposed to be more expensive ;-)Lnx2Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657587386685255719noreply@blogger.com112tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484732581203772469.post-77743756427527078752010-06-26T07:54:00.000-07:002010-07-19T16:41:43.954-07:00Lnx2Mac BlogHi, I'm known as Lnx2Mac in the <a href="http://www.tonymacx86.com/">tonymacx86 Hackintosh Forum</a>.<br />
<br />
I've been developing software and <a href="http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/H/hacker.html">hacking</a> hardware since the early '80s... The good part of them on Unix and Linux.<br />
<br />
In 2008, I switched my main system (a Linux Laptop) to a MacBook Pro.<br />
<br />
Wanting to add a Desktop companion to it, I decided to play and build a Hackintosh.<br />
<br />
Started this blog to collect my notes, hoping it will also help others.<br />
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 !<br />
<br />
I'd love to hear your comments !<br />
<br />
Lnx2MacLnx2Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02657587386685255719noreply@blogger.com0