tonymacx86-the P55
Any OSx86 installation guide can seem daunting at first glance, especially when trying to remember cryptic terminal commands and sorting through volumes of misinformation on the web. This guide requires no coding, terminal work, or Mac experience of any kind. You will not need access to a Mac. In fact, it's easier and faster for me to install Snow Leopard with fully working components on my system than it is to install Windows 7. And more fun. iBoot + MultiBeast: Install Mac OS X on any Intel-based PC
Posted by tonymacx86 on Monday, April 12, 2010
The iBoot + MultiBeast method is designed and tested for any desktop or laptop running the latest
line of Intel processors, the Core i3/i5/i7s. I have had reports of success with older machines as well including CoreDuo, Core2Duo, and even Pentium 4. However, AMD processors are not supported.
YOU WILL NEED
A computer running an Intel Processor
A blank CD
A copy of the Mac OS X Snow Leopard Retail DVD
To leave any fear of your computer at the door.
Patience and humility -it may not work out perfectly the first time- but with enough tenacity and grit, you'll reach the promised land. It's easy to get frustrated, but don't give up! There are a community of users with similar hardware in the tonymacx86 Forum to provide support if you get stuck.
BEFORE YOU BEGIN
If you have greater than 4gb of RAM, remove the extra RAM for a maximum of 4gb. You can put back any extra RAM in after the installation process.
Use only 1 graphics card in the 1st PCIe slot with 1 monitor plugged in.
Remove any hard drives besides the blank drive being used for OS X.
Remove any USB peripherals besides keyboard and mouse.
Remove any PCI cards besides graphics- they may not be Mac compatible.
If using a Gigabyte P55 board, use the blue Intel SATA ports- not the white Gigabyte SATA ports.
It's best to use an empty hard drive- you will have to partition and format the drive.
Always back up any of your important data.
STEP 1: BIOS SETTINGS
You will need to set your BIOS to ACHI mode and your Boot Priority to boot from CD-ROM first. This is the most important step, and one many people overlook. Make sure your bios settings match these. It's not difficult- the only thing I did on my Gigabyte board besides setting Boot Priority to CD/DVD first was set Optimized Defaults, change SATA to AHCI mode, and set HPET to 64-bit mode.
STEP 2: INSTALL MAC OS X
In order to boot the Mac OS X Retail DVD, you'll need to download and burn one of the 3 versions of iBoot. The most universal solution is iBoot NVIDIA. iBoot ATI adds drivers to support more ATI graphics cards. Or if you have a supported processor, such as the Core/Core2, or a new i3/i5 dual core, try iBoot Supported- with Vanilla 10.3.1 kernel.
Download iBootBurn the image to CD
Place iBoot in CD/DVD drive
Restart computer
At Chameleon prompt, eject iBoot
Insert your Mac OS X Snow Leopard Retail DVD and press F5
When you see the screen below, press enter to begin the boot process
When you get to the installation screen, open Utilities/Disk Utility
NOTE: If you can't get to the installation screen, retry the process, but type -x at the screen above. This will enter Mac OS X Safe Mode, which will allow you to proceed.
Partition your hard drive to GUID Partition Table
Format your hard drive to Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
For the purposes of this guide, name it Snow Leopard. You can rename it later.
Close Disk Utility
When the installer asks you where to install, choose Snow Leopard
Choose Customize‚ and uncheck additional options. This will hasten the install process. You can always install this stuff later.
STEP 3: UPDATE TO 10.6.4
Upon the release of 10.6.2 and the 27" Intel Core i5 and i7 iMacs, Mac OS X Snow Leopard officially supports the Core i5 750 and Core i7 860. The 10.6.4 Update will install a Vanilla Kernel, as well as a host of security and stability fixes. Details are available on Apple's website.
At the end of the installation, you may get an Install Failed: Mac OS X Cannot Be Installed on this Volume, as shown in the photo below. This is normal- and happens every time with the patched kernel that's loaded from iBoot. (You'll get a friendly Install Succeeded if you used iBoot Supported, because it uses the Vanilla kernel.)Just continue with the guide. If you can't continue, reboot, erase the drive, and try the install again.
Restart computer.
Place iBoot back in drive.
When you get to the Chameleon boot selection screen, choose your new Snow Leopard installation.View the super-cool Mac OS X Snow Leopard Welcome Video, and set up your computer!
Open Finder and navigate to your Snow Leopard drive.Right-click and delete Mac OS X Install Folder. This folder is an unnecessary remnant of the installation process, and serves no purpose.
Download the Mac OS X 10.6.4 Combo Update or the
Download MultiBeast
Open MultiBeast- don't run it yet, just leave it open. Set up windows as shown.
Mount MacOSXUpdCombo10.6.4.dmg
Install MacOSXUpdCombo10.6.4.pkg
Upon completion, the installer will ask you to reboot. DO NOT REBOOT.
Switch to the already open MultiBeast. If it closes, just re-open it.
STEP 4: MULTIBEAST
MultiBeast is an all-in-one post-installation tool designed to enable boot from hard drive, and install support for Audio, Network, and Graphics. It contains two different complete post-installation solutions: EasyBeast and UserDSDT. In addition it includes System Utilities to rebuild caches and repair permissions and a collection of drivers, boot loaders, patched kernels, boot time config files and handy software. Choose one of the following options directly following a fresh installation and update: EasyBeast is a DSDT-free solution for any Core/Core2/Core i system. It installs all of the essentials to allow your system to boot from the hard drive. Audio, Graphics and Network will have to be enabled separately. UserDSDT is a bare-minimum solution for those who have their own pre-edited DSDT. Place your DSDT.aml on the desktop before install. Audio, Graphics and Network will have to be enabled separately. HINT: Check the DSDT Database for a pre-edited DSDT.
Run MultiBeast.
If you have a custom DSDT that's been edited, place the file on your desktop, rename itDSDT.aml and choose UserDSDT.
All others select EasyBeast
Select System Utilities.
Optionally, if you know what other items you need you can select them as well. Be sure to read the documentation provided about each installation option. NOTE: EasyBeast, andUserDSDT install Chameleon RC4 by default, so you'll not need to check that option.
Install to Snow Leopard- it should take about 4 minutes to run scripts.Eject iBoot.
Reboot- from your new Snow Leopard installation drive.
Congratulations! You're done! Your PC is now fully operational, while running the latest version of Mac OS X Snow Leopard! And you have a nice Boot CD to get into your system in case things go awry. Boot your system from iBoot if you have issues. You may run MultiBeast as often as you like.
If you can't boot, try typing -x at the Chameleon prompt to enter safe mode, or just boot with iBoot. When you get to the desktop, you can make all of the changes you need to. The best way to start fresh is delete whatever you're trying to get rid of- including the whole /Extra folder, as most kexts are installed there. Then you can re-run MultiBeast. As long as you rebuild caches and repair permissions after you're done, you can do just about anything you want to /Extra/Extensions and /System/Library/Extensions. Anything can be tweaked and enabled upon subsequent uses of MultiBeast.
If you've had success using iBoot + MultiBeast, consider donating a few bucks to help keep the sites going. We're constantly updating and tweaking our tools to help you.
Thanks in advance! -tonymacx86
PS: For our most current workarounds and solutions for issues such as USB and audio, check out my Mac OS X 10.6.3 Update and Mac OS X 10.6.4 Update article. Good luck, and see you on the forum!
