My Journey to OS-X on AMD (still traveling...)
I like OS-X.
About two years ago I bought my first Mac, a shiny white MacBook. After a few days of getting used to it I was sold completely and understood less and less on how I ever got by using only Windows for all those years. Apart from a few job related things and very stubborn habits I never seriously touched XP again. Later, when I switched jobs I got a MacBook from my new company and I decided to give my old one to my wife. Now here's the problem. I like working on all sorts of stuff and testing out new (read downloaded) programs and of course I don't feel comfortable doing that on my company laptop. Buying another MacBook is not an option and stealing my old one back from my wife wouldn't do the marriage any good. The desktop PC I got is too old (AMD 2100+) and my budget is limited. Last week I came across a nice deal for a new machine within my budget and without too much checking if OSX86 would even work on it, I got it delivered just before X-mas. I soon found out the specs (see my signature) are not ideal but hey, I like a challenge. :) My dream machine would be having OSX86 running stable enough to do some nice multitracking in Logic Express. My attempts so far: I figured if I wanted to get this running I probably needed a very recent distro and according to the "InsanelyMac" pages that would be the "iDeneb v1.3 10.5.5" so that's what I got. I was very happy to see the install DVD boot up all the way, seemingly recognizing my SATA devices and without selecting any patches or drivers I let it install. Unfortunately, when the install finished after 30 minutes it went into an instant reboot loop with an error message that was hard to read and didn't ring a bell. I tried several statup options but they made no difference at all. ("-v, -s, -x, rd=disk..., etc in all sorts of combo's") I started wading the InsanelyMac forums and soon found out those forums are waaayyy to big and flooded with questions without answers. The only helpful thing I found there was somebody mentioning that AMD users might have more luck at "InfiniteMac" and tadaaa, here I am. :) Second try: I read a lot of posts about the "Kalyway 10.5.2 Intel Amd" being a nice solid base so I downloaded that and gave it a try. This distro didn't even boot from the DVD, throwing the dreaded "Still waiting for root device". I figured that since my first attempt with a newer distro did not have this problem, this route might even be harder. In the meantime I read about all the disadvantages there are with SATA drives (which is most likely why the Kalyway wouldn't even run) but still not ready to throw in an IDE disk. Third attempt: Then I saw the announcement on the forum about the "iPC Public Beta" release and figured, let's try that one before calling in the cavalry. What I liked most about this distro is that the readme actually gave some info I could work with. I booted the DVD, selected the Voodoo kernel (and my audio codec) and again 30 minutes later it was ready to reboot. Now this time (booting with "-v -f -x") it actually started loading stuff from my SATA HD! Lots of interesting info scrolled by but then it ended in the all known "Still waiting for root device". But because it did start loading from my HD I figured that this was finally something I could work with. I started searching again and found out that using Google is actually better than using the search functions on the fora (maybe more on that later) and came across a mentioning of the "AppleNForceATA" kext in combination with my Nforce4 chipset. Reinstalled iPC, this time selecting the Voodoo kernel, the AppleNForceATA driver, again my audio codec and waited another 30 minutes... The post-install-auto-reboot puts it in a kernel panic but I found out earlier that that might be because the kext's aren't set up properly, resetted the machine, gave it the "-v -f -x" options and yes!.... there was the keyboard selection wizard. After filling in the forms I was presented with my very own OSX86 desktop running in safe mode on my brand new AMD machine. I rebooted it and was even happier to find out it started up in normal mode, without any boot options and showing a speaker icon indicating it did find some audio device. Happy, happy, joy, joy, w00t, w00t, etc.... \o/ And now the real fun starts.... These are the problems I still have: - As soon as I install a kext for either Ethernet or Graphics the machine won't boot up. - Disks in the SATA DVD are not recognized (installing from there went fine). I attached an external USB DVD writer which works fine for now. - Until now I kept re-installing with different options but I found the magic single user mode (-s) and am able to find my way on the prompt. Where can I find the kext files on the DVD that are shown in the installer? - Looking at my hardware, any tips or success stories I can try? I'll keep on trying and reading and trying and will post my findings here but in the meantime maybe some of the pro's or other users can shed some light on my issues. Cheers! |
for your ethernet go to realtek they have their own mac drivers that should work no problem. The best option for graphics card is to turn of shared memory in the bios as this will stop it from booting even in safe mode when you have installed the right drivers. For the sata dvd drive you need an improved kext for your chipset or try using sata or ahci or ide mode in the bios.Also i notice you have 4gb of memory to run this stable you will need the latest nforce chipset kext its on insanelymac in the drivers section otherwise you will keep getting random panics.
Hope this helps |
This is excellent information! It will keep me busy tomorrow night for sure...
I notice you have a SoundBlaster Live in your configuration. I thought I read in several places that Creative and OSX86 do not play at all or is this an USB version? I have an older SB live with an extra digital I/O backpanel and it would be great if I could that working too in this config. But first the basics ... ;) |
if its not a live value it should work is it the em10k chip if so then there should be no probs and gives 5.1 but only in vlc as quicktime doesnt seem to handle 5.1 divx etc
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so you plan on making music in logic express with onboard audio ?
i have an AMD SB700 and an AMD 780G Northbridge chipset cpu: AMD phenom 9600 (sse2,sse3) audio :realtek alc888 (but want to use MAudio FW solo, mobile pre, etc) ethernet: Realtek 8111C do you think any of your iages could work with my system. Ive been looking around and the "LawlessPPC-Leo-10.5.4-Phenom&AMD" image it looks like a good fit for amd users |
I find it is a good idea to install only the bare minimum unless you are 100% sure that the item you are selecting will work. Once you boot into OSX you can fix them one by one. This lets you get a feel for what needs to be fixed and why.
Boot Options - You probably have already read about these but Ill describe a few -v Verbose Mode -s Single User Mode Command Line Only -x Safe Mode -f Load Kexts from the Extensions Folder instead of the cache file -F Ignores com.apple.boot.plist maxmem=2048 Limits the memory that OSX uses. Measured in MB. Using 4GB can cause issues as Lawless mentioned. You can add maxmem to your com.apple.boot.plist to limit your memory until you have fixed the problem. Generally the symptoms are a complete system freeze. There are a tons of others but this should get you started. If you need to repeatedly enter things at boot you can add it to com.apple.boot.plist which is located in Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/. The syntax goes something like this. Code:
<key>Kernel Flags</key> Code:
<key>Kernel Flags</key> You can use kext helper but its also good to know how to manually install kexts. I have found that installers dont aways get it right. Even when installing osx from the install disk. 1. Removed any related or duplicate kexts & backup kexts you are replacing. I generally back mine up to the Desktop. Doesn't really matter as long as you know where its at. 2. Copy yourkext.kext to /System/Library/Extensions 3. Entered your admin password when prompted 4. In Terminal write: Code:
sudo chown -R root:wheel /System/Library/Extensions/yourkext.kext Code:
-v -f -F Sometimes Extensions.kextcache is not there. This isnt an issue. What we are trying to do is make 100% for sure that the cache is recreated with the new kexts. If your still having problems you can repair disk permissions in Disk Utility or by using Terminal with the following: Code:
sudo diskutil repairPermissions / |
@lanceomni
nice post one of the best ive seen for a while. btw i totally agree about the kext I only ever install the chipset at time of install |
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If it doesn't work as expected I can always get a high end external audio device, like you have already. Quote:
Cheers. |
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(NB: 790G,SB700) and I have the Phenom 9600. From wat i read this would be enough to not get in any reboot eerrors or any of the typical errors. Basically id be able o boot into mac and be able to install kext's afterwards. But i ran into Ideneb's 10.5.5 image and it looks pretty good for my sstem. I just finished making my stem as I write this and I have a Ideneb DVD with all PPF updates. & im downloadin ur Lawless image. Wat would be my best route ? |
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And i feel like its a toos up between Ideneb's 10.5.5 w/PPF updates & Lawless' image idk yet, im still waitin to pick my ram up Sat. morning. Im really excited. Nate www.myspace.com/natewil |
Getting there...
Ok, with the excellent tips of LawlessPPC and lanceomni (great to see those options summed up in one place) I started working on this again and got some nice results.
First of, I used this tutorial to get the iPC distro on a USB flash drive: How Can I burn The MAC OS X distro to USB flash memory? This is a real time saver if you are experimenting a lot because it reduces install time to 6/7 minutes. I also used this guide from naquaada to create a nice backup/restore system which is also great for experimenting in a safe way to get your stuff working: Guide: Creating a very safe OS X system Chipset (nForce 430) and SATA drives: Selecting AppleNForceATA during install made sure my installation booted but all-tough the DVD drive got recognized it fails to mount any disks. nfoav8or mentioned somewhere that the "forcedeth AppleNForceATA-test" version (also on the install disk) might solve this but because I have 4Gb in my machine I need to use the "64Bit adapted AppleNforceATA.kext" and with this one the DVD's also do not mount. Am I stuck with either 4Gb support or a working SATA DVD drive? Or are there other possibilities? (I have an external DVD rewriter so it's not a big problem but feels like a waste of hardware) Audio (ALC662 Audio Codec): This was a no brainer, the driver is available on the install disk and worked from the start. Ethernet (PHY Realtek RTL8211B): LawlessPPC pointed out that Realtek provided Mac drivers but unfortunately not for this one (PHY is the key). The Realtek website tells us this: Quote:
Then I noticed in the signature of lanceomni the mention of "nForceLAN.kext". Searching for that led me to the release page on the insanelymac forums where I found out why my previous search efforts failed. That post only mentions the number of the Realtek chip "8211B" and I was searching for "RTL8211B" all the time! Installed the nForceLAN.kext and Ethernet started working instantly. Graphics (NVIDIAŽ GeForce 6150SE): For the video it looks like I'm screwed. According to this thread on InsanelyMac there is no solution for shared memory Nvidia cards. LawlessPPC already advised to turn of shared memory but that is not possible with this card. I can turn it down to 32Mb shared memory but it needs at least that. I tried several Geforce kext's but they all result in a non booting system. My video needs are not that high, I'm not planning on playing games but I want to at least get rid of the artifacts I have when moving windows and of course a higher resolution. Any tips on this? Or should I get a dedicated card? (It's a shame my board doesn't do AGP, I have several AGP cards lying around) So, it looks like I got a fairly stable system with a few important functionalities missing but I'm happy that I got this far already. |
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OR temporarily take out 2GB RAM so you are left with 2GB and then install normally and then install the new 64bit kext and shut down, reinsert the RAM, and reboot. Walla! Magic. ;) Quote:
Best of luck. |
Thanks for the quick reply...
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Of course I rather have 4Gb then a working DVD drive but I'd love to have both :) Quote:
I will buy a dedicated card when my wallet allows me to. Now I need to decide if I go for a cheapo solution or get a real fancy one :). Cheers! |
4GB Issue
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If you surf around you can find a pretty good PCI Express card for under $50 and some I have seen for less than $20. It is definitely worth any extra change you have laying around. The deals are out there. Of course you can go all the way. I looked on Newegg.com and found this guy though Im not sure if its supported. This blows my mind. I looked at the specs. I bet you could get OSX running on the graphics card itself ;) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814103068 Anyway there are good cards out there at discount prices. |
Im trying to boot from the dvd i burned and it wont booot lol
i have a amd phenom 9600 ideneb 10.5.5 ppf 3 (burned to dvd) wont boot 790g SB700 I changed the boot sequence to boot from my dvd first and it wont even recognize the dvd and goes to the second boot option |
Its not booting at all as in the blinking underscore or does it display a msg? Or are you getting a grey screen with apple logo and spinning wheel?
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blinkin underscore
Somethin I noticed: After adding PPF2 and 3 (w/ PPf o Matic (the program)) I went to burn the new image with Magic ISO and it said Non botable right above the drop down list ov all files in the iso |
PC I assume? Give this a try and remember to burn at a slow speed (makes a difference) http://www.imgburn.com/
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Thnx
ill give it a try right now with the XxX 10.5.5 Leopard Beta1 PPF1 (with PPf2 &PPF3) image.
thnx While it's burning I might as well put up my specs in my sig, so anyone else here checkin can see my specs Do I need to inject a workin Kext for my SB700 chipset before i insert the dvd ? |
Same blinkin underscore.
I burned at 2x and verified it. I burned it o a DVD + R Im sin a Pioneer DVR - 111D optical drive in slave ide mode |
@natewill18
In your bios do you have your CD drive enabled as a boot option. Also I am not 100% sure but check to see if our DVD drive is set to master. Is it on its own cable or does it share with a HD? PS I checked the myspace link out. I noticed the bottom Youtube video you had was from a caller from Citra, Fl Id love to know who that was cause I went to high school in Citra Florida and I can picture someone making that call. |
Idk about the video lol I jus thought it was funny.
I hav the dvd drive as the first boot option. it shares an ide cable with a hdd. Its in ide slave mode Update: Interestingly enough I put in a legite copy of xp 64 and I still go the blinkin cursor P.S. in the video it says his name is Danny |
MY DVD drive doesnt work
So Ive been up all night an dIve come to the cnclusion my hdd wont work so I've been researching on how to boot from a usb exernall hdd without a floppy disk (because I dont have one)
I have checked out all the tutorials and guides, but apparently I'm too stupid to get it. lol I tried like 20 different things. -making a virtual floppy disk drive image then trying to put the image on my usb hdd -d/l Free DOS and trying to make a bootable flash drive i must not understand a step b/c I have no clue wat to do. Im tryin to do this but i dont know wat they're talkin about You can boot through USB.. "Download FreeDOS and make a bootable DOS USB Key. Copy Win XP installer on this." Sounds simple lol Can anyone help me with these instructions ? |
Ok, it's clear that I need a dedicated graphics card but I really don't want to spent much on it (several reasons). The cheapest cards I found both have a Radeon chipset for which I can't find anything on the web wether they are supported in OSX86 in any way.
I'm looking at these cards: - MSI Radeon HD3450 256 MB PCI-E - MSI Radeon HD4350 256 MB HDMI PCI-E Does anybody have experience with these chipsets? Or a general idea wether it might work or not? Again, no fancy stuff required, just a proper resolution on my 22" screen... |
@mcmadd
Im not sure about the price on those models but here are two options. The second has dual DVI as you may want to add a second monitor. Two 22" monitors are better than one ;) ASUS EN8400GS 256MB $22.99 after $10 rebate EVGA GeForce 8600 GTS 256MB $39.99 after $30 rebate Im sure you could even find less expensive cards without rebates. You want to make sure when you look at cards, especially budget models, that when it lists memory it means on-board. Sometimes they advertise a card with 256 or 512 and then when you read the fine print it will say something like 128MB on-board and 128MB shared. I know people have problems with graphics that use shared memory though I have no idea how a card like that will behave. P.S. Did you recently pick up your 22" monitor? if you which model is it if you don't mind me asking. |
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http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...133253&Tpk=PNY Might replace my whole hardware park in one go...:D Quote:
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I don't do DTP stuff anymore so I didn't bother to look at color calibration stuff etc... I just wanted a nice price/quality for a big screen. At the time this was my best buy. |
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ATI cards are fine. This link is a bit dated but will give you an idea: http://wiki.osx86project.org/wiki/in...Graphics_Cards I do commercial photography and when I get home I really have no interest in picking up a camera so I purchased two 22" budget Acer models for around $130 each. I knew going in that they were not going to be close to what I normally work with but I have been extremely happy with them. |
I think I'm going to get this one (coincidentally one you mentioned):
ASUS EN8400GS SILENT/HTP/256M GeForce 8400 GS Unfortunately I have to pay 35,= EURO's for it (without shipping) which seems a bit more expensive than in the US. I'll do some more shopping tonight. |
OK so I boght a new HDD (ide 40 gb) a new DD drive. Im runnin the XX OSx MAc 10.5.5 beta PPF1-3 image on a dvd. I get to install the dvd and everything. I get past darwin w/o any of the boot flags and symbols. Before Installation I click customize in order to pick my kexts.
Wat else should i choose ? Bootloaders ? Kernels? Tools? (theres a bunch of stuff to choose from) So far w/e combo I have picked ( includin not pickin anthin) has bought me to a Kernel panic screen after the installation reboot P.S> I've yet to install a image that i injected my SB700 kexts into. Do you think this could help ? |
alright so
I clicked all the kernels and the chameleon bootloader. Im aloowed to tr to bot from the hdd. but i get the infamous "unknown SigSev code 0" I tried bootin with -v -f -cpus=1 -legacy and it gave me the same problem. I feel like im really close lol |
you only choose 1 kernel and make sure you pick the amd patch (this is why sigsegv)
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@natewill18
Wouldn't it be easier to start a new thread with your experiences and progress? I started searching for your chipset support on Google and ended up on posts from you in other threads on this forum :) I think if you try to keep this centralized in one thread, including all your successes it's easier for others to see what you solved already and what not, plus it will provide a sort of knowledge base specified to your hardware for new newbies (like ourselves). Anyway, I think you should try to install using iPC distro with PPF 3 included. Only check "Voodoo kernel", the "seatbelt patch" and your chipset kext. (Chameleon bootloader doesn't need to be checked, it's installed by default) After install the instant reboot will probably give you a kernel panic but in my experience the first reset won't KP. If you get this running all other hardware support can be next. Good luck. |
@LawlessPPC So that error message is caused by not selecting the AMD patch?
@natewill17 Quote:
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what is the name of this amd patch? b/c there were many patches to choose from in that customize screen.
P.S> When I choose one kernel at a time (each of them beeing some form of the voodoo kernel ( rc1, beta, xnu, etc)) I received a Kernel Panic. This is the furthest Ive got by highlighting all kernels and the SB4xx kexts( even tho i hav a sb700) I will try your method tho and i'll type in the cpus=1 command correctly lol and see what happens. Im so close. I really need this Mac running in order to easily accept/make Logic project files/plug ins and have ichat meetings. So i appreciate all the help your giving me. If I get this right I can change the whole hip hop/RnB production game lol ( i kno alot of people). I really appreciate everyone's help. When I get this running, aim me ur real names so i can give you addt'l credits in my placements for 09' b/c w/o you guys i wouldnt be able to work efficiently with other people in the industry. (they always askin me, "Where's your Mac, Where's your mac" and I refuse to buy one. lol So basically Im saying thnx aim: natewill18 www.myspace.com/natewil |
[quote=lanceomni;20633]@LawlessPPC So that error message is caused by not selecting the AMD patch?
usually yeah thats the cause of most sigsegv errors i have had them caused by permissions but only on amd |
if i remember rightly its called amd patch i think on ideneb its in the patched section. choose the rc1 kernel, the amd patch and just your chipset kext if your doing this on usb you dont need to choose chipset kext until just before you move drive to internal. There should be no need to use cpus=1 argument. when you have installed reboot with -v -f and once on desktop you can install other drivers. If for some reason it doesnt boot or it boots with weird squares boot with -v -f -x then install these graphics drivers. http://forum.insanelymac.com/index.php?showtopic=107526
but im not sure if ati 3200 is fully supported |
as a note i never never install any drivers except the chipset till i have updated osx as far as i can its suprising how much hardware apple supports directly and are adding drivers with every update. eg most realtek network cards are supported out of the box. So the golden rule only install what you need to to get it on your drive and to give you network access provided the network doesnt work anyway. Then you can download any drivers you want
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/i get a kernel panic on the initial boot up from the cd ( i tried -x,-v,-f, etc) and w/o the flags. i didnt inject my chipset kext in it tho. But i cant even get to installaion P.S i have a prevously failed install OSx86 image that we were previoously talkin about ( would this be causing the issue ?) |
as far i know the only bootloader thats efi compatible that runs on phenom is chameleon. Im guessing pc efi v9 is what the dvd boots off as its the default one that installs so im guessing thats why the kernel panic. I know my distro boots on phenom it was built just for that reason. This is by no means an advert for mine as i believe ipc is better but im guessing it has issues on phenom. With my distro you would have to add your chipset kext unless you installed via usb which you would have to do for dvd and ide/sata. The bootloader compatibilty info may be incorrect. But at the time i built mine chameleon was the only one that would allow efi (on phenom) so to me this makes sense
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I have no problem going to system/library/ and adding my chipset kexts into your image and burning it to a dvd. P.S> when I try to add the chipset kext to the image and save in Magiciso i get a no disk memory error (when I clearly have gigs of extra memory). In Transmac I just get an plain error not allowing me to add to add the new files. |
Booted with -x -f : System root error
Booted with no flags : System config file '/com.apple.Boot.Slist' not found P.S I have my SATA in IDE mode (raid and Achi modes r m other options) Im installin from a SATA dvd drive |
having read over this thread to try and help again (seeing as you are posting in 2 threads the same questions). I looks like to me you are going at it like a bull in a china shop and rushing. There must be hundreds of guides on the net how to do everything you need to do. Its seems like you arent really taking in what ppl are advising probably due to the fact you are anxious to see the results of this running on your hardware. Which distro are you using at the moment? Have you confirmed it got a phenom compatible bootloader and kernel? Does it have your chipset kext on? These are some of the most important factors besides good media and reliable burning. MacOSX DVD is very sensitive to bad burning its recommended you burn at the slowest speed the media and drive will take.
P.S. Google is your friend!!!! |
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i have no issues explaining anything. The reasons i asked those questions again is i wanted to know what stage you are at. Regarding distros you have also used ipc this why i asked as i didnt know which one you needed help with now and posting in 2 threads makes it confusing. Your questions are not specific to my distro they are generic and what most users need the answers to. I am prepared to help but if the tools you are using arent functioning on your system as it I fail to see how i can overcome this. Enough of my ranting an on with a possible solution. Have you tried your iso tools on a different system in case you have issues with your windows rig as it is? I am gonna post some links to the questions you have posted. Also in terms of noobs i am one ive not been using osx long at all.
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http://wiki.osx86project.org/wiki/in...llation_Guides
whats installed on my disc is in the readme other than those differences it basically a Zephyroth v2 If you can use usb to sata or ide adapters you dont need to inject a kext to the dvd just for your chipset. You can do that after you have a working os on the drive. Then put it in the machine. Dont forget to boot with -v -f do this whenever you change anything. The ati HD3200 is not supported under osx and you may get graphic issues when you try to boot so you may need to boot with -x safe mode or delete ati kext this may go for the dvd boot aswell. http://mac.blogdig.net/archives/arti...Plus_MOBO.html look at option b for kext injection |
you should also check out the irc room one night that way you dont have to wait between responses
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ive been banned for spammin wen i tried to paste my specs
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well instead of trying to post them all at once you could paste a link to your profile here so people can see your specs in your signature...
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P<S, I get the "Still waiting for root device" error booting with -x -f -v is it b/c im installin from an ide/sata hdd and sata dvd drive ? (using the Lawless 10.5.4 distro) UPDATE: -SO I used another Distro that wqs leading me to a Kernel panic everytime i installed it (Xxx OSX LEo 10.5.5 PPF1) I used it because it was the only Distro that would allow me to install it -I used disk utility to restore the bad osx install from my internal hdd to my external hdd, then i repaired permissions all within Disk utility. - I booted up from the external, to my suprise it works, but my sata devices arent recognized and neither is my processor. It says Im running a Mac Pro SO now I'm trying to install all the drivers I need (SB700 kexts, NIC kexts, ect.) I found the SB700 kexts somewhere in the insanleymac forums and I put the neccessary files in the System/libary but i get an error sayin I installed the kexts incorrectly. Does anyone know what Im doing wrong. I just need this to work so my SATA dvd drive and SATA hdd will be recognized so i can copy the image from the external drive to the internal hdd. |