Cat in the Bag: Install Snow Leopard on the HP Mini

This installation method uses NetbookBootMaker. With Chameleon 2.0-RC2 already available, you might be asking why NetbookBootMaker? True, NetbookBootMaker is primarily made for the Dell Mini hackintosh but it works fine in my setup and offers noob-friendly tools as well such as ExtraUpdate - more on that later.

Update: Please see Snow Leopard Guide

This installation method uses NetbookBootMaker. With Chameleon 2.0-RC2 already available, you might be asking why NetbookBootMaker? True, NetbookBootMaker is primarily made for the Dell Mini hackintosh but it works fine in my setup and offers noob-friendly tools as well such as ExtraUpdate - more on that later.

So, let's get this rollin'! :D


Create a bootable Snow Leopard USB/External HDD installer

What you need : a hackintosh/real Mac, Snow Leopard Retail DVD.dmg image, USB/External HDD (at least 8 gb)

Download: > NetbookBootMaker <

1. With your drive (USB/External HDD) plugged in, launch Disk Utility (Applications > Utilities) and format it. Let's assume we'd named the USB/HDD partition as "DVD Snow Leo". Note: I normally use GUID & Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
2. Still in Disk Utility, click on the Restore tab. Drag the Snow Leo image ("Mac OS X Install DVD") into the Source field. Then drag "DVD Snow Leo" into the Destination: field. Click on the Restore button and wait until the process completes. Quit Disk Utility. Note: If the Snow Leo Retail DVD image is not listed at the left pane, simply drag the image there from a Finder window, or Click on the Image... button beside the Source field to navigate to the image's location in your hard drive.
3. Launch NetbookBootMaker. Select "DVD Snow Leo" as target drive from the dropdown menu. Click on Prepare Boot Drive and wait till the patching finishes. Quit NetbookBootMaker.
4. In a Finder window, Shift+Cmd+G to access /Volumes/DVD Snow Leo/System/Installation/Packages. You should see (3) three "OSInstall" files in there: OSInstall.mpkg, OSInstall.pkg, OSInstall.pkg.orig.
5. Delete OSInstall.pkg. Rename OSInstall.pkg.orig, taking out the ".orig" extension so it becomes "OSInstall.pkg". Voilà, you've made your own USB Installer. Note: NetbookBootMaker altered the default OSInstall.pkg file so, basically, what we're doing here is just restoring the default OSInstall.pkg.

Install Mac OS X Snow Leopard onto the HP Mini

What you need: Snow Leo USB Installer (that you've just created in part one of this guide), HP Mini (this is tested on the 1000)

1. With the USB installer plugged in, switch on the Mini and press F9 as it starts. You'll see the boot menu screen. Use the up/down arrow keys to choose your USB Installer from the list and hit the Enter key. Wait until Darwin finish its countdown and boot into the Mac OS X Installer Program.
2. Choose your preferred language etc. On the Menubar, go to Utilities > Disk Utility. Format the Mini's internal HDD as GUID & Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Let's assume it's named as "Macintosh HD". Quit Disk Utility.
3. Choose Mac HD as the destination partition for installation. You can click on the Customize button at the lower left corner to specify which components you want to install. Note: Normally, I opt to exclude printer drivers, all other languages, X11 to save more hard disk real estate and include Rosetta (for MS Office:Mac, it isn't Universal binary yet) and QuickTime Player 7, but it's all up to you.
4. Click on OK, then click on the Install button the start installing Mac OS X on the HP Mini. Walk around, grab some Starbucks, read a book, anything - just don't try to blow dry your hair anywhere near the HP Mini while it's installing OS X hahaha ;). The HP Mini will restart after it's finished installing. Note: Installation won't stall anymore because of what we did a while ago with the OSInstall files.

Post-install Tweaks/Configs

Download: > NetbookBootMaker <, > GeneralExtensions kext bundle <, > About This Mac.pkg <

1. When the HP Mini restarts and with the USB Installer still plugged in, press F9 to boot with the USB installer once more. But before Darwin loads the Snow Leopard Installer Program again, press any key to interrupt the bootloader. Arrow up/down to choose Macintosh HD and hit Enter. Note: We just used the USB Installer's bootloader (which is Chameleon 2.0-RC2) to boot up the internal HDD.
2. After the Welcome video (yes, you'll get to see it) and configure your user account and other settings in the Setup Assistant. You'll then be brought into the Snow Leopard Desktop. Note: There's noticeable "lag" when you click on Continue at the Do not transfer my information now part in Setup Assistant but it's just normal as Mac OS X is trying to setup your network (because it's already recognized the Mini 1000's Broadcom WiFi module as AirPort). Just go on following this: > Different Network Setup > My computer does connect to the internet > Continue
3. Once you're inside Snow Leopard, launch NetbookBootMaker. Select Macintosh HD from the dropdown menu and click on Prepare Boot Drive. Quit NetbookBootMaker when patching is finished. Note: Your Macintosh HD/internal HDD will already be bootable by now and resolution will already be correct at 1024 x 600, Keyboard & Trackpad, Bluetooth and WiFi working. there are still some tweaking to do; kexts to install to provide support for the Mini's other hardware - get sound, correct some power/battery related issues.
4. In a Finder window, Shift+Cmd+G to open the /System/Library/Extensions/. Delete AppleHDA.kext. Note: This is done so that the VoodooHDA kext which will be installed later will work.
5. After that, Shift+Cmd+G to open the /Extra/ folder. Delete the Themes folder entirely. Note: Deleting this folder corrects the Apple logo's image ratio during the Apple bootsplash.
6. Unzip the GeneralExtensions folder and copy the whole folder to /Extra/, replacing the existing GeneralExtensions folder in there.
7. Launch the ExtraUpdate app inside the /Extra/ - the one with the rubber shoe icon. Click on Update Extensions. Restart. Note: During the update, the app will mount the ramdisk, so you'll its icon popping up in your Desktop. You'll know that the update is completed when this ramdisk is unmounted and the Update Extensions button is no longer recessed.
8. Unzip and run the AboutThisMac.pkg to correct the CPU and RAM information on the "About This Mac" window. Note: The CPU clock is already properly recognized as well as the amount of ram, so this is purely cosmetic.

Congratulations! You're now runnning Snow Leopard on your MacBook Mini. :D

Optional: Use VoodooPS2Controller instead of ApplePS2Controller

Download: > VoodooPS2Controller-0.98 installer.pkg <

In order to maximize your use of the Mini's Synaptics trackpad, i.e. side-scrolling and tap-clicking, you need to install VoodooPS2Controller instead of the ApplePS2Controller (which is already, working fine so it's up to you if want to leave it that way).

1. Unzip and run the VoodooPS2Controller installer package. Tick the checkbox for the Trackpad. Click on Install.
2. In a Finder window, Shift+Cmd+G to get to /System/Library/Extensions/ and copy the VoodooPS2Controller.kext. After copying it, delete the kext from the Extensions folder, authenticating as you go.
3. Shift+Cmd+G to /Extra/GeneralExtensions/ and paste the VoodooPS2Controller.kext in there. Delete AppleACPIPS2Nub.kext and ApplePS2Controller.kext. Again, authenticate as prompted. Note: VoodooPS2Controller doesn't need AppleACPIPS2Nub.kext. As a matter of fact, you'll most probably get a kernel panic if you keep the Nub kext. ApplePS2Controller's function will be taken over by VoodooPS2Controller anyway so we can delete it as well.
4. Shift+Cmd+G again to /Extra/ and launch the UpdateExtra app again. Click on the Update Extensions. Wait for it to finish. Restart to begin using the new kexts.

Final words. . .

So you're on Snow Leopard. You'll find that pretty much everything works - except for Sleep/Resume and the internal mic.

The VoodooHDA kext used in this guide is not the newer version which supposedly makes the internal mic work. I've tried it on my Mini 1001TU but doesn't work for me, but it might for you. You can download it from here and install the PrefPane and replace the kext in your /Extra/GeneralExtensions/ folder. Don't forget to update the extensions using the ExtraUpdate app.

This ExtraUpdate app is one of the reasons why I chose to go with NetbookBootMaker, that and the fact that with it the installation/customization process is almost an entirely GUI approach - it's very noob friendly.

As for the Sleep/Resume issue, you may notice that we've included the SleepEnabler kext in this method even though it doesn't work - the Mini "goes to sleep" but it immediately wakes up so technically, it doesn't get to sleep ever. But at least, that's better than having to force shutdown/restart the Mini because it's gone comatose when you accidently close the lid, or forget to configure settings in System Preferences > Energy Saver to make the Mini insomniac. ;)