10.6.2 & 10.5.9 Updates = Dead MacBook Mini

image borrowed from 3bp.blogspot.com

According to sources - OS X Daily and Stellarola's blog - the 10.6.2 update, which has been seeded earlier to Apple developers, will break current hackintosh systems running 10.6 Snow Leopard as its new kernel release will no longer support Atom processors.


The same might also be true for the "upcoming" 10.5.9 update for Leopard.


Stell mentions 3 options for the hackintosh community:


1. Stick with Snow Leopard 10.6.1


2. Stick Leopard 10.5.8 (although, to have sleep in 10.5.8, I reckon I had to revert to 10.5.7 kernel and then also use seatbelt and system kexts from the same 10.5.7 to keep USB support)


3. Update to 10.6.2 but use 10.6.1 or lower kernels or completely resort to hacked kernels for Snow Leopard.


Is this Cupertino's disciplinary action for the hackintosh community? Looks like we're facing doom like Psystar.


I think I've just experienced another heartbreak there. A sad sad MacBook Mini.

Kojinsha Dual Screen Netbook

The Japanese do seem to have the best of everything techie.

I wonder if this hackintoshable though...

Of Trackpads and Other Quirks Part II : ApplePS2 or VoodooPS2?

So basically we've got 2 options so far to enable Trackpad on the Mini:
1. ApplePS2 (Download)
ApplePS2Controller.kext and AppleACPIPS2Nub.kext can be loaded in /Extra/Extensions.
Synaptics Trackpad.prefPane needs to be installed (double click prefPane; it will get installed in System Preferences under "Other")
com.meklort.ps2.helper.plist needs to be placed in /Library/LaunchAgents to save your Trackpad settings after reboot.
This is how your System Preferences would look like:

Compaq 311 c

Here's an unboxing video for those who speak French and also for those who don't as you can also get a lot of info of what the machine feels like in this. Courtesy of blogeee.net.

Take Root

This isn't about sudoing in Terminal but still has a lot to do with the OSx86 community which we all love; noobs and seasoned hackintoshers alike.


Remember Psystar? Yeah, those selling PC systems compatible with Mac OS X that they call "Open Systems". They're currently in a long run of a legal suite against Apple. But they're continuing to sell their stuff as the trial moves on in court; the latest offering being what we know as "Rebel EFI". You can download Rebel EFI which promises to make installing Mac OS X on any PC and as easily as it's done on real Macs. But to get the most out of it, you gotta shell out $50; it'll take out the 2-hour usage limit the company has locked Rebel EFI in. It says:

**Must have purchased authentication code to permanently  install**

Tord Boontje HP Mini 110

Gadget lust again. Sometimes people can be ever so insatiable and so even if all's doing generally fine with one thing at the present moment, there's always another thing to want.

Isn't this piece of HP goodness just delectably enticing? Love the Apple-ish whiteness of it minus the stark and improved on by those sumptuous details made by no other than Studio Tord Boontje.

A Better MacBook Mini Than My MacBook Mini?

It's the iiViewA2 (or A squared) running Snow Leopard:

Leo or Snow Leo?

I've been living with Snow Leopard for almost 2 months now and coming from 4 months of Leopard 10.5 (ah, those were good times), how do I find its "fairer" brother?


Aside from the GUI stuff - Dock Exposé, QuickTime X, revamped Icon View with support upto to 512 pixels (you can play a video, flip through a document without opening an app), there are some things that make a hackintosher's life easier in Snow Leo. So far, I've found 2 which have obviously delighted me; I'm blogging them.

Gadget Lust (Again; for Nth time)

I should be saving. Really. Seriously.


I'm addicted to anything techie. Scratch that. I'm addicted to anything netbook and Mac OS X.


And I should be saving.


In the last 2 years - January 2008 to present; I've owned 4 netbooks: (1) the grand daddy of them all, Asus EeePC 701 - mine's got that extra PCI-e slot that weren't present in the preceeding versions of the same model; (2) Asus EeePC 900 in June of the same year (3) MSI Wind U100 September - 3 months after I got the 900 and then (4) my beloved HP Mini 1001TU in February this year 2009.


It's now 8 months with my current netbook and the longest "netbook relationship" I've been in. It's a proof of how generally satisfied I am as a netbook consumer with the HP brand. Now with all the new netbooks being announced - specifically ION drool-worthy goodness, my gadget lusting is back on its tracks.

Time For A Real MacBook?

While this remains to be a hackintosh centric blog, I can't help but post the latest Apple announcement here.


Welcome the new MacBook:

Snow Leo EFI Boot Guide : Revamped

Hopefully this one's a better EFI guide. . .on the HP Mini 1000 (1001TU) of course.
Click on the images to get to the linked page:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Snow Leo EFI Boot Guide Revamped : Part 4

Back To Snow Leo EFI Boot Guide Main Page
<< Back Snow Leo EFI Boot Guide Revamped : Part 3


Customizations / Maintenance

1. Fix your ApplePS2Controller - to resolve "trackpad preferences won't save after reboot" issue.
- Go to /SnowLeoHPMini_101709/Trackpad and copy "com.meklort.ps2.helper.plist" to /Library/LaunchAgents/. Authenticate as prompted.
- Back in /SnowLeoHPMini_101709/Trackpad, double click on the "Synaptics Trackpad.prefPane" to install it.

Snow Leo EFI Boot Guide Revamped: Part 2

UPDATE: This guide is no longer relevant to the HP Mini 1000. Kindly please see this new guide instead. Thank you.

Next >> Snow Leo EFI Boot Guide Revamped : Part 3

<< Back Mac OS X Installer USB HDD

Install Snow Leopard onto the HP Mini

1. With the USB installer plugged in, switch on the Mini and press F9 as it starts. You’ll see the boot menu screen. 

2. Use the up/down arrow keys to choose your usb hard drive from the list and press the Enter key. Wait until Darwin finish its countdown which, by default, will boot “SnowDVD” volume and get you into the Installer Program.

Snow Leo EFI Boot Guide Revamped : Part 3

Next >> Snow Leo EFI Boot Guide Revamped : Part 4
<< Back Snow Leo EFI Boot Guide Revamped: Part 2


Configure EFI


The previous guide was admittedly a total chaos, specifically on this part of the entire EFI Boot Guide. So in this new guide, the steps are still pretty much the same ones which I got from the original thread at msiwind.net (the site's still not up yet as of post's writing so I'm not linking but credits still go to 18seven), in order to simplify things down for a noob like me, I've repackaged the files needed, reordered the steps.

What you need: "SnowLeoHPMini_101709.zip" file (Alternate download link here). Nothing really special about the suffix number - it isn't exactly a version number; just the date when the package was finalized for posting/release.

Hackintosh Must Have: Mac OS X Installer USB Hard Drive

NOTE: This Guide is deprecated. From now on, please use this new guide for the HP Mini 311. (Can be adapted for other netbooks as well, as long as you have an Extra folder with all the compatible kexts, plists etc.)

Next>> Snow Leo EFI Boot Guide Revamped: Part 2

(This is for Snow Leopard)


In ways it's like your perfect pair of denim jeans and even more valuable at times. I'm speaking specially of those times when you've rendered your internal drive, and by consequence, your Mini no longer bootable because of the various "experiments" (though pointless they may often be) that you've done in pursuit of geek nirvana.


You could try getting a boot-132 CD for Retail/Vanilla install (this one is also for use with Vanilla install) but I prefer installation via bootable usb hard drive because it's faster because with the numerous wipe-out and reinstall that I constantly do for those "experiments" (but actually more in pursuit of relieving boredom from lack of a social life rather than geek nirvana), every minute and second saved from DVD disc spinning inside an external optical drive do add up considerably.


So here are the ingredients:

Of Trackpads and Other Quirks

It's no secret that I've had problems with my trackpad - I'd broadcast that little snippet practically in all corners of my cyber existence. Well the good news is make that "I used to have problems with my trackpad". It's up and running like its old self again which makes me one happy hackintosher.


Now how did that happen???


I couldn't even begin to make a logical summary of what happened so just I'll just provide a timeline to better illustrate things.

HP Mini 311: New “It” Guy Among HP Mini Hackintoshes

The minute his mug shots came abound the net, we've been smitten by him.


We've drooled at him.


Fantasized about him.


Wondered which method would work on him: Vanilla/Retail or hacked distro? Leopard or Snow Leopard?

Okay, so that sentence before this one relieves you who are reading this post. Well, Mr. HP Mini 311 is good hackintosh candidate.


Some dudes (or dudettes) have been lucky enough to get their paws on this promising HP Mini version and have gotten OS X installed:


InsanelyMac


My HPMini


It certainly appears that the much coveted graphics prowess which Ion bundle (Atom N280 + ION LE) promises to deliver works fine under OS X:

from superviza @ insanelymac
Wooo Hooo !!!
I got 1366 x 768 working !!! (looks amazing)
I used osx86 tools to insert a custom EFI string....
Let me know how you go...

The WiFi card is reportedly the same Broadcom 4315 which we love because the hacked IO80211Family.kext supports that module.


Ok, so that's about 3 components down (procie, video, wlan) but there remain a lot more stuff like audio, webcam, and that incorrigible internal mic.


On a personal note, this news is definitely good news for me. I adore the make and finish of HP netbooks and since MacBook Wind is at home, sitting at my "mini office" desk as it torrents away while I'm here about 100 plus kilometers away from it, I'll say it:


MacBook Mini feels way more solid in my hands than MacBook Wind and I've never felt it would suddenly fall apart in my own hands as I've more than once felt the latter would. ;)


So if push comes to shove and circumstances leave me no choice but to purchase a new netbook, either to satisfy a need or perhaps a want, I hope it's still an HP.


But then again, if it ain't hackintoshable. . .oh well.

define:idiosyncrasy

According to good ol' reliable google.com, the word "idiosyncrasy" means:

• a behavioral attribute that is distinctive and peculiar to an individual
• Idiosyncrasy, from Greek ιδιοσυγκρασία, idiosyngkrasía, "a peculiar temperament", "habit of body" (idios "one's own" and syn-krasis "mixture") is defined as an individualizing quality or characteristic of a person or group, and is often used to express eccentricity or peculiarity.

I believe that hackintoshes can be likened to inidividuals in this sense; my MacBook Wind behaves differently from my MacBook Mini. But things don't stop at that; MacBook Mini on Leopard is a totally different creature from MacBook Mini on Snow Leopard.


Various combinations of model/make/brand, Mac OS X version, and even installation method result in considerably noticeable variances in terms of user experience, or should we say "hackintoshing experience". Even just alterations in the installation method - Vanilla, EFI, Distro (msiwindosx, iDeneb, iATKOS, Leo4All, etc.) - but with the same machine and Mac OS X version can bring up circumstances in which these so called distinctive and peculiar attribute are highlighted.


I'll focus on Leopard and Snow Leopard on my precious little MacBook Mini (a 1001TU). 1000 series owners may be lucky hardware-wise - Broadcom 4315, Marvell Yukon 2 ethernet, webcam, bluetooth, etc. - the only gripe remains to be the internal mic which still doesn't work even under the new VoodooHDA.kext. Given all that however, the Mini 1000 is fairly one neat hackintoshing machine.

A Yellow Situation No More

I changed my hard drive icon manually in Snow Leopard to rid my Desktop, Finder Sidebar and what not of too much yellow stuff. But that was only supercial and I knew it was never gonna be anything permanent; either I'd google for a resolution until I ran of breath or I'd brick my install by manually editing kexts to load onto the EFI partition.

I changed my hard drive icon manually in Snow Leopard to rid my Desktop, Finder Sidebar and what not of too much yellow stuff. But that was only superficial and I knew it was never gonna be anything permanent; either I'd google for a resolution until I ran out of breath or I'd brick my install by manually editing kexts to load onto the EFI partition.


Turned out I didn't have to go through either of those.


So taking a hint from insanelymac.com, I edited my IOACHIFamily.kext differences from the instructions. Snow Leo recognizes the Mini's 60 gig Toshiba hard drive as ATA, not SATA. So that means there should an entry in the info.plist for that kext's IOATABlockStorage plugin kext that specifies that that ATA device is internal.

My Keyboard Replacement Is Here!

I think I’ve never woken up in my whole life as happy as I did last Thursday morning. My landlady knocked on my door, catching me in my not exactly polished morning look, to hand me a peculiar looking card of sorts. The flimsy, low-grade tarnishing paper that made up the local neighborhood’s parcel notice was hardly enticing to anyone’s sight at 7:40 am. The purple markings left by rubber stamps were almost purely rubbish, I meant gibberish.


But it was what I was waiting for my entire existence - okay, that was overboard and I shouldn’t exaggerate. But really it was. Since the spirit of stupidity possessed me last August 31st and I accidentally put down the blow dryer beside my then point-updating (and unsuspecting) HP Mini 1001TU, this particular parcel had always occupied my thoughts. I’d looked forward to the day when I’d be able to replace my warped keyboard. This last Thursday, after exactly one month - the anxiety of the long wait was finally over.

And It Was All Yellow

Though I adore Cold Play and their song; it's too much of a yellow situation for me in Snow Leopard.


My internal hard disk, the Mini's 60 gb PATA Toshiba, is seen as a removable hard drive. So instead of the normal icon, I get a yellow icon - or icons, as I've partitioned my drive into two.

So as usual, I searched high and low on the net for some clues and got some ideas including editing my IOAHCIFamily.kext but it was all in vain. I decided it was time to just deceive myself and did what was my last resort: change the icons manually.

BIOS F.15 for the Mini 1000

There's a new bios update for the HP Mini 1000 series, called BIOS F.15. It was already released last August but I only saw just today perhaps owning to my being busy with Snow Leopard.

Click on the image to get to the download page for the BIOS update.


Those who still got Windoze on their Mini's (dual-booting with Mac OS X), you can just boot into that other operating system and run sp45107.exe, (1/1 , 1.12M) to update your system. Remember to keep the Mini plugged into a power source.


Now for those, like me, who have opted to completely eradicate the other OS, you can follow this guide to create a bootable Bart_PE USB.