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.

3. Choose your preferred language, click on the "-->" button way below the screen which can either be chopped in half or use Tab move around the window and Enter to select buttons if you can't see the button due to resolution constraints. 

4. On the Menubar, go to Utilities > Disk Utility. Format the Mini’s internal hard drive as GUID and Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Let’s assume it’s named as “Mac HD”. Quit Disk Utility.

Note: Snow Leopard by default only installs on GPT (GUID Partition). But you can search on the net for installing on MBR formatted volume (if you want to dual boot with "older" OS' like Windoze XP). This requires some hacking of the installer files; i.e. OSInstall.mpkg file. However, this guide is on EFI booting and we need the 200 MB EFI partition that is created automatically by formatting the drive as GUID.

5. 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.

6. 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.

At this point, Snow Leopard is already installed on the HP Mini 1000 but your MacBook Mini can't boot up on its own yet. You still need your Installer USB HDD to do that job.

Post-installation: Initial Boot Up Using Installer USB HDD

Now here’s a somewhat tricky part where most of us part ways. If you get through the Setup Assistant fine and configured your user account (normally you’d even see the Welcome video and with audio at that) then jump to EFI Boot Guide Revamped: Part 3 after configuring a user account. However, if you get stuck then:

2. Force restart the HP Mini. At boot up, press F9 and arrow up/down to choose your usb hard drive and let Chameleon boot “SnowDVD” again.

3. Choose your preferred language then "-->;" (or, again, Tab + Enter as you go) and once you see the Menu bar, go to Utilities > Reset password. Enter a password for root and remember that password. Quit the Mac OS X Install program and restart.

4. Again, with your installer usb hard drive still plugged in, hit F9 as the Mini starts up. Choose your usb  hard drive and press Enter. Chameleon will try to boot "SnowDVD" but before the countdown is over, press any key. Arrow key to choose “Mac HD” and Enter to boot into your internal hard drive.

5. Type in “root” as user name and the password you created earlier, login and configure your user account.