Perfect Mini MacBook

As promised, here's the post where I'll tell everyone who cares to read how finally I transformed my HP Mini 311 in the perfect "Mini MacBook", or in more general terms perfect "Mac Netbook".

Earlier I ordered a true blue Apple AirPort Broadcom 4328 wireless N card off of e-bay, but which didn't work with my Mini 311 when I first tried. Something about a "ParallelsConnectUSB(0x4c6af80): :start() Control service not started!" getting me stuck at boot. But that's all in the past.

My recently resurrected HP Mini 1000 prompted me to try again. I wasn't really hopeful but, unlike the Mini 1000 which didn't quite miraculously resurrect, my "stuck at boot" issue with the Mini 311 being suddenly resolved fit the bill of what I call a miracle.

There was still that nasty "ParallelsConnectUSB(0x4c6af80): :start() Control service not started!" but I could very well get into my Desktop instead of making do with the command line - single-user mode with the Apple AirPort plugged into the Mini 311's PCI guts had been the only feasible way I could interact with my hackintosh.

There I was, beside myself, as I stared into that familiar wallpaper comprised of a train silhouette in dark grey against a lighter shade of grey background which I'd gotten from a link in Minimal Mac. And even my abdominal cramps wouldn't dampen that little bauble of joy I felt in that instant!~

Now this AirPort card was a full-height card and therefore I could only put it into the extra full-height PCI slot of the 311. However, the stock antenna, whose receptors were neatly tucked inside the 311's lid around the screen, could only reach the half-height PCI slot. Since I already had my U.fl antennas handy, I tried to fit it on. But wireless signal was very weak and almost after 2 hours of trying different arrangements, I knew I had to use the stock 311 antennas.

Here's a pic to illustrate what happened.

Apparently, the wires for the antenna are long enough, one just has to re-route it to reach that full-height PCI slot. How I did it? No price for guessing but use your imagination. And yes, I did use screw drivers.

So here's the final setup:

I used one U.fl antenna for bluetooth courtesy of the stock Broadcom 4312 BT/WiFi card which is now back in its PCI cradle. Remember to connect to "J2" on the card because I recently discovered that that's the port for bluetooth, with "J1" being for the WiFi chip.

There's a noticeable change in how much the hard drive can sink inside its comfy slot now but nothing to worry to about cause the cover flap would still nicely match up with the rest of the chassis once put on and screwed.

Also be sure to install Apple AirPort Client Update 2009-02 to fix any connection dropping issues that may occur.

A perfect Mini MacBook alright!

Or not. At least until I sort out 10.6.3 on this little baby. ;)

10.6.3 Update is here

Yes. Another update to battle out, fellow hackintoshers.

image from cultofmac.com

Sound may be is an issue according to the HP Mini 311 Support page. People are in the process of testing initial mods made to VoodooHDA source.

I'll update when I get my vacay starting Thursday and will give you guys, well um, an update. :)

Update 1: Only audio breaks on 10.6.3 but, if you absolutely really need to 10.6.3, VoodooHDA can be used in the interim, until a better fix is found. Bottom line:  stick with 10.6.2 for a while.

FYI: Audio support for the Mini 311 in 10.6.2 and below was made possible via DSDT modding. This involved legacy AppleHDA which is now unsupported (if I heard, erm, read right) in 10.6.3. If the VoodooHDA patching becomes successful, it would prove even more beneficial as boot time can be reduced.

HP Mini 1001TU | Return of the (Dead) Jedi

It's been ages since my HP Mini 1001TU died on me - okay that's me, exaggerating again. Although I'm perfectly happy with my latest (and hopefully last) netbook which is the HP Mini 311, I still felt sad when one day, after leaving the Mini 1000 on and torrenting for the entire night, the little hackintosh machine's screen would no longer flash me that oh so cutie blue HP orb when I turned it on. There would it sit, all led indicators lit up but zilch, nada, rien, niente. No hard drive activity, no nothing - just led indicator lights all three of them shedding their eerie glow in front me, white, red (trackpad), blue.

Honestly I thought it was taking its vengeance on me because I took its precious Snow Leopard compatible WiFi card to feed to the Mini 311. But that couldn't be the case and I should stop treating my gadgets as if they were live, breathing, thinking, and feeling entities or I risk being subject to shrink sessions as initial treatment for my burgeoning insanity.

Back to the main point. As warranty for my Mini 1000 just expired last December and the netbook bonked out on me the next month, I was dreading bringing it to the HP Customer Service Center along Buendia in Makati assuming that the damage was serious - a motherboard (or "logic board" as Apple would have it) problem - which would mean one thing: a humongous amount of moolah. Which I wasn't just willing to shell out for, uhm, an out-dated piece of gadgetry. 

Cut to the chase: "Off to the back shelf you go, my darling Mini 1001TU."

And then I was seriously tempted to get wireless N and actually took the plunge - this time I got a real Apple AirPort wireless N (a Broadcom 4328 chip). So I justified this totally impulsive action by convincing myself that I'm doing this to save money: getting the card meant I could return the Broadcom 4312 card to the Mini 1000 and then I'd have it fixed at the HP Center to finally sell the unit since one girl couldn't possibly own 3 netbooks simultaneously.

First try with the AirPort wireless N card on the 311 wasn't promising and instead of banging my head on the wall to reprimand me of my impulsiveness, I fancied myself busy with school (which I really was, and am, just that it's all in the head - I've a final paper to write due on April 5 but couldn't quite start even a sentence). So today, or last night, while I was bearing with the unbearable abdominal pains that serve for nothing but affirm I belong indeed to the fairer sex, I tried again.

Actually, I was bored and couldn't sleep because Advil wasn't kicking in yet and read this post on a forum: 

I just unplugged the CMOS batt connection from the mobo and then reseat it again.

...Well that's after running the HP Mini 1000 once more under the knife, err, screw driver.

Yep, it's alive!!! 

I was definitely overwhelmed and the thought that I fixed it myself (give me a break, guys, please ;-)) was just exhilarating!

With the hard drive shoved back in, I tested if my Snow Leopard 10.6.2 install would still be good and it was! If not for propriety and fear of being branded as ridiculously cheesy and tasteless, and if I had known how to do it, I'd probably have "Reunited and it feels so good" played on this page - if that's even the correct title of that song.

So my HP Mini 1001TU is back in the loop again, thank you very much, sir! But it ain't got none of 'em wireless thing-a-ma-jig an' so it ain't really gittin' no use, ma'am, as a netbook. What to do?

Well the AirPort wireless N Broadcom 4328 card I got earlier and which also wouldn't work earlier does actually work now - after I uninstalled Parallels Desktop and repaired permissions on my 10.6.2 system on the 311.

All I can say is that everyone's happy: Mini 1000 got his 4312 WiFi card back and Mini 311 is in honeymoon stage with his new AirPort wireless N card who was the former WiFe of a real MacBook. But that one's for another post, another time. Tonight, I rest my (teeny-weeny, itsy-bitsy) screw driver. 

Nah, I used a my dad's set of precision Phillips screw driver set.

Oh and one more thing: I think I can't bear to part with my MacBook Mini after all. :-P