Tag Archives: osx86

Intel Atom and Lion

Posted by Pradeesh on June 12, 2011 12 comments

MacOS X Lion is once again going to change how we use OSX. Sadly , Apple decided to drop 32-bit support for OSX Lion , thus making it compatible for 64-bit processors. Sadly for those who are using Intel Core Duo , Intel Core Solo , Intel Atom Processors (N 2xx series) , it would not be possible to install OSX Lion officially.

The good news  I’ve managed to do some bit of search and found out that it is still possible to boot into 32-bit kernel and to use 32-bit stuff (meaning that there is still a 32-bit kernel and 32-bit kexts and 32-bit frameworks). However , Apple has removed “Legacy” support (Which simply means pure 32-bit support) out of their kernel , which means that most of the netbook users are not able to use vanilla (Apple’s stock) kernel. They would have to use a patched kernel or some sort. Since the source code of the kernel is not released yet , it is not possible for us to  binary-patch the kernel of some sort.

We would have to wait till Apple releases the source code and puts it up.

 

It is bit too early to tell what the future holds for us (netbook users) , as Apple is known for dropping support in last minute (for instance Game Center for iPhone 3G). If they make their frameworks purely 64-bit or any other funny stuff , most likely it is going to be end of the road for most of the netbook users. But let us keep our spirits high . After all if its possible to run on your $200 netbook , it would be possible for those incompatible Intel macs as well !

Fixing Annoying Flash in OSX

Posted by Pradeesh on May 15, 2011 4 comments

Flash and OSX does not simply go well together especially if you have a slower hackintosh or a macintosh computer (its true if you are still using PowerPC). Flash simply hogs up your CPU , thus increasing the temperature of the cpu and reducing the battery life of your computer (if its a laptop). I find it rather annoying especially on my MSI Wind U100.

On top of that I am annoyed with annoying flash advertisements , they too take up my precious CPU Cycles. Thankfully , there is a guy who invented such a thing that blocks flash. Its called ClickToFlash (its for Safari only folks) . It will automatically block all flash content and provides you with an option to load it on demand or alternatively you may whitelist. One nice thing I’ve to give credit is the ability to watch YouTube clips in MP4 (the same format that Apple uses to stream to iPhone and Android devices).

 

However , there are alternatives available for  Chrome users (Windows included) as well , it is called FlashBlock.

Do give it a go and please post your feedback on if you should think on what Apple and Adobe should do on tackling this issue

 

 

10.6.5 Legacy Kernel is out with Good News for AMD Users

Posted by Pradeesh on November 24, 2010 6 comments

Its a very long title. I thought of saying this , for once AMD users are able to rejoice as nawcom , AnV , azimutz got an awesome kernel in store for you. This allows you to get 64-bit working in AMD and as well on the fly opcode patching (now you don’t have to patch 5,000 files like you used to). The kernel is way cleaner and it handles better

There are few exceptions however. For instance QuickTime doesn’t decode H264 videos in 64-bit , as its related to SSSE3 instruction set. Rest is assured that work is constantly being done to improve the OSX experience for AMD Users

For details , I suggest you to head over to nawcom’s blog. If you wish to install the kernel , you may do so by download via one of the links below :-

Useful Tips & Tricks before Upgrading OSX on Hacks

Posted by Pradeesh on November 15, 2010 3 comments

A lot of times , I’ve seen people faced a lot of problems with the hackint0shes after upgrading MacOS X (i.e from 10.6.4 to 10.6.5). This is common , even if your system is vanilla or if its as close as the real thing. Its a common thing , remember that we are running on an unsupported hardware. You must always bear in mind that there will be time that when things that can go wrong , it will go wrong. Therefore , making sense to why Murphy’s Law is always true.

To be honest with you , I’ve faced a lot of problems after upgrading. But thankfully I’ve written some tips and tricks for you to prepare your PC  (more after the jump)

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How-To : “Native” Card Reader driver for OSX86

Posted by Pradeesh on November 13, 2010 27 comments

As we know , as with OSX 10.6.5 , Apple has improvised their Memory card support by adding Memory Card in system profiler and including exFat. As we all are eager on making our hackint0sh as closely as possible for the real thing. So I decided to embark on another journey , as firstly I would like memory card slot on my MSI Wind U100 to be detected as a native memory card slot

The advantages of making it native are :-

  1. It will look cooler , OSX sees the memory card slot as a memory card slot and not as a generic usb drive
  2. Improved performance especially when R/W to Memory Cards

As I do have a MacBook Pro with SD Card Slot , I’ve managed to test and find out on how a real mac is able to identify a real card slot  , as both of my MacBook Pro and my MSI Wind U100 uses a USB Interface for its card slot. Then bingo , I hit the jackpot , I found out that a kext called AppleUSBCardReader.kext is the kext that is in charge of identify a memory card slot in a PC which uses USB Interface. Bingo ,after a bit of fiddling with the kext , I’ve managed to get it to work.  This is the result

As you see every time I insert a memory card (i.e SD , XD , CF) into my memory card slot. OSX sees it as a memory card instead of ugly looking generic drive , which is cool (more after the jump)

Screen shot 2010-11-12 at 11.56.43 PM

Voila , my 5-in-1 Internal Card Reader is now detected as a Card Reader

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Nightly Chameleon Builds

Posted by Pradeesh on October 21, 2010 4 comments

I’ve decided to go ahead with the Nightly Chameleon Builds , after taking into consideration of my readers input based on my previous blog post , The reason why I started doing Nightly Builds is based on my previous experience on PearPC. Back in the good ol’ PearPC days (yes , it was the only emulator out there that could run MacOS X in PC ,before the Intel transition) , I use to compile nightly builds and custom builds and put it up on my site. It did generate a lot of interest from people and not to mention rapid feedback from all folks to the development team. I decided to use the same thing with Chameleon. Anyhow , lets get into the content of this post

Oh one more thing , be sure to read the FAQ (after the jump) before embarking on the journey to download nightly build !

Download Link

FAQ (after the jump)

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Getting help with your OSX86 related problems

Posted by Pradeesh on June 5, 2010 3 comments

I am quite sure that most of you guys are “stuck” at some point whereby you’ll be needing assistance from the experts. In this guide , I’ll be showing you on how to connect to OSX86 IRC Network and try to get help from the experts there. The main reason why I am writing this guide is to help some of you poor souls out there who tried their best to sought help from a lot of places.

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Empire EFI v 1.085 is out

Posted by Pradeesh on January 7, 2010 439 comments

Behold , I’ve released the new Empire EFI which is far better then any of its predecessors. However it comes along with new changes which should help both of us , you and me and everyone else. Thus making an easier installation. I’ve taken previous constructive comments and criticism and integrated it to my new Empire EFI v 1.085. Think of it as the first few steps that I’ve taken towards moving to Empire EFI v.109. these are some of the minor changes as I am moving it towards a new direction. I am planning to include more documentation which covers more and more aspect of the operating system

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[GUIDE]Creating your own SMBIOS.plist

Posted by Pradeesh on September 28, 2009 24 comments

Everyday (almost every day)  . I do get questions on how to fix RAM detection of OSX , how to fix CPU Detection of OSX , etc. Most of the people who have asked this question aren’t aware that its purely cosmetic/asthetic. If OSX shows you that it sees your 800Mhz DDR2 RAM as 667Mhz. It doesn’t mean that your RAMs are clocked at 667Mhz when you’re in OSX. But still some insist on fixing it right so that they would make themselves proud. Anyhow , this guide explains the fundementals on building your own Apple SMBIOS.plist (more after the jump)

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Install Snow Leopard on a PCS- The Easy Way

Posted by Pradeesh on September 26, 2009 73 comments

I’ve written my detailed guide and its now time for me to write a noob-friendly guide for the mass. The idea came when Conti ( a very talented guy came up with an installer). The idea behind creating an installer is to simplify things , again its not to assist newbies who don’t have a clue. Its for those who would like to save time. This guide is a complement to my other guide which I’ve written in the past.

Firstly , read my Installing Snow Leopard on a PC guide. Make sure you prepare your USB Stick by following my guide. You don’t have to install Chameleon nor follow any other steps. Just up to the part whereby you’ve copied the contents of your Snow Leopard DVD to your USB Stick. You could do this with a Real Mac or your hack. Its just that you’ll have to use a Mac. If you don’t have one – No problem , just head over to a Mac Centre/Apple Store ,  I’m not kidding. Just use the PC to copy contents . I’m not sure if they would allow you to insert SL Disc , but then do give it a shot

Next up fire up the installer (which you may download the latest and greatest version from Conti by clicking here) , and select your USB thumb drive or an external disk.

Screen shot 2009-09-26 at 2.39.06 PM

Select the right patches. For instance if your BIOS doesn’t support AHCI , do make sure you select AppleIntelPIIATA kext . Again you should leave the default options as it is. Once that is done , you should able to boot from your USB Stick

Screen shot 2009-09-26 at 2.49.29 PM

Once you’ve installed Snow Leopard , use your USB stick to boot to your local hard disk. Once you’ve managed to get it up , re-run the installer. This time , uncheck framebuffer disabler and select other kexts to get your system working. Therefore allowing you to boot your system !

If you’re having issues using automated/simplified method , then by all means – follow my guide and do it manually !