| Hackintosh OS X Software Installation |
| Articles - Featured Guides | |
| Written by David Ramsey | |
| Wednesday, 10 April 2013 | |
Hackintosh OS X Software Installation UtilitiesA supplemental guide for Hackintosh builders - included within our Budget Hackentosh PC Build Project tutorial. OS X and UniBeastTo get this Hackintosh computer running, we'll be using the UniBeast and MultiBeast utilities from tonymacx86.com. This is one of the premier Hackintosh sites on the web, and these two utilities, which are constantly refined and updated, are the reason building a Hackintosh has become so much easier than it used to be. Download both of these tools (at the time of this writing the latest versions were "UniBeast Mountain Lion 1.7.0" and "MultiBeast Mountain Lion 1.5.2". We'll use UniBeast to create a specially formatted USB key from which we can boot to install OS X Mountain Lion, and we'll use MultiBeast to install the drivers and tweaks to get things like Ethernet and audio working after the initial OS X installation. Obtaining Apple OS XUntil the release of Apple OS X 10.7 "Lion", you could easily buy a copy of the OS X installation DVD for $29, either in person at your local Apple store, or online from Apple or another vendor. But starting with Lion, Apple only offers OS X as a download from the App Store, and the only way to download it is with the App Store on an existing Macintosh or Hackintosh. Still, it's only $19.99, so find a friend with a running system and buy a copy. Note: When you buy Mountain Lion from the App Store, it will start running as soon as the download is finished, and, if allowed to run to completion (updating OS X on the machine it was downloaded on), will delete itself when the update is complete. So if you're buying a new copy of Mountain Lion, be sure to quit the program when it begins to run. UniBeast expects the Mountain Lion installer to be in the Applications folder of the host Mac, and to have the default name of "Install OS X Mountain Lion". For this step you'll need:
The first thing to do is to run Disk Utility (located in the Utilities folder inside the Applications folder at the root level of the hard drive) on the host Macintosh and format the USB key. Click the Partition tab and select "1 Partition" from the Partition Layout menu. Next, select your USB key from the list at the left, and under Partition Information, give it whatever name you choose and select "Mac OS Extended (Journaled) from the Format menu as shown below: 
Next, click the "Options" button in the lower middle of the display. Select "Master Boot Record" from the options and then click the OK button:
Now click the Apply button, and then, in the warning dialog that appears, the Partition button. After the partitioning and formatting operations are complete, quit Disk Utility and run UniBeast:
Click the Continue button and proceed through the Read Me and License screens. Select the USB stick as the destination:
Once you click Continue, you'll be offered the options to install Legacy USB Support and Laptop Support. Don't select either of these options, and enter the Mac's system password when prompted. Installation will take some time. UniBeast might initially estimate that it will only take a few minutes, then bump the estimate to an hour or more as shown below. Your time will vary dramatically depending on the speed of the Mac you're using as well as the speed of the USB key. Note: I've never been able to bring up a Hackintosh with a USB 3.0 key plugged into a USB 3.0 port, for what that's worth, so you might as well stick with a USB 2.0 key.
Once this process is complete, drag a copy of MultiBeast to the USB key. It's not needed for the installation of OS X but it will be handy to have it here. It's time to install OS X!
Installing Apple OS XNote: Before you start installing Apple OS X, drop into the UEFI BIOS on the P8H77-I motherboard and make sure your SATA mode is set to AHCI rather than IDE. Plug your newly-configured USB key into a front USB 2.0 port, then turn on your Hackintosh and press the F8 key as soon as you see the first BIOS screen. This will bring up ASUS' boot device selection menu. Select your USB key here using the arrow keys, and press ENTER to start booting from the key. 
The OS X Installer will start automatically. But we can't let it just run, yet, because we must first format the hard disk we'll be installing OS X on. After you get past the first OS X installer screen (the one where you're prompted to select your language), a menu bar will appear at the top of the screen. From the Utilities menu here, select Disk Utility. When the Disk Utility window appears, select the drive you want to install OS X on from the list at the left, click the Partition button at the area to the right, select 1 Partition from the Partition Layout menu, and Mac OS Extended (Journaled) from the Format menu. You can give the volume whatever name you want by typing it in the Name section; in this example, I've used "Hackintosh" as the volume name. 
Don't click Apply yet, though! Instead, click the Options button below the partition diagram and choose GUID Partition Table. Now click OK, and then click Apply. If the disk was previously formatted (as opposed to being a brand new disk), you'll be asked if you're sure that you want to do this...you are. Formatting the disk should take just a few seconds. When it's done, quit Disk Utility and you'll automatically be returned to the OS X Installer.
You'll need to select the disk you want to install OS X on. For this build I used two disks: one for OS X and one as a backup disk for Time Machine, OS X's built-in incremental backup utility. Select your disk with the mouse and click Install to proceed. 
When the OS X installation is complete, the system will restart. However, you still can't directly boot from the hard disk, so press the F8 key again and boot from the USB key. Since there are now two bootable devices (the USB key and the hard disk), you'll see this display:
Use the arrow keys to select the hard disk (named "Hackintosh" in this case) and press the Return key to continue booting. If all goes well, you'll be taken through the OS X setup process-- note that you can skip past most of the screens that want your contact information, Apple ID, and so forth, but you will need to create a user account, just as you would under Windows. In a minute or so you should be at the OS X desktop. But we're not done yet! In the next section I'll show how to use MultiBeast to put the final touches on everything.
Configuring OS X with MultiBeastAt this point we've successfully installed OS X on the hard disk, but the hard disk isn't bootable (remember that we initially booted off the USB key, then selected the hard disk to continue the boot process), and some features, such as sound, aren't working. We'll use MultiBeast to address these deficits. The Finder is the program that controls the display of the Mac desktop-- it's the Mac equivalent of Windows Explorer. For some reason, its default configuration is not to show mounted devices on the desktop, so the first thing we'll do is fix that. Select Preferences from the Finder menu:
You'll see this new window: 
Make sure the first three check boxes are checked as shown in this image. Click the red "gum drop" at the upper left of the window to close it. You should now see your hard disk(s) and the USB key on your desktop at the right edge of the screen. If you followed the instructions in the previous section, MultiBeast will be on your USB key. Double-click the USB key icon to open it, and double-click on MultiBeast to run it. Click Continue to get past the various copyright and information screens until you see this:
Click on the "disclosure triangles" by the Drivers and Bootloaders and Customization settings, which will reveal additional options. Make the selections shown in the image below (Note: the MultiBeast settings and edits to the org.chameleon.boot.plist file in this article are specific to the ASUS P8H77-I motherboard with an NVIDIA Kepler-series video card): 
We're using MultiBeast to do two things:
Fortunately we don't have to worry about graphics since OS X Mountain Lion has native drivers for most NVIDIA Kepler and Fermi family video cards. Note: If you're using an SSD as your boot disk, you'd also want to install the Trim Enabler patch under Disk. Once you've made the selections shown, click the Continue button to apply them. The network support is via a third party Realtek driver, which will automatically launch its own installer: 
Fortunately this sub-installer operates exactly as you'd expect: simply click the Continue button, select the "Release Version" (unless you're feeling adventurous), and click Continue again to install it. 
Once this installer completes, you'll be back at the MultiBeast screen. Then click the Close button to quit MultiBeast. But don't reboot just yet...there's another touch of editing we have to do first. org.chameleon.boot.plistMultiBeast created a folder on the root level of your hard drive named Extra. 
Inside this folder is an XML file named org.chameleon.boot.plist. This is a "parameter list" file of instructions that the Chameleon boot loader (which was installed as part of the EasyBeast option you chose in MultiBeast) processes at boot time. We need to make a minor change to this file. Double-click on this file to open it, and make the change indicated here in red: 
We're specifically disabling the GraphicsEnabler function since Mountain Lion has native drivers for our NVIDIA card. After you close and save this file, unmount the USB key by dragging its icon on the desktop to the trash can on the dock (which will change to an Eject button as you drag), and then select Restart from the Apple menu at the upper left hand corner of the screen to reboot the system.
Using Your HackintoshNow that your Hackintosh is running, there are a few limitations to keep in mind:
• Sleep doesn't work. Attempting to sleep this computer will result in a blank screen and system lockup. There are some purported fixes to this problem for ASUS motherboards, which require flashing your board with a modified BIOS. I've tried this patched BIOS without success, and adopted the standard solution: disabling computer Sleep in the Energy Saver panel of System Preferences as shown below. You can use the Schedule button to program your Hackintosh to automatically shut down at the same time every night if you wish.
• System software updates should be approached with caution. I've been using Hackintoshes for several years now. I have yet to run into compatibility problems with applications or drivers: all my programs work, and all the printers, scanners, mice, etc. I've used work as well. You can update applications like iTunes and Microsoft Office and install drivers with no problem, but updating the operating system will almost certainly replace some of the patched components with standard code that won't work, and the consequences range from loosing audio or network connectivity to an unbootable system. It is possible to install system software updates (although it generally requires some post-installation work with MultiBeast), but you should disable automatic updating as shown below and check on Hackintosh boards like tonymacx86.com or insanelymac.com to see what the real experts have to say about each one. By leaving Automatically Check for Updates enabled, you'll be notified when updates are available, and can decide whether or not to install them on an individual basis.
• USB 2.0 mass storage devices will not work in USB 3.0 ports. For day-to-day use, this means "plug your USB 2.0 key into a USB 2.0 port." Some USB 2.0 devices like printers may not work in USB 3.0 ports. In general try to keep USB 2.0 devices plugged into USB 2.0 ports and USB 3.0 devices plugged into USB 3.0 ports. Since the computer I built in this article has 3 USB 3.0 ports and 8 USB 2.0 ports, you should be able to find the right connection for everything. Want more? This is only a supplemental guide. See the complete details in our Budget Hackentosh PC Build Project tutorial.
Related Articles:
|
|
