Archive for October, 2009

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Intel Atom Hackintosh NetBook Not Compatible with Snow Leopard 10.6.2?

By Victor Goh | Published: October 29th, 2009

When Snow Leopard 10.6.2 comes out, don’t be so quick to Software Update your Intel Atom hackintosh. Apparently, Apple updated the Mac OS X kernel in the 10.6.2 update and it will kernel-panic a hackintosh with the Intel Atom CPU. Basically, Apple is attempting to stop people from installing Mac OS X Snow Leopard on netbooks with the Intel Atom CPU.

Kernel Panic

Kernel panic according to Apple:

A “kernel panic” may occur when the core (kernel) of an operating system receives an instruction in an unexpected format, or that it does not handle properly. A kernel panic may also occur when the operating system is not able to recover from a different type of issue. A kernel panic can be caused by damaged or incompatible software or, more rarely, damaged or incompatible hardware.

So, be warned about doing a Software Update to Mac OS X 10.6.2 on your hackintosh laptop. You can look out for more info from the MyDellMini forum post – Intel Atom Support Removed in 10.6.2.

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Posted in Mac OS X | 3 Comments »

Installing Mac OS X Snow Leopard on the MSI Wind

By Victor Goh | Published: October 27th, 2009

The MSI Wind is one of the earliest netbook that got hackintoshed into running Mac OS X. The MSIWind.net discussion forums used to have detailed guides on how to install Mac OS X on the MSI Wind, but MSIWind.net seems to have gone offline. If you’re a MSI Wind owner who wants Snow Leopard on your netbook, all is not lost. You can find a guide on installing Snow Leopard on the MSI Wind over at InsanelyMac.

To install Mac OS X Snow Leopard on the MSI Wind require 5 things:

  1. MSI Wind netbook.
  2. Mac OS X Snow Leopard Retail Disk.
  3. USB Flash drive with at least 8GB.
  4. MSI Wind Snow Leopard installer and kext files.
  5. A Mac computer to create the USB Installer.

You can buy the first 3 items, download item 4 and borrow item 5.

Here’s a youtube video of Snow Leopard on the MSI Wind.

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Posted in Guide, MSI | 3 Comments »

A Beginners Guide to Installing Mac OS X Snow Leopard on the Dell Mini 10v

By Victor Goh | Published: October 26th, 2009

Dell Mini 10v Hackintosh

If you’re a Dell Mini 10v owner standing on the edge, looking into the turbulent waters of installing Snow Leopard on your netbook, I have good news for you. Gizmodo has come up with a step-by-step guide with lots of hand-holding to help you leap into the world of hackintosh laptops.

You only need 3 big steps to install Snow Leopard 10.6.1 on the Dell Mini 10v hackintosh.

  1. Prepare a USB Flash Drive with Mac OS X Retail and Netbook BootMaker.
  2. Install OS X.
  3. Run Software Update to get Mac OS X 10.6.1 or above.

If this is your first hackintosh installation, you probably need mini-steps instead of 3 big steps. There are 19 steps in all in the Gizmodo guide, get it from Gizmodo: How to hackintosh a Dell Mini 10v into the Ultimate Snow Leopard netbook.

The conclusion at the end of the guide:

You’ve got yourself a fully-functioning, beautifully small Snow Leopard netbook, which’ll do 90% of what a 13-inch MacBook can, at 70% the size and about 25% of the cost. Mine’s close to perfect: With an extended battery, I’m pushing 7 hours of battery life with Wi-Fi, which makes my MacBook pro look like a LOSER. And tiny extra bit of size over the Mini 9 means the keyboard is just large enough to work on, meaning this thing isn’t just a toy—it’s a decent investment. This from a guy with banana fingers.
Performance is acceptable, meaning you can run regular apps like iTunes, Firefox—and even Photoshop in a bind. It’s not noticeably slow during normal use, though it’ll choke on higher-res Flash video (no YouTube HD, but SD works fine). As with any notebook, this pretty much can’t be your main machine. But it’s a brilliant extra portable machine, for toilet browsing, travel, class notes and the like.

You’ve got yourself a fully-functioning, beautifully small Snow Leopard netbook, which’ll do 90% of what a 13-inch MacBook can, at 70% the size and about 25% of the cost. Mine’s close to perfect: With an extended battery, I’m pushing 7 hours of battery life with Wi-Fi, which makes my MacBook pro look like a LOSER. And tiny extra bit of size over the Mini 9 means the keyboard is just large enough to work on, meaning this thing isn’t just a toy—it’s a decent investment. This from a guy with banana fingers.

Performance is acceptable, meaning you can run regular apps like iTunes, Firefox—and even Photoshop in a bind. It’s not noticeably slow during normal use, though it’ll choke on higher-res Flash video (no YouTube HD, but SD works fine). As with any notebook, this pretty much can’t be your main machine. But it’s a brilliant extra portable machine, for toilet browsing, travel, class notes and the like.

If I had this guide when I was installing my hackintosh Dell Mini 10v, I would have saved myself from the mistakes I made. If anyone wants to learn to install Mac OS X on their Dell Mini 10v, this is the go-to guide.

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Posted in Dell, Guide, Mac OS X | 2 Comments »

The Easy Guide to Install Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.1 on Your Lenovo S10

By Victor Goh | Published: October 26th, 2009

S10 Snow Leopard Enabler

The Lenovo S10 is a good choice for a laptop/netbook if you want to install Mac OS X Snow Leopard on it. The S10 Snow Leopard Enabler makes the installing Snow Leopard on the Lenovo S10 so easy. Just  7 steps and you’re done. No messing around with kext files and stuff after the installation.

The 7 Steps to installing Snow Leopard on a Lenovo S10

  1. Update your Lenovo S10 firmware to 14CN94WW or later.
  2. Format the Lenovo S10 hard drive.
  3. Restore Snow Leopard DVD to a USB thumb drive.
  4. Install the S10 Snow Leopard Enabler on the USB thumb drive.
  5. Install Snow Leopard using the S10 Snow Leopard enabled USB thumb drive.
  6. Boot the newly installed Snow Leopard S10 Lenovo hackintosh.
  7. Run software update to update to 10.6.1 and above.

Success Stories

Here are a couple of Lenovo S10 owners who setup their hackintosh laptop with Snow Leopard Enabler.

LAN and internal mic is not working on both installation. You can use a headset or external mic with the mic input jack.

Check out our Lenovo S10 Hackintosh page for more links, photos and videos of Mac OS X on the Lenovo S10.

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Posted in Guide, Lenovo, Mac OS X | 2 Comments »

What Is A Good Wireless Keyboard for My Hackintosh PC?

By Victor Goh | Published: October 23rd, 2009

See the Apple specific key labels!

When I first started using my Hackintosh PC, I had tough time learning to use the Mac OS X specific keys with a Windows keyboard. There were a lot of trial and error involved in figuring out which key was supposed to be the Apple command, function, control or option key. Remembering the Mac OS X short-cut keys was frustrating to say the least.

Recently, I decided to use my aging three and a half year old MacBook as a desktop machine. I have a 22″ Dell LCD Monitor that’s been idle for a few months since I connected my Hackintosh PC to my 42″ Philips LCD TV. What I needed was an external keyboard and mouse to complete my MacBook to desktop transformation. I love Apple products; and their new wireless keyboard and magic mouse looks lovely. But I didn’t want to spend so much on a keyboard and mouse.

Past Experience with Wireless Keyboard and Mouse

I’ve been using the plain entry-level Logitech Cordless Desktop EX110 keyboard and mouse with my Hackintosh PC for over 2 years. Though some letters on the keyboard has faded, everything else works fine. I still use it everyday with my Hackintosh HTPC from my sofa, 6 feet away, without any problems. Thumbs-up to Logitech.

I had a Microsoft wireless keyboard and mouse combo before the Logitech. It was an entry-level combo, but compared to my Logitech entry-level combo, the Microsoft keyboard and mouse performance was horrible. The keyboard and mouse batteries needed to be replaced every few weeks and it had lousy wireless reception. The keyboard or mouse wouldn’t work at the distance of 6 feet.  After that experience, I said, “No more Microsoft hardware for me.”

The Search For A New Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Combo

And so, I started my search for a new Logitech Cordless keyboard and mouse combo. After some googling, I narrowed my search to two models of the current Logitech wireless keyboard and mouse combos.

These were the two models available at a nearby computer mall. I finally decided on the Cordless Desktop Wave because of it was designed for comfortable typing and it has labels for Apple specific keys. The cushioned palm rest and contoured keyboard really makes typing comfortable and natural. This reduces the stress on my wrists and should lower my risk of getting carpal tunnel syndrome.

The Logitech Control Center for Mac OS X

The Logitech Desktop Wave Set comes with the software, Logitech Control Center for the Mac OS X. The Mac OS X user gets to use all the extra keys on the Desktop Wave keyboard with this software. The extra keys mapping is configurable. I mapped the extra keys to open Expose, iTunes, Google Chrome, FrontRow, and iPhoto. The keyboard also has special keys for volume control; volume up and down, mute; and for iTunes play, pause, stop, skip forward and back. When used with the Mac OS X, some Windows specific keyboard has extra keys that does nothing, but all of the extra keys on the Desktop Wave are fully functioning.

A Satisfied Logitech Customer

Logitech has done it again. I continue to be a satisfied Logitech customer. The Cordless Desktop Wave is excellent as an external keyboard for my MacBook. For the hackintosh owner looking for a Mac OS X compatible keyboard, I would heartily recommend the Logitech Cordless Desktop Wave.

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Posted in Mac OS X, Review | 3 Comments »

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