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Posts: 1,356 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Idaho |  NetbookInstaller Method 2: USB Mac Installation via Any Operating System -
10-30-2009, 10:14 AM
Update for 1 January 2010: A lot of people have pointed out issues with the guide presented here, once I can confirm that everyone is happy with the guide on my site I will reproduce it here. In the meantime, you can find the latest version on my website.
Update for 26 December 2009: Coinciding with the Final release of NetbookInstaller 0.8.3, I have updated the guide with a new flat image and better instructions. Make sure to always keep up-to-date by checking the (more frequently update) version on my website. NetbookInstaller Method 2: USB Mac Installation via Any Operating System
This guide is copied nearly verbatim from my website, OS X | mechdrew. I am posting it here for the convenience of MyDellMini forum members.
Obviously not everyone has easy access to a Mac. In fact, for many people an OS X-enhanced netbook will be their first experience with Mac OS. It only makes sense then that there be a way for these folks to install Mac OS X just like the rest of us, no matter what operating system they are using.
Okay, so technically not just any operating system, but odds are you are running a modern version of either Windows or Linux, or even Mac OS X Tiger on your main computer. (NetbookBootMaker won't work with Tiger, thus why the typical method isn't an option.) If for some reason you can't use an external DVD drive then this is the guide for you. Please read the appropriate section only, each OS has specific requirements. As a caution, the dd tool used in this guide, if used incorrectly, can cause serious data loss. You have been warned. Windows
Minimum Requirements: - PC with Windows XP, Vista, or 7 and a DVD drive.
- Retail Mac OS X Leopard or Snow Leopard Install DVD, any version (What is Retail?)
- 64 MB or greater USB Drive (HDD, SSD, flash, etc.) for the bootloader.
- USB Drive for Mac OS X Installer:
- 8 GB (10.5 Leopard) or 16 GB (10.6 Snow Leopard) HDD/SSD or larger, Intel GMA graphics (950 or 500) and Intel Atom processor.
- RAM: 512 MB (10.5 Leopard) or 1 GB (10.6 Snow Leopard) or greater.
Pre-Install Checklist - Meet Minimum Requirements (above), the specifics DO matter.
- Download and unzip/decompress (when applicable) all listed software.
- If this is your first time installing, boot into default operating system on your netbook and check that all hardware, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and camera are functional and turned on (if present).
On Windows - Copy the dd.exe file (it's in the zip file you downloaded) and the NBI_083F image file to the C:\ drive (not a subdirectory/folder.)
- Connect the two USB drives to your PC and insert the Mac OS X Install DVD.
- Open My Computer (or just Computer) and write down the drive letters for each respective USB drive.
- Open a Command Prompt. You can either use the Run command or the Search box on Vista/7 and type "cmd". (On Vista/7 you will need to right click the search result and press "Run as Administrator". This may or may not bring up a confirmation box.)
- Type "cd.." and press Enter until only C:\> appears.
- Once navigated to the C:\ folder, type "dd --list". This will bring up a long list of drive information.
- Starting at the top of the list (you'll probably need to scroll up) find the section that is associated with your USB drives. It will look similar to:
\\.\Volume{96650542-b9ef-11de-8e5d-0022e88c179a}\
link to \\?\Device\HardDiskVolume3
fixed media
mounted on \\.\g:
You want the one with the same drive letter at the end as the drive you are trying to image (your numbers will be different, obviously.)
- Type "dd bs=1M if=C:\NBI_083F.img of=\\.\Volume{number-of-the-small-drive}". In my example this would be "dd bs=1M if=C:\NBI_083F.img of=\\.\Volume{96650542-b9ef-11de-8e5d-0022e88c179a}". (Make sure you have the correct volume number, I'd hate for you to mess up your hard drive.)
- Wait until the command prompt is accessible again, it can take a few minutes. Minimize the Command Prompt window when it is accessible.
- Open your favorite CD/DVD recording program, and make a complete copy of the Mac OS X Install DVD to an ISO file. Save the ISO file to the C: drive as macdvd.iso.
Make absolutely certain that it copies the entire DVD, not just the 510 MB Windows part. The resulting file should be somewhere close to 7 GB.
- Go back to the Command Prompt window. This time type "dd bs=1M if=C:\macdvd.iso of=\\.\Volume{number-of-the-large-drive}
- This can take a while, maybe an hour or more. Wait until the command prompt is accessible again.
- When finished, close the Command Prompt and safely remove the USB drives.
Continue on with "Installation" (after the Tiger section) Linux
Minimum Requirements: - Computer running a modern Linux distribution, either installed or on a Live CD/USB. Recommendations: Ubuntu, Knoppix, DSL
A DVD drive is also needed.
- Retail Mac OS X Leopard or Snow Leopard Install DVD, any version (What is Retail?)
- 64 MB or greater USB Drive (HDD, SSD, flash, etc.) for bootloader.
- USB Drive for Mac OS X Installer:
- 8 GB (10.5 Leopard) or 16 GB (10.6 Snow Leopard) HDD/SSD or larger, Intel GMA graphics (950 or 500) and Intel Atom processor.
- RAM: 512 MB (10.5 Leopard) or 1 GB (10.6 Snow Leopard) or greater.
Pre-Install Checklist - Meet Minimum Requirements (above), the specifics DO matter.
- Download and unzip/decompress (when applicable) all listed software.
- If this is your first time installing, boot into default operating system on your netbook and check that all hardware, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and camera are functional and turned on (if present).
On Linux - Connect the two USB drives and insert the Mac OS X Install DVD.
- Open a Console or Terminal window. Copy the DVD to your larger USB drive with the following command: dd bs=2048 if=/dev/hdc of=/dev/<large USB drive identifier>
You may need to type "sudo" before that command if you receive an error.
(Some Linux distributions have the identifier listed in parenthesis next to the drive icon on the desktop. Others like Ubuntu have an app called Disk Utility which can give you details about specific drives. Typically it is sda or sdb.)
Alternatively, you can create an ISO image of the DVD first and then copy it to the USB drive.
- Wait until the Console or Terminal is accessible again (anywhere between 30 minutes to two hours.)
- Enter this command: dd bs=1M if=<whatever folder(s) you put the file in>/NBI_083F.img of=/dev/<small USB drive identifier>
You may need to type "sudo" before that command if you receive an error.
- When the prompt is accessible again, close the window and safely remove the USB drives.
Continue on with "Installation" (after the Tiger section) Mac OS X Tiger
Minimum Requirements: - Retail Mac OS X Leopard or Snow Leopard Install DVD, any version (What is Retail?)
- 64 MB or larger USB Drive (HDD, SSD, flash, etc.) for the bootloader.
- 8 GB or larger External USB Drive (HDD, SSD, flash, etc.)
- 8 GB (10.5 Leopard) or 16 GB (10.6 Snow Leopard) HDD/SSD or larger, Intel GMA graphics (950 or 500) and Intel Atom processor.
- RAM: 512 MB (10.5 Leopard) or 1 GB (10.6 Snow Leopard) or greater.
Pre-Install Checklist - Meet Minimum Requirements (above), the specifics DO matter.
- Download and unzip/decompress (when applicable) all listed software.
- If this is your first time installing, boot into default operating system on your netbook and check that all hardware, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and camera are functional and turned on (if present).
- Check your BIOS settings. ([urlhttp://osx.mechdrew.com/faq/bios.shtml]more info[/url])
On Tiger - Insert the Mac OS X Install DVD and USB drive.
- Open Disk Utility (Applications/Utilities).
- Click on USB drive icon that states the capacity of the drive (i.e. 7.1 Gb, 7.6 GB, etc.).
- Set:
- Volume Scheme: 1 Partition
- Options...: Master Boot Record, then click OK.
- When Partition is finished, open the Restore tab.
- Drag "Mac OS X Install DVD" from the left pane into the Source field in the right pane.
- Drag OSXDVD from the left pane into the Destination field in the right pane.
- Click Restore, then click Restore in the popup window.
- Enter your password, and then wait anywhere between 25 minutes to 2 hours for it to finish.
- When restoration is finished, select the smaller USB drive (the one that will get the bootloader.)
- Right click (or Ctrl+Click) the name of the USB drive, and select Unmount.
- Right click the disk icon and select Information. Write down the Disk Identifier (it looks like "disk1") and then close Disk Utility.
- Copy the NBI_083F image file to your personal directory (the one that shows your user name.)
- Type the following command (without quotes): "sudo dd bs=1m if=NBI_083F.img of=/dev/rdisk#"
(The last part is the Disk Identifier you recorded earlier, if there was a s# at the end of the Identifier leave that part out.)
(*If you have your Terminal set to default to a different directory than your personal directory, you should use the "cd" command to navigate to the proper folder first.)
- Press Enter, type your password, and press Enter again. Wait until the command prompt returns, then close Terminal.
- Eject the USB drives and DVD, then disconnect the drives from the Mac.
Continue on with "Installation" Installation
On the Netbook - With the netbook off, insert the smaller USB drive into the USB port closest to the power connector and then attach the larger USB drive (do it in this order.)
- Turn the netbook on. Press the one-time boot key before the manufacturer logo disappears. This key is "0" (zero) on a Dell Mini 9, "F12" on a Dell Mini 10v. (more info)
- A grey screen with your internal drive and USB drives will appear. Select the Mac OS X Install DVD icon and press Enter.
- The Apple logo, then a spinning wheel, will appear. (If the spinning wheel does not appear after two minutes, try power cycling the netbook and booting again. Otherwise, check the Troubleshooting guide.)
- Once loaded, select your language and press Continue. (Press Enter on your keyboard if you can't see the Continue button.)
- Press Continue on the Welcome screen, then press Agree on the next screen.
- Go to Menu Bar>Utilities>Disk Utility....
- Select the icon for the internal drive.
- Go to the Partition tab. Configure:
- Volume Scheme: 1 Partition
- Name: <Any name without a space in it.>
- Format: Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
- Options...: GUID Partition Table, press OK.
- Press Apply, then Partition. When it is finished, close Disk Utility.
- Select your newly-formatted drive as the installation destination. (On 10.5 Leopard, you need to press Continue to get to the next screen.)
- Press the Customize button, deselect any feature(s) you do not need:
- Additional Fonts - These are only needed for specific languages with special characters.
- Language Translations - These are to translate the OS into different languages.
- Printer Drivers (Printer Support on 10.6) - Usually you can find an updated driver for your printer on the Internet, but this can be helpful if you use multiple printers besides your own.
- X11 - You need this if you are going to use GIMP or CrossOver.
- Rosetta (10.6-only) - Rosetta allows you to run applications that were only designed to work on PowerPC-baed Macs (pre-10.4), it's small so it won't hurt to install just in case.
- QuickTime 7 (10.6-only) - Useful if you need to watch QuickTime movies that are encoded in older formats.
- Press Done (10.5) or OK (10.6), then press Install. Installation can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours depending on the condition of the DVD disc, speed of the DVD drive and the amount of items you selected.
- Installation will probably get to the end and report that it has failed (although sometimes it says it is successful, your results may vary.) Again, this is normal, just press Restart.
First Boot and NetbookInstaller - Since there is no bootloader currently on the HDD/SSD, we need to boot back into the small flash drive, following the same steps as before. This time highlight the HDD/SSD that you just installed Mac OS X to and press Enter.
- The Apple logo, then a spinning wheel, will appear. (If the spinning wheel does not appear after two minutes, try power cycling the netbook and booting again. Otherwise, check the Troubleshooting guide.)
- The first-time setup video should play, this lasts about a minute. An account creation process should begin shortly thereafter. Fill in any information you want (you don't need to register) to complete the setup.
(If instead you get an error message that says, "The Mac OS X Setup Assistant cannot be used with this monitor," you can still setup your account in System Preferences afterward. This usually happens on netbooks with resolutions less than 1024x600.)
- Once you get to the Finder Desktop, you should double-click the NBI_083F icon and "unzip" the NetbookInstaller 0.8.3 application and open it. If a warning prompt shows up asking, "Are you sure you want to open it?" click Open. Select the following options:
- Volume: <your internal drive>
- Install Chameleon 2 NBI bootloader
- Install <your model name> Extensions
- Generate a system specific DSDT.aml file
- <Any other options you would like, the above are necessary.>
- Press Install, enter your password and press OK.
- When installation is complete, close NetbookInstaller and any other programs you may have open and save all work (if necessary).
Updating the OS - Install the OS Update:
- 10.5 Leopard: You need to open the 10.5.8 Combo Update package from a USB drive or downloaded it directly to your netbook, DO NOT use Software Update.
- Press Continue three times, and then press Agree.
- Press Install, enter your password, and then press "Continue Installion.
- 10.6 Snow Leopard: Try using Software Update (accessible from the Apple icon in the Menu Bar) first to update to 10.6.2. If that does not work correctly you should use the 10.6.2 Combo Update linked at the top of the guide.
- Press any agree button and Install buttons necessary. You will probably be warned that a Restart is necessary, that is just fine.
After installation is finished, press the Restart button (if necessary.)
- You should now let your netbook startup from the internal HDD/SSD. Leopard only: At the grey screen with the progress bar, press any key before the progress bar runs out. Type "-x" so that is looks like "boot: -x" in the bottom-left corner. If successful, it should boot into Mac OS X Safe Mode. Enter your password to login. Do not do this for 10.6 Snow Leopard.
Getting a mach_kernel error after restart?
- Run NetbookInstaller 0.8.3 again with the same settings:
- Volume: <your internal drive>
- Install Chameleon 2 NBI bootloader
- Install <your model name> Extensions
- Regenerate a system specific DSDT.aml file
- <Any other options you would like, the above are necessary.>
- Press Install, enter your password and press OK.
- When installation is complete, press OK and restart your computer.
Your netbook should now be updated and able to run Mac OS X normally. There may be some more tweaks to drivers necessary, depending on your netbook model.
mechdrew NetbookInstaller 2 Version 1.10
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to send me a personal message (PM for short) or use my Contact page to send me an e-mail. Also, the members of the MyDellMini forums are more than capable of helping you solve any problems. |
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