[jimmymac_4]

You, Meklort, Bear Hunter and I apparently all focus on what is often a short-shrifted but extremely important part of the overall process ... documentation. Few like to do it and fewer still follow through and do it well. Like those before me, I began my Dell Mini hackintosh venture by performing countless Google searches and by reading what seemed like an endless stream of forum threads before cobbling together an installation personal reference ... a guide. As I applied various post-installation fixes, the pre-installation guide evolved to incorporate information concerning post-installation fixes. I continued to document the ongoing installation process and my guide was transformed into a much more compete repository of essential information replete with instructions, applications, files, tips, tweaks, links, etc. garnered from the many contributors who made all this possible and some graphics I modified or created. My objective was to create a centralized resource ... a reference and guide to which I could refer and/or provide to others interested in following in my footsteps. This is an over-simplification, but my resource/guide now consists of USB Flash Drive Boot Prep and Bios Downgrade (procedure and files), Gizmodo's Dell Mini 10v Hackintosh Guide in PDF format, Post Installation Solutions (fixes), Screen Size Scaling apps, Snow Leopard 10.6.2 Update Procedure, About This Mac, wallpaper and Finder icon images ... and more. I've come a long way in under a month transforming an XP burdened Dell Mini 10v into a well behaved hackbook and documented the entire process other than some shortcuts taken to port over my Yahoo Mail and Firefox browser stuff. My resource (documentation) is in its final phase of completion and that is specifically why I am looking for some experienced pairs of eyes to review what I've done and offer some feedback (constructive criticism). Still intrigued?

[jimmymac_4]

Bear Hunter ... copy and pasted from that resource/guide I'm working on are a few tidbits for you to consider adding to your post...


Hibernate - Sleep Mode Fix

Sleep mode saves the contents of RAM to a sleepimage file on the hard drive whenever the computer is “put to sleep”. Occasionally, with a “hackintoshed” OS, when hibernate is enabled (a NetbookInstaller option), it doesn't work properly resulting in a "Hibernate image is too old by (a certain number of) seconds" error message during the boot process. One fix for this is to disable hibernate (sleep mode) and delete the sleepimage file. From the Applications/Utilities folder, double-click on Terminal and enter, or copy (Cmd-C) and paste (Cmd-V), the following command into Terminal:

sudo pmset hibernatemode 0

Press Ctrl-D and Cmd-Q to logout of and quit Terminal. Do a Restart.

From Terminal, enter, or copy (Cmd-C) and paste (Cmd-V), the following command into Terminal:

sudo rm /var/vm/sleepimage

Press Ctrl-D and Cmd-Q to logout of and quit Terminal. Subsequently, there will be less wear and tear on the hard drive, hard disk space will be freed up, and shutdown and boot times will be slightly faster.

NOTE: The Cmd key is the Dell Mini Alt key.


Bootable Clone Backup

A bootable clone is an advantageous backup solution in the event of internal hard drive failure. To create a bootable clone, run Carbon Copy Cloner to copy the internal hard drive (source) to an external USB drive (target). To install the bootloader, select the cloned (external USB hard drive) volume and run NetBookInstaller from the Applications folder.

To boot from an external USB hard drive, USB BIOS Legacy Support must be enabled. To enter setup on startup, promptly press F2 when the Dell logo appears. Navigate to the Advanced screen and ensure that USB BIOS Legacy Support is enabled.

To boot from the cloned external USB hard drive on startup, promptly pressing F12 when the Dell logo appears or press any key at the prompt "Press any key to enter startup options". Then, select the external USB hard drive as the boot drive.

NOTE: Carbon Copy Cloner can be downloaded from Carbon Copy Cloner - Home.


TrackPad or Mouse?

I didn't install the trackpad driver (ApplePS2Controller.kext) recommended in Gizmodo's hackintosh guide. This outmoded driver was superseded by a superior trackpad driver already included in NetbookInstaller. Regardless, because I dislike trackpads, I opted for an inexpensive solution ... a Logitech V220 cordless, optical mouse available on eBay, Amazon, ClubMac, MacMall etc. for $20-30. This compact, compatible, plug and play mouse works quite well and Bluetooth is not required.


Vertical Screen Resolution Fix

Although most applications size properly on the Dell Mini, some require a minimum screen resolution of 1024x768 to fully display a screen image. Such applications cannot fit a displayed image on the Dell Mini's screen which has a vertical resolution of 600. To overcome this hardware limitation, applications have been developed that generate a larger virtual screen resolution by altering the system screen size scaling setting, effectively shrinking the displayed image. These applications apply a screen scaling factor (percentage) which persists until a subsequent screen scaling factor is applied. Copy your preferred application(s) to the Applications/Utilities folder and then drag to the Dock for ready access. For additional details and applications, see the following thread...

http://www.mydellmini.com/forum/faqs-how-tos/2099-virtually-increase-your-dell-mini-screen-resolution.html


iLife '08 Installation

1. Insert the gray Mac OS X (Leopard) Install Disc 1 that came with your Mac.
2. When Snow Leopard detects the disc, note the option to "Install Bundled Software Only".
3. Double-click on the icon, and type your password.
4. When prompted, insert Disc 2 to continue.
5. When the installation finishes, do a restart and you'll have a fresh install your '08 iLife software.
6. Run Software Update to obtain the latest iLife '08 updates.

In order to play videos from within iPhoto '08, QuickTime 7 must first be installed. Unless you opted to QuickTIme 7 during the Snow Leopard installation, it can be installed as follows:

1. Insert your Mac OS X Snow Leopard Install DVD.
2. When the installer opens, double-click on the Optional Installs folder.
3. Double-click the Optional Installs.mpkg package.
4. Click Continue when prompted.
5. Select QuickTime 7 and click Continue to install.

The QiuickTime 7 installation package can also be downloaded directly from:

Apple - QuickTime - Download

NOTE: These instructions assume that Remote DVD/CD Sharing is enabled. I have yet to try this myself.

[Bear Hunter]

Jimmy,

Thanks for putting that together. I'll update the main post.

Quick question.... so videos will not play in iPhoto08 with Quicktime X?

[jimmymac_4]

Bear Hunter. ... no biggie since I had already done all this for myself. It was a simple copy and paste job and I don't at all mind contributing where I can since I feel indebted to those who came before me and made this all possible, but I digress.

As indicated this is the only one in the bunch that I did not actually verify. I have iLife '08 on the iMac, so I saw no pressing need to install it on the netbook, but to answer you question, that is the current wisdom floating around a number of forums that I obtained this information from.

Remember I indicated that I had already done much of what you had posted and documented? Well, here's an example in a bit more detail than your post, but I still need another pair of eyes to review my resource/guide that this was excerpted from and provide feedback. Mechdrew (Drew Mecham) seems interested.

Enable Remote DVD/CD Sharing

The Dell Mini shares a limitation with the MacBook Air … lack of an optical drive. To overcome this deficiency, when the MacBook Air was released, Apple introduced remote sharing of another Mac's optical disc provided both computers are on the same wireless network. Only the MacBook Air has this particular feature by default, but with the entry of two Terminal commands, this option can be enabled on any Mac. This feature should already be enabled in NetbookInstaller since that is the default setting. To enable Remote Disc in Terminal, from the Applications/Utilities folder, double-click on Terminal and enter, or copy (Cmd-C) and paste (Cmd-V), the following commands into Terminal:

defaults write com.apple.NetworkBrowser EnableODiskBrowsing -bool true
defaults write com.apple.NetworkBrowser ODSSupported -bool true

Press Ctrl-D and Cmd-Q to logout of and quit Terminal. Do a restart to enable the sharing feature on the Dell Mini (client) computer. Sharing must also be enabled on the server (host) computer. To enable sharing, in the System Preferences Sharing pane Service list, select (check) "DVD or CD Sharing". If user permission is a prerequisite, select (check) "Ask me before allowing others to use my DVD drive”.

To access a shared DVD or CD, in the Finder sidebar, click on Remote Disc in the Devices drop down menu.

NOTE: Although Remote DVD/CD Sharing is a user selectable option in NetbookInstaller, some users report that this option doesn't work. The Cmd key is the Dell Mini Alt key.

Bear Hunter care to give my Dell Mini 10v hackintosh resource/guide a look???

[Bear Hunter]

Jimmy,

Excellent... I'll update the main post after I get the kids to bed. I'm no expert by any means, I'm relatively new to the netbook, but I have used nothing but Macs since 2001. Your other list of experts is about right. I'd be happy to take a look at your resource guide if you still want me to.

[jimmymac_4]

Bear Hunter ... There is much more to my hackintosh resource/guide than the mere sampling of what I've sent you thus far. Actually, you have much more time on the Mac than I do (2 years) and I've only had the netbook a month and I now have it working perfectly with no outstanding issues (audio, sleep, restart ... nothing). Everything works just like it should.

I will try and coax the other guys to have a look, but you are welcome to as well. I'm waiting to hear back from mechdrew, the only other person I've asked thus far. Since this is "his thing", I'm hoping he will give it a look.

[atm153]

Hey, any sort of documentation that can be provided would be great, the whole process can be quite daunting the first few times you go through it. Something that looks rather professional would be best, like actually including help files with NetbookInstaller for once :P

[Bear Hunter]

Jimmy,

Thanks again. Main post is updated. I put the Quicktime 7 under "OSX 10.6.> to inlcude Mini 9 & 10v". The only thing I left out was the iLife08 install using install disks because I think they are system specific....but I could be wrong?

[underwhelmed]

Originally Posted by Bear Hunter

The only thing I left out was the iLife08 install using install disks because I think they are system specific....but I could be wrong?

Yes, I was just reading this thread, and as written those are system specific discs. It would be better to not write a guide for using the OEM discs, as the subject is not permitted here, and should be discouraged.

Retail installation instructions would be very helpful, as many seem to get stuck not knowing how to resolve their screen resolution issues during the install process, or how to adjust the screen for use once installation is complete.

Also, it seems quite a few users new to the Mac don't understand the remote CD/DVD option, and fewer still seem to know that you can use a remote CD/DVD drive in a Windows machine using a free application from Apple.

http://www.apple.com/downloads/macos...orwindows.html

[jimmymac_4]

Bear Hunter ... yours and underwhlemed's points of view are well taken. This is just the kind of feedback (constructive criticism) that I need in the refinement of my Dell Mini hackintosh resource/guide. I agree that the '08 iLife install entry should not be included here and I have extracted it from my guide since it is peripheral, inappropriate and unnecessary. Where the Dell Mini netbook is concerned, the K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid) principle should prevail and its intended use kept squarely in focus. Thanks for setting my back on course.