[mechdrew]

Updated 25 December 2009
NetbookCD 0.8.3 Final is now available. It contains the same software as NetbookBootMaker 0.8.3 Final, so you can use it with 10.6.2 systems.

NetbookCD is based off NetbookInstaller/BootMaker by meklort. NCD allows the user to install Mac OS X from an external DVD drive, thus eliminating the need for a specific OS to help in the preparation process. It can also be used to boot into Mac OS X after installation is complete or to boot into a installation with a damaged bootloader.

A guide has been written for using NetbookCD which is available on my site:
NetbookInstaller 3: Installation via External DVD Drive using NetbookCD | Guides | OS X | mechdrew. You should check my blog for any updated information as it comes. (Do not follow the guide on the ISO, it is outdated.)

Only one CD is needed now, the same version will work for both 10.5 Leopard and 10.6 Snow Leopard.

NetbookCD 0.8.3 Final direct download links:
ISO
Compressed ZIP

Please only post comments and questions regarding NetbookCD in this topic. I will probably not respond to questions started in other topics and will probably move/merge them here anyway if I find them.
Thanks to all who helped in testing, and of course big props to meklort for all of the hard programming behind this project!

[bmcclure937]

Awesome!! nice work

[IDKwutName]

sweet, but do i have to keep wasting a cd after a new nbi comes out? im not in the mood to go get a rewritable

[bmcclure937]

Originally Posted by IDKwutName

sweet, but do i have to keep wasting a cd after a new nbi comes out? im not in the mood to go get a rewritable

wasting a CD.... *roflmao*

CD -Rs cost how much these days? Like $0.03 (USD)

[mechdrew]

There's no need to burn a new CD unless you are installing Mac OS X again and want whatever new features are on the CD to be available during installation. For most people it is a one-time download. If you ever need to update your Mac installation you simply download and run the latest NetbookInstaller app.

[jxanthony]

This is great news. Good job on all your hard work as this should allow more people access to OSX86.

[anguish]

Sweet. I'll be trying it out today. No clue if the DVD drive I'm going to try using it with will work, but it's worth a shot.

---------- Post added at 12:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:45 PM ----------

Okay, new question I just thought of. Is it possible to use it from USB drive? Not USB CD/DVD-ROM drive, but a USB key. I've already got a disc burned, but anything to take up less space in my gadget bag, the better.

[bmcclure937]

Originally Posted by anguish

Sweet. I'll be trying it out today. No clue if the DVD drive I'm going to try using it with will work, but it's worth a shot.

---------- Post added at 12:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:45 PM ----------

Okay, new question I just thought of. Is it possible to use it from USB drive? Not USB CD/DVD-ROM drive, but a USB key. I've already got a disc burned, but anything to take up less space in my gadget bag, the better.

I have actually discussed this with meklort. This is definitely possible and he is looking into a cleaner method and way to create the USB (instead of CD) and clone OSX to the USB.

I do not know how you would currently do this, but in the future there will hopefully be "revamped" methods using something similar to NetbookCD but on a (1) USB bootkey method and (2) USB key method for Windows.

These would involved restoring the OSX DVD to a USB using Transmac and using the NetbookCD (or NetbookUSB for Windows) as a bootloader and it will be similar to the NetbookBootMaker method for the Mac.

[mechdrew]

Originally Posted by bmcclure937

I do not know how you would currently do this, but in the future there will hopefully be "revamped" methods using something similar to NetbookCD but on a (1) USB bootkey method and (2) USB key method for Windows.

These would involved restoring the OSX DVD to a USB using Transmac and using the NetbookCD (or NetbookUSB for Windows) as a bootloader and it will be similar to the NetbookBootMaker method for the Mac.

This is actually an ongoing project of mine (the USB boot key) ever since I wrote my first guide for setting up a USB boot drive from Windows (with the old DellEFI methods.) NetbookCD came as a learning opportunity to help me not only update the boot CD methods, but to learn how Chameleon actually works. It really won't be that hard to make a Chameleon boot image for USB in a similar fashion. However, simply copying the contents of NetbookCD won't accomplish that, there is a file that needs changed and a few tweaks are necessary. But just so you know, that's what I'm looking into next.

[anguish]

Rock on. I'm looking forward to further developments from that front!