[Dennis]

How to build a Runcore drive with OS X for a Dell Mini 9 using a real Intel Mac.

You will need
OS X Retail DVD
Runcore SSD (16Gb or larger)
A real Apple Mac (I used a Mac Pro)
USB key, 128Mb or larger
Access to a PC to create the USB key (you could use the Dell Mini 9 with XP on it for this)

How to do it
Download Syslinux 3.63 from here using the PC.

Format the USB key using the fat32 method

Unzip the file you downloaded in the first step into a directory of your choice. In the win32 directory there will be an executable file called syslinux.exe. Open a command prompt, change into that directory and type the command

syslinux -ma d:

(this is assuming the USB drive letter is d:, if not then substitute with the correct letter).

Download v7.7 of the miniscript from here. I've found this to be the most straightforward version which works well with this install method.

Copy the contents of the iso (not the actual iso file) to the USB key ensuring that you don't overwrite the single file that was copied by the syslinux command, it only copies one file which by default is a hidden system file so you may not see it.

Put your retail DVD into your Mac, connect the Runcore to it via the USB cable and restart the Mac while holding down the option key. Select the DVD and install OS X onto the Runcore

Use English for the main language
At the Welcome screen, click Utilities/Disk Utility
Select the SSD
Click on the Partition tab
Use the drop down to select 1 Partition
Click Options to ensure that the partition table is GUID
Format the SSD with Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
Apply this
Close Disk Utility
Continue... Agree
Select the disk for install
Click Options and choose Erase and Install... Continue
Click Customize and untick Printer Drivers, Addition Fonts and Language Translations.
Done... Install
Skip the DVD check
Wait. OS X will install, this will take 20-30 minutes
After install, select Country and Keyboard settings.
Enter your Apple ID if you have one then go through the registration info.
Create your user account and select a picture.
OS X will start

Note that you should ensure you hold down the option key each time you boot your real Mac to make sure the computer boots from the correct device. First time as mentioned above you should use the DVD but from then on you should select the SSD.

Open System Preferences, select Software Update and untick 'Check for Updates'. We don't want it checking for updates while we're manually working on the system.

Click Check Now. Select the Combo Update only
Enter your password and let the combo update download and install.

Once the 10.5.6 update has installed, reboot into the system to ensure it's all good then shut down the Mac.

Boot the Dell Mini 9 and press 2 to get into Setup.

Move to the Advanced screen and ensure that USB BIOS Legacy Support is Enabled

Press F10 to save and exit and switch off the Dell.

Install the Runcore into the Dell, connect the USB key and reboot the netbook. Press 0 as it boots to select a boot device and choose the USB

Press enter at the boot screen

Double click the mounted drive, then double click install.dmg

Double click installer

Open a terminal from /applications/utilities and type the following

diskutil eraseVolume "HFS+" "EFI" /dev/disk0s1

Close the terminal

Double click the miniscript, make the selections of your choice and run the script.

Shut down the Dell, unplug the USB key.

Boot the Dell Mini 9 and press 2 to get into Setup.

Move to the Advanced screen and ensure that USB BIOS Legacy Support is Disabled

Press F10 to save and exit and switch off the Dell.

Restart and OS X will start from the Runcore. You can then run Software Update again to pick up all the other updates that are available.

The total procedure should take less than an hour and a half from start to when you run the manual Software Update. I've done this a couple of times now and it's worked like a dream each time.

[dirty6]

This looks to be very thorough. This certainly is an easy way to install OSX provided you have access to a Mac and a PC.

I think when I struggled with this method it was because I did not understand when I needed to be booted off of the USB syslinux stick and when I needed to be booted off of the SSD. I was trying to boot into the SSD before installing 10.5.6 and I was even trying to run miniscript from in there...I was also trying to run the 'erase' command from the wrong place to the wrong drive. If you follow the instructions exactly and are not a moron like me, this should work well.

I gave up on this method but it was out of my own stupidity at what needed to happen and nothing else. And take heart-even if you're dumb like me, it's still doable (I finally got it to work the old "2USB stick method."

[louididdy]

Dennis, I want to thank you for your guide, after considering several other methods I decided to follow yours and now I have a working OSX Dell Mini!

I wanted to point out a few things that might help other users:
1- Having a Mac and a Runcore makes things so easy and allows you to use the Leopard DVDs that come stock with your Mac. You are simply following the process that you would follow if you were to upgrade the HD on your Mac (I have a Mac Mini) and wanted to install the OS onto it using the Leopard DVD installation disc you already have. Thats what I did and it works, no need for the retail DVD if you have these discs, end of story.
2- I thought that I could download v7.7 on the pc, uncompress it and copy the contents to the USB key, but from your other post I realized that that must be done on the mac, that wasn't clear from this guide.
3- When updating to 10.5.6, I also ran all the other updates that were available (I was updating from 10.5.2) and this didn't seem to cause me any difficulty at all. I even made some system customizations after the update ran, which could save time for people that have the Runcore before their Dell Mini arrives.
4- It helps (per Unaclocker's youtube video) in terms of efficiency to change the Bios startup settings to run the USB drive when first getting it to boot, of course once you're up and running, you can change it back to HD first.
5- I was having an issue at first where I was getting stuck at a terminal (outside of OSX) and I simply used the "-f" command to get past it, even though this option wasn't presented to me on-screen. I remember reading about that command in several posts but didn't know what it was for, but I used it when it got stuck at the terminal and it got me over the hump.
6- The only problems I had after booting from the Runcore were that I didn't have a trackpad pref pane in the system preferences under mouse/keyboard, but I then ran bmaltis' DellEFI file and it restored that option. Now if I could only turn the bluetooth off I would be 100% happy.

Hope this helps other uses, and thanks again Daniel, and also bmaltis and unaclocker.

[seanb724]

I am trying this process, but rather than installing osx on an SSD and then installing the SSD in the dell mini, I am installing it on an external usb HD for now. (SSD is on back order. :-( )

I am to the point where I have booted the mini with the flash stick with the 7.7 ministick installed, and the usb HD with os x 10.5.6 plugged in.

I open up the flash drive, click on the installer dmg, then go to that new disk image. Then I run the miniscript, it asks for my system pw, and fills in "disk1" for where to install, which is the ext usb hd. When I click install, I get the following Apple Script error:

mount_hfs: Invalid argument(1)

I'm wondering what, if anything, I should have done different on this command:

diskutil eraseVolume "HFS+" "EFI" /dev/disk0s1

BTW, did that erase my ubuntu install on the stock ssd? :-/

[seanb724]

Originally Posted by seanb724

BTW, did that erase my ubuntu install on the stock ssd? :-/

The answer to that is yes. :-/ I can restore it from the install dvd or throw on windows xp for fun... Until I can get a larger ssd to put os x on.

Still no idea what to do on getting the miniscript to work... Reading more posts, but if anyone has ideas, please let me know.

/Sean

[lantzn]

Any recommendations on using the current versions of the software mention in these instructions?

as of 3/18/09
DellMiniBoot123v8.01
DellMiniBoot123v8.02b1

In other posts I saw software called DellEFI1.07.1.
Does this software add anything to Dennis' instructions?

[mechdrew]

Originally Posted by lantzn

Any recommendations on using the current versions of the software mention in these instructions?

as of 3/18/09
DellMiniBoot123v8.01
DellMiniBoot123v8.02b1

In other posts I saw software called DellEFI1.07.1.
Does this software add anything to Dennis' instructions?

DellMiniBoot and DellEFI are the latest generation and replacement for Type11. Basically you would install DellMiniBoot on the thumb drive instead and then run the DellEFI app after installation to install the bootloader and kernel externsions.

I will be updating my guide with some of the info from this post that should make this all modernized. In the meantime you can click the link in my signature to learn more about this.

[elchubi]

Originally Posted by lantzn

Any recommendations on using the current versions of the software mention in these instructions?

as of 3/18/09
DellMiniBoot123v8.01
DellMiniBoot123v8.02b1

In other posts I saw software called DellEFI1.07.1.
Does this software add anything to Dennis' instructions?

Try this one http://www.mydellmini.com/forum/viewtop ... =23&t=7293

[EricsVostro]

Okay I have one USB to boot from and that works just fine.

When I enter 81 to find the other USB with OSX 10.5.6 on it. It finds it fine, but when then I press enter to start the installation process from the OSX USB I get a screen asking me to restart my system. Nowhere in any instructions do I see anything about this.

I did notice some message flash by when I'm booting from the USB drive, but as it was flashing by, I couldn't really read anything.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[elchubi]

Originally Posted by EricsVostro

Okay I have one USB to boot from and that works just fine.

When I enter 81 to find the other USB with OSX 10.5.6 on it. It finds it fine, but when then I press enter to start the installation process from the OSX USB I get a screen asking me to restart my system. Nowhere in any instructions do I see anything about this.

I did notice some message flash by when I'm booting from the USB drive, but as it was flashing by, I couldn't really read anything.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Use the bootdisk mentioned above your post