[jkrane]

I have been away for a long time! I created my dual boot Mini 9 with the dellEFI method. It has been running 10.5.7 and XP flawlessly for years and I love it! But I want to run the latest XCode to make iPhone apps, and I want to sync my iPhone 5, which needs the newest iTunes, which needs Snow Leopard. I have been browsing this site for the past few days trying to put a plan together, but I have hit a few snags and I think I need some help.

I have created an OSX restore on a big USB key. I tried running (using my wife's laptop) NetbookBootMaker 0.8.4RC1 and it would not recognize the USB key. I have NetbookInstaller 0.8.5pre and it seems to want to target only the laptop harddrive...it also doesn't recognize the key. It also seems like you should run BootMaker first and Installer after the update, but I'm confused here. I had partitioned the key with MBR. Today, I partitioned the key GUID and will try again when my wife gets back from her business trip on Saturday. In the meantime, I ran 0.8.3RC5 final on it and it recognized the key. I was able to boot from the key but it wouldn't let me "restore" to my existing OSX partition, complaining that it was an MBR partition.

I went poking around and found a way to make OSX load onto an MBR partition, or so it claimed. Too bad I get a kernel panic when I try to boot my Mini 9 from the 0.8.3RC5 + MBR tweaked key! So I'm stuck.

I prefer to keep all my emails and documents, and my personalized Chameleon boot loader, but I am willing to do extra work if I have to. I am looking for the best way forward, preferably with an "update" from 10.5.7 to 10.6 (My retail SL disk is 10.6.0.) I have found no writeups that did Leopard to Snow Leopard updates with a dual boot machine, much less an older dellEFI dual boot machine. Many threads have comments saying that people did it, but no writeup. My attempts to reproduce their trick have brought me the above-described roadblocks.

My current plan is to:

1) partition USB key as GUID and restore retail 10.6.0 to key
2) run NetbookBootMaker 0.8.4RC1 on it
3) "update" to 10.6.0 from the key to the existing OSX
4) reboot with high hopes

This is a good time to ask (before my SSD has been modified!): does this seem like the right procedure? Do my above experiences seem consistent with known mistakes (mostly involving MBR on key and SSD)? Any advice?

- John

[jkrane]

I am having difficulty getting an install USB to boot correctly. I am also unable to get my HFS+ partition larger on my MBR partitioned SSD. So it has been several days of frustration. It looks like I will have to clone my XP install if I want to keep it, reformat my drive as GUID and then repartition. A very big risk, since I can't get a single USB key working.

Why, oh why, did Meklort decide that you needed 10.6 in order to upgrade to 10.6?

- John

[holmes4]

Is "Legacy USB" enabled in the BIOS? Without that the USB key won't boot.

[jkrane]

Originally Posted by holmes4

Is "Legacy USB" enabled in the BIOS? Without that the USB key won't boot.

Yes it is. I get a kernel panic every time I try to boot from USB. "OS not recognized" etc. NBI 5pre was my most recent attempt this morning. Over and over...

- John

[jkrane]

My little adventure is complete. My solution is posted here:

http://www.mydellmini.com/forum/dual...5-10-6-xp.html