New OSX Installer Pack - All Windows, All USB!

[SilverZero]

UPDATE: For Snow Leopard, try this method developed by Mechdrew at MyDellMini.

Corruption and I have developed a new installer package that lets you prepare your retail OSX installation media completely within Windows! Please try it out and let us know if and how well it works for you.

You will need two USB sticks (at least 1gb and 8gb, respectively), a copy of TransMac installed (free trial available at their website), and the SX-Install zip package linked here. Enjoy!

This project will certainly be updated a few times in the near future, but only to make it "nicer" - a new custom Chameleon theme (submit your ideas!), adding some tweaks like the About This Mac fixes, etc. Suggestions welcome.

Oh, and one thing that didn't make it into the instructions: There is an installer in the Patches folder that will fix the clock, so it doesn't read the BIOS time and think it's GMT or something. It's a common problem, the patch was made some time ago by a guy named Zephyroth. Helps mostly with multi-boot systems so all the clocks are the same.

There is also one issue I'd like to get some beta testers to check out: On shutdown, does your hard drive continue spinning? You have to listen very close to hear it. Sometimes it seems that, even though the lights are all off, the drive is still spinning. If anybody can comment on this, please do. Thanks!

UPDATE 6.24.09: If you'd like to upgrade to 10.5.7, or are having some sort of issue with kernel panics after changing your kexts, please see Hagar's post here, and get his Extensions.mkext file.

[corruption]

Fantastic work as always, Silver! I'll do some digging around on my S10 over the next week and let you know if I've got any fixes/suggestions/changes -- this is evolving fast, I love it!

-C

[macloon]

hi there,

this is a very neat and simple install. i just got my s10 today so im excited to try this tommorrow.

2 quick questions


1. i already own a mac. and looking through the instructions i guess i can do all the steps on my mac instead of through transmac. is that right?

2. my retail disk is 10.5.1 so i will have to apply the combo update of 10.5.7 will this be a problem? do i have to reinstall kexts after this?

cheers. i'll try this tomorrow

[corruption]

Hey there Macloon! Welcome to the party!

I haven't had a chance to thumb through all of Silver's new work here, but a big part of this part of the project was trying to eliminate the need for a Mac to make the install media. At the moment (and I could be wrong here, I'll have a better answer in an hour or so), you would likely be better pressed with the original installer -- look for the "Streamlined 10.5.6 Installer" thread -- this was made to be assembled on an Intel Mac and is pretty thoroughly tested at this point.

Good luck! Let us know if you hit any troubles!

-C

[SilverZero]

Agreed. It could all be done on the Mac, but you'd have to use Terminal since the folders aren't all visible in Finder normally on the OSX DVD. Plus, with Corruption's original design, you can get everything on a single 8gb USB stick. That's the Achilles' heel of the Windows method ATM.

[corruption]

That's the Achilles' heel of the Windows method ATM.

...and one that its just a matter of time til we kill it too We'll get it, I have a gut feeling

-C

[corruption]

I'm likin the cleanup on the postinstall -- looks good, lots of my redundant steps fluffed out more simply... Love the first_boot idea too -- I had toyed with something similar early in my work (before I posted anything), but ended up abandoning it in lieu of realizing how much of the DellEFI stuff I had made irrelevant.. Can't wait to run through a test!

When we get a chance, we should run through spoonani's reccomendations on VoodooHDA too and both test it, from known installs and fresh ones, if possible -- could be worth a try, and would be easy to adapt in the current postinstall scripting..

-C

[altecmak]

will it be better if i use the msiwindosx86.iso image or a Mac OS X Leopard 10.5.6 retail image on my s10-2 w/ xp installed?

[Hagar]

Nice variation of the "Windows 2-stick" there, although you've opted for some invasion into the retail image and the use of an "s10ext" folder which I personally wouldn't. As a further development, the postinstall could be integrated into a .pkg, as could the chameleon installation.

I see you remover AppleHDA.kext rather than adding it to Disabler.kext, which would be more update-proof.. I'm not sure this is necessary either, I haven't done it and experience no problem beyond the usual. VoodooHDA conflicts with any *loaded* HDA kext, but as AppleHDA doesn't load, this shouldn't be an issue?

I see you're still using the DSDT patcher from DellEFI : what does that actually contribute? the specific patches are for battery and lid on the dell mini9 if I'm not mistaken, and the original DSDT patcher patches HPET & RTC which afaik aren't needed? I'm running without a DSDT patch at the moment and see no difference with this particular patch.

The pre-&-postsleep sound kludge will hopefully give way to a proper fix, I've been playing with this but no useful results as yet.

I assume the first_boot thing is a workaround for the bluetooth issue? that's another one that needs attention..

The zephyroth time fix is one of many, although the classic is AppleTime.exe (from apple) for this very purpose, it's part of the bootcamp drivers.

having unpacked your Extensions.mkext I have to say I'm rather confused.. (see picture) you seem to have an awful lot of IONetworkingFamily.kext plugins you don't need loose in there?

SX-BL_kexts.png

all in all, I hope we can soon get past the "release bundling" stage and concentrate on the real issues: bluetooth sleep, webcam sound (mic/sleep) etc, and get rid of the final hangovers from DellEFI

altogether a great step in the right direction

[SilverZero]

Wow, lots of good info there, Hagar. Thanks! I'll be honest: I know there is a lot of extraneous stuff in there, I think I actually just pulled the kexts from a working install to get something done. In some ways, I'm a noob myself. The DSDT patcher actually runs into some errors when I run it as part of the post-install, and I do think it is unneeded at this point. I spent a few late nights on this release, so I'm taking a few to myself now, but we appreciate your thoughts and tips.

As for invading the retail installer, it's mostly just to save a Terminal step during the install process (copying things to the installer root ahead of time), but it could certainly be done so that there is no modification at all to the retail image. Also, do you not like the idea of having a directory in /Extra for "patched" kexts, or do you just not like it being called something other than "Extensions"?

@altecmak: You can try with the MSIWind distro, but I highly recommend the retail DVD, since that's what the goal of OSx86 in general is anyway. We are trying to get the minimal number of patches to get the retail DVD working fully, and trying to get them placed in as few steps as possible.

Thanks all!