How to install OSX with NetbookBootMaker

[bmaltais]

There is now a new official guide from mechdrew over here: http://osx.mechdrew.com/guides/method1.shtml

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This guide is almost integrally taken from Mecdrews amazing guide. Will be using this in the interim until he publish a version of his own.

Requirements:

* Intel Mac with OS X Leopard installed
* 8 GB or greater USB Drive (Flash, HDD, memory card + reader, etc.)
* Retail Mac OS X Leopard DVD, any version
* Sotware, as mentioned

Note: If you use a disc older than 10.5.6, make sure to extract the Mac OS X 10.5.7 update package from the DMG file to a USB drive and have that drive, whether it is you DellEFIBootMaker drive or another one, plugged in when you boot into the OS for the first time. This is a common glitch, 10.5.6 is okay with this.

Prep Work (On Mac)

1) Download the following software first:
- NetbookBootMaker v0.8.1
- Mac OS X 10.5.7 Combo Update) (discs 10.5.5 and below) or (Mac OS X 10.5.7 Incremental Update) (10.5.6 discs)

2) Insert the Mac OS X Leopard Install DVD into your Mac, as well as the 8 GB drive. Open Disk Utility (in the Utilities folder of Applications) and select the 8 GB drive in the list. Select the Partition tab, set the Volume Scheme as "1 Partition", name it what you want (no space please as there is currently a bug with them), and select "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)" as the Format. Click "Options...", select "Master Boot Record" and click OK then Apply, then click Partition and confirm your decision by entering your password. (This should only take a minute or two.) Now switch to the Restore tab, drag the OSXDVD partition icon from the left into the Destination field and drag the DVD volume named "Mac OS X Install DVD" to the Source field. (Do not drag the CD Drive model, that will mess things up.) Press Restore, confirm the decision by pressing Restore in the next window, enter your password, and then wait for it to finish. Depending on the drive and disc quality, this can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 1.5 hours.

3) Run the NetbookBootMaker app (you'll need to unzip the file first). Select the USB drive as the installation destination and click Install. Enter your password and click okay when it is done. (This next step isn't necessary, but if you have any more room, or if you have another drive available, you should open the Mac OS X 10.5.7 Combo Update image and copy the file inside to a disk as well.) Eject the DVD and the drive from your Mac, either by a right-click (control+click for you one-buttoned people) or by dragging the icon to the trash.

Installation

4) Insert the USB drive into your netbook. If you are using a Dell Mini when you turn the netbook on enter Setup by pressing "2" (the number two.) Navigate to the Advanced tab, and make sure that "USB BIOS Legacy Support" is Enabled and "USB Wake Support" is Disabled. (If you don't have BlueTooth or do not have a need for it, turn off BlueTooth as well.) Select "Exit Saving Changes" in the Exit tab and your Dell will restart. Now press "0" (the number zero) when you see the Dell logo, and select "USB Storage".

Other netbook instructions for USB booting should be added here...

A gray screen with drive icons should appear, select the USB Installation partition. After this you should see a bunch of scrolling text, and then the Installer screen will appear.

5) Select your language, press Continue, and Agree. Now click Utilities in the Menu Bar, and open Disk Utility. This time we want to select your SSD drive, then select the Partition tab. (This can also be performed on an external flash/HDD drive.) Volume Scheme is "1 Partition", Name it what you want (no spaces for now due to bug that will be fixed), Format is "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)", and you need to click "Options..." to change it to "GUID Partition Table". Click OK, Apply, and confirm the decision. Once it is done formatting, close Disk Utility, select your new partition, and click Continue. I recommend no matter what your configuration is to press Customize and deselect anything you do not need, such as Language Translations, Additional Fonts, and Printer Drivers, but adjust according to your needs. Click Done, and then Install. This can take anywhere from 20-50 minutes.

6) Restart the Netbook. It may take a minute or two, so be patient. If you use a Dell Mini. when your computer does reboot, enter Setup again by pressing "2" (the number two.) Navigate to the Advanced tab. If you have BlueTooth and intend to use it, turn "USB BIOS Legacy Support" is Disabled. If you do not have BlueTooth, or do not intend to use it, keep "USB BIOS Legacy Support" Enabled and set BlueTooth to Disabled. Select "Exit Saving Changes" in the Exit tab and your Dell will restart again.

Other Netbook might need to do something similar. Need to add details here...

Let it start up as normal and it should show the gray screen again, and will ask which drive to boot from (or perhaps it will automatically boot from the SSD.)

Post-Install

7) You may or may not see the startup video, depending on your netbook. Setup your account as you see fit. When it comes to the Migration Assistant, do not transfer settings. When it is all done, you should see your Desktop, with drive icons for your SSD and USB drive. If you are on 10.5.6, you could just leave it like this since all the drivers and the bootloader work just fine, but that would not be ideal since you are not up to date.

8) No matter what version you originally installed, you'll want to install the 10.5.7 update. Either use the Mac OS X 10.5.7 Combo Update for discs 10.5.5 and older, or the Mac OS X 10.5.7 incremental update for 10.5.6 discs. (You can either obtain from the website via your Dell, or it could be stored on another drive, but please note that older disc installations (10.5.5 and below) will probably have a problem opening the DMG. To circumvent this, extract the update package from the DMG to an external drive and plug it in before booting). When the install completes, press Restart.

9) This time when it reboots, you will see a little progress bar underneath your SSD icon. Hit the "-" (minus) key before the progress bar disappears, and then type "-x" (no quotes.) If you look in the bottom left corner, you should see white text that says, "boot: -x"; hit enter. This will boot Mac OS X into Safe Mode. Once you log in back to the Desktop, run NetbookInstaller located in the Applications folder. Use these settings in a Custom Installation:

* "Reinstall Extensions"

* "Hide files"

* "Generate a system specific dsdt.aml file"

Click Install, confirm the decision, and this time press Yes when it is done installing. Ignore the box that appears during the restart process, it is just letting you know that it is still updating some files. This time, you will boot into a fully functioning Mac OS X updated to 10.5.7. Congratulations!

[aboe]

hey i am getting an error at 46 % through adding the osx install volume on to my scandisk 8gb flash drive say that there was an error " could not restore input/output error" could you please help me out with this i would like to move foward with this install

[meklort]

I'm guessing that that error means it either cannot read a file from your source medium, or it can't write to the drive. This can happen if you restored using a corrupt dvd disk or if the drive is failing. I would try either installing onto a different drive (usb harddrive) to verify that it isn't your destination drive. You can also try recreating the installer by reimaging the disk using disk utility.

[lowprice]

I think that the USB thumbdrive that you are using may be the culprit. If you can, try another brand.
I just picked up a new USB 8 gig'er for Lenovo and this process worked flawlessly.

I did need to make sure the Legacy USB Device was Disabled.

HTH,
lowprice

[lennymac]

Hi,

I've tried your method, using netbookbootmaker and it loads fine, select the language, then it stops and says "Mac OS X cannot be installed on this computer". I've tried erasing the disk and formatting it as "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)" but it doesn't help. I've already had 10.5.6 running successfully for 6 months on my Lenovo S10, the disk is partitioned as WINXP 50gb and OSX 100gb. I wanted to install a cleaner version and upgrade to 10.5.8.

Do you have any suggestions for what I am doing wrong?

Thanks for you help.

[meklort]

You cannot use an OEM disk to install. You have to use a Retail OS X disk.

[allenhuffman]

Is this likely to work with an original 10.5.0 disc? A friend of mine who has tried this using DellEFI was able to get it to work ONCE on an 8GB disc, upgrading to 10.5.6, but has never been able to recreate the steps.

Today, he started over using a fresh "Restore" clone from the 10.5.0 DVD to an 8GB flash drive. Using the 0.8.2 RC3 version of NetbookBootMaker, it produced an image that gets all the way to the Apple load screen, then crashed with the multi-language dark grey box in the center. "You need to restart your computer." (Power down and try again; same thing every attempt.)

Taking this 8GB stick and then running the 0.8.1 NetbookBootMaker on it allows it to get all the way to the Apple logo with the spinning gear, which spins and spins (after 20 minutes, power down and try again; same thing every attempt.)

The configuration is a brand new Dell Mini 9 with 2GB of RAM.

Any suggestions? The DellEFI version always worked from the installer point of view.

[djgpro]

I'm trying a 0.8.2 RC3 install with a

Dell Mini 9
16GB Runcore HD
2GB Ram
OSX Retail 10.5.0
16GB PNY Attache USB Stick
Following instructions to the letter above.

I am also getting a kernal panic ("You need to restart your computer..."). Dying to find a method to get me up and running! Willing to help in any way I can...

[bsmy84]

I'm totally new to this ... just jumping in with both feet to see what happens, but looking forward to it. Actually, my netbook hasn't even arrived yet ... maybe today or tomorrow. However, I've been getting prepared for it starting with downloading the apps as described. My question has to do with "Mac OS X 10.5.7 Combo Update." It seemed to make sense to download "Mac OS X 10.5.8 Combo Update" instead of 10.5.7 in that it's the same size as "Mac OS X 10.5.7 Combo Update." Is this OK to have done? This will work, yes?

[mechdrew]

Hi guys, as mentioned above the guide is based off my original instructions for DellEFI. I have made a new guide for NetbookInstaller, I ran through it step-by-step this time. Tell me how it works out and if you like the new format or not. FYI, it links to the NetbookBootMaker 0.8.2 RC3, so it's not exactly 100% yet on everything.