Mac OS X on x86 Hardware 2008–2024 Technical Archive
InfiniteMac OSx86 › Snow Leopard 10.6 › Some Assistance with the com.apple.boot.plist file.
7,227 reads · 2010-01-26 – 2010-01-30

Some Assistance with the com.apple.boot.plist file.

I am currently testing my new "Toshiba L305 Kext Pack 4.0.iso" I just released. The kexts files install and work just fine. Ok, heres the deal, my machine will not boot up unless I type -v arch=i686 "Graphics Mode"="1280x800x75" I have…

Primary Author
@00010 Published 2010-01-26
Collection
Snow Leopard 10.6
Archival Footprint
7,227 historical reads · 4 curated field notes (from 14 dispatches) · 2010-01-26 – 2010-01-30
Credited Voices (2)
@00010 (10)@lanceomni (4)

I am currently testing my new "Toshiba L305 Kext Pack 4.0.iso" I just released. The kexts files install and work just fine.

Ok, heres the deal, my machine will not boot up unless I type

-v arch=i686 "Graphics Mode"="1280x800x75"

I have tried entering this in the com.apple.boot.plist file, but is still wont boot properly.

Any suggestions on how I should edit my com.apple.boot.plist file?

00010

Author Updates & Technical Revisions

Follow-up dispatches by @00010

Author Update #1 @00010 2010-01-26

This is what it looks like now.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
	<key>Kernel</key>
	<string>mach_kernel</string>
	<key>Timeout</key>
	<string>5</string>
	<key>Kernel Flags</key                                                                                                 <string>arch=i386</string>                                                                    <string>Graphics Mode</string>
        <string>1280x800x75</string>
	<key>EthernetBuiltIn</key
</dict>
</plist>
Author Update #2 @00010 2010-01-27

I have tried that it still wont boot correctly, it just does not require the "Graphics Mode" option anymore it just ignores the "arch=i686" in the plist file, so I still have to type "arch=i686"?

Any suggestions?

00010

Author Update #3 @00010 2010-01-28

Any way I could use a patched DSDT to fix these errors?

00010

Author Update #4 @00010 2010-01-28

When I boot with the flag "arch=x86_64" it panics upon boot.

If I boot with the flag "arch=i386" everything boots fine.

Author Update #5 @00010 2010-01-28

If I put "arch=i386" in the plist file it boots fine but in the wrong resolution and may PS2 dont work.

00010

Author Update #6 @00010 2010-01-29

I fixed the problem, somehow the plist file got messed up so I went ahead and reinstalled Snow Leopard and added the nessisary plist changes and all went well, It boots
fine after I booted once with the "-v -f" flags. Thanks for your time.

00010

Author Update #7 @00010 2010-01-29

Sure, I'll post it on here late this evening.

00010

Author Update #8 @00010 2010-01-30

This is my current plist file contents:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>Kernel</key>
    <string>mach_kernel</string>
    <key>Timeout</key>
    <string>5</string>
    <key>Kernel Flags</key>
    <string>arch=i386</string>
    <key>EthernetBuiltIn</key>
    <string>y</string>
    <key>Graphics Mode</key>
    <string>1280x800x75</string>
</dict>
</plist>

Synthesized Community Field Notes

4 technical responses curated from 14 original dispatches

Field Note #1 @lanceomni 2010-01-26

Does your com.apple.Boot.plist look like this?

<key>Kernel Flags</key>
<string>-v arch=i686</string>
<key>Graphics Mode</key>
<string>1280x800x75</string>

Do you use the EFI Partition? or an Extra folder on your install? If so than here I believe is the order in which most bootloaders use.

1. /Volumes/EFI/Extra/Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.Boot.plist
2. /Volumes/EFI/Extra/com.apple.Boot.plist - This being the preferred.
3. /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.Boot.plist

Field Note #2 @lanceomni 2010-01-26
<key>Kernel Flags</key <string>arch=i386</string> <string>Graphics Mode</string>
<string>1280x800x75</string>

Should be:

<key>Kernel Flags</key>
<string>-v arch=i686</string>
<key>Graphics Mode</key>
<string>1280x800x75</string>
Field Note #3 @lanceomni 2010-01-28

Now granted I have not spent too much time working with 10.6 on a hack but I don't think I have ever come across this flag. I have seen arch=x86_64 & arch=i386 which forces 64bit & 32bit respectively.

Just curous, when you boot using these flags are you running in 64bit mode? Now I know on my iMac when I boot into 64bit I can type uname -a in terminal I get x86_64 at the end of the string while I get i386 if Im running in 32bit.

Field Note #4 @lanceomni 2010-01-29

I knew something had to be off. As there is no difference in typing those commands and having them in the proper place in your com.apple.Boot.plist

By the way could you post that segment of your com.apple.Boot.plist so that others can see what changes you have made.

Sources & Contributor Provenance (2 credited usernames · Thread #5320)
UsernameDossier ContributionDispatchesActive Window
@00010Primary Author102010-01-26 → 2010-01-30
@lanceomniCore Contributor42010-01-26 → 2010-01-29