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-   -   iPC OSx86 10.5.6 problems/wishes (http://infinitemac.com/showthread.php?t=1879)

naquaada 01-06-2009 05:39 PM

iPC OSx86 10.5.6 problems/wishes
 
This thread should only be a info thread for problems and maybe wishes for the next update.

Known problems:

- Finder 10.5.8 may be defective, should be available as additional installation
- Macbook keyboard preferences pane must be replaced with a normal one

Additional files:

- 64bit AppleNforceATA. Should also be default on the installation DVD, if someone has 4 GB installed he could maybe have trouble while installation.
- 9.6.0 Kernel from Andy? Or wait till the 9.6.0 kernel from the Voodoo team is finished?
- the command 'gfxutil' which is needed to create EFI strings could be installed to /usr/bin by default.

Quicktime:

Installed is version 7.5.0, actual is 7.5.5, in macupdate is a link to version 7.5.7 which should be downloaded via Software update. There are now two methods: Either to update to 7.5.5 or to downgrade to 7.4.5 for people like me which have problems with newer Quicktime versions. Upgrading is always easier than downgrading.

Installation:

- The installation from image doesn't install the additional languages properly.
- The installer only makes the first partition bootable, not if you install f.e. on the 2nd partition.
- Could you take again a look of my suggestion for readme files inside the installation menu?
- Audio drivers should also get folders (ALC, AD, Intel...) like the gfx cards because there are rather a lot of them.
- the option -legacy should be added to apple.com.boot.plist, it's neccessary for AMD cpus.
- What about the difference between the X1600 drivers and the 0x71c2 drivers, the size is about 5.2 MB different. The X1600 Pro and the X1650 have 71c2, the X1600XT has 71c0.
- I think the X1600 71c2 drivers weren't working, I have fixed ones.

Question: If all (patched) drivers have to be selected manually, why are the old drivers installed by default? I only need the drivers for my 71c2 X1600, but in the system are all other graphic drivers for ATI, NVidia, Intel. Couldn't they be removed from the main installation package? This would save space on the disk and could reduce problems.

3rd-party apps:

I would remove them. If there are updates available the software wastes space on the DVD. I would recommend a seperate image with OSx86 software including some guides how to use it. A useful thing would be Perian because it install all useable video codecs and has an own software update function.

pcwiz 01-08-2009 03:23 AM

Post what you want added in the PPF here:

http://code.google.com/p/ipcosx86ppf/issues/list

naquuada, if you could give me pointers on how to fix the 2 "Known problems" that would be great :)

Additional Files

* PPF3 has 4GB supporting AppleNForceATA
* I'm hanging for the 9.6.0 voodoo kernel. Any idea when that's out?
* Will add that, thanks

QuickTime

* Is there something that needs to be fixed? I purposely left out the QuickTime 7.5.5 update because of the issue with AMD users

Installation

* Isn't that an issue with the retail DVD as well?
* I'm not sure how I would modify the Chameleon installer for that. I'm using the Chameleon installer from the chameleon site, if anyone has any suggestions on how to do this then I'm open
* Regarding your post:

- If you send me the corrected ATI drivers I can add them
- The PS/2 driver instructions are because the PS/2 Keyboard one only works when you have only a PS/2 keyboard or both a PS/2 keyboard and mouse, and the PS/2 mouse package works only when you have a PS/2 mouse. Its strange, yes, but that's the way it goes ;)
- The idea of a readme within the installer is an interesting one. My only doubt is, if users skip the notes I put in both the readme file that is with the ISO and inside the installer itself, why would they even bother looking in the installation options readme text?
- The license text was removed because that would be like binding users to an Apple EULA when the DVD violates the EULA (not a good idea)
- I understand the dislike for the 3rd party software but there are several reasons I included the basics on the DVD. As you see, I only included tools and not fancy stuff like Perian. I included them on there because a) they barely take up any space at all when compressed in pkg format, and b) if the user's internet is not working or if the user is having issues mounting disk images and partitions it might be difficult to access the tools image c) The user can selectively choose what he/she wants to install rather than having to download a full tools image to get access to just a few select tools
- All packages are compressed heavily. If you are talking about DVD components, I could try using Xslimmer but then that would remove languages as well (an inconvenience) and if I just set it to binary slimming mode there would hardly be a space savings :(

* I will put them into folders, thanks
* Will the -legacy option have any disadvantages for Intel users? And AMD users can always boot with -legacy when they want to correct? Is that necessary even when the DVD boots using the Vooodoo kernel? Sorry, I'm just unfamiliar with AMD stuff :P
* Not sure what the diff. is, included them there just for the heck of it. Try both packages and see which one works, tell me and I can do something

That should cover pretty much everything :) Here is the current list of changes for PPF3:

* ATI SB600/700 Support
* More support for ASRock DualVSTA series motherboards
* New AppleNForceATA (slashack)
* Rebuilt skge & AppleAzaliaAudio packages
* Atheros AR5007EG driver
* Marvell Yukon 88E8056/8053/8039 Drivers
* Intel 82566MM/DC driver
* eno's nForceLAN driver
* ALC268 driver by madtux
* ALC888 driver for ASRock DualVSTA boards
* NTFS 3-G + MacFUSE combo installer option
* NTFS-3G read/write built into iPC DVD Boot
* New Legacy GeForce package to support old GeForce cards w/ fix for System Preferences graphic glitch
* Broadcom BCM5789 driver
* Updated PowerManagement bundle (10.5.3)
* Sleep fix for GMAX3100 built into package
* Updated ATI Radeon X1950GT drivers by Bronya
* Updated Ralink RT2860 drivers
* Updated AppleDecrypt to stop "errors" and console overflow
* Completely redone drivers for all ATI Radeon HD series
* CarbonLib Fix option available
* PCGenRTL8139 Ethernet added
* New VoodooPower 1.2.1 (replacement for GenericIntelCPUPowerManagement)
* Driver package for GeForce 7600 AGP card
* ALC262 driver

Thanks naquaada :D

lj007 01-08-2009 07:17 AM

First off great release and I have had best success with your distro.

I do though have one problem. I have now tried, with the same successful iPC DVD, to install on a new drive and I keep getting the same error. I have selected the same packages as my previous successful install but constantly get "failed to load com.apple.driver.appleacpipci" on first boot. I install successfully each time with no errors from the DVD install log but on first boot get that error. Any suggestions?

pcwiz 01-08-2009 08:37 PM

Does this new hard drive have any difference with the one you used before? Also make sure your partition name has no spaces in it

lj007 01-08-2009 10:23 PM

its the same, brand and everything just a bit bigger.

i name my partition Leopard with no spaces or anything

pcwiz 01-09-2009 03:06 AM

I'm not sure. Its strange that that would happen. Are you sure the HD is partitioned right? GUID partition map?

lj007 01-09-2009 03:56 AM

yup i'm sure. its very strange. never gotten it before. it comes up in yellow font and then holds with some txt below it until it continues to "Still waiting for root device"

naquaada 01-09-2009 03:18 PM

@pcwiz:

Finder/Prefpane problem:

I replaced /System/Library/CoreServices/Finder.app and /System/Library/PreferencePanes/Keyboard.prefpane with the ones from iDeneb 10.5.5. Maybe the Finder 10.5.6 (from 10.5.5) should be available as additional installation.

Quicktime:


Which was an AMD problem on QT 7.5.5? I only had the problem that it was slow, but that was on 7.5.0 too. But I always used installers which were patched by Zephyrith's AMD Patcher 0.31. Anyway, if there are more known problems a downgrade to 7.4.5 is the best solution, it's most compatible and upgrading is always possible. I can upload it to rapidshare, also the X1600 drivers.

Installation:

Quote:

* Isn't that an issue with the retail DVD as well?
What do you mean? If this was ment to problems with installing the languages from image from a working system (no from booted DVD) this couldn't happen on a retail DVD because it won't install from a working system.

Readme inside installation: The most users skip pages with much information or license information. The most users want to go as quickly to the installation menu because they want to select their drivers because they want to finish the installation as fast as possible. But if they then have a question 'What does this do?' it would be easier to take a look in a guide which is on the same page. Imagine it like a comparison of an always visible PDF with bookmarks to a long scrolling text file in which has to be closed everytime before the next step you do - which is easier to use?

PS/2 drivers: I'll check this. I normally have PS/2 mouse and keyboard, but also combinations are working I think. Some users have problems with PS/2 keyboards if they have 'USB Legacy Support' in BIOS. May Asus A8N-SLI Premium doesn't has this problem, my Asus A8N-E FM/S has it.

3rd party software: I think totally different. A lot of users don't want to experiment or to patch, they want to use the computer (like a normal Mac). But if they want to try to watch an AVI video it isn't working, that's frustrating. That's why I recommend Perian, it combines all Codecs and it updates itself - so it's no problem if the prefpane on DVD is version 0.5 - you'll get always the actual version. But no OSx86 software has a software update. The only-using users don't need them, and the ones who are using this software have already have it. And, by the way, if the user knows how to download the image or an ppf file, he also could download a seperate image containing software. A link to the software image could be added in the archive of every new ppf image.

Xslimmer: You can disable language slimming and it still brings enough space - every MB counts. Especially large problems like Airport Utility, iChat, iTunes and so on save a lot after slimming. But - it always be a little possibility that the software isn't working after simming.

Legacy mode: It forces the Kernel to use 32bit mode. This wouldn't be problematic on AMD and Intel because there is very less 64bit software. I'm not sure if Voodoo 9.5.0 kernel uses 64bit mode by default on AMD, but if you run with -force64 it is in 64bit mode, but PowerPC programs won't work anymore.

Chameleon: If you want to make another partition bootable, just install it on the partition you want.

Did you have an answer to my question why the unnused default OS X graphic drivers are installed automatically? Would it be too difficult to remove them from the main OS X installer package?


Other things:

Maybe you could add a little installer with infos which are installed into the All Users/Documents folder. There could be some infos about useful Terminal tips, a collection with likes to useful software and web page links and so on. This wouldn't use much space on the DVD but is very informative.

Use verbose mode and legacy mode, maybe a memory reducing (-v -legacy maxsize=1024) as default on the DVD. This enhances the compatibility, espcially if some geeks have 8GB or so installed. Verbose mode: If the Apple logo is used it looks maybe more like a reatil disc, but it better to check information what is happeing. Beginners don't know how to use -v and I think a lot of users already had the problem that they missed to go into the boot menu.

You could make the 'System' folder on the installation DVD visible. Users have direct access to the installer package files this way.

Maybe update the iTunes installer with the actual version.

McMadd 01-09-2009 04:45 PM

Æ
 
@pcwizz & naquaada

About the 4GB supporting AppleNForceATA.
In the original iPC DVD, there was a choice of two AppleNForceATA versions, both from forcedeth, one labeled with "test" (IIRC)

Obviously I need the AppleNForceATA kext to get a booting installation.
I found that the first version does recognize my SATA DVD-rewriter but fails to load/mount any discs. The "test" version however, does not have this problem.

Since I have 4Gb in my machine I installed the "4GB supporting AppleNForceATA" (downloaded it myself via the InsanelyMac forum) which doesn't support my DVD. Now I know you are not developers of this driver but please make note of this and let the end-user have a choice, if possible.

I chose to have 4Gb support over a working DVD drive because I have an external USB DVD-writer, best of both worlds :).

FirstHackTosh 01-10-2009 12:42 AM

I'm not quite sure, but is there a RT2870 Ralink driver aswell?
If not -> PPF3, please :)