What to do before installing?
 

Is there anything i need to do before installing iPC OSx86, do i need to install anything before so the boot 132 cd is recognised by pc's or do i need to install a partiotion using software that primes the partition so ipc can be installed?

You dont need to install anything. Just pop in the DVD into the DVD ROM drive and boot with -v(just in case you encounter any problems). When you get to the installer click on utilities>disk utility and that will open disk utility(built in disk partitioning software for OSX). When the application loads you will see all your hard drives on the left side of the application. Highlight the hard drive(or partition) in which you will install OSX and highlight the erase tab. Your "Volume Format" MUST be Mac OS Extended(Journaled). Below that you will need to name your OSX partition(ALL IN ONE WORD.NO SPACES). Click "Erase..." and wait for it to finish. Now you can exit Disk Utility by clicking Disk Utility>Quit Disk Utility at the top of the screen. That will bring the OSX installer. Go ahead and click "Continue", "Agree" to the license agreement. Select the hard drive or partition you created and hit "Continue." On the next step click on "Customize" and choose the drivers,patches, etc that match your hardware and click "Install." The installation takes about 20-30 minutes. If the installation fails it could be many reasons why it failed. You could have forgot to install something or you installed something you didnt need or maybe some of your hardware isnt supported.If the install is successful restart your computer and boot with -v(just incase you encounter a problem). If it freezes take picture of the last line that you see and post it here. HOPE THIS HELPS YOU
GOOD LUCK

One thing to keep in mind is that you may have to tweak your BIOS settings before even the installer will boot correctly. Post back here if you have any problems. Good luck!

when i put in the installation disk and reboot my pc, it always starts loading windows, i've been told to press the f8 key repeatedly while sytem is booting but this also has no effect.
why doesn't my pc recognise the disk? i have a dell studio 640/6161.

Lord_Jeremy is right when he says that you must check that your first boot device is your DVD drive. You most likely have your BIOS set to boot from your hard drive and that is why your computer ignores the installation DVD and boots into windows.
HOPE THIS HELPS
GOOD LUCK

ahh, that sounds right. how do i change my bio's on vista?

Vista or any OS has nothing to do with accessing your BIOS. When you press the power button(to turn on your machine) you will see the logo of the manufacture of the pc and it will have an option to enter BIOS. I access my BIOS by pressing F1 but that may not work for you because each computer is different. It if doesnt show you what button to press then you will have to read the manual that came with your computer.
HOPE THIS HELPS YOU
GOOD LUCK

I've changed my bios and now the cd-rom is my 1st boot priority. But i still can;t get past the darwins command line. What do i need to type into the commend line, can you give me a example and tell me what i need to find out about my sytem specs to modifty the right command line for my dell studio 640/6161.


This is as far as i can get, after i type -v into the command line and this picture appears it boots windows, do i need to modify a boot 132 disk with extra mkext..... This isn't my photo but it's almost indenticle, as it from a dell computer.

http://regmedia.co.uk/2008/10/16/maconpc01.jpg



these are my system specs.

intel (R) Core (TM) 2 Quad CPU Q8200 @ 2.33 GHz processor

-RAM: 4.00 GB DDR2 memory
-32 Bit Op System
-Intel R G45/G43 Express Chipset
-Bios Type: AMI
-Disk Drives: ST3500620AS
-Network adaptor: RealTek RTL 8168C(P)18111
-Graphics Description: Intel GMA X4500
-500gb sata har drive

I strongly suggest posting a picture of your computer. Its best if we can see your particular case.

k, i will soon, i've got a feeling that my gma x4500 graphics card is not supported & i'm upgrading to a nvidia 8600 card soon, so if i still have problems i'll take some photos.