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Macs.
Why Hackintoshing?
Even if youre concerned with the OS only, you still need to spend a lot.
But getting a Mac isnt as easy as it sounds.
The easy answer would be NO.
The difficult answer is YES, with a couple of modifications.
Apple is also shipping Lion on USB thumb drives, but installation from a USB isn’t much different.
This article covers all the basic concepts you better know to make it understand hackintoshing.
However, one thing is worth mentioning here.
It is more of a hobby and a fun project now, rather than a serious business.
So remember, Hackintosh isNOTa replacement for a real Mac.
It all started when Apple announced its support for Intel based processors.
You just need to boot from the disc, spin up the setup, and voila.
Several distributions (distros) of these patched versions are still available over the web.
But Since Mac OS X is licensed software, this method was soon realized to be illegitimate.
If youre able to download the Mac operating system for free, it clearly counts as piracy.
So we wont be talking about that.
Heres what we are going to do.
But it is better than the other pirated, illegitimate methods.
And this is called theTonyMacX86method.
You cant just go ahead and build a PC and start the process.
you should probably do some research first.
Some hardware components will work with OS X natively, and some wont.
You need a computer with the parts most compatible with Mac OS X.
The question is, What’s compatible, and what isn’t.
And a graphics card which istested to be working perfectly.
It is generally recommended (and better) to install OS X on a separate hard drive.
This makes dual-booting much easier.
So now you know something regarding whats compatible and whats not.
But heres a word of caution.
And once you upgrade to Lion, youll probably face these problems again.
This is normal, and will be tackled easily once you get to know the basics.
Once youve got your hardware selected, you better know how the process works.
You cant just go on, following each step and installing.
You should know how to get out of a problem that might arise when youre following the procedure.
If you need help, go ahead, and post it on thetonymacx86 forums.
The method we are going to use is callediBoot+MultiBeast.
So go ahead, and check it out as well.
iBoot is a small utility that gets your setup ready to accept the Mac OS X install disc.
This will be installed using MultiBeast.
This is because the OS is unable to find proper kexts for these devices.
MultiBeast allows you to load the kexts required for display, audio, ethernet, etc.
To get rid of that, MultiBeast is used.
It puts a bootloader in your OS X hard drive, which has the same functionality as iBoot.
Hence, you wont need iBoot anymore.
MultiBeast is also available from downloads section of tonymacx86 website.
Kext:In simple words, kext is to a Mac what a driver is to Windows.
It is required for ensuring full functionality of your onboard devices and peripherals.
Kexts can be installed manually, and several important kexts can be found in MultiBeast as well.
You just need to know which ones you better use.
And youll get to know about that in the next part of this guide.
In this way, you probably wont need to install kexts for each of them.
Also, the presence of a DSDT solves problems related to Sleep, Shutdown, Startup, etc.
Thats why it was mentioned in the hardware section to get a motherboard whose DSDT is available.
That makes things a lot easier.
Otherwise, you would have to look for proper kexts and install them manually.
More detailed information about these and several other less used terms can be foundhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I find a database of confirmed compatible hardware?
Be sure to have a look atGuides for Snow LeopardandGuides for Lion.
Remember the logic: A build that can run Lion is surely capable of running Snow Leopard.
Is my hardware compatible?
see to it you know what hardware you have.
If you dont know, use a utility likeCPU-ZorSpeccyto find out what hardware you have in your PC.
You will find out soon if it is compatible or not.
I have an AMD processor, will I be able to use tonymacx86 method?
Nope.Apple ONLY supports Intel based processors, so does this method.
In Part 3, we will venture to upgrade it to the latest version, i.e.
Mac OS X Lion, and try out basic dual-booting as well.
Title image modified from “Computer” image, viaWikimedia Commons.
“Customac” image courtesy oftonymacx86.
