NetbookInstaller 2: USB Mac Installation via Any Operating System
Obviously not everyone has easy access to a Mac. In fact, for many people an OS X-enhanced netbook will be their first experience with Mac OS. It only makes sense then that there be a way for these folks to install Mac OS X just like the rest of us, no matter what operating system they are using.Okay, so technically not just any operating system, but odds are you are running a modern version of either Windows or Linux, or even Mac OS X Tiger on your main computer. (NetbookBootMaker won't work with Tiger, thus why the typical method isn't an option.) If for some reason you can't use an external DVD drive then this is the guide for you. Please read the appropriate section only, each OS has specific requirements.
About the alternate Windows methods: Some have had better luck with the older versions of this guide, so these are the two most popular versions. If you can't get the primary method to work, try one or both of the alternates.
As a caution, the dd tool used in this guide, if used incorrectly, can cause serious data loss. You have been warned. Windows
Minimum Requirements
- PC with Windows XP, Vista, or 7 and a DVD drive.
- Retail Mac OS X Leopard or Snow Leopard Install DVD, any version (What is Retail?)
- Small USB Drive 64 MB or greater (HDD, SSD, flash, etc.) for the bootloader.
If using a Dell Mini 10v, an SD card will work great, the internal card reader acts like a USB device. (Sorry Mini 9 owners!) - Large USB Drive for Mac OS X Installer: 16 GB or greater.
I highly recommend the Sandisk Cruzer Micro series drives, just make sure to remove the U3 software first! - 8 GB (10.5 Leopard) or 16 GB (10.6 Snow Leopard) HDD/SSD or larger, Intel GMA graphics (950 or 500) and Intel Atom processor.
- RAM: 512 MB (10.5 Leopard) or 1 GB (10.6 Snow Leopard) or greater.
- Software:
- NBI_083F dd Image
- Image Writer for Windows
- CD/DVD ISO creation utility. I highly recommend InfraRecorder (also available in a handy portable version)
- Mac OS X Updates:
- 10.5.8 Combo Update (Leopard)
- 10.6.2 Combo Update (Snow Leopard) - This is probably optional, check the Update section.
Pre-Install Checklist
- Meet Minimum Requirements (above), the specifics DO matter.
- Download and unzip/decompress (when applicable) all listed software.
- If this is your first time installing, boot into default operating system on your netbook and check that all hardware, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and camera are functional and turned on (if present).
- Check your BIOS settings. (more info)
On Windows
- Unzip Image Writer to any folder on your computer. (Make sure to extract all the files in the ZIP file.)
- Connect the two USB drives to your PC and insert the Mac OS X Install DVD.
- Open your favorite CD/DVD recording program, and make a complete copy of the Mac OS X Install DVD to an ISO file. Save the ISO file to the C: drive as macdvd.iso.
Make absolutely certain that it copies the entire DVD, not just the 510MB or 1GB Windows part. The resulting file should be somewhere close to 7 GB. - Go to the C: drive (viewing as a folder) and select Tools > Folder Options… > View and make sure to uncheck the box that says "Hide extensions for know file types" (when this step is done you can go back and reenable this feature if you do not like the file extensions appearing after file names.) Press OK, then rename the macdvd.iso file to macdvd.img. If you get asked about if you are sure you want to change it, press Yes.
- Open My Computer (or just Computer) and write down the drive letters for each respective USB drive.
- Open the Image Writer program (it's called Win32DiskImager in the folder you extracted).
- The small USB drive is first. Select the correct drive letter under Device, slect the NBI_083F image under Image File, press Write and then Yes. The Progress indicator will help you know when it is finished.
- Now select the large USB drive number, and select the macdvd.img file. Press Write and then Yes; this one will take a bit longer so wait for the progress indicator to finish..
- When it is done, close Image Writer and remove the USB drives. Eject the DVD and put it away.
Continue on with "Installation"
These alternate methods for Windows were actually older versions of the guide. Since there isn't one single way that works for everyone, these have been included in case the primary Windows method doesn't work.
Windows Alternate 1 Software needed for this alternate guide: dd for Windows
- Copy the dd.exe file (it's in the zip file you downloaded) and the NBI_083F image file to the C:\ drive (not a subdirectory/folder.)
- Connect the two USB drives to your PC and insert the Mac OS X Install DVD.
- Open My Computer (or just Computer) and write down the drive letters for each respective USB drive.
- Open your favorite CD/DVD recording program, and make a complete copy of the Mac OS X Install DVD to an ISO file. Save the ISO file to the C: drive as macdvd.iso.
Make absolutely certain that it copies the entire DVD, not just the 510 MB Windows part. The resulting file should be somewhere close to 7 GB. - Open a Command Prompt. You can either use the Run command or the Search box on Vista/7 and type "cmd". (On Vista/7 you will need to right click the search result and press "Run as Administrator". This may or may not bring up a confirmation box.)
- Type "cd.." and press Enter until only C:\> appears.
- Once navigated to the C:\ folder, type "dd --list". This will bring up a long list of drive information.
- Starting at the top of the list (you'll probably need to scroll up) find the section that is associated with your USB drives. It will look similar to:
\\.\Volume{96650542-b9ef-11de-8e5d-0022e88c179a}\
link to \\?\Device\HardDiskVolume3
fixed media
mounted on \\.\g:
You want the one with the same drive letter at the end as the drive you are trying to image (your numbers will be different, obviously.) - Type "dd bs=1M if=C:\NBI_083F.img of=\\.\Volume{number-of-the-small-drive}". (In my example this would be "dd bs=1M if=C:\NBI_083F.img of=\\.\Volume{96650542-b9ef-11de-8e5d-0022e88c179a}".)
Make sure you have the correct volume number, I'd hate for you to mess up your hard drive. - Wait until the command prompt is accessible again, it can take a few minutes. Now type "dd bs=1M if=C:\macdvd.iso of=\\.\Volume{number-of-the-large-drive}"
This can take a while, maybe an hour or more. Wait until the command prompt is accessible again. - When finished, close the Command Prompt and safely remove the USB drives.
Windows Alternate 2 Software needed for this alternate guide: dd for Windows
- Copy the dd.exe file (it's in the zip file you downloaded) and the NBI_083F image file to the C:\ drive (not a subdirectory/folder.)
- Connect the two USB drives to your PC and insert the Mac OS X Install DVD.
- Open your favorite CD/DVD recording program, and make a complete copy of the Mac OS X Install DVD to an ISO file. Save the ISO file to the C: drive as macdvd.iso.
Make absolutely certain that it copies the entire DVD, not just the 510 MB Windows part. The resulting file should be somewhere close to 7 GB. - Right click on the My Computer (or just Computer) icon in your Start menu and select Manage. (Vista/7 may bring up a warning, click Continue.)
The Start Menu in XP. Right click on My Computer and select Manage. (Click for larger image.) - Click on Disk Management.
- In the bottom right pane, find the two USB drives and record their disk numbers (write down what number goes to which drive!). Close the Computer Management window.
Disk 1 and Disk two are my large and smll USB drives, respectively. (Click for larger image.) - Open a Command Prompt. You can either use the Run command or the Search box on Vista/7 and type "cmd". (On Vista/7 you will need to right click the search result and press "Run as Administrator". This may or may not bring up a confirmation box.)
- Type "cd.." and press Enter until only C:\> appears. Once navigated to the C:\ folder, type "dd bs=1M if=C:\NBI_083F.img of=\\?\Device\Harddisk#\Partition0" where # is the number of your small USB drive. (If I were following my example screenshot, my command would would be "dd bs=1M if=C:\NBI_083F.img of=\\?\Device\Harddisk2\Partition0".)
Make sure you have the correct volume number, I'd hate for you to mess up your hard drive. - Wait until the command prompt is accessible again, it can take a few minutes. Now type "dd bs=1M if=C:\macdvd.iso of=\\?\Device\Harddisk#\Partition0" where # is the number of the large USB drive. (If I were following my example screenshot, my command would would be "dd bs=1M if=C:\macdvd.iso of=\\?\Device\Harddisk1\Partition0".)
This can take a while, maybe an hour or more. Wait until the command prompt is accessible again. - When finished, close the Command Prompt and safely remove the USB drives.
Linux
Minimum Requirements
- Computer running a modern Linux distribution, either installed or on a Live CD/USB. Recommendations: Ubuntu, Knoppix, DSL
A DVD drive is also needed. - Retail Mac OS X Leopard or Snow Leopard Install DVD, any version (What is Retail?)
- Small USB Drive 64 MB or greater (HDD, SSD, flash, etc.) for the bootloader.
- Large USB Drive for Mac OS X Installer: 16GB
- 8 GB (10.5 Leopard) or 16 GB (10.6 Snow Leopard) HDD/SSD or larger, Intel GMA graphics (950 or 500) and Intel Atom processor.
- RAM: 512 MB (10.5 Leopard) or 1 GB (10.6 Snow Leopard) or greater.
- Software:
- Mac OS X Updates:
- 10.5.8 Combo Update (Leopard)
- 10.6.2 Combo Update (Snow Leopard) - This is probably optional, check the Update section.
Pre-Install Checklist
- Meet Minimum Requirements (above), the specifics DO matter.
- Download and unzip/decompress (when applicable) all listed software.
- If this is your first time installing, boot into default operating system on your netbook and check that all hardware, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and camera are functional and turned on (if present).
- Check your BIOS settings. (more info)
On Linux
- Connect the two USB drives and insert the Mac OS X Install DVD.
- Open a Console or Terminal window. Copy the DVD to your larger USB drive with the following command: dd bs=2048 if=/dev/hdc of=/dev/<large USB drive identifier>
You may need to type "sudo" before that command if you receive an error.
(Some Linux distributions have the identifier listed in parenthesis next to the drive icon on the desktop. Others like Ubuntu have an app called Disk Utility which can give you details about specific drives. Typically it is sda or sdb.)
Alternatively, you can create an ISO image of the DVD first and then copy it to the USB drive.
As shown in Ubuntu 9.10, the Disk Utility application can show you what your USB drives "Disk Identifier" is. In this example, the large USB drive is /dev/sda. (CLick for larger image.)
As shown in Ubuntu 9.10, open the Terminal and copy the DVD to your larger USB drive. My large drive was /dev/sda. (Click for larger image.) - Wait until the Console or Terminal is accessible again (anywhere between 30 minutes to two hours.)
- Enter this command: dd bs=1M if=<whatever folder(s) you put the file in>/NBI_083F.img of=/dev/<small USB drive identifier>
You may need to type "sudo" before that command if you receive an error.
As shown in Ubuntu 9.10, use the Terminal again copy the image to your small USB drive. I had copied the NBI_083RC3 image (older version of the file, use the newer NBI_083F image as listed in the requirements) to the desktop, and my small drive was /dev/sdb. (Click for larger image.) - When the prompt is accessible again, close the window and safely remove the USB drives.
Mac OS X Tiger
Minimum Requirements
- Intel or PPC Mac running OS X 10.4 Tiger (if you have Leopard or Snow Leopard, use the NetbookInstaller 1 guide.)
- Retail Mac OS X Leopard or Snow Leopard Install DVD, any version (What is Retail?)
- Small USB Drive 64 MB or greater (HDD, SSD, flash, etc.) for the bootloader.
- Large USB Drive 16 GB or greater (HDD, SSD, flash, etc.)
- 8 GB (10.5 Leopard) or 16 GB (10.6 Snow Leopard) HDD/SSD or larger, Intel GMA graphics (950 or 500) and Intel Atom processor.
- RAM: 512 MB (10.5 Leopard) or 1 GB (10.6 Snow Leopard) or greater.
- Software:
- Mac OS X Updates:
- 10.5.8 Combo Update (Leopard)
- 10.6.2 Combo Update (Snow Leopard) - This is probably optional, check the Update section.
Pre-Install Checklist
- Meet Minimum Requirements (above), the specifics DO matter.
- Download and unzip/decompress (when applicable) all listed software.
- If this is your first time installing, boot into default operating system on your netbook and check that all hardware, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and camera are functional and turned on (if present).
- Check your BIOS settings. (more info)
On Tiger
- Insert the Mac OS X Install DVD and USB drive.
- Open Disk Utility (Applications/Utilities).
- Click on USB drive icon that states the capacity of the drive (i.e. 7.1 Gb, 7.6 GB, etc.).
- Open the Partition tab.
- Set:
- Volume Scheme: 1 Partition
- Name: OSXDVD
- Format: Mac OS Extended
- Options...: Master Boot Record, then click OK.
- Click Apply.
- Click Partition.
- When Partition is finished, open the Restore tab.
- Drag "Mac OS X Install DVD" from the left pane into the Source field in the right pane.
- Drag OSXDVD from the left pane into the Destination field in the right pane.
- Click Restore, then click Restore in the popup window.
- Enter your password, and then wait anywhere between 25 minutes to 2 hours for it to finish.
- When restoration is finished, select the smaller USB drive (the one that will get the bootloader.)
- Right click (or Ctrl+Click) the name of the USB drive, and select Unmount.
- Right click the disk icon and select Information. Write down the Disk Identifier (it looks like "disk1") and then close Disk Utility.
- Copy the NBI_083F image file to your personal directory (the one that shows your user name.)
- Open the Terminal.
- Type the following command (without quotes): "sudo dd bs=1m if=NBI_083F.img of=/dev/rdisk#"
(The last part is the Disk Identifier you recorded earlier, if there was a s# at the end of the Identifier leave that part out.)
(*If you have your Terminal set to default to a different directory than your personal directory, you should use the "cd" command to navigate to the proper folder first.) - Press Enter, type your password, and press Enter again. Wait until the command prompt returns, then close Terminal.
- Eject the USB drives and DVD, then disconnect the drives from the Mac.
Installation
On the Netbook
- With the netbook off, insert the smaller USB drive into the USB port closest to the power connector and then attach the larger USB drive (do it in this order.)
- Turn the netbook on. Press the one-time boot key before the manufacturer logo disappears. This key is "0" (zero) on a Dell Mini 9, "F12" on a Dell Mini 10v. (more info)
- A grey screen with your internal drive and USB drives will appear. Select the Mac OS X Install DVD icon and press Enter.
Windows users: Having problems getting it to boot? Try one of the alternate methods above first. - The Apple logo, then a spinning wheel, will appear. (If the spinning wheel does not appear after two minutes, try power cycling the netbook and booting again. Otherwise, check the Troubleshooting guide.)
- Once loaded, select your language and press Continue. (Press Enter on your keyboard if you can't see the Continue button.)
- Press Continue on the Welcome screen, then press Agree on the next screen.
- Go to Menu Bar>Utilities>Disk Utility....
- Select the icon for the internal drive.
- Go to the Partition tab. Configure:
- Volume Scheme: 1 Partition
- Name: <Any name without a space in it.>
- Format: Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
- Options...: GUID Partition Table, press OK.
- Press Apply, then Partition. When it is finished, close Disk Utility.
- Select your newly-formatted drive as the installation destination. (On 10.5 Leopard, you need to press Continue to get to the next screen.)
- Press the Customize button, deselect any feature(s) you do not need:
- Additional Fonts - These are only needed for specific languages with special characters.
- Language Translations - These are to translate the OS into different languages.
- Printer Drivers (Printer Support on 10.6) - Usually you can find an updated driver for your printer on the Internet, but this can be helpful if you use multiple printers besides your own.
- X11 - You need this if you are going to use GIMP or CrossOver.
- Rosetta (10.6-only) - Rosetta allows you to run applications that were only designed to work on PowerPC-baed Macs (pre-10.4), it's small so it won't hurt to install just in case.
- QuickTime 7 (10.6-only) - Useful if you need to watch QuickTime movies that are encoded in older formats.
- Press Done (10.5) or OK (10.6), then press Install. Installation can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours depending on the condition of the DVD disc, speed of the DVD drive and the amount of items you selected.
- Installation will probably get to the end and report that it has failed (although sometimes it says it is successful, your results may vary.) Again, this is normal, just press Restart.
First Boot and NetbookInstaller
- Since there is no bootloader currently on the HDD/SSD, we need to boot back into the small flash drive, following the same steps as before. This time highlight the HDD/SSD that you just installed Mac OS X to and press Enter.
- The Apple logo, then a spinning wheel, will appear. (If the spinning wheel does not appear after two minutes, try power cycling the netbook and booting again. Otherwise, check the Troubleshooting guide.)
- The first-time setup video should play, this lasts about a minute. An account creation process should begin shortly thereafter. Fill in any information you want (you don't need to register) to complete the setup.
(If instead you get an error message that says, "The Mac OS X Setup Assistant cannot be used with this monitor," you can still setup your account in System Preferences afterward. This usually happens on netbooks with resolutions less than 1024x600.) - Once you get to the Finder Desktop, you should double-click the NBI_083F icon and "unzip" the NetbookInstaller 0.8.3 application and open it. If a warning prompt shows up asking, "Are you sure you want to open it?" click Open. Select the following options:
- Volume: <your internal drive>
- Install Chameleon 2 NBI bootloader
- Install <your model name> Extensions
- Generate a system specific DSDT.aml file
- <Any other options you would like, the above are necessary.>
- Press Install, enter your password and press OK.
- When installation is complete, close NetbookInstaller and any other programs you may have open and save all work (if necessary).
- Install the OS Update:
- 10.5 Leopard: You need to open the 10.5.8 Combo Update package from a USB drive or downloaded it directly to your netbook, DO NOT use Software Update.
- Press Continue three times, and then press Agree.
- Press Install, enter your password, and then press "Continue Installion.
- 10.6 Snow Leopard: Try using Software Update (accessible from the Apple icon in the Menu Bar) first to update to 10.6.2. If that does not work correctly you should use the 10.6.2 Combo Update linked at the top of the guide.
- Press any agree button and Install buttons necessary. You will probably be warned that a Restart is necessary, that is just fine.
- You should now let your netbook startup from the internal HDD/SSD. Leopard only: At the grey screen with the progress bar, press any key before the progress bar runs out. Type "-x" so that is looks like "boot: -x" in the bottom-left corner. If successful, it should boot into Mac OS X Safe Mode. Enter your password to login. Do not do this for 10.6 Snow Leopard.
Getting a mach_kernel error after restart? - Run NetbookInstaller 0.8.3 again with the same settings:
- Volume: <your internal drive>
- Install Chameleon 2 NBI bootloader
- Install <your model name> Extensions
- Regenerate a system specific DSDT.aml file
- <Any other options you would like, the above are necessary.>
- Press Install, enter your password and press OK.
- When installation is complete, press OK and restart your computer.
News about NetbookInstaller can be found on Meklort's Blog and on the NetbookInstaller Google Code page. Please check the MyDellMini forum (or a similar site for non-Dell netbooks) for more information on drivers and troubleshooting.
Make sure to check the Tips section for more post-install or troubleshooting help.
mechdrew NetbookInstaller 2 Version 1.15
