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Dell E6420 - Install Help.


itsjamielike

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Hello, I am wondering if somebody could help me, I am new to the whole "Hackintosh" system having been a windows fan boy since the day I remember. I have worked In IT the last 9 years but had very limited interaction with OSX and Hackintosh (Managing to Hackintosh a Fuji laptop back in 2011 but not sure how I managed). 
I am running a Dell E6420. 
Intel I5 - 2520M 
10GB ram 
250GB Samsung SSD
Nvidia 4200M 
Alps touchpad 
Intel Wifi  ( I am aware I will need to change this) 
Intel Ethernet 82579
Unsure on Sound device (But it was working I believe with Voodoo)
I have tried to download a pre made distro that I got to boot up, and install on to my laptop. I found a similar Dell post online (Maybe for a E8420?) and downloaded their EFI files, I then just copied this to my usb stick and deleted the existing EFI folder. This got me to the set up my account screen when i realised my touchpad didn't work (Would scroll and click but not move) and then using a USB one I then realised that my keyboard (that was working on the install screen now doesn't work). 
I then reinstalled it but this time choosing customise and selecting some options for installed KEXTS and this then got my laptop to boot and get to the create account screen but this time I didnt have any network connection. 
Third time lucky.... Well I then installed again but selected the above and network adaptors (I tried the Nvidia options too but this didn't work) and then I was able to create an account, browse the internet and start playing about seeing what I could get to work. 

I then downloaded some Clover tool and I was trying to download some KEXTs for the touchpad and I was using a KEXT installer.. This then was my downfall after this I then (as I had flashbacks to years ago) when I realised I had then broken it... 
Eventually tried to reinstall but this time I was getting errors on install, I recreated the boot usb and still got errors, I then tried multiple boots and then I would just get a hang screen after loading "voodoobootps2?" or just kernel panic. 

When I was trying all this I had my laptop set to UEFI (I believe this was incorrect), and I could only boot my laptop when I had the USB still installed, I would boot and then select "run OSX" this would boot fine, but I could never get it to work fine. I then on multiple times tried to boot using non UEFI and Legacy but I would always get KP and never work, Only booting with UEFI was my best chance.  BIOS Settings had been coppied from dare I say.. a youtube video.. So they could be incorrect. 

I don't have access to a MAC, I do have a copy ready of HighSierra clean and my "tainted" pre edited version. I was installed the imaging to USB using Transmac. I was using CLOVER. 


 

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Afaik, you can't go beyond macOS Sierra 10.12 because High Sierra (and therefore Mojave) does not appear to support the nVidia NVS 4200M GPU any more. This being said, if you got some distro running on this E6420, you may now consider a full vanilla re-installation in order to get your laptop fully supported under macOS Sierra. It may not be the latest version but I'm sure it would meet all your possible requirements or desires. Or you may try to disable the nVidia GPU through DSDT/SSDT patching and run only on the integrated HD3000 iGPU, knowing that this will probably be a little glitchy at times, especially after repeated sleep & wake. Failing that, you'd have to get a different and more recent laptop...

 

Head over here for guidance:

 

 

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