E6410 with nVidia NVS 3100M graphics - Mountain Lion Guide

[jebediah]

Hi everyone! Sorry to chime in while someone is obviously having a hard time following the guide (@tonfunk, try installing a different bootloader and adding the DSDT.aml line in the boot plist file as I suggest further below, you may get luckier), but I really wanted to say thanks to patel4prez who took the time to work his (and thus a lot of people's) way into Mountain Lion from a E6410 machine, and to share it here. I think it's always best to follow a tutorial that's specific to your own machine so the process of installing/maintenance is as user-friendly as possible. I had to skip Lion on my E6410 because I couldn't resolve CPU heat and recursive slowness issues, but with this guide and some of my own tweaks I managed to have a perfectly stable Mountain Lion now, just like I had with the latest Snow Leopard. My CPU temperature is stable at 55° when idle and doesn't go much above 75-80° under load. Fans keep quiet until you start browsing the web with lots of tabs open. Still, extreme load like video conversion is hardly possible but this has always been the case.

 

Note that these steps are to be taken IN ADDITION to the original guide, not as a replacement or anything. Also note that my E6410 has dedicated NVidia graphics, so it may happen that something doesn't happen as expected for someone with Intel graphics, but I'm sure it should suit everyone.

 

So I'd like to offer my contribution (hopefully, patel4prez will integrate it into his post so that people get a more stable version straight on). Especially as I discovered that some very small changes can make quite a big difference in terms of CPU management and overall stability.

 

Let me proceed to the steps I have personally adapted from beginning to end:

 

INSTALLATION

-If you purchased your E6410 with the optional bluetooth module, you want to turn it off before booting to the installer. Do so from the Wifi/BT switch to the right of the computer (shows a red mark when off). Unless you do so, the installer will not proceed before a wireless trackpad AND keyboard are connected (although the computer ones are responsive) and you will not be able to proceed to installation.

 

-After the installation has proceeded successfully and you clicked "Yes" three times to the myHack prompts at the end of the installer, you should reboot FROM THE USB, then select the newly installed partition. If you try booting without the USB, something will go wrong because the right bootloader has not yet been installed (at least from the guide's steps).

 

BOOTING

-I tried to install the provided chimera (chameleon, stolen and rebranded) (1.11.1), but it wouldn't let me boot Mountain Lion, for reasons that I figured were due to incompatibility between the two (but it may just be my system, since others reported success). Anyway, I thought the best was to go with the same bootloader as myHack was using in the USB installer, since it was capable to boot without error, which is Chameleon 2.1. I installed Chameleon-2.1svn-r2064 [enclosed to this post]

 

POSTINSTALL

-Now, if there is one thing you should change from the OP's guide, it's the use of NullCPUPowerManagement.kext. This kext is basically used to trick the Mac kernel into thinking it's got some kind of CPU management, while in effect it won't ('Null'). Typically it's used when Apple's proprietary CPU management kext is not compatible with a PC or when no better replacement can be found. However, this is absolutely not the case with the E6410. AppleIntelCPUPowerManagement.kext is perfectly able to handle the E6410's Core i5 processor, as long as you add the correct FakeSMC.kext + IntelCPUMonitor.kext plugins (the latter missing from the guide). To do so, browse to System/Library/Extensions and copy myHack.kext to your desktop. Right-click it, select Show Package Contents, and browse to Contents/Plugins. Remove FakeSMC and NullCPU. Launch KextWizard, go to the Install tab, check 'backup replaced kexts', and install the modified myHack.kext into the System/library/Extensions of your Mountain Lion partition. When done, make sure the Extra folder is now selected as the target install folder, and install the latest FakeSMC (I found the rev616 version) with its IntelCPUMonitor plugin (yes, it's called a plugin because FakeSMC has no use but to allow loading additional plugins like this one - please also note that FakeSMC can only work with plugins of the same revision version, this is why official releases always come as a full package, from which you pick the plugins you want to use). These 2 as well as the myHack.kext as I modified it are attached to this post. Finally, run a full Maintenance while in KextWizard. Doing so I was able to reduce fan noise dramatically, as well as CPU temperature from an average 75° down to 60°.

 

-I noticed there was no reference to the custom DSDT.aml file in the org.chameleon.Boot.plist boot sequence file (it's located in the Extra folder of the root partition). It is possible that the latest Chameleon automatically picks it up, but just to make sure, I added the following lines in the said plist file:

<key>DSDT</key>
<string>/Extra/DSDT.aml</string>

 

-Because the E6410 came in two different screen resolutions, 1400x900 or 1280x800, the plist file was not adapted to mine. Having the 1280x800 resolution, my screen would shut down completely just before reaching the Mac desktop (but the OS was operational!). Therefore I edited the same plist file to have the right specs as follows:

<string>1280x800x32</string>

 

-In fact, I also added some other lines form my stable Snow Leopard experience. I definitely recommend them all, but some of them must be customised according to your own system. Edit the line below DefaultPartition to your partition number, GraphicsMode to your screen resolution capability, and Timeout to your own preference. This is my complete org.chameleon.Boot.plist [also enclosed]:

 

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
<key>DSDT</key>
<string>/Extra/DSDT.aml</string>
<key>Default Partition</key>
<string>hd(0,3)</string>
<key>EHCIacquire</key>
<string>Yes</string>
<key>EthernetBuiltIn</key>
<string>Yes</string>
<key>GenerateCStates</key>
<string>Yes</string>
<key>GeneratePStates</key>
<string>Yes</string>
<key>Graphics Mode</key>
<string>1280x800x32</string>
<key>Boot Graphics</key>
<string>Yes</string>
<key>GraphicsEnabler</key>
<string>Yes</string>
<key>Kernel</key>
<string>mach_kernel</string>
<key>Kernel Flags</key>
<string></string>
<key>Timeout</key>
<string>1</string>
<key>UHCIreset</key>
<string>Yes</string>
<key>USBBusFix</key>
<string>Yes</string>
<key>UseKernelCache</key>
<string>Yes</string>
</dict>
</plist>

 

By the way, if you are keeping a Snow Leopard or other OSX partition on your system and have installed Chameleon 2.1 just like me, you may want to rename its com.apple.Boot.plist file (in Extra) to org.chameleon.Boot.plist, or I believe the newly installed Chameleon bootloader (and chimera (chameleon, stolen and rebranded)?) will not recognise it. Additionally, I have pasted the same file in Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration just to make sure it was taken into account, because I remember that in Lion the plist in Extra was skipped and only the one found in SystemConfiguration was used.

 

-Speaking about Snow Leopard, if you have trouble booting back into it, press Tab at the Chameleon bootloader, then type -v PCIRootUID=0 and hit Enter. This will allow booting again if the problem was that booting stopped without panic but stating 'still waiting for root device' after a very long wait.

 

MORE ERROR SOLVING

-Another important thing was that the ApplePS2Keyboard plugin found in VoodooPS2Controller (the kext used to allow trackpad/keyboard functionality) would go mad every now and then, throwing the same set of errors in the Console message and heating up CPU for nothing. The problem wouldn't go away even when deleting the ApplePS2Controller (in the guide's post-install kexts) from the S/L/E folder (it was a bit nonsense that it was there anyway as VoodooPS2Controller is doing the same job in place of it). I resolved this issue by deleting all VoodooPS2xxxxxx kexts found in Extra (also looked into S/L/E just in case) and installing AppleACPIPS2Nub + ApplePS2Controller from an older guide dedicated to Snow Leopard on E6410 (which have always been working for me) to the S/L/E folder [enclosed to this post].

 

-At some point I noticed 3 genuine kexts from S/L/E were misbehaving: AppleThunderboltNHI, AppleTyMCEDriver, and AppleUpstreamUserClient. I had to backup and delete them (you can also rename their .kext extension to something random). I can't recall if these are the kexts that were supposed to be removed by myHack, but maybe they were and they came back after the 10.8.2 update (very typical).

 

-Another annoyance I had was related to 'sandbox-cache.db' and 'lsboxd' errors which would cause CPU activity to rise suddenly and keeping up. If your E6410 keeps cool running Mountain Lion at this point, do not bother to do this, but if it doesn't and you noticed that kind of errors in the Console messages, then proceed as follow:

Backup all folders found in /var/folders

open Terminal and type these lines one by one (it will ask your admin password each time)

sudo mdutil -i off /
sudo mdutil -E /
sudo rm -Rf /var/folders/*

Then open the system.sb file found in System/Library/Sandbox/Profiles with TextEdit and locate the ";;; Allow IPC to standard system agents." section

Under that section, add the 2 following lines just above "(global-name “com.apple.xpcdâ€))":

(global-name "com.apple.ls.boxd")

(local-name "com.apple.ls.boxd")

Save and close TextEdit

Note that what you have entered in Terminal has temporarily deactivated Spotlight (which allows searching files from the magnifier in the menubar). If you want to reactivate it and allow it to reindex your files properly, type the following in Terminal (I didn't do it because I use another search method which is more CPU-efficient):

sudo mdutil -i on /

 

-There was also one time when Console was throwing huge lines of errors saying that none of all the kexts in S/L/E could be used in the kernel cache (kernel cache is periodically updated and is used to save all those core kexts so they are not loaded every time you boot). It was endlessly using all my CPU power and made my system unusable. My only resort was to boot to my backup Snow Leopard and run myFix from the myHack app. Do not forget to click 'Yes' to myHack's prompt to remove the 3 'usually problematic kexts', as I have found they are indeed problematic in addition to useless on the E6410.

 

I hope this is useful and will try to answer questions when necessary. But before asking any, make you sure you've followed the original guide and used some of these tweaks properly, or I may not be very knowledgeable of your problems.

 

I am very curious where/how patel4prez found/made his custom DSDT.aml. As opposed to mine, which was a tweaked version of the Snow Leopard guide found on InsanelyMac, it is able to do restart, which I had tried to tackle before but could never get functional. In addition, I tried to use my DSDT to boot Mountain Lion, and it wouldn't even shutdown correctly. DSDTs are still quite a mystery for me.

 

Now my sole issue is that after some hours of browsing in latest Safari with quite some tabs open, the SafariWebContent process starts to claim nearly 100% of CPU while it'd been on a reasonable amount all the time. It forces me to quit as the responsiveness is decreasing dramatically, then the system recovers in a minute or so. Haven't tried other browsers yet, but I made a switch from Firefox a long time ago because the latter was unstable and a resource-eater, so I picked Safari as the genuine OSX-bound browser. But now it's kinda failing me when I browse with it for too long, and only on Mountain Lion. Has anyone got a similar experience or some solution hints?

Alternative post-install kexts and Chameleon on 10.8.2.zip

[v3ct0r]

Hey jebediah,

 

Thank you very much for sharing that information! I will be honest in saying that I really didn't think to much about the CPU usage in Mountain Lion on are 6410s until I read it!

 

I have added a link to your post to the end of the guide for now, and hope to integrate it when I am able to find the time.

 

As for your questions asked at the end:

 

I made the DSDT by using DSDT Editor and a patch for the 6410 under Mountain Lion, after I got about 90% of the machine working. I too was surprised when shutdown and reboot worked! After I applied the patch, I didn't do any tweaking. I simply applied it and fixed any errors that occurred (I can't remember if there were any;

there may not have been)

 

Safari has never really been a problem for me, even when using it with lots of tabs open. I did notice the fans turn on when under that kind of load, but it never froze up or rendered the system useless for any period of time. I may not be the best person to respond to your question, however, because I mainly use Chrome

 

Once again, thank you very much!

[osxxlatti]

hi bro i got same model e6410, and got the lion 10.7.4 running perfect, but by following your guide after install finished it says ' install failed '

 

reboot anyway, by using -v model, the system stuck at ' pci configuration begin', replace with my 10.7.4 kext (applecpiplatform.kext, ioacpifamily.kext, iopcifamily.kext) but still failed, any idea ?

[v3ct0r]

hi bro i got same model e6410, and got the lion 10.7.4 running perfect, but by following your guide after install finished it says ' install failed '

 

reboot anyway, by using -v model, the system stuck at ' pci configuration begin', replace with my 10.7.4 kext (applecpiplatform.kext, ioacpifamily.kext, iopcifamily.kext) but still failed, any idea ?

 

Intel Graphics or NVIDIA Graphics?

 

Did you use the right E6410 ML zip file for your Mountain Lion version (ex. if you have the latest Mountain Lion installer (10.8.2) you have to use the latest E6410 ML.zip (E6410 ML 10.8.2.zip).

 

Also, make sure you boot from the USB drive after you install and then select your hard drive/partition from the USB Bootloader...

[jansenspencer]

Duplicate post in error - please have a look below. Thanks!

[jansenspencer]

Hi,

 

I've tried following the instructions given (to the letter) and I'm coming up with errors very near the end of the installer. The install log reports a "kextcache error 71" - I've typed out more detail below...

 

I'm new to hackintoshing, and the sheer amount of information out there is a little overwhelming. Googling the error hasn't really helped me to narrow it down, so I'll happily try whatever you suggest in this thread!

 

Extract from install log:

 

29 Oct 28 13:52:04 macbookpro-0026b9d6a123.local OSInstaller[310]: PackageKit: Install Failed: Error Domain=PKInstallErrorDomain Code=121 "An error occurred while updating system extension information." UserInfo=0x7ffa5b4bbe80 {NSUnderlyingError=0x7ffa5e852720 "The operation couldn't be completed. (kextcache error 71.)", NSLocalizedDescription=An error occurred while updating system extension information., arguments =(

 

29 Oct 28 13:52:04 macbookpro-0026b9d6a123.local OSInstaller[310]: Install failed: The Installer encountered an error that caused the installation to fail. Contact the software manufacturer for assistance

 

Thanks in advance

 

Edit: I know that the advice is often to boot chameleon from the USB installer, then select the HD. This gives an apple logo with a "no entry" sort of symbol through it after about 30 seconds. Booting verbose goes fine until:

 

No interval found for . Using 8000000

vendor:device: 0x8086:0x10ea.

AppleIntelE1000e(Info): changing MTU from 0 to 1500

AppleIntelE1000e(Info): AppleIntelE1000e:WOL = 2

Still waiting for root device

 

I also thought it might be useful to include spec details:

BIOS Version = A13

Memory Installed/Available = 8192MB / 8056MB

Processor = i5 M520 @ 2.4 GHz

HDD = Samsung 1TB

GPU= Intel GMA HD

Wi-Fi = Intel ???

[v3ct0r]

Hey jansenspencer,

 

Thank you very much for giving me the information you did. It definitely helps!

 

As for suggestions, I would try deleting (/moving to another location) all kext files beginning with AppleIntelHD from the USB installer in the \System\Library\Extensions directory.

 

Let me know if you need more help/a more detailed explanation.

[osxxlatti]

Intel Graphics or NVIDIA Graphics?

 

Did you use the right E6410 ML zip file for your Mountain Lion version (ex. if you have the latest Mountain Lion installer (10.8.2) you have to use the latest E6410 ML.zip (E6410 ML 10.8.2.zip).

 

Also, make sure you boot from the USB drive after you install and then select your hard drive/partition from the USB Bootloader...

 

the graphics is NV3100, anyway i got the Mountain lion installed finally ! perfect and looks more stable than lion.

 

i just install manually one by one for the kext, looks the voodoohda and touchpad (mine should be ALPS) kext not compatible with my E6410, so i used the old kext for touchpad (from lion), for voodoohda, just follow the FAQ to change deviceID&vendorID. now fully working....

 

Thanks for your great great help !

[v3ct0r]

the graphics is NV3100, anyway i got the Mountain lion installed finally ! perfect and looks more stable than lion.

 

i just install manually one by one for the kext, looks the voodoohda and touchpad (mine should be ALPS) kext not compatible with my E6410, so i used the old kext for touchpad (from lion), for voodoohda, just follow the FAQ to change deviceID&vendorID. now fully working....

 

Thanks for your great great help !

 

Great job!

 

Do you think you could upload your modified kext here for voodoohda in case others have the same issue?

[osxxlatti]

Great job!

 

Do you think you could upload your modified kext here for voodoohda in case others have the same issue?

 

Sure why not, but please noted to modify the info.plist for voodoohda kext by following this guide

http://olarila.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=454

 

one more thing is try to delete the row 'voodoohda/NodestoPatch' if you can not find your sound cards, as the picture shows

 

trackpad&voodoo.zip