Unsupported D430 Mountain Lion Install

[AutoTech67]

Hello all,

 Long time lurker, first time poster. I'm usually able to find what I'm looking for with a good ole' search, but have been unable to in this particular instance. I am trying to install Mountain Lion 10.8.4 on a Dell D430 1.33ghz cpu 2 gigs of ram, and Intel graphics. I can initially install it successfully using the "extra" bundle only from this thread https://osxlatitude.com/index.php?/topic/2467-installing-ml-on-d430-gma950-with-full-qeci/. Then to get qeci, I create another usb and place the Mountain Lion app and postfactor in the applications folder of the current installation. After that, I create an "extra" folder in the usb and add the proper files from the original "extra" folder from the link. I then run postfactor and rebbot. At start up, chameleon is interuppted, I choose the usb and type in the following word for word: DSDT=/Extra/<dsdt filename> arch=i386 -f. It begins to boot then the screen dims and then goes black. Nothing else happens. I've also tried the following word for word: DSDT=/Extra/<dsdt table> arch=i386 -f, and it does the same thing. I've searched through the link to the other website, but it is 140 pages long, and I have not been able to find what I'm looking for. Any help that anyone can provide who has had success with this procedure would be greatly appreciated.

[Hervé]

[...]

to get qeci, I create another usb and place the Mountain Lion app and postfactor in the applications folder of the current installation. After that, I create an "extra" folder in the usb and add the proper files from the original "extra" folder from the link. I then run postfactor and rebbot.

[...]

It would seem you're not strictly following the process described in the guide, namely steps 2 and 3 of Phase 2. Order and precision of things really are of outmost importance:

1. [...]
2. copy your ML installer app to Applications folder and make a new MLPF v0.3 installer USB key/disc/HDD partition (make sure you select the ML version of your ML installer app - ML 10.8.0 in my case but use 10.8.1/.2/.3 according to your own situation).
3. create Extra folder at root of your freshly made MLPF v0.3 installer and copy DSDT table + Chameleon boot plist + SMBIOS plist in the folder (from bootpack provided above or your current 10.8.x installation).
4. [...]

 

"copy your ML installer app to Applications folder"

-> do that from the initial ML installation you've booted after Phase 1. Copy the files to the Applications folder of that initial ML installation.

"make a new MLPF v0.3 installer USB key/disc/HDD partition"

-> simply run the MLPF app and follow the process described by the author to get an MLPF v0.3 installer on your USB key or dedicated HDD partition. You will select 10.8.0/.1/.2/.3/.4 according to the ML installation app you possess and just installed; if 10.8.5, select 10.8.4.

[AutoTech67]

Thanks for tips. Tried it again a couple of times and got the same results. This is what worked for me; updated myhack to the most current version (3.3.1), followed the instructions per the link above but had to type dsdt=/extra/<dsdt filename> arch=i386 -f (all lower case), for it to boot the mlpostfactor usb. After that, the system began operating the way it was supposed to. Then to be bold, I decided to try to upgrade to 10.8.5, as I have a copy of the 10.8.5 app. It didn't work and reverted back to 10.8.4, but that's ok. I noticed in the picture in your original link that you have the speedstep meter showing in your menu bar. How were you able to get it to work? I tried doing a few different builds, but can't get it to show up.   

[Hervé]

That was the PState/emulated SpeedStep provided by EDP when doing the System Build. That is somehow obsolete now.

 

Look at the article about "Performance Tuning with FakeSMC..." in the Articles section of the web site for native SpeedStep. There's also a thread in R&D->Other Research section of the forum.