Hervé

Hi, Some time ago Ptesone had mentioned: 1) the 32/64bit kernel activation commands 'sudo systemsetup -setkernelbootarchitecture i386' versus 'sudo systemsetup -setkernelbootarchitecture x86_64' 2) consequential modification of the /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.Boot.plist file 'Kernel Architecture' 'i386' versus 'Kernel Architecture' 'x86_64' I was wondering how that interacts or interferes with the chameleon.Boot.plist 32-bit (i386) flag? I've done a few tests to check things out and obtained different results depending on the Mac OS X versions. 1) D630 X3100 with Lion 10.7.4 (EDP 3 v409) System will boot fully functional, whether the Chameleon 32-bit flag is set or not ("32-bit (i386)" check box of /Extra/org.chameleon.boot.plist when opened with Chameleon wizard). Interestingly enough, the /L/P/S com.apple.Boot.plist file was found containing not only the 'Kernel Architecture' field, but also a 'Kernel Flags' field (found set at "arch=i386") and a whole set of other stuff looking like the actual Chameleon settings. What I've noticed is that, whatever the Kernel Architecture value (i386 or x86_64), the system will boot fully functional when the 'Kernel Flags' field of the file is kept to "arch=i386". However, if I changed this to "arch=x86_64", the system boots with graphics defaulting to 1024x768, no iStat, no keyboard, etc. 2) D620 nVidia 110M with SL 10.6.8 (EDP 3 v383) Again, the system will boot fully functional whether the Chameleon 32-bit flag is set or not. I found the /L/P/S com.apple.Boot.plist file of that system with an empty "Kernel Flags" field (i.e. empty string). In that condition: a. if Chameleon Boot plist 32bit flag is set, the system will boot fully functional whatever the value "Kernel architecture" in L/P/S com.apple.Boot.plist file b. if Chameleon Boot plist 32bit flag is unset, the system will not complete its boot when the value "Kernel architecture" in L/P/S com.apple.Boot.plist file is set to "arch=x86_64". System only completes its boot if the flag 'arch=i386' is manually entered at bootloader initial stage, i.e. 64bit mode does not appear viable... Conclusion: i. it seems that the "Kernel Flags" field of the /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.Boot.plist overwrites any Chameleon 32-bit flag setting/unsetting. ii. does the "Kernel Architecture" field really serve a purpose? iii. is there any interop between the "Kernel Flags" and "Kernel Architecture" flags of /L/P/S boot plist?

Hi, 1) I've had no problem with Sleep per sé on my D620 (see specs in signature). When I run EDP (you should install the latest EDP 3 available), I do not proceed with the pre-defined values but with my own and install the NullCPUManagement + SleepEnabler + Simulated SpeedStep, followed by the hibernation fix + touch S/L/E fix. After that, I can close the lid of press Fn-Esc to put the D620 to sleep and press On-Off button or open the lid to wake it. No need to configure the BIOS system password like that appeared necessary on other laptops like the D4x0 to avoid KP at wake-up. The only issue that subsist and that I have not fixed yet, is the screen switch-off (I see this called the 'black screen' issue). I don't know if this is configured somewhere, but after some period of idle time, the screen will go off black and when I press a key or move the mouse, it sorts of switches back on but stays dark grey. I've tried to modify the EnergySaving settings in 'Preferences' but it made no difference. I can't see anything in the BIOs for that either. The only way to get my screen back again is to put the D620 to sleep and wake it. Everything then works Ok. Could you give us your exact D620 specifications, especially the graphics?

Yes, after upgrading to a subsequent release, the error did not repeat. Probably a one-off.

Well, I've had those Wireless gremlins on my D620 today at my Dad's. If I moved more than 5m away from his Wireless router to a room separated by a thick stone wall, I couldn't connect to his network at all. Sometimes, the network was not listed, sometimes it was listed but I couldn't connect. When I moved within 5m of the router, I could connect. I didn't have that problem with the D630, I could always connect. What difference between the two? -> D630 has Broadcom/Dell 1390 card, reported capabilities 802.11b/g -> D620 has Broadcom/Dell 1490 card, reported capabilities 802.11a/b/g Sitting side by side at approximately 3m of the router, the Dell 1390 card reports 54Mbps, whilst the Dell 1490 reports 18Mbps. Obviously the 1490, being 802.11a capable, is more sensitive to signal disturbance and performing much less than the 1390. I'll have to swap them to verify if indeed it's a card issue and eventually get rid of the 1490 for a 1390. I would suggest you get real close to your Wireless router to check things out.

'appears I had no 'org.chameleon.Boot.plist', no 'smbios.plist' and no 'dsdt.aml' files under /Extra! On copying the plist files + DSDT table from the USB installation key, I'm back in business. Could there be something within the latest EDP that causes this problem?

Here it is: I had just installed Lion 10.7.2 successfully through the recommended method, i.e. myHack 3.1 (the latest version). To avoid any confusion, please note the following: 1) after Lion 10.7.2 installation, the USB HDD was not bootable -> complained about GPT error as if Chameleon did not properly install. 2) I rebooted onto internal SATA HDD with SL and installed Chameleon on the USB HDD 3) I then rebooted onto the USB HDD and completed the Lion 1st boot settings 4) Having completed those settings, I proceeded with EDP 3.1 v366 installation (installed pre-defined values for kexts) 5) On reboot, got above KP Interestingly enough, if I boot via internal SATA HDD Chameleon, I can boot Lion! ???

Hi guys, I see there's lots going on with EDP 3.1 updates. I was starting afresh with Lion on an external disk for my D620 (C2D with nVidia 1440x900) and noticed EDP 3.1 is now up to v366. However, having installed that version on a brand new 10.7.2 installation, I get KP at restart, no matter what I try. Looks like severe regression here...

Correct! -> http://ark.intel.com/products/27233/Intel-Core-Duo-Processor-T2300-(2M-Cache-1_66-GHz-667-MHz-FSB) So you're limited to Snow Leopard with that CPU. Lion needs Core 2 Duo minimum.

Hi, That part of myHack refers to what is called "Bootpack" here, i.e. drivers & technical specification files specific to the model you're installing Mac OS X onto. Clever people of OSXL have created these bootpacks by collecting all the necessary kexts and technical information for our laptops. In your case, you have a D430 and you should therefore download the specific bootpack for that laptop and unarchive it somewhere. This will create a "Extra" folder that you should then point to when you opt for the "Supply my own" option if myHack. The tool then copies the bootpack kexts (i.e. drivers) to /Extra of the installation USB key being created. Since myHack is a generic installation tool, not everyone has a complete set of specific kexts (i.e. drivers) at hand, therefore myHack offers a set of generic one. They may or may not work, that depends entirely of the computer.

Ok, done. But it's complicated... Need my rest now!

Bad news on that 10.7.4 upgrade. I can't reboot at all, D630 is stuck with "Still waiting for root device". Maybe the solution would be to get to 10.7.4 all the way with EDP 2.2 and only then install EDP 3.1 to improve boot times.

Ok, the D630 is up & running on 10.7.2 with EDP 3.1 rev349. Boot time is 1min, so there's a definite big improvement compared to what I had on the D620 with 10.7.4.

I'm trying Lion with EDP3.1 v349 on my D630 at the moment. I've noticed EDP was updated tonight. Chameleon installation appeared to fail or only partially complete: I had an error message that I failed to write down and, on rebooting, I only got the text-based menu instead of the usual graphics. Bug? Things do not work well since, so I'm starting afresh. Will hopefully get through and attempt the 10.7.4 upgrade. I'll then see if latest EDP improves those startup/shutdown times. (This really is like tennis: the more you play, the better you get! )

How does your boot time compare to mine? Is it as slow?

Look for a Broadcom card on ebay: Dell 1390, 1490 or similar. There's a very recent post out here that lists them. You can get one of them very cheap: I just bought one for my D620 for USD $6. Those Intel cards, such as the Pro/wireless 3945, are not compatible with Mac OS X.

I had no direct Internet access on the D620 (I was at work - busy obviously ), so I actually used EDP 2.2 copied from a Windows PC. I used the following kexts of Option 5: - Voodoo PS2 Controller - NullCPUPowerManagement - SleepEnabler - Emulated SpeedStep followed by the following fixes: - Disable hibernation - Touch S/L/E I ran myFix Full afterwards before (dreaded) reboot. I'm hesitating with EDP 3.1 at the moment because I lose sound and/or keyboard when I install the kexts. I haven't found the right combination yet, but the default/recommended kexts give me issues. I know it's a matter of trial and error, but I'll give that a rest for a wee while.

This is starting to look like a dragging monologue... Having completed EDP and myFix re-run, I can now confirm successful and apparent stable upgrade to Lion 10.7.4. The issues/annoyances I notice: 1) it now takes over 3min30s to boot into Lion 10.7.4 and about 25s to turn it off (in comparison, it takes about 50s to boot with SL 10.6.8 and 5s to turn it off). I don't think that can be totally explained by the fact that I have SL 10.6.8 on an internal SATA 5400rpm HDD whilst Lion is on an external USB-attached IDE 4200rpm HDD. 2) not necessarily a Lion issue but possibly a D620 one: the screen switches off after a few minutes idle (before computer goes to sleep). The trouble is it stays dark grey when I try to wake it and the only way to recover from that is to put the laptop to sleep and then wake it up. Anyway, that's today's contribution...

Oh, and if that can be of any help: 10.6.8_AppleACPIPlatform.kext.zip 10.7.2_AppleACPIPlatform.kext.zip

Mmm... same result with 10.6.8 kext as with 10.7.2 version (booting with '-v -f UseKernelCache=No' flags/options). I have this PStateMenu automatic update popup in the middle of the screen and system is unresponsive although the mouse moves. I did not mention this yet, but both CPU cores go superhigh and disk activity seems permanent. It's as if something heavy was cooking in the background. But, but, but... if you wait several long long minutes, you get the hand again. So, I think I could probably get back to the 10.7.2 kext safely enough. But I'm definitely running 10.7.4 now, yes !!! After approximately 20-30minutes, the system goes quiet again... Off to re-run EDP and myFix Full now.

So far, it's not good: 1) I replaced the 10.7.4 AppleACPIPlatform.kext with that of the above thread (it's a 10.6.7 kext) in S/L/E. -> The OS would not reboot afterwards, I got KP. I tried various flags ('-v -f UseKernelCache=No' or just '-v') but no change 2) I replaced the 10.7.4 AppleACPIPlatform.kext with a backup version of my original 10.7.2 in S/L/E. -> The OS loads to completion (booting with '-v -f UseKernelCache=No' flags/options) but then gets stuck with a SpeedStep emulator update offer on screen. I can move the mouse, but clicks & keyboard are not operational. Next step is to try with a 10.6.8 kext, but all my troubles could be due to the fact that I still have to re-run EDP and myHack Fix since the upgrade to 10.7.4. To be continued...

There's a known issue. Look here: https://osxlatitude.com/index.php?/topic/1533-guide-getting-1074-and-1075-to-work-on-supported-models/ I'm about to try the upgrade myself on a similar D620 (nVidia@1440x900), so will report soon on the matter.

Well... I wouldn't say it sucks, but Ok, I understand myHack is favoured over here. No offense meant... :$ I've tried to use myHack a couple of times for SL (maybe incorrectly) but had more difficulties with it than with the other installer, which I find very simple to use. Why? Because it allows me to boot straight into the installed OS without kernel flags or options before I proceed with EDP + Bootpack contents (/Extra folder) installation and it has the merit of being able to proceed without an existing Mac OS computer. Point taken about the /Extra folder, it just proved incompatible with my "non-myHack" installation method. All of this just contributes to my own knowledge of installation methods. I'm going to give Lion a try, so that'll be my opportunity to switch to myHack.

When installing on HDD with existing Win/MBR partition (that you want to retain), do not copy "Extra" folder to USB key prior to installation, but directly to HDD right after installation. Otherwise, it's impossible to install the OS on newly created & formatted Mac OS X partition as installer will want GUID partitioned disk only. Here's my method with Nawcom's boot utility, SL 10.6.3 retail DVD and EDP 1.9.2... Hardware used: D620 with C2D T7200 @2.0GHz 4Go DDR2-667 RAM, 320GO SATA HDD Broadcom 1490 Wireless nVidia Quadro NVS 110M (64Mb) WXGA+ 1440x900 LCD Audio Sigmatel 9200 1) D620 being already configured with Win7, the target was a dual-boot laptop. Existing single Win7 MBR partition was therefore reduced from within Windows to begin with. Then a new main MBR partition was created on the recovered disk space and formatted NTFS. 2) Boot using either ModCD+SL 10.6.3 DVD or ModUSB/SL10.6.3 USB key. The former does not require an existing Mac/Hack, the latter does. 3) Format spare MBR partition Mac OS X (Journaled) and install SL on it. 4) Reboot on ModCD/ModUSB and select newly installed SL partition. 5) Complete initial installation settings to get to basic running SL system. 6) Install SL 10.6.8 Combo update but do not restart 7) Copy above model-specific /Extra folder to HDD root 8) Install and run EDP 1.9.2 (model-specific kexts + Chameleon + Hibernation fix, etc.) 9) Install Ukelele + DoubleCommand for correct keyboard mappings Et voilà ...

I get the occasional system lockup, usually if I try to do too many things at the same time, not if I'm using Preview. System will become unresponsive, except the mouse pointer that turns into a coloured rotating wheel, but no action can be performed. When that happens, no solution other than power off. It this systematic on your D630 whatever the file opened in Preview or is it only with some pictures?

Are you able to connect an external USB keyboard at all? What are your D620 specifications?