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OS X On the MSI Wind
Ruler of Planets writes "PlanetX64 has just published an article on loading OS X on an MSI Wind, effectively creating a machine that is smaller and lighter than a Macbook Air. The exercise was done solely for academic purposes and doing so voids all kinds of warranties, but hey, now you can slip a Mac into a lab coat pocket!"
I read and saw the videos about triple booting with MSI wind back in August. He's got a video there and a bunch of hard to grab OS X drivers. If you are going to purchase a MSI wind, please note the issues with the non synaptics trackpads in some circumstances.
You will need an extra stick of RAM, DVD drive, and WLAN card as well. This hack will get you up to OS X 10.5.4. The hackint0sh community is usually a point release or two behind.
The planetx64 version also has problems with the internal mic, the microphone port and the headset port.
I've got some of the pages in cache.
1. Connect your external USB dvd drive to the MSI wind while the computer is off.
2. Turn on the dvd drive and eject the tray. Place the MSI Leopard disk in the drive and close the tray.
3. Turn on the MSI wind. After the MSI logo screen, you will be prompted for 5 seconds at the darwin screen. Just tap the space bar within the 5 seconds provided in order to boot from the disk. You will see the installation commence.
4. The process will take around 5 minutes before you get to the main OSX installation GUI screen. On your way there, you will see a blue screen with the spinning multicolored beach ball as your mouse representation.
5. Shortly thereafter you will arrive at the language selection screen. Select English and click next.
6. You will arrive at the Welcome screen for the install. At this point you need to stop and blow away your drive partitions to start fresh. Drag your mouse to the top edge of the screen, and click on âoeUtilitiesâ.
7. Then go down and select âoeDisk Utilityâ.
8. Click on your main drive in the left side.
9. Select âoePartitionâ on the right side.
10. In âoeVolume Schemeâ, select âoe1 partitionâ.
11. Assign your disk a name. Then Click on âoeApplyâ. It will take a few seconds to process the disk.
12. Click on âoeQuit Disk Utilityâ from the menu.
13. It will take you back to the main installer âoeWelcomeâ page. Click on âoeContinueâ.
14. Click to accept the licensing agreement.
15. Select your drive destination which you just partitioned.
16. Very Important to STOP on the next screen titled âoeInstall Summaryâ. In the lower left hand corner there is a âoeCustomizeâ button. Click it.
17. Go into Patches, then Kernel, and Uncheck it.
18. Click on done, and you will be taken back to the âoeInstall Summaryâ page and click on âoeInstallâ.
19. Sit back and have a cup of coffee while the machine goes thru the whole install process. Don't be alarmed if it loooks like no activity is going on. If you don't see the dvd drive light going, you will notice the HD light on the MSI blinking while installation happens in the background.
20. Once it is finished and reboots, unplug the dvd usb cable.
21. This time when the âoeDarwinâ boot screen comes up, don't click space bar. The grey Apple logo screen should come up upon booting. If all went well, core animation and sound were installed, and you should see the welcome intro movie playing smoothly. That's it, you are home free.
Macbook Air is a concept machine designed to fit a specific lifestyle and usage style.
If you have a "Mac Pro" or high end iMac running on top of line ISP line with 811.11N network installed at home and live in industrial city with top of line 3G coverage, you will buy and like Macbook Air.
See the Apple Japan store top 10 sellers if you don't believe me.
While speaking about Japan, Casio watches now even come with "atomic time sync" and they are cheaper than $200. Does it make Rolex a failure as it can only display time and date for $3000?
My thought is that, just maybe, Apple should consider a license of Mac OS for Virtualizations. Pick one platform... VMWare, xVM, whatever.
This would solve the "but there are a billion network cards and a billion video cards out there" argument. Inside the VM, there is only the one configuration.
Sure, it wouldn't be the world's speediest thing. But, it would get a lot of people thinking about Mac OS part-time. Some of us Linux people who have a Windows window in the corner (when absolutely necessary) would ditch it most of the time for a legit copy of Mac. If I had to run a shrink-wrap app, I'd buy the Mac version if it ran well. I'd also be more willing to develop and test for Mac.
Too cannibalistic of their hardware sales, though?
I'm an Apple pundit, but I jump at the opportunity to vent my hatred of the MacBookAir.
You're right: it's a disaster waiting to happen. A friend of mine has one and wrecked the USB port (the manner of failure being essentially irrelevant). Once the port died, the only way of getting information in or out of the machine was the wireless network interface. Digicams and DVDs became off-limits, as did 3G cellphone coverage. In short, it became a stylish paperweight.
Suddenly, my friend understood the concept of "robustness under single failure".
"Place me in the company of those who seek Truth, but deliver me from those who believe to have found it."