Blog | OSX | mechdrew

The current guide will now lead you through the installation process from scratch to a fully-functional 10.6.4 installation. There are a few subtle differences throughout the guide. An important note is that there currently isn’t a 10.6.4 friendly version of NetbookBootMaker, so I had to include the newer NetbookInstaller app that meklort released in the package. Just follow the guide, it will help tell you what needs to happen.

You may notice there is a slight naming and style change with the this guide. I’m trying to trim out all of the useless fluff, especially since I can’t write a one-size-fits-all-netbooks guide without going into too much detail. I’m also preparing to convert the guide over to a wiki format so that other users can pitch in with corrections and handy articles without my intervention. That part is still in the works, but for now this will do.

The donation page has been updated, I’m not taking PayPal donations anymore but I do have some other ways to payback, check the page for details. I decided that with the neglect this site has been under I shouldn’t accept money donations until there is substantial work done here again.

And for anyone wondering how the 1012 handles OS X: it works, but… meh. I still prefer the 10v experience. The 1012 could get better soon with meklort’s further development, but for now the 10v is better.

Yesterday Apple unleashed the 10.6.3 OS update to everyone. While there are a lot of bug fixes (the download is huge) there are a fair number that don’t apply to netbooks. There is no pressing need to upgrade immediately, so don’t panic about the guides being updated yet.

Meklort has updated NBI with a new release candidate for 0.8.4. The primary benefits are support and fixes for 10.6.3 and a new auto-reinstall feature should any updates be applied in the future.

In case you can’t wait, you need to install this new NBI and then the 10.6.3 update afterward. I’m scattered between finals, a bad battery and corrupted applications right now but I should have the guides updated shortly.

Oh, NetbookCD will be getting tested during my reinstall trials. I’ll post more about that later too.

Thanks to the feedback from viewers here and some forum members over MyDellMini, NetbookCD 1.1 has been released today. This release primarily consists of a fix for the Snow Leopard verison, which for all intents and purposes just didn’t work for the 1.0 Final release. Also included on both versions is a CD edition of the NetbookInstaller 3 guide, providing easier access and a reference tool for users without requiring Internet access. You can find the new releases on the NetbookInstaller 3 Guide page or on the Downloads page.

Well isn’t that nice! I was expecting tomorrow to be the release date for 0.8.2 final, but it’s out NOW! A huge thanks to meklort for his work. This release supports patching Snow Leopard, but I still don’t have it so my guide will be delayed two weeks or more. It has also been reported that 0.8.3 work has already begun.

Get it:
NetbookBootMaker Final
NetbookInstaller 0.8.2 Final

And just in time; I was going to begin rewriting the guides tonight! I’ll update the links in Method 1 first before working on Method 2. I also have an external DVD drive for tonight only, so that will be updated as well. Expect some changes on the site throughout the night and coming week!

I do get your e-mails, and I really want to answer them, but I’m going to be in the mountains the next two days. I have my Mini 10v with me, and my Thunderbird e-mail is all synced up, so I’ll try to respond to all of your mail and then send it off when I get back Tuesday night. Until then, the folks over at the MyDellMini Mac OS X forum will be glad to help you, either search for an answer or ask you question there. Thanks for your patience!

I’ve updated Method 1 to reflect the newest release candidate of NetbookBootMaker/Installer which now includes working audio for all models, even on 10.5.8! It also includes a fix for the power supply reading that went haywire after the update. I’ve also uploaded the “What is Retail?” page under the Tips section, and updated the BIOS guide to be more accurate depending on certain models. Enjoy!

So far, I’ve managed to transfer over all of the important material from dellefi.mechdrew.com. Some things, like the outdated Intro files, were left behind because they simply aren’t as accurate anymore.

As for my own Dell Mini, I just barely got audio working again on the 10v. My next step is to backup the entire thing, then I’m going to try and replicate what caused my issue in the first place. I have a fairly good idea what it was, a combination of the dsdt.aml file and some faulty methods in NetbookInstaller.

There’s been a lot of behind-the-scenes work here. Most people don’t know about this site, so they may be wondering, “Why is the first blog post in July?” I’ve had this in mind since May, and had started my work in July, but a lot of things happened (and didn’t happen) in between. I’ve moved, started working again, and NetbookInstaller is still in alpha stage. Meanwhile, progress has been made on getting the Mini 10v driver-complete (which still isn’t finished) and Apple released a very disruptive update for Mac OS X, breaking a lot of things.

So please feel free to poke around, I’m making this public as soon as I finish the first method guide, but don’t be surprised to find a broken link here and there.