NetbookInstaller Tour
NetbookInstaller is the magic that makes everything happen on a Mac netbook. Since it doesn't quite come with an explaination, I've wrote down a few notes for each item in the application. Over time the features and look may change, so I'll try to update it as those changes come. Please note that I did not look at the NetbookInstaller wiki article of similar nature before writing this (it's a good article also), I'm simply continuing what I started with the original DellEFI Tour.
NetbookInstaller can usually be found in you Applications folder, or you can run it from a USB drive that has been prepared with NetbookBootMaker. You should always run the latest NetbookInstaller; download it from the NetbookInstaller Google Code page.
Volume
This is where you select the drive that NetbookInstaller will install all of the checked items to. Usually this will be internal drive of you netbook; however, you can also use this to select an external drive as the targer, such as wehn you are installing from an Apple Mac or to an external drive for testing purposes.
The warning is there to alert users, but does not quite convey the message completely. There is danger in installing to a volume that is not intended for booting on a netbook. The worst idea is to install the software onto the hard drive of an iMac or MacBook, because this will actually ruin an Apple Mac. Only select the Volume that will be used on your netbook.
Install Chameleon 2 RC3 Bootloader
The Chameleon bootloader is what makes this all possible. A bootloader is needed to emulate specific hardware that our netbooks don't have. Without it, you will not be able to boot into Mac OS X.
Don't let the dropdown menu fool you, you only have one option; the menu is there because there used to be two bootloaders to choose from, but for now Chameleon is the best and only option.
Install *Model* Extensions
In Mac OS X, drivers are commonly referred to as extensions. Each netbook model has some different hardware, so there are different extensions for each model. NetbookInstaller is designed to automatically detect which netbook it is being run on, but it isn't foolproof. In the case of the screenshot, NetbookInstaller recognized the netbook as a Dell Mini 10v. If it says "general" instead of your model, that either means that your specific model is not fully supported or is not being recognized properly (as sometimes happens on the Lenovo S10.) The general extensions should be good enough to get almost any Mac-compatible netbook up and running, but some hardware may not be available or fully functional.
Install old mirror friendly GMA kext
This option will install a Leopard-friendly graphics driver capable of mirroring two displays (the netbook screen and an external display displaying the exact same image.) This driver has a few bugs, so it will probably display some glitchs every now and then. Also, it is not compatible with Snow Leopard, only use it on 10.5 Leopard.
Show/Hide NetbookInstaller Files
NetbookInstaller creates a folder called Extra at the root of the drive it is installing to. NetbookInstaller can hide this folder so you don't accidentally delete it or just to get it our of your way. If you ever want to modify the files in the Extra folder or have easy access to it, you can run NetbookInstaller again and select to show the files. (You need the Extra folder because it is where all of the extensions and settings are saved.)
Generate a system specific dsdt.aml file
The dsdt.aml file gives Mac OS the proper instructions on how to interact with basic hardware functions, such as battery charging and the function keys. Usually you only need to run this once, although you will probably want to select it again when you upgrade to a newer version of NetbookInstaller.
Enable Remote CD
Remote CD allows a computer to access another computers CD/DVD drive. The software is available for both Mac and Windows, and can be found on your Mac OS X Install DVD. Only use this if you have the need.
Disable/Enable hibernation
Currently NetbookInstaller does not have the proper software to enable hibernation. Hibernation is different from sleep, it actually stores the contents of the RAM and stores in on the internal drive. You should always disable hibernation; it will also free disk space equal to the amount of RAM you have.
Enable Quiet Boot
This disables the countdown progress bar during the boot process. You may not want to enable this if you are multi-booting.
Fix bluetooth
This option will *sort of* help Bluetooth users who are having problems. It will allow the Bluetooth to work after a restart, but it can't be turned off, and usually it will disable itself after the next restart so NetbookInstaller has to be used again. For a more permanent fix for Bluetooth, please see the Bluetooth Terminal Mod over at MyDellMini.
Install
Once you hit this button, you will need to enter your password before NetbookInstaller can install anything (except if you are running the application from the a NetbookBootMaker-prepped USB drive, it doesn't need a password.)
mechdrew NetbookInstaller Tour Version 1.00