Hackintoshing Part 3: Upgrading to Lion and Dual-Booting - How-To Geek
Upgrading to Mac OS X Lion and Dual-Booting Your Hackintosh
If you’ve been following our Hackintoshing guides, you likely possess a foundational understanding of the process, including installing Snow Leopard on a custom-built PC. This guide details upgrading your Snow Leopard hackintosh to Mac OS X Lion, and also addresses dual-booting with Windows.
Initial Setup and Considerations
Having successfully chosen compatible hardware and installed Snow Leopard, you might contemplate an upgrade to Mac OS X Lion. However, upgrading to Lion is entirely at your discretion. If you are content with your current setup, continue enjoying your hackintosh as is. Should you choose to upgrade, creating a backup is crucial.
Utilize a backup or imaging program, such as "SuperDuper" or "CCC" (Carbon Copy Cloner), to image your functioning Snow Leopard drive. This precautionary step allows for easy reversion to the previous working state should the Lion installation encounter issues. Alternatively, the rBoot rescue CD by Tonymacx86 can be used. Ensure everything functions flawlessly before imaging your hackintosh.
Downloading Necessary Files
Before initiating the upgrade, several files must be downloaded. First, visit the downloads section on tonymacx86 and obtain xMove. The most important download is Mac OS X Lion itself, available for $29 from the Mac App Store. Upon purchase, it can be downloaded to any Mac computer using your Apple ID.
Be mindful of the download size, which is substantial at 3.5GB. A slower internet connection will require considerable patience. If the Mac App Store download proves inaccessible, consider the Mac OS X Lion recovery USB drives offered by Apple for $65. These drives provide a similar experience to the Mac App Store download. tonymacx86 recommends the Mac App Store download, with a guide for the USB thumb drive forthcoming. Additionally, you may need MultiBeast, specifically the latest released version 4.0, designed for Lion, to re-enable devices potentially disabled during the OS upgrade.
Compatibility and Preparation
The compatibility of Mac OS X Lion with your hackintosh is a valid concern. If Snow Leopard operates flawlessly, Lion likely will as well. However, a small chance exists that certain functionalities may not work, or the installation may fail. Consult the tonymacx86 forums to see how users with similar hardware configurations have achieved success. Once satisfied, gather all required files and begin the process.
The subsequent steps closely mirror the tonymacx86 "xMove+MultiBeast" guide, though explained with greater detail. Referencing the original guide is also recommended. Lifehacker has also covered the upgrade method, providing another valuable resource.
Installation Process: Initial Steps
The installation involves copying the installation files to your Mac hard drive, then moving them to a new partition, and finally booting from that partition to install Mac OS X Lion.
After downloading Mac OS X Lion from the Mac App Store, the installer should launch automatically; if not, initiate it manually. Click Continue on the initial screen. This stage copies the installation files, not installing Lion directly. The next screen prompts you to select the hard drive for copying the files. Choose your Mac hard drive – the root drive where Mac OS X Snow Leopard is installed. If the drive isn’t visible, click "Show All Disks," select it, and click Install. This process takes approximately 3-5 minutes, after which you’ll be prompted to reboot.
TIP: A quicker alternative exists. Right-click the “Install Mac OS X Lion” app, select “Show Package Contents,” navigate to Contents/SharedSupport/, and mount the “InstallESD.dmg” file.
ANOTHER TIP: If utilizing the OS X Lion USB Thumb Drive, xMove 1.1 can transfer the files to the installer partition created in the following steps.
Creating the Installer Partition
Open Disk Utility (located in /Applications/Utilities, or by searching Spotlight). Select your hard drive where Snow Leopard is installed, not the Snow Leopard partition itself. Click the "Partition" tab, then the + button to add a new partition. Name it "Installer" and allocate slightly more than 8 GB of space. The format should be Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Click "Partition" to create the partition, which will not affect your Snow Leopard partition.
Installation Options: Upgrade vs. Clean Install
Many users install Lion directly over their existing Snow Leopard installation. This approach can simplify the process of installing kexts and other necessary components. However, there’s a risk: if Lion installs but fails to boot, reverting to Snow Leopard may be impossible without a prior clone. To mitigate this, consider a clean installation on a new, empty partition.
To install on a separate partition, do not exit Disk Utility. Add another partition, name it "Lion," and allocate at least 25-30 GB (or more). Exit Disk Utility when finished.
TIP: This partitioning can also be done within the Lion Installer itself, accessing Disk Utility from there.
If opting for a clean install, remember that you’ll need to use MultiBeast to enable devices and peripherals, as you did after the initial Snow Leopard installation. Also, if you intend to delete the Snow Leopard partition later, configure the Lion partition as the startup disk (System Preferences > Startup Disk).
Finalizing the Installation
After creating the installer partition, launch xMove. When prompted for the destination disk, select the "Installer" partition, not any other. Click Continue and allow xMove to complete its work. Once finished, restart your hackintosh.
At the chameleon prompt, navigate to the "Installer" partition and boot from it. You may need to use boot flags if required.
TIP: If the installer hangs at "[ PCI Configuration Begin ]," boot with
npci=0x2000. This is a common issue, and this is often the solution. If you encounter problems elsewhere, post in the tonymacx86 forums, using the -v boot flag to identify the point of failure.The Lion installer will appear, resembling the Snow Leopard installer. Select a language and click the arrow to continue. Choose to install over your Snow Leopard drive for a simpler upgrade, or select the "Lion" partition for a clean install.
After selecting your destination, click Install and wait 15-20 minutes. Upon completion, your hackintosh will restart. If you performed a clean install, boot from the "Lion" partition and complete the initial setup. If you upgraded, you’ll boot directly to the desktop. Congratulations, you are now running Mac OS X Lion!
Post-Installation and Dual-Booting
Run MultiBeast to enable any disabled devices, using your previously noted selections. The 8 GB "Installer" partition is no longer needed. Open Disk Utility, select your Mac hard drive, select the "Installer" partition, click the – button, and then Remove to delete it. Allocate the freed space to another partition by dragging the partition slider. Click Apply, then Partition. Your Lion hackintosh is now fully operational!
Dual-Booting with Windows
If you have Windows installed on a separate hard drive, ensure the Mac hard drive is the first boot device in your BIOS settings. This allows the chameleon bootloader to load after the POST. It will automatically detect your Windows hard drive and partitions, displaying them as "Windows NTFS" in the bootloader. Select the "System Reserved" partition to boot into Windows.
With these steps completed, you’ve successfully upgraded to Lion and configured dual-booting.
Disclaimer: This guide is intended for experienced users only. A hackintosh is not a substitute for a genuine Mac. We assume no responsibility for any damage caused by following these instructions.
For ongoing updates and support, consult Lifehacker's Always Up-to-Date Guide to Building a Hackintosh and continue researching online.
Author's Note: This guide compiles information readily available online, aiming to simplify the hackintoshing process for beginners.
