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Dream finally becomes reality: use vanilla OS X kernel on normal PCs.

This might not be sth. new to some readers as the patch was initially released few days ago. The newest version as of today is v5.1, which includes various bug fixes and multiboot support.  Again, as the previous installation guide, this is also based my very own experience and not a simple duplication of the readme.

All credits go to netkas(who made this patch), def(for multiboot), Turbo and everyone works on the osx86 scene.

Update 1: Fixed a mistake in the tutorial  which will cause “endless reboot loop”. Sorry for everyone who encounter this issue!

Update 2: The EFI patch has been confirmed to work with current 10.4.11/10.5.1 update. Many hackintosh users have enjoyed the same update experience as genuine MAC users.

Update 3: Download in this guide updates to the latest pc_efi version, which is v5.1 as of today(11/17). Link to ToH kernel is also updated.

What is EFI and why is this “patch”?

The Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) is a specification that defines a software interface between an operating system and platform firmware.

EFI is intended as a significantly improved replacement of the old legacy BIOS firmware interface historically used by all IBM PC compatible PCs. But as of today, most PCs running Microsoft Windows still rely on BIOS, while Intel based Macs, since the day one, are using EFI. Despite the technical advantage, this is more like an artificial barrier to prevent normal PCs running OS X.

Ironically, Microsoft Windows support BIOS only, and Apple makes Boot camp to fill the gap. The EFI patch works in a similar approach: it emulates EFI data for normal BIOS-based PCs and let OS X treat them as genuine EFI-based Macs.

The EFI emulation is a long dream in OSX86 community, but prior to this, thanks the Apple’s open source Darwin Project and those Hackintosh gurus, we can still enjoy OS X on normal PCs, with patched kernels/kernel modules which just bypass EFI. Now with the EFI patch, the hackintosh can boot off VANILLA UNMODIFIED OS X kernel and use  vanilla kexts, which gives a more clean room and great peace of mind for future system updates.

Click for more on HowTo: Install EFI patch and Use Unmodified OS X Kernel in Hackintosh »

Install OSX Leopard on your x86 PC, dual or triple boot OSX with Windows XP/Vista.

Credit goes to BraizlMac@osx86scene forum who made the original patch to make all these possible. This guide is a summing up with some  corrections.

If you’ve get your Leopard running, try to add EFI capability and enjoy the vanilla kernel.

This currently works on INTEL system with SSE3 support ONLY. An AMD/SSE2 patch should come  shortly. Use CPU-Z to check the system capability if you are not sure.

Warning: the patch is rather experimental atm, and even your processor supports SSE3, the installation might still fails due to various compatible issues. Also, the patched DVD seems to be problematic, missing the booting setup part, and most likely would render a system unbootable. Most guides online are based on the instruction comes with the patch file, they didn’t actually install it! I did manage to install the Leopard on my own PC and this guide is based on my very own, first-hand experience. I’ll try to make it as accurate and correct as possible.

Update: AMD/Intel SSE2 users try this. Need to patch the original Leopard DMG though, no pre-patched disk available atm.

What you’ll need:

• Optional: Original unpatched Leopard installation disk image, and patch file to enable x86 PC support and strip the image to 4.3G so it can fit on a single layer DVD. This requires access to an working OSX Tiger system, so might not feasible for everyone.
• Optional but highly recommended: Patched 10.4.10 Tiger installation disk(torrent download). Other Tiger disk will also work.
• the patched DVD image(torrent download), post install patch file.
• a DVD burner and empty DVD media
• a USB Flash Drive formatted as FAT or FAT32, flash memory+usb card reader will also work
• Computer with Windows installed, HDD with at least 10G free space.

Click for more on Howto: The Complete Mac Leopard Installation and Windows Multi-Boot Setup Guide »

Make sure your system meets all requirements to get all the 4GB, under Windows 2000, XP, 2003 or Vista.

This is a quick guide and won’t involve much tech. detail. I’ll try to make it straightforward and foolproof, digging links in the article for technicality. (more after the jump)

Click for more on HowTo: FULL 4GB RAM Utilization under Windows »

Back up your data and extends “free-trail” period

By default, there is a 30-day grace period for user to activate Vista, but it isn’t surprising that the user (is not able to)doesn’t want to activate it, or, he uses some kind of crack which turns invalid by Microsoft, So what to do in this case?

Click for more on Break in the expired Vista »

Install the Windows Server virtualization (WSv) role in Windows Server 2008 RC (Release Candidate) 0.

If you want to give WSv(aka. Viridian) a whirl, you must have specific hardware capabilities. Your processor must be 64-bit, have XD/NX (eXecute Disable/No Execute) turned on, and support Intel VT or AMD-V. Further, the BIOS must support these features. It is recommended that even if your hardware does have these capabilities, you upgrade to the latest version of the BIOS.

Click for more on HowTo: Install the WSv Role in Windows Server 2008 RC0 »

Make the gadget work in non-English Vista systems and “remember” user settings.

One of the new features in Windows Vista is the Sidebar and Gadgets, which provide a handy and speedy way to retrieve various information without additional efforts. The integrated weather gadget, does look great when it works, however, might become less appealing, even unusable by some [serious] bugs.

Click for more on HowTo: Fix The Built-in Weather Gadget in Vista »

Windows Vista by default employs User Account Control (UAC) for better security, but it also brings some obstacle when you try to modify(replace or delete) a system file. This can be achieved by taking ownership of the file and then grant yourself full control over the file.

Without turning off UAC, we need to get an elevated command prompt first:

Click for more on HowTo: Modify Protected System Files in Vista »

Avoid the annoying prompt permanently.

Internet Explorer 7(IE7) is intended to defend users from phishing as well as deceptive or malicious software, and it also features full user control of ActiveX and better security framework. It put more restrict control over SSL certificate, and completely blocks any site with a self-signed certificate.

Click for more on Install Website Certificate Under IE7 »

Get 180-day of ESet NOD32 service for free, a $20 value.

PPLive is a peer-to-peer streaming video network application, it currently runs a promotion with ESet, and you can get a free NOD32 id when you download and install the PPLive program.

Click for more on Free 180-Day Nod32 subscription through PPLive »

While ISPs start limiting BitTorrent Traffic, there are still some way to get around it. While there are valid arguments for and against these limitations, we’re not here to debate. We just want the fastest BitTorrent transfers possible.

Even though many of them deny it, most ISPs actively engage in traffic shaping, bandwidth throttling, connection denial or some such tactic to keep the amount of bandwidth consumed by high traffic applications on their networks to a minimum. While this does often ensure better performance for everyone in the neighborhood, it can mean painfully slow transfer speeds for those dabbling in P2P — legit or not.

Click for more on Optimize BitTorrent To Get Around ISP’s Limitation »