OK, so What do I need to do to get started?

Installing a Mac in your PC

Right after i've started this blog, friends started approaching me asking: OK... so... what do I need to do to get started?

After spending a while explaining the various steps to them, I reached the conclusion that my posts about the subject were not objective enough so people would not follow them.

This post is my 2nd try, in hope that you don't give up even before starting!

Notice: My personal experiences are based on the iDeneb v1.3 and iAtkos 5i distributions. If yours different, keep in mind some changes may be required.

So, what do you need to do to get started installing a Mac OS X in your PC?

1. In an ideal world, you should be an IT person with experience. Be good at problem solving, resourceful and be patient to reach your goal.
2. Don't start the installation if you don't have any other way to Google the internet, otherwise if you find an installation problem, you'll be dead in the water.
3. A desktop PC. Laptops also do! but generally have worse drivers support.
4. A hacked Mac OS X Leopard DVD. If you have an Intel processor, seek an Intel distribution, if you do have an AMD search for an AMD-hacked distribution.
   Leopard version 10.5.6 is out, but at the time of this writing, 10.5.5 distributions are still the most common.
   You can get DVD images everywhere on the web, from torrents to RapidShare. Burn it to a DVD in a slow speed.
5. You probably are using a Windows. I suggest you keep this, and plug on your PC an old 40GB hard-disk you may have in the attic gathering dust. I've tried installing it to an USB disk, with no luck.
   Most BIOS have this capability: If you press F8 during boot you can change which hard-disk you want to boot from. You will also use F8 to start the Mac installation from the DVD (Notice: the key can be different on your BIOS)
6. Mac distributions don't do hardware detect. Go to Windows Device Manager and write down (or print-screen) the name/chipsets of all non-USB devices. Motherboard chipset, disks-controller, video card, audio card, network card(s), etc. If you motherboard has these embedded, it may help to get the specs from the motherboard manufacturer.

OK, now you are ready to start!

From this point on, there are already too many guides floating around in the web, so I'll be brief:

1. Boot from DVD, access the Disk Tool from the menu, and partition the HD with a Mac OS Extended (Journaled) partition.
2. Press the Customize button, and browse around the options. If you click in each, read the description to help you decide if you need it.
3. For starters, check the following items: Main system, one bootloader, one decrypter, one SMBIOS and one kernel (I selected every first on the list)
4. The most problematic driver is the PowerManagement driver. It rarely works, so if you don't feel lucky, select it to disable the installation. You may also want to add PS/2 and NTFS support drivers.
5. Now go get the hardware list you wrote down, and compare it with the options given. Select  the closest hardware you can find, and only one of each!
6. Write down the choices you made before continuing the Mac install, because if your Mac doesn't boot or you think you may have made the wrong choices (no video, no audio, etc), you may need to reinstall selecting different hardware from the list.
7. Be prepared to reinstall a few times until you feel like you've done your best. It takes less than 20 min each installation, but it's a small price for being among the few that have a hackintosh.

If you successfully installed a 10.5.5 Leopard (congratulations), the Mac Sofware Update 10.5.6 will (probably) break your Mac. But you can (and should) install all the other updates listed!

Troubleshooting:

1. For more detailed installation instructions, read this guide. It refers to the iAtkos 5i (Intel) distribution, but most instructions are interchangeable.
2. If everything fails, try this search engine.

Good luck!