can't load snow leopard on msi p55a-g55 with iboot

[urbanronin]

i have an MSI p55a-g55 mobo that i'd like to install snow leopard on. (this one):

http://www.msi.com/product/mb/P55A-G55.html

processor is an i3 2.93ghz
video card 8500gt
8 gb of ram (but i'm just using a single 4gb stick while attempting to use iboot).

i have a limited amount of experience getting a successful hackintosh running on a previous build using iboot, but i've had no luck using this board. i picked this board as i thought it had a dsdt in the database, but upon closer examination the dsdt is for the msi p55a-gD55, were as mine is a msi p55a-g55 (no 'D' in the g55). foolish me.

so using this guide :

http://tonymacx86.blogspot.com/2010/04/ ... -x-on.html

i immediately have some problems with setting up the bios. the msi bios does not have a "HTEP 64 bit mode" option. there is just a 'HTEP" enable or disable option. I have it set to "enable". I'm also not sure about my AHCI settings. The only option i see is to set the SATA SATA 6 Gbit/s to AHCI as well as the Raid option to AHCI. I'm not sure if these settings will affect the sata II ports to which my hdds are attached.

So when i use the iboot cd, i can get to the point where i insert the snow leopard dvd and hit f5, but then i hit a snag. the first time i attempted this i got the grey apple screen, but a 'do not enter' symbol was overtop of the apple. (this symbol : Ø ). i let it run for 30 mins but couldn't get past it.

i then rebooted and typed "PCIRootUID=1" before hitting enter. and then immediately received the message "can't find mach_kernel". i then tried PCIRootUID=1 -x, -x and GraphicsEnabler=No, but all result in the "can't find mach_kernel" message. and now if i just hit 'enter' i get the "can't find mach_kernel" message. i can't even get the grey apple screen at all.

any help would be greatly appreciated.
thanks in advance!

 

[urbanronin]

just to update this, i removed a 2nd hdd which seemed to be confusing things, but i'm still stuck at the grey apple screen which eventually ha a 'no entry' symbol that pops up.

i found this thread :

http://www.tonymacx86.com/viewtopic.php ... &view=next

which seems to touch on the same problem. perhaps it's the optical drive causing the hold up? reading over the above thread it they're talking about a sata optical drive, but mine is a ide dvd drive.

i guess i'll try a different ide optical drive and see what happens.

 

[urbanronin]

update #2 :

i tried 3 different IDE optical drives. same problem.

i messed around with the bios settings and i was able to get it so the grey apple screen no longer shows the 'no entry' symbol, but instead it never gets past the grey apple screen and the circular symbol spins forever.

I'd love to hear some suggestions. The frustrating thing looking around forums across the web is I'll see a thread discussing one of the problems i've run into, but there is never any follow up posts. And not getting any feedback here compounds the issue since it feels i'm troubleshooting blind.

 

[urbanronin]

Update 3:

I've isolated the bios setting that makes the "no entry" symbol overlay the apple logo on the grey screen. If IOAPIC Function is 'enabled' i get the 'no entry' symbol. if i disable it, i don't get the symbol, but it's not like that helps as the grey apple screen just hangs forever while the circular symbol spins.

i'm really frustrated at this point. i'm basically talking to myself in this thread, but i guess if that can save someone else some time troubleshooting in the future it'll be worth it to have it documented here.

I've spent several hours of today doing this nonsense. Looking around the forums i do see ther people talking about using the MSI P55a-g55 mobo. It'd be nice if they responded to my PM'd questions. The moral of the story so far is i should have went with a gigabyte board.

 

[jester969]

Are you using the retail SL DVD>?

Download the latest iBoot from the forum, burn the ISO file no faster than 16X burn speed even if your burner is capable of 48x or faster. Check the box to verify disc contents after burn.

It could either be your optical drive or a bad iBoot DVD/CD.

Do you have a SATA drive? or IDE - SATA cable attached to DVD drive?

Double check BIOS settings comb through each BIOS option and set accordingly. Try ACHI as SATA choice.

 

[urbanronin]

Hi

thanks for the response.

Yes, it is a retail snow leopard dvd.

I can try re-burning the iboot dvd. I don't think it's that or the dvd drive though as i used it on a previous hackintosh i did a month ago. I also tried the iboot legacy dvd out of desperation, but no luck.

And i've tried 3 different IDE optical drives, (including pulling the dvd drive used with the successful hackintosh) and it's always the same result. I only have IDE optical drives (i'm a mac guy )

I really have poured over the Bios settings and have played around with all the variables i can see.

I took a few pics of what happens in verbose mode if anyone wants to have a look. I only have an iphone right now, so not the best quality. I tried to snap a quick pic of teh first screen, but it goes by quickly. The second screen i was able to get a shaper pic.

Pics 1 & 2 are from when i have IOAPIC Function is 'disabled' (so i do not get the no entry sign, but the grey apple screen hangs forever.)

Pics 3 & 4 are from when IOAPIC Function is 'enabled' (so i do get the 'no entry' symbol).

Hopefully this will shed some light on whats going on.

If anyone has any other suggestions on a different installation method i'm all ears. Perhaps iboot just won't work with this method?

 

[kees]

Hi,
Are you still intersted i a solution?
The ahci entry is somewhere hidden in the BIOS. I have to look again but i have been in the same loop. And if sata is not acha then osx can't see no drive, therefore this no entry symbol.
cheers,
Menno

 

[urbanronin]

thanks for the reply, but i actually just went and used a gigabyte board again. no headaches with that one.

cheers