Is an original apple mac mini (mid 2007) compatible for a hackingtosh with ML?

[Milhouse_]

Hi!

I was wondering if you can take an old apple product, just like the mac mini mid 2007 for example (one on which you cannot install Mountain Lion on it - Stops at Lion), and do a hackingtosh with it with ML installed?

Like updating the system definition from 2.1 (2007) to 5.1(2011) might be able to get a few extra years of an apple product...

Anyone ever tried this? )

I do understand that apple dropped support for theses hardware, but there might be a rollback feature, or then again a specific hardware can be dropped by apple on the mac mini, but not the mac pro...

Thanks!

 

[BitterMelon]

No, I seriously doubt it. Hackintoshing is for installing OS X on PC hardware, the software it doesn't run on Apple hardware. System definitions is just a label (more or less), it won't affect what the computer is.

Plus, if they dropped hardware support, they did. It won't run on PC hardware with the samt components either.

 

[Jotokun]

Hi!

I was wondering if you can take an old apple product, just like the mac mini mid 2007 for example (one on which you cannot install Mountain Lion on it - Stops at Lion), and do a hackingtosh with it with ML installed?

Like updating the system definition from 2.1 (2007) to 5.1(2011) might be able to get a few extra years of an apple product...

Anyone ever tried this? )

I do understand that apple dropped support for theses hardware, but there might be a rollback feature, or then again a specific hardware can be dropped by apple on the mac mini, but not the mac pro...

Thanks!

My understanding was support was dropped due to the ancient intel integrated GPUs on those systems. Hackintoshing wont help the driver issue. You cant use the old drivers either, because IIRC they were 32-bit and ML requires 64-bit drivers.

 

[salty dog]

I had a 2007 Mac mini that I got to run mountain lion, it required changing the factory fitted core duo (32 bit) processor core 2 duo (64 bit) processor. Use another mac to install the OS on to the internal HD while it was in target disk mode, then delete a file (I can remember the file).

Google will lead you to a more complete description of the process. The key thing is that the Mac mini MUST have a core 2 duo processor, it won't work without one.

 

[DBP]

I had a 2007 Mac mini that I got to run mountain lion, it required changing the factory fitted core duo (32 bit) processor core 2 duo (64 bit) processor. Use another mac to install the OS on to the internal HD while it was in target disk mode, then delete a file (I can remember the file).

Google will lead you to a more complete description of the process. The key thing is that the Mac mini MUST have a core 2 duo processor, it won't work without one.

I have a 2007 mini here with a T5600 CPU (1.83 GHz c2d). It was our old HTPC which has been replaced by thornbill. As far as I can see I could update it to a T7600 (2.33 GHz) but the T5600 is already a 64-bit CPU. I'm guessing it's the GMA950 graphics and maybe the EFI firmware that's the issue for Mountain Lion. Updating to the T7600 would give a 27% increase in clock speed and double the cache but presumably not change the 3 GB RAM limitation. The T7600 seems to cost $100-$200 at the moment, which doesn't seem like a cost-effective move.

A Google search for "2007 mac mini mountain lion guide" certainly shows up some likely-looking resources for getting Mountain Lion running on older Apple hardware, although the GMA950 support is definitely in the "ugly hack" territory. But even with a CPU upgrade the machine isn't going to have a lot of power/RAM available so I don't think I'm going to bother for my machine.

 

[Milhouse_]

Thank you for sharing your experience!

I appreciated it!

Milhouse