Problem with Multi Boot 10.6.8 / Win7 (Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD3)

[hasischnurz]

Dear community,

I’ve had problems regarding getting a freshly installed SnowLeopard 10.6.8 to work smoothly with an existing Win7 system (one HD each, system configuration see signature).
My main problem seems to be that in my BIOS I can’t seem to be able to select specific HD’s regarding boot sequence (only gives me a general „HDD“ option next to others like CD-ROM, USB-Devices etc.), so I have to fiddle around with the order of the physical SATA ports, which obviously causes neither system to boot correctly.

I apologize if this has been asked before, I just couldn’t seem to dig up any thread that would help me with my specific problem.

Upfront, my questions are:

A. Once I have installed 10.6.8 and done the MultiBeast thing, I understand that the install’s boot loader may cause problems upon subsequent changes in the order of SATA devices, or even renaming of partitions? At least that seems to be a possible explanation to the problems I was facing.

B. Or do I need to install Chimera or Chameleon (in addition to MultiBeast) in order to get a fully working Dual Boot menu?

C. In case I used the DSDT option with MultiBeast but failed to place the actual DSDT file on the Desktop, will I get reduced performance or stability if I simply run it a 2nd time WITH the DSDT file on the desktop? Would I have to reset any folder or erase any files that have been placed by MultiBeast the first time around?

D. Should I always use MultiBeast 3.01 (recommended for SowLeo) or can / should I also use a newer / the newest version?

E. As for GFX, the only available resolution is1024x768, and no 2nd monitor. Should I install the tonymacx86 NVIDIA update to fix this? It’s not included in the SnowLeo version of MultiBeast… If positive, probably install V2.0 (for 10.6.7 and upward)? I have a feeling that this might have caused my previous install to crash?


Here’s what I’ve been doing for the installs:

1.) Installed 10.6.8 on a separate HD, pretty much following Tonymacx86’s method (iBoot, 10.6 Retail DVD, 10.6.8 combo update, Multibeast etc.), did end up with a working system as long as I continued to boot from CD via iBoot (or directly boot from HD for Windows). Regarding order of SATA ports, the Mac HD was sitting behind the Win HD, which wouldn’t allow me to get to the Boot Menu on computer startup automatically, though.

2.) When trying to change the physical order of the SATA ports, things got messy.
I went for that option since in my BIOS I can’t seem to be able to select specific HD’s regarding boot sequence (only gives me a general „HDD“ option next to others like CD-ROM, USB-Devices etc.)

3.) So after putting the Mac HD into the 1st SATA port (where the Win HD had been sitting before) and booting from there, I did get the usual boot menu, but selecting Mac or Win system partitions just gave me errors -- Greyscreen / „You need to restart your computer“ with Mac, or „BOOTMGR missing“ with Win.
Booting from the iBoot CD, I got „Non system disk“ (Mac) and „BOOTMGR missing“ (Win).

4.) Strangely, after restoring the SATA channels to their PREVIOUS order, the problem persisted!!

5.) Since I wasn’t able to access my Mac system partition anymore, I did another clean install, but this time with the Mac HD in SATA Port 1 right from the start.
After installing from SnowLeo Retail DVD, restarting via iBoot this time gave me a greyscreen / „You need to restart your computer“. Only after unplugging the Win HD (sitting in SATA 2) was I able to boot correctly and finish the install (combo update, MultiBeast).

6.) Now when starting up from the Mac HD, I’m able to boot Mac OS but still get a „BOOTMGR missing“ error when trying to boot Win.
For now, this would leave me with two less than optimum choices:
- plug/unplug HD’s everytime i want to boot a different system or
- rearrange the order of HD’s (again!!) and change the boot order of CD_ROM or HDD overtime i want to boot a different system (iBoot via CD, or HDD for directly booting Win, without using any boot menu)


THANKS FOR READING ALL THIS, ANY HELP WILL BE MUCH APPRECIATED!

 

[Going Bald]

for your board, boot to BIOS, select advanced BIOS features tab, click on the first entry to hi-lite it, hit enter. you will get a pop-up that shows your hard drives. If you know which is your OS X drive, select it with the up/down arrow keys and tap the page up key until it is at the top. save and exit your BIOS. Your OS X hdd is now first in BIOS hdd boot order

For dual booting OS X SL and Win7, see http://www.tonymacx86.com/snow-leop...multibooting-novice-updated-3-12-see-log.html and scroll down past Ubuntu install.

 

[totenkopf4]

Dear community,

I’ve had problems regarding getting a freshly installed SnowLeopard 10.6.8 to work smoothly with an existing Win7 system (one HD each, system configuration see signature).
My main problem seems to be that in my BIOS I can’t seem to be able to select specific HD’s regarding boot sequence (only gives me a general „HDD“ option next to others like CD-ROM, USB-Devices etc.), so I have to fiddle around with the order of the physical SATA ports, which obviously causes neither system to boot correctly.

I apologize if this has been asked before, I just couldn’t seem to dig up any thread that would help me with my specific problem.

Upfront, my questions are:

A. Once I have installed 10.6.8 and done the MultiBeast thing, I understand that the install’s boot loader may cause problems upon subsequent changes in the order of SATA devices, or even renaming of partitions? At least that seems to be a possible explanation to the problems I was facing.

B. Or do I need to install Chimera or Chameleon (in addition to MultiBeast) in order to get a fully working Dual Boot menu?

C. In case I used the DSDT option with MultiBeast but failed to place the actual DSDT file on the Desktop, will I get reduced performance or stability if I simply run it a 2nd time WITH the DSDT file on the desktop? Would I have to reset any folder or erase any files that have been placed by MultiBeast the first time around?

D. Should I always use MultiBeast 3.01 (recommended for SowLeo) or can / should I also use a newer / the newest version?

E. As for GFX, the only available resolution is1024x768, and no 2nd monitor. Should I install the tonymacx86 NVIDIA update to fix this? It’s not included in the SnowLeo version of MultiBeast… If positive, probably install V2.0 (for 10.6.7 and upward)? I have a feeling that this might have caused my previous install to crash?


Here’s what I’ve been doing for the installs:

1.) Installed 10.6.8 on a separate HD, pretty much following Tonymacx86’s method (iBoot, 10.6 Retail DVD, 10.6.8 combo update, Multibeast etc.), did end up with a working system as long as I continued to boot from CD via iBoot (or directly boot from HD for Windows). Regarding order of SATA ports, the Mac HD was sitting behind the Win HD, which wouldn’t allow me to get to the Boot Menu on computer startup automatically, though.

2.) When trying to change the physical order of the SATA ports, things got messy.
I went for that option since in my BIOS I can’t seem to be able to select specific HD’s regarding boot sequence (only gives me a general „HDD“ option next to others like CD-ROM, USB-Devices etc.)

3.) So after putting the Mac HD into the 1st SATA port (where the Win HD had been sitting before) and booting from there, I did get the usual boot menu, but selecting Mac or Win system partitions just gave me errors -- Greyscreen / „You need to restart your computer“ with Mac, or „BOOTMGR missing“ with Win.
Booting from the iBoot CD, I got „Non system disk“ (Mac) and „BOOTMGR missing“ (Win).

4.) Strangely, after restoring the SATA channels to their PREVIOUS order, the problem persisted!!

5.) Since I wasn’t able to access my Mac system partition anymore, I did another clean install, but this time with the Mac HD in SATA Port 1 right from the start.
After installing from SnowLeo Retail DVD, restarting via iBoot this time gave me a greyscreen / „You need to restart your computer“. Only after unplugging the Win HD (sitting in SATA 2) was I able to boot correctly and finish the install (combo update, MultiBeast).

6.) Now when starting up from the Mac HD, I’m able to boot Mac OS but still get a „BOOTMGR missing“ error when trying to boot Win.
For now, this would leave me with two less than optimum choices:
- plug/unplug HD’s everytime i want to boot a different system or
- rearrange the order of HD’s (again!!) and change the boot order of CD_ROM or HDD overtime i want to boot a different system (iBoot via CD, or HDD for directly booting Win, without using any boot menu)


THANKS FOR READING ALL THIS, ANY HELP WILL BE MUCH APPRECIATED!

Retest and repost these questions after you do the steps that GB outlined in his post to you as I think that doing as he suggest will resolve these "strange issues"

Lets us know.

 

[hasischnurz]

Going Bald, Thanks a bunch for pointing me to that post of yours! That bit about selecting the "System Reserved" icon in the boot menu (instead of selecting the actual Win7 partition) did the trick to start Win7 correctly. Now is this rarely mentioned elsewhere, or did I just not read closely enough So both systems boot nicely now. Still remaining are these issues with my 10.6.8 system: - even when doing some minor operations (closing/opening folders, renaming / moving files etc.), I often get that "wheel of death" and the system seems to be doing nothing for a while (sometimes just seconds, sometimes almost for a minute or so). The more successive actions I took before, the longer the hang seems to last. No idea what the problem could be? - sometimes USB 2,5" drives don't get mounted, while they show up nicely in Win7. Any thoughts? Thanks again

 

[totenkopf4]

Going Bald,

Thanks a bunch for pointing me to that post of yours! That bit about selecting the "System Reserved" icon in the boot menu (instead of selecting the actual Win7 partition) did the trick to start Win7 correctly. Now is this rarely mentioned elsewhere, or did I just not read closely enough

So both systems boot nicely now.
Still remaining are these issues with my 10.6.8 system:

- even when doing some minor operations (closing/opening folders, renaming / moving files etc.), I often get that "wheel of death" and the system seems to be doing nothing for a while (sometimes just seconds, sometimes almost for a minute or so). No idea what the problem could be?
=> maybe it's due to an incorrect run of MultiBeast? Had the DSDT option set, but forgot to place the DSDT file on the desktop. Ran it a 2nd time, now with the file placed, but maybe I would need to start over with all MultiBeast components cleaned out? Would I just empty the whole /Extra folder for this? or is it just the /Extensions folder?

- GFX-wise, I haven't installed tonymacx86's NVIDIA drivers yet. At this time, I only get the 1024x768 option and no 2nd monitor available. Will I be able to use higher resolutions plus a 2nd monitor if I install the NVIDIA drivers? If negative, I wouldn't even bother, since I figure I'd have to fiddle around with boot flags and all...?

Thanks again

hasisschnurz

- GFX-wise, I haven't installed tonymacx86's NVIDIA drivers yet. At this time, I only get the 1024x768 option and no 2nd monitor available. Will I be able to use higher resolutions plus a 2nd monitor if I install the NVIDIA drivers? If negative, I wouldn't even bother, since I figure I'd have to fiddle around with boot flags and all...?

The Nvidia GT520 has no support in OSX Snow Leopard - your getting the basics w this card - only 1 monitor and minimum config resolution.

Use this link - http://legacy.tonymacx86.com/wiki/index.php/Graphics_Card_Database

the card is ok in LION but Not SL.

Your needing older GFX tech for SL.

 

[hasischnurz]

ah, thanks totenkopf4 for the heads up about the GFX card issue!!

 

[hasischnurz]

Still remaining are these issues with the Mac system:

- even when doing some minor operations (closing/opening folders, renaming / moving files etc.), I randomly get that "wheel of death" sometimes, and the system seems to be doing nothing for a while (sometimes just seconds, sometimes almost for a minute or so). The more actions I'm taking in close succession then, the longer the hang seems to last.
Right after the install from the SowLeo DVD, this happened every third click or so - in the finished install, it got much better, but still annoying, especially since I'm going to use the machine for realtime application (sound recording).

- sometimes USB 2,5" drives don't get mounted, while they show up nicely in Win7.

Thanks again!!!

 

[totenkopf4]

Still remaining are these issues with the Mac system:

- even when doing some minor operations (closing/opening folders, renaming / moving files etc.), I randomly get that "wheel of death" sometimes, and the system seems to be doing nothing for a while (sometimes just seconds, sometimes almost for a minute or so). The more actions I'm taking in close succession then, the longer the hang seems to last.
Right after the install from the SowLeo DVD, this happened every third click or so - in the finished install, it got much better, but still annoying, especially since I'm going to use the machine for realtime application (sound recording).

- sometimes USB 2,5" drives don't get mounted, while they show up nicely in Win7.

Thanks again!!!

hasischnurz

Just to go over it again - have you checked you BIOS settings - as this problem sounds like a Laptop problem i had read about where his system would hang briefly at certain points but continue - kinda like a "pregnant pauses " ... until he enabled something to do w multicore processing.

Doing a search of the site w that model of motherboard gets a lot of hits -
Have you read up on them.

Also you are using or did use the DSDT file that we have in the DSDT section to match the motherboard and BIOS version.
On the BIOS question some versions of GB BIOS can be problematic for an install so if you have found information that suggest using a particular version of the BIOS do follow what is recommended.

You can also search w Google using the terms - gigabyte ga-p55a-ud3 snow leopard

There are even other sites that mention this MB and installing SL.
You may get some guidance from them as well.

 

[hasischnurz]

totenkopf4,

thanks again - after quite some more searching, I came across this here, which obviously seemed to fix the system lags:
"Open Terminal.
sudo su root
cd /System/Library/Extensions
sudo kextunload AppleUpstreamUserClient.kext
sudo mv AppleUpstreamUserClient.kext /Extra/Backup\ Extensions/
sudo reboot"
(I figure this excludes the AppleUpstreamUserClient.kext from the boot process, but I'm not sure what the effect is?)

When trying to install a driver for a PCIe-Card though, my system was messed up after rebooting.
I posted details in another thread, since this seems to be a post install issue and thus doesn't belong here:
http://www.tonymacx86.com/general-help/99276-stability-issues-pcie-cards-sl10-6-8-ga-p55a-ud3-geforce-gt520-rme.html#post604820

Thanks again!!

 

[totenkopf4]

totenkopf4,

thanks again - after quite some more searching, I came across this here, which obviously seemed to fix the system lags:
"Open Terminal.
sudo su root
cd /System/Library/Extensions
sudo kextunload AppleUpstreamUserClient.kext
sudo mv AppleUpstreamUserClient.kext /Extra/Backup\ Extensions/
sudo reboot"
(I figure this excludes the AppleUpstreamUserClient.kext from the boot process, but I'm not sure what the effect is?)

When trying to install a driver for a PCIe-Card though, my system was messed up after rebooting.
I posted details in another thread, since this seems to be a post install issue and thus doesn't belong here:
http://www.tonymacx86.com/general-help/99276-stability-issues-pcie-cards-sl10-6-8-ga-p55a-ud3-geforce-gt520-rme.html#post604820

Thanks again!!

Harris

Your GT520 card is suspect and I would suggest you remove the other PCIe cards for now while you troubleshoot this.

If you have another GFX card ( older nVidia prefered but ATI will work) use it to see if this corrects that boot loop also you need to use the startup switch -f to clear Kexts cache in OSX SL 10.6.x

So if you are using a startup switch ( or not ) use one like this when changes are made
-v -f PCIRootUID=1 GraphicsEnabler=Yes.

This is a link referencing an old post that covers what you are experiencing http://legacy.tonymacx86.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=19498