so far no dice with iboot/multibeast (sort of solved)

[icekatze]

hi hi

I have been unable to get OS 10.6.3 or 10.6.5 to boot properly, with varying degrees of failure between the two of them. If anyone has a solution, I'd appreciate it. If anyone simply gets a data point out of my hardware specs and ignores my plight, thats cool too. I am a noob, c'est la vie.

From the beginning:
I had been holding off on buying a new computer for a number of years now, in part because of spotty employment and part because mac brand hardware is so very expensive. I have a nice dual 2 Ghz PPC G5 running 10.4 that has served me well. However, recent events necessitated an upgrade to an intel machine of some flavor.
• I am dual booting Snow Leopard and Windows 7. If I cannot get Snow Leopard to work properly, I suppose I will have to put up with using Windows for the immediate future, and while that pains me deeply it may suffice.
• I am using ATI 5850 graphics card. When I read that OS 10.6.5 was released with ATI 5xxx support and that some people were reporting success with that line of cards, I had hoped to similarly find success.
• I am using two hard drives, one for each operating system. I hear that it is supposed to be very easy.

Install Attempts:
• My Windows 7 disk came in the mail first so I popped it in and installed away. So far so good.
• My OS 10.6.3 disk came several days later. I used iboot to prep the install, but the kernel panicked and fled the first chance it got. Cowardly little thing.
• I used adrian95AGB's YouTube video to learn how to set up my BIOS.
[VIDEO]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcmHdQxjANY[/VIDEO]
• I used iboot again to prep the install. This time the installer successfully finished. This confused me a little because Lifehacker's guide said that my computer should tell me the install failed. A stroke of luck? Not a chance.
• I placed iboot back in my drive as the box powered up. I did a little dance for joy as OS 10.6.3 booted successfully. Hooray!
• I noticed that I was unable to change my screen resolution from 1024x768, but I figured it was because the ATI 5xxx drivers weren't installed yet, still no worries.
• I install the 10.6.5 combo update, I run EasyBeast, I rebuild my permissions and cache.
• I remove iboot and restart my computer. I get the chameleon boot screen, a grey apple with spinning bar, then a black screen and nothing. Bummer.
• I restart and put iboot back in my drive.
• 1st restart: Boots up to a jumbled screen with a series of black, green and red dots assembled in rectangles with a different grey section in the upper left hand corner, but I have a cursor for some reason.
• 2nd restart: Boots up to a blue screen with a small pink square.
• 3rd restart: Boots up to a grey screen and nothing.
• Subsequent restarts seem to pick one of those three conditions.
• I facepalm myself and try to boot into my Windows 7 partition to do some troubleshooting. I select Windows NTFS from the iboot menu and promptly get a message saying: Cannot find boot manager.
• Human Panic.
• I reinstall Windows 7 from scratch and it boots up. *phew* I didn't brick my computer afterall.
• I install easy BCD to see if that will fix my boot up woes. It doesn't recognize any of the drives though (including the one I'm currently using) *head scratch*
• I try switching my primary drive back and fourth a few times and testing each iteration, but no success.
• I give up on easy BCD and go back to iboot and re-install 10.6.3.
• It boots to chameleon, but this time Windows NTFS isn't an option, then goes to a black screen again.
• I stick the iboot disk back in and it boots up in 1024x768 resolution again.
• I try (10.6.5 combo + MultiBeast/EasyBeast/SystemUtilities / re-install / rinse repeat) with a few variations such as the experimental chameleon bootloader in the optional files in MultiBeast, but all I get is a big pile of no success.
• I wonder if I totaled something in my EFI partition or something, but don't know how I would check.
• I look for dual boot guides and learn that it is supposed to be super easy and everyone says they did it without problems.
• I look for guides from people using ATI 5850s and learn that people either used 10.6.4 and custom drivers or supposedly had no problems with 10.6.5
• I feel like I am less of a person because I have failed so spectacularly.
• I pull myself together, knowing that once I give up, it's all over and I vow to fight on.
• I don't win an Emmy for my performance.
• I decide to post a message on the tonymacx86 forums to see if anyone will respond.

 

[kushninja]

Re: so far no dice with iboot/multibeast

hi hi

...
• Human Panic.
...
• I try (10.6.5 combo + MultiBeast/EasyBeast/SystemUtilities / re-install / rinse repeat) with a few variations such as the experimental chameleon bootloader in the optional files in MultiBeast, but all I get is a big pile of no success.

Very entertaining and informative post.

First bit of advice I'd say, make sure when you install OS X that you unplug your Win7 hard drive, and vice versa.

Next, with your video card requires 5xxx fix from multibeast and the Apple graphics update before you restart (after 10.6.5 update).

 

[MacMan]

Re: so far no dice with iboot/multibeast

hi hi

...
• Human Panic.
...
• I try (10.6.5 combo + MultiBeast/EasyBeast/SystemUtilities / re-install / rinse repeat) with a few variations such as the experimental chameleon bootloader in the optional files in MultiBeast, but all I get is a big pile of no success.

Very entertaining and informative post.

First bit of advice I'd say, make sure when you install OS X that you unplug your Win7 hard drive, and vice versa.

Next, with your video card requires 5xxx fix from multibeast and the Apple graphics update before you restart (after 10.6.5 update).

The Apple Graphics Update is ONLY for 10.6.4

 

[kushninja]

Re: so far no dice with iboot/multibeast

hi hi

...
• Human Panic.
...
• I try (10.6.5 combo + MultiBeast/EasyBeast/SystemUtilities / re-install / rinse repeat) with a few variations such as the experimental chameleon bootloader in the optional files in MultiBeast, but all I get is a big pile of no success.

Very entertaining and informative post.

First bit of advice I'd say, make sure when you install OS X that you unplug your Win7 hard drive, and vice versa.

Next, with your video card requires 5xxx fix from multibeast and the Apple graphics update before you restart (after 10.6.5 update).

The Apple Graphics Update is ONLY for 10.6.4

Ah, in that case just the 5xxx fix in MB should suffice.

 

[icekatze]

Re: so far no dice with iboot/multibeast

hi hi

Thank you for the advice. It will take a little while to implement, but I will re-install with the drives removed in turn, try the 5xxx fix in MultiBeast, then report back with the results.

 

[icekatze]

Re: so far no dice with iboot/multibeast

hi hi

I reformatted and re-installed one drive at a time. I could not, however, find the referenced 5xxx fix in multibeast, although there were a series of seemingly unrelated 48xx options. A search turned up references of such a thing in previous versions of multibeast, so I can only imagine that it has been removed or bundled into something else. Altering the graphics enablers did produce some different results, but not a successful boot. I suppose patience and perseverance will have to be put to the test in this endeavor.

 

[kushninja]

Re: so far no dice with iboot/multibeast

hi hi

I reformatted and re-installed one drive at a time. I could not, however, find the referenced 5xxx fix in multibeast, although there were a series of seemingly unrelated 48xx options. A search turned up references of such a thing in previous versions of multibeast, so I can only imagine that it has been removed or bundled into something else. Altering the graphics enablers did produce some different results, but not a successful boot. I suppose patience and perseverance will have to be put to the test in this endeavor.

Look under graphics enablers, not ATI. Should be there. Otherwise you don't have the latest MB.

 

[immapc]

Re: so far no dice with iboot/multibeast

Pretty sure 5850 is ATI_Ukari (there are no 5xxx listed only ATI_Vervet/Ukari) and 32Bit GraphicsEnabler=No. Click the Utilities box in Multibeast and then Prepare to dance!

 

[Going Bald]

Re: so far no dice with iboot/multibeast

hi hi

• I am dual booting Snow Leopard and Windows 7. If I cannot get Snow Leopard to work properly, I suppose I will have to put up with using Windows for the immediate future, and while that pains me deeply it may suffice.
...
• I am using two hard drives, one for each operating system. I hear that it is supposed to be very easy.
...
Install Attempts:
• My Windows 7 disk came in the mail first so I popped it in and installed away. So far so good.
...
• I facepalm myself and try to boot into my Windows 7 partition to do some troubleshooting. I select Windows NTFS from the iboot menu and promptly get a message saying: Cannot find boot manager.
• Human Panic.
• I reinstall Windows 7 from scratch and it boots up. *phew* I didn't brick my computer afterall.

• I don't win an Emmy for my performance.
• I decide to post a message on the tonymacx86 forums to see if anyone will respond.

Good - two hard drives is the best way to go, IMNSHO.

From the iBoot menu you need to select "System Reserved" to boot into Win7. You already found out what selecting NTFS gets you, lol.

Nope, no Emmy today.

Of course we respond! We were once desperately seeking help for ourselves!

Try the ATI Vervet first from MultiBeast, then the ATI Ukari. One of them should work to get you up and running. Just remember that you can not boot 64 bit mode yet and have the ATI 5xxx cards work. 32 bit mode only ( which is why my Sapphire Vapor-X http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003AK ... dp_product is still in its box awaiting 64 bit drivers.)

 

[icekatze]

Re: so far no dice with iboot/multibeast

hi hi

I made some progress today, but then dashed it all it seems. I tried Vervet and I got a never-ending grey apple load screen rather than a clearly broken screen full of graphical artifacts. I deleted the ATY_init kext and installed Ukari, but it went back to crazy distortions. When I rolled back to Vervet again, it failed to get better though. I guess maybe it is booting in 64 bit mode, but I was pretty sure I've been using 32 bit mode. I suppose I'll have to try something else tomorrow.