# Mac OSX On a PC?



## -=Rousseau=- (Jun 10, 2006)

Is there any way I could install a dual boot of OSX on my Dell Laptop? The hardware is almost identical to a Macbook Pro. (Intel Core Duo T2500, 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon X1400, etc etc) Would it be possible? With tweaks? I would dual boot XP Pro and OSX.  (I'd have bought a Macbook Pro in the first place, except for the $750 off I got on the Dell :grin: )


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## sinclair_tm (Mar 11, 2005)

as of right now, there is no leagel way of doing it. others have done it after doing some questionable stuff. it would be more of a pain then its worth. one big problem is that as far as i know, the retail copies of os x are still ppc only. also, your laptop has a bios, and macs don't, and os x doesn't support bioses. so as of now its just a pipe dream. :sigh:


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## -=Rousseau=- (Jun 10, 2006)

fiddlesticks... Oh well. Maybe PCs will one day support OSX? *sigh* Until then, I guess I'm stuck with XP


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## sinclair_tm (Mar 11, 2005)

you could always try vista. its all kinds of fun, ...as long as you know what you're doing.


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## pcristiani (Jul 14, 2006)

Yeah I want to this too, I'm sick and tired of Windows. I just bought a DELL PC.. the PC is great the Software just sucks man. I was searching the Internet and I've found some info. You have to load Linux first and then run OS X over that... so it's kinda shady.. I don't think it's worth trying as of now. BUT I really hope this is possible in the near future. I'm just SICK AND TIRED of MS when there is a better option.

I don't really think MAC will license it to PCs since they sell their hardware too, they'll be loosing money that way.

Here are some links, but I wouldnt recommend trying, just for your knowledge:
http://www.uneasysilence.com/os-x-proven-hacked-and-running-on-an-ordinary-pc/
http://www.google.com/search?source...DVFC:1970--2,DVFC:en&q=install+mac+os+x+on+pc


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## pcristiani (Jul 14, 2006)

sinclair_tm said:


> you could always try vista. its all kinds of fun, ...as long as you know what you're doing.


Is vista stable at all?

Is it comparable to MAC OS X ?


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## V0lt (Sep 14, 2002)

I think the latest release is fairly stable, but the public beta's keys are only good for a short period of time.

I would recommend using VMWare Server to set up a virtual machine to do the testing of vista and the x86 version of OSX (which is available, albeit leaked, from sites like ThePirateBay).


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## pcristiani (Jul 14, 2006)

Fox,

So that's WinXP with a Virtual Machine on top? and MacOSX on top of the VM?


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## sinclair_tm (Mar 11, 2005)

again i say:


sinclair_tm said:


> as of right now, there is no *leagel* way of doing it.


so that means that posting info on how to do it would be against the forum rules. if it continues, i may have to ask that this thread be locked.
:4-thatsba :4-thatsba :4-thatsba


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## V0lt (Sep 14, 2002)

Well the windows vista public beta is perfectly legal. MS is giving away the temp keys. 

If all you wanted to do was test it, then yes- you'd just need to download VMWare server, get a key for it by filling out their little form, create a small virtual machine for vista, get the disk image from wherever, mount that disk image in Daemon Tools (or burn the disk), and use that to install on the virtual machine.

Sounds hard, but it's really just a lot of downloading and clicking...

You probably would probably have a hard time finding the x86 leak of osx, as people have quickly realized that it's more trouble than it's worth.


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## sinclair_tm (Mar 11, 2005)

yes, the vista thing is ok. its the installing of os x on something other than a mac that i'm referring to, being that is the title of this thread.


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## laboye (Apr 11, 2006)

I'd hate to contribute to it, but I have successfully installed Mac OS X on a PC. It actually runs excellently aside from some driver issues. As said, I will not mention or in any way release the information. 

Re: Vista: Vista is excellent. Each installation is good for over one year. Each key works on up to 10 PCs. If you have an nVidia graphics card, you'll need to download this patch from nVidia:

http://www.nvidia.com/page/technology_vista_downloads.html

Vista has awesome features and it is WAY different from XP. Newbies that are going straight to Vista will have a nice, easy time and get used to it fast. People that have been working with Windows XP or other versions for years, will have a tough time adapting to thinks like the Control Panel and Networking stack. It needs a lot of work, but it's amazing how far they've gotten. Also, keep in mind that Vista is direct competition for OS X.


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## V0lt (Sep 14, 2002)

I'd love to see vista the way it's meant to be seen- I mean, VMWare couldn't possibly support all the animation options that vista has to offer. It'll definitely go onto my next rig, which I plan to build sometime in college.


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## laboye (Apr 11, 2006)

No! I installed Mac OS X in VMware and used chainboot to dualboot. Mac OS X runs natively too. I installed Vista native too. My Vista install had nothing to do with VMWare. In fact, I do have all of the visual effects and animation options. It's pretty nice. There are fades and movements everywhere. Drop shadows, trenslucent windows, etc. It's all part of Windows Aero, whis what that theme/feature set is called. Very customizable too. BTW, under so much usage, I'm VERY knowledgeable on Vista now...


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## pcristiani (Jul 14, 2006)

Is Vista closely as stable as the las Mac OS X?


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## V0lt (Sep 14, 2002)

I would doubt it... unless you're referring to the x86 leak of OSX, windows Vista at the moment isn't quite as polished in terms of compatibility and hardware support. Not that Apple supports a load of hardware in general, but it's more of a final release IMO.


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## pcristiani (Jul 14, 2006)

Do you think it's going to be as stable as OS X?

As far as I've heard from friends who use OS X they have never had to Power down their system due to a crash or freeze.

Do you think it's going to be as close as this?

I'm really pissed of at MS... and this is my last system I will buy from them really. Mac OS X is a much better option IMO.


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## laboye (Apr 11, 2006)

Here's my breakdown of the two OSs:

Windows Vista:

When Microsoft announced preject Longhorn, they began *altering* Windows xp until build 4078 where they figured: "we can't do what we need to do with this kernel". Ergo, from that build and on, they used a new kernel that was built from scratch. This one, unlike the XP kernel, is by far more secure and stable. Vista also included a new skinning system that works much smoother than that in XP. Overall, Vista is a completely new OS.

Mac OS X faces the same story. When OSX was planned, they wanted to build something that would appeal to home users (i.e.: cute effects). As opposed to duilding atop their clumsier versions like OS 8 and 9, they implemented a UNIX kernel and placed their interface on top. While it remains the same, nevertheless, on the outside, the UNIX kernel keeps it fairly alive.

Now, not to be offensive, but the typical Mac user just browses with Safari, Processes with AppleWorks (or whatever they use now) and listens to music with iTunes. This is not enough to crash computers. _I_ can crash a Mac. By running processor intensive things such as 3D software, you can easily make it crash and give the need to reset.

I have done the same to Vista, but Vista seems to manage system resources far better than XP. If you ask me, Vista is great. It's a stable and able OS, even in Beta form...


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## pcristiani (Jul 14, 2006)

Ok, thanks for the info... how about Ubuntu, laboye, do you see some future there to become mainstream?


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## secretservgy (Jul 27, 2006)

Dude, get Linux!


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## pcristiani (Jul 14, 2006)

secretservgy said:


> Dude, get Linux!


There is not enough software offered to use it as a main OS


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## sinclair_tm (Mar 11, 2005)

ok heres my take on the whole thing. if you are a gamer, or plan on being a gamer, or even think that you will want to ever be able to play a game, you're going to have to learn to live with windows. otherwise, go ahead and pony up the money for a apple made macintosh. win xp is a great os for the everyday user, and vista looks like it has the promise to be even better. but just like xp, vista will be the mainstream os, and therefore more likely to be pluaged with all kinds of malware. as far as stable, ms's oses are made to run on almost any hardware combination, where apple's os is made on only hardware apple has put together, and therefore will always be the more stable os, but like said, it can also be brought to its knees. so you should be letting us know what you plan to do with this computer, and we can give advice and what you should get. and if it turns out to be a windows computer, let us teach you how to use it wisely, and you'll have very little in ways of crashes and malware. i have both sitting on my desk here at home, and both are running just fine. i have used xp for quite some time, and had very little problems, if any, with it. buts thats because i know how to avoid the problems most have. but the last advice i have is that what ever you do, do it legally, and that will always be the best thing you can do.


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## pcristiani (Jul 14, 2006)

sinclair_tm said:


> ok heres my take on the whole thing. if you are a gamer, or plan on being a gamer, or even think that you will want to ever be able to play a game, you're going to have to learn to live with windows. otherwise, go ahead and pony up the money for a apple made macintosh. win xp is a great os for the everyday user, and vista looks like it has the promise to be even better. but just like xp, vista will be the mainstream os, and therefore more likely to be pluaged with all kinds of malware. as far as stable, ms's oses are made to run on almost any hardware combination, where apple's os is made on only hardware apple has put together, and therefore will always be the more stable os, but like said, it can also be brought to its knees. so you should be letting us know what you plan to do with this computer, and we can give advice and what you should get. and if it turns out to be a windows computer, let us teach you how to use it wisely, and you'll have very little in ways of crashes and malware. i have both sitting on my desk here at home, and both are running just fine. i have used xp for quite some time, and had very little problems, if any, with it. buts thats because i know how to avoid the problems most have. but the last advice i have is that what ever you do, do it legally, and that will always be the best thing you can do.


Thanks for the info. Well I'm kinda stuck with a PC for the moment. Just bought a DELL Inspiron 17" E1705... with WindowsXP Home. It's doing great as of now. I consider myself computer-savy, but probabbly not enough to keep my machines from clogging up a few months into use.

So how would I avoid that kind of problems... specifically: my computer getting slow and freezing constantly after a few months of use... without formatting it to free up?

Another question is... laptops, I suppose they are not as warriors as desktops hence I shouldn't leave it on 24/7, am I right on this? How long would be the longest time you would recommend leaving a laptop on at a time?

Does it really help the battery life if you discharge it every once in a while?


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## sinclair_tm (Mar 11, 2005)

pcristiani said:


> Thanks for the info. Well I'm kinda stuck with a PC for the moment. Just bought a DELL Inspiron 17" E1705... with WindowsXP Home. It's doing great as of now. I consider myself computer-savy, but probabbly not enough to keep my machines from clogging up a few months into use.
> 
> So how would I avoid that kind of problems... specifically: my computer getting slow and freezing constantly after a few months of use... without formatting it to free up?
> 
> ...


these would be great questions to now goto the windows forum and ask. remember, here we're mac guys.


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## laboye (Apr 11, 2006)

Sorry for not responding in a while. I'm mostly in the hardware area (laptops, really). Ubuntu is probably one of the better and more functional Linux distros I have tried. If Linux overall gets widespread enough (highly doubt it), companies will be forced to make software. Since Windows based PCs utilize about 88-91 percent of the market, companies make software for a field they can actually make money in. Games, in particular. Mac OS is in second place holding an average 8-10 percent of the consumer market and linux is usually last with only a few percent. This will vary greatly, but for now, Windows dominates. What with sinclair's "doin' it legal" speech, I completely agree there.

While you should go in the windows or laptop forum and make a thread there, I'll make a few recommendations at no cost to you.

-While McAfee and Symantec are the major players in the AV world, I highly recommend AVG anti-virus. http://free.grisoft.com. It's excellent and free. To keep "crap" out (spyware/adware/keyloggers), use Windows Defender from Microsoft.com


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## stanthecaddy22 (Aug 19, 2005)

pcristiani said:


> There is not enough software offered to use it as a main OS



Ummm quite the opposite. It lacks the very expensive programs you may be talking bout (photoshop, ms office) but it has huge amounts of other software. most of which is free by the way.


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