Hardware

Tri-Boot Build Part V: FAQs

Why a triple boot?

I like to try new things and I need to be able to check out software on all three operating systems. In the future, I may just virtualize some Linux distro instead of giving it its own disk or partition.

Is it worth the time to build a Hackintosh?

Someone eventually asks this question in every Hackintosh or multi-boot related post, so I’m going to get it out of the way. It takes a lot less time to click the order button for a Mac Pro on Apple’s site. But where’s the adventure in that? It should be noted that I already own two Macs and my next two computer will be a MacBook Pro whenever they get around to updating its design (hopefully WWDC 2008) and a Mac Pro.

Is it worth the time to set up and run Linux?

Yes. Linux has a long way to go before it will best Windows or OS X in the desktop market, but it’s a fun operating system to play around on. The usability has grown leaps and bounds in the past few years and it is now extremely user friendly. Should you give it to your Grandma? No, but you shouldn’t give her Vista either.

How long did this take, really?

Building the computer back in September took about half a day from unboxing the parts to removing the old parts from my case to installing the new parts. Installing all three operating systems and getting them to work perfectly took about six hours.

How stable is it?

Rock solid. No kernel panics, no app crashes, no problems whatsoever under OS X. Just like my MacBook and my iMac. There are some issues with program compatibility under Vista, but that’s the fault of software developers and nothing to do with the computer itself. Furthermore, Linux Mint is just as stable as OS X. Don’t believe me? Here’s a screenshot of my uptime from iStat Pro.

Are there any problems you didn’t tell us about?

Sound in Vista is flakey at best–but it was like that long before I began to multi-boot my system. Sometimes Linux Mint takes a long time to boot up, and I have no idea why. It boots though, so that’s all that matters.

I have no sound on my OS X installation. Help.

Prior to writing this guide, I installed OS X on my PC three times. All three times, there was no sound. All you have to do is go to System Preferences. Then to Sound. Choose Line Out for your output type under Sound Effects and Output.

I have no Internet on my OS X installation. Help.

Once again, this was a problem with each Leopard installation I did. Go to System Preferences. Then to Network. Remove every Ethernet option from the list on the left. Hit Apply and Quit System Preferences. Open System Preferences again, click on the “+” sign on the left and add each Ethernet option one by one. Hit Apply, wait for one of them to go Green and say Connected. Close System Preferences.

I got a Chain Booting Error. Help.

Damn. I got that several times too. Honestly, I don’t know how I fixed it. After formatting everything twice, the error magically went away. Here are a few references to check out if you are looking for a way to get rid of it.

Why can’t I access (insert OS name here) drives from (another OS)?

Because some operating systems just don’t recognize the file systems that other operating systems use. There are programs out there that can help you out, though. To have read write access to NTFS (Vista) from OS X, try Paragon NTFS. And check out this guide to access ext2/ext3 (Linux) data from Windows.

Should you build a Hackintosh like this or buy a real Apple computer?

If you’re sitting on the fence about your next computer, build a Hackintosh just to see if OS X is for you. Otherwise, there is no excuse to buy the real thing. I did, Chris Pirillo did, and numerous other computer users did. There’s not a single good reason not to switch to a Mac these days. Even if you’re a gamer, stop wasting your money on computer gaming and buy a console. You can get an Xbox 360, a Wii or a PS 3 for the price of a graphics card.

Special thanks to these fine people. Without them, none of this would have been possible.

• InsanelyMac and the OSx86 Wiki for developing an amazing community around OS X on the PC.
• Kalyway for “porting” OS X.
• Apple for creating an amazing operating system.
• The teams at Ubuntu, Linux Mint, and openSUSE (my 3 favorite distros).
• Microsoft for creating an OS that actually prompted me to install other operating systems on my PC.
• Lifehacker and dailyApps for finally giving me the motivation to try building a Hackintosh with my existing PC.

• Intro
• Part I: The Parts
• Part II: The Build
• Part III: The Installation
• Part IV: The Bootloader
• Part V: FAQ