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meklort / netbook-installer

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Feature request: Make netbook appear as MacBookAir using SMBios.plist #210

Open GoogleCodeExporter opened 9 years ago

GoogleCodeExporter commented 9 years ago 
In short, the Apple DVDPlayer app will normally fail to start up unless it 
detects a DVD drive.  
Netbooks generally do not have a DVD drive.  However, on a MacBookAir (which 
likewise has no 
DVD drive), DVDPlayer *will* start.  It was suggested, and I have confirmed, 
that one can make a 
netbook (in my case, a Mini 10v) appear as a MacbookAir in OS X by using the 
appropriate 
entries in /Extra/SMBios.plist.  DVDPlayer then starts just fine on the 
netbook, which allows the 
user to play VIDEO_TS folders and DVD .iso files (when mounted).  This is a 
nice added capability 
that I think can be added without a lot of effort and with no real downside 
that I can see.

It appears to me that NBI does not currently install a SMBios.plist file at 
all.  No more than 9 fairly 
generic (serial isn't needed) SMBios.plist keys are needed to make this happen. 
 I suspect, but 
have not yet confirmed, that one could get by with even fewer keys (possibly 
only SMname and 
SMproductname).

For further details and the exact SMBios.plist keys confirmed to work (again, 
it may even work 
without some of those), please see the details in this thread:
http://www.mydellmini.com/forum/dell-mini-10v-mac-os-x-discussion/19343-there-an
y-
way-make-os-x-believe-running-macbook-air-2.html

Thanks for your continued excellent work on NBI and NBM.  I hope you will 
consider adding this 
to a future version.

Original issue reported on code.google.com by jmc...@gmail.com on 18 Mar 2010 at 2:45

GoogleCodeExporter commented 9 years ago 
AppleIntelCPUPowerManagment.kext has an issue when a macbookair plist is used.
MacbookAir1,1 causes a panic while
MabookAir2,1 causes the machine to run at 800mhz.

I'd consider patching the dvd app itself (say to work with MacbookPro5,1 
instead of MacbooAir1,1), but that isn't 
too likely (I don't like touching files not in /Extra unless if I have to or 
they are just configuration files).

Original comment by Meklort@gmail.com on 28 Mar 2010 at 11:07

GoogleCodeExporter commented 9 years ago

Original comment by Meklort@gmail.com on 28 Mar 2010 at 11:07

GoogleCodeExporter commented 9 years ago 
Interesting.  I wonder what happens with other combinations --MacbookAir1,0, 
MacbookAir5,1 (doesn't even exist yet).

Another possible solution I thought about was a .kext that creates a fake 
internal 
DVD drive--i.e. make DVDPlayer think there is an internal drive when there 
really 
isn't.  Is that feasible?

Original comment by jmc...@gmail.com on 28 Mar 2010 at 11:19

GoogleCodeExporter commented 9 years ago 
Making a fake dvd drive would probably work. I like that idea. I'll have to see 
how DVDPlayer.app detects external 
vs internal (If it looks for a certain class in the ioregistery such as 
IOATAProtocolTransport. Hopefully it isn't too 
much work.

Original comment by Meklort@gmail.com on 28 Mar 2010 at 11:44

GoogleCodeExporter commented 9 years ago 
If it helps, the stock DVDPlayer does not work with external drives.  Some have 
been 
able to get it to work by replacing various references to "internal" with 
"external" 
in the framework files.  Hopefully you can figure out a way to fake it out 
easily.

Original comment by jmc...@gmail.com on 29 Mar 2010 at 2:27