Difference between revisions of "MacBuild Desktop Build"
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Some systems will not boot properly due to video issues. These systems will usually hang with a white or black screen after the yaboot boot prompt. For these systems, providing it with '''Linux video=ofonly''' at the yaboot boot prompt should fix the problem. | Some systems will not boot properly due to video issues. These systems will usually hang with a white or black screen after the yaboot boot prompt. For these systems, providing it with '''Linux video=ofonly''' at the yaboot boot prompt should fix the problem. | ||
+ | || | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | Enabling video on eMacs || | ||
+ | eMacs rarely end up with a working desktop after a standard install due to the lack of automatic configuration of X, which is the backend of Ubuntu's default display manager In order to fix this, you need to identify the type of video card present in the system and provide it with an appropriate '''xorg.conf''' file. | ||
+ | To identify the video card in the system: | ||
+ | # Switch the system over to a virtual terminal by pressing '''Ctrl''' + '''Alt''' + '''F1'''. Keep in mind that you can use keys '''F1''' through '''F6''' for multiple virtual terminals. | ||
+ | # Run the following command: | ||
+ | lspci | ||
+ | # Look for a reference to either nVidia or ATI in the command's results. Make a mental note of which reference you found | ||
+ | # Copy the appropriate configuration file to the system | ||
+ | #* If lspci contained a reference to nVidia, run '''''sudo wget -P /etc/X11 http://llama.freegeek.org/~serge/xorg.conf.emac.nv''''' | ||
+ | #* If lspci contained a reference to ATI, run '''''sudo wget -P /etc/X11 http://llama.freegeek.org/~serge/xorg.conf.emac.ati''''' | ||
|| | || | ||
|- | |- |
Revision as of 14:02, 25 November 2009
Building a desktop in MacBuild is a fairly simple process. Aside from occasionally needing specific hardware, building a desktop MacBox is virtually identical to building a standard FreekBox.
What we build
We presently work on PowerMac G4s and better, eMacs, iMac G4s, iMac G5s, and any newer models that come in. The specs we build the most common models to are as follows:
Specs
iMac
iMac G4 (iLamp) Specs
Note: Auto Recycle everything < 1.25 GHz. |
iMac G5 (integrated LCD) Specs
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eMac
eMac Specs Auto-recycle all eMacs |
PowerMac G4
PowerMac G4 Specs Auto-recycle all PowerMac G4s |
What we don't build
We don't build anything below the specs listed above. PowerMac G4 Graphites (the ones with dark blue/grey cases) are presently tested to see if they post and sold in the store as is. Systems on the Old Mac Keeper List in MacBuild Eval are kept on the Old Mac shelf for future processing. Everything else is recycled.
PowerMac G4 As-Is Procedure
- Install a tested battery
- Populate all memory slots with tested memory modules
- Install optical drive, if necessary
- Connect a wiped HD to primary IDE channel
- Connect a mouse, keyboard, and monitor to system
- Boot from OS X external drive (hold the Option key on the keyboard while system starts up, and select the external drive from the menu)
- When at the desktop, insert a CD into the optical drive and check if it mounts on the desktop
- Click on the blue apple in the upper-left corner of the screen
- Select the About this Mac option from the menu
- Click the More info button to launch the System Profiler
- Check the information for ATA and Memory in System Profiler to ensure that the system can see all devices on IDE channels and each memory module in each memory slot
- If it fails to see the HD or reports the amount of memory incorrectly, the system should be recycled
- Eject the CD
- Power the system down, remove the HD, and leave only 128MB of RAM in the system
- Attach an As Is tag to the system and take it to the store
Wiping HDs in systems
If you've just received a system from Mac Eval and need to wipe its drive without opening the system up, refer to the Hard drive wiping checklist for wiping instructions.
Building Instructions
Please refer to the MacBuild Desktop Checklist for build instructions.
Special Configurations
Steps | Notes/Detailed Instructions | Done |
Starting up Ubuntu on a difficult system |
There are startup options set by default in the bootloader, so startup will usually not require any input. However, the following are the default options that you can enter yourself if you don't want to wait for the bootloader to do it automatically.
Some systems will not boot properly due to video issues. These systems will usually hang with a white or black screen after the yaboot boot prompt. For these systems, providing it with Linux video=ofonly at the yaboot boot prompt should fix the problem. |
|
Enabling video on eMacs |
eMacs rarely end up with a working desktop after a standard install due to the lack of automatic configuration of X, which is the backend of Ubuntu's default display manager In order to fix this, you need to identify the type of video card present in the system and provide it with an appropriate xorg.conf file. To identify the video card in the system:
lspci
|
|
Permanently make the video=ofonly addition to yaboot |
If you needed to use the video=ofonly option to get the system to start up properly, you can permanently make the addition to yaboot. This is how you do it:
|
|
Enable the Ubuntu startup splash screen |
Sometimes a system will show a blank screen during startup instead of the normal Ubuntu splash screen. If this is the case, we can enable the Ubuntu splash screen by doing the following:
|
|
Adjust the screen display (for systems with built-in CRTs) |
|