MacBuild Intel Checklist

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Creating the Intel Desktop and Laptop Build Checklist here. When completed it will have its own page and this current page will be the PPC Build Instructions

OS X Triage

Getting Started

  • Attach keyboard/mouse, monitor, network cable, and power cord (as necessary)
    • If you are building a Laptop, make sure to use the appropriate power supply.

Install components for triage

Install tested components if working on a standard desktop system (PowerMac or MacPro) or a laptop with easy to install components (MacBook or later); do not install tested components on hard-to-open systems such as iMacs

  • Install a tested/wiped hard drive. If an imaged drive (one with Ubuntu installed) is available install it. You can get imaged drives from a build or laptop instructor. It is always better to install an imaged drive in all Intel Macs rather than wiping the drive and manually installing Ubuntu.
  • Install the appropriate amount of RAM, using tested RAM if available.
  • Install a tested battery if it is easily accessible (if the system uses a 3.6v battery, it can be done while installing RAM)

Boot into OS X from an external USB HDD

  • Connect the OS X 10.5 USB HDD to the system
  • Connect the USB HDD to a power source
  • Make sure the USB HDD is turned on (there's a power switch on the back of the drive)
  • Hold the Option key on the keyboard while system starts up to enter the Startup Manager
  • Select the USB drive (OS X Testing HDD) from the Startup Manager to boot into OS X 10.5

Log into OS X

  • If a warning box appears while you are logging in, just click "ignore"

Confirm hardware

  • Click on the System Profiler icon in the dock.
  • Check the ATA and Memory sections of System Profiler to confirm that it matches what you've added to the system so far
    • If it fails to see the HDD or reports the amount of memory incorrectly, the system may have a bad logic board and end up getting recycled. Ask an instructor for troubleshooting assistance
  • Check the Disc Burning section of System Profiler to see what the optical drive in the system can do
  • Fill out the system specs on the worksheet if they are not already filled out

Test CD writing

If you determined that the optical drive in the system can write CD-RWs, do the following:

  • Erase a rewritable CD disk
    • Insert a CD-RW disk
    • Open up Disk Utility (Click on the Disk Utility icon in the dock)
    • Click on the optical drive on the left sidebar of the Disk Utility window
    • Click on the Erase tab that comes up on the right side of the window
    • Confirm that it will perform a quick erase, and click on the Erase button
    • When the erasing is complete you'll get a dialog box. Choose Open Finder from the drop down menu and click OK. This will mount the disk on the desktop.
  • Write to a blank rewritable disk
    • Select the burnme.cdr file in the left panel of Disk Utility and click the Burn button at the top of Disk Utility.
    • The disk should automatically eject when finished. If the disk icon still appears of the desktop, drag it into the trash.

Check if WiFi works

  • Click on the AirPort icon near the upper-right corner of the screen
  • Check to see if the Freegeek wireless network shows up on the list

Disconnect the wired network, select Freegeek from the list, open up a browser, and navigate to any web page. If you see the Free Geek click-through page, it works.

Test the memory

This test should only be run if you were not able to install all tested memory.

  • Open "rember" by clicking on the icon in the dock.
  • click ok, leave selected default settings, and run the test.
    • The test should take 5-30 minutes depending on the amount of RAM and the speed of the processor. With large amounts of RAM (over 1.0 GB) it may take up to an hour.
  • If any memory fails the test, replace it with good tested memory

Stress test the cpu

  • Click on the cpu test icon in the dock
  • choose primenet as the test type and start test
    • This should take 3-10 minutes
  • If this or any other test fails, mark the printme sheet with the test results and sell the computer as-is, or recycle it - ask your instructor

Stress test the gpu

  • Set up the screen saver for the gpu test.
    • Under the Apple menu select System Preferences > Desktops and Screen Saver
    • Scroll down to the bottom and select GPULife
    • Select Options, unclick limit framerate and click show framerate
    • Set Zoom to 1 and click OK
  • Drag your mouse arrow to the very bottom right-hand corner of the screen.
  • A black screen should come up with lots of colorful moving dots which are being generated by the gpu.
  • Look for any artifacting (obvious glitches, lines, popping lights, cross hatching). Any artifacting points to gpu failure.
  • Also check to see that the frames per second number at the bottom left-hand of the screen stays consistent.
  • If everything looks good after a minute or so, you can exit the screen by moving your mouse out of the corner.
  • If there are any gross artifacts, such as lines on the screen or a plaid screen, then note the defects on the printme sheet and sell the computer as-is or recycle it - ask your instructor. Occasional white pixels are OK.

Test the iSight camera

  • Double click on the OS X Testing HDD icon and then double click on Applications. Double click on the Photo Booth application to open it. If you can see yourself in the Photo Booth application the camera works.

Check The Battery (laptop only)

  • Select the Coconut Battery icon from dock. Note the battery capacity (not the current charge) and remember that we will need to enter this value in the Notes portion of the printme sheet. For example: "according to Coconut Battery the battery has 67% of original capacity".

Test the Keyboard (laptop only)

  • Double click on the OS X Testing HDD icon and then double click on Applications. Double click on the TextEdit application to open it. Test the keyboard by typing all numbers and letters and symbols, both lower case and upper case. Make sure that the keys all work correctly.
  • This test is for laptops only. We don't need to test desktop keyboards because they are tested in receiving.


Ubuntu 10.04LTS Time!

(this is more of an outline at this point, more details to come)

Are you working on an iMac?

  • If so you probably did NOT install an imaged hard drive with Ubuntu on it. Follow the instructions below to wipe the hard drive, install Ubuntu and Freegeek customizations.

Are you working with a MacBook or PowerMac?

  • If so you hopefully have already installed an imaged drive with Ubuntu on it. If not you could install an imaged drive now or else you could wipe the hard drive and install Ubuntu using the instructions below.

Wipe hard drive (only do this step if you have not installed an imaged or wiped hard drive)

  • Boot to the desktop (try Ubuntu - not install) with an i386 Ubuntu 10.04 desktop disk
  • When desktop appears, open a terminal and run badblocks:
    • sudo badblocks -wvvf -c1024 -e1 /dev/sda

Install Ubuntu (only do this step if you have not installed an imaged drive)

  • If you just wiped the disk, follow these steps:
    • When badblocks is succesfully completeted, close terminal and click on install icon
    • follow prompts and install ubuntu
    • after reboot, select System-> Hardware drivers and activate B43 wireless driver
  • If you installed a wiped hard drive, insert an Ubuntu 10.04 install disk and restart the computer while holding down the C key.
    • follow the prompts and install Ubuntu.
  • If you installed an imaged drive, just start Ubuntu

Install Freegeek customization (only do this step if you have not installed an imaged drive)

  • If you just installed Ubuntu you will need to add the freegeek customization. Open System->Administration>Synaptic Package Manager and add the freegeek repository to the list of repositories.
    • click on settings and select repositories
    • click on the other software tab and then the Add button and enter the address of the freegeek repository
    • use deb http://apt.freegeek.org/ubuntu lucid main as the address
    • close the window and click on the reload button. If you get an error about a public key ignore it.
    • close the Synaptic Program Manager
  • Open a terminal window and run updates from Terminal (this may take 20-30 minutes)
    • sudo apt-get update
    • sudo apt-get upgrade
  • From the Terminal window add the freegeek build utilities:
    • sudo apt-get install freegeek-build-utils && sudo apt-get install freegeek-manual

If asked about installing the packages without verification, respond yes

  • Run updates again (this may take 20-30 minutes)
    • sudo apt-get update
    • sudo apt-get upgrade
  • reboot computer
  • Select System->Preferences->Screensaver and deselect the lock screen option

Run updates

  • If you have installed an imaged hard drive you only need to run the updates.
    • sudo apt-get update
    • sudo apt-get upgrade

Hardware Testing in Ubuntu

Test the optical drive

If you have an Optical Drive with CD-RW function, Test CD Writing

  • Blank the disc using Brasero by selecting Tools >> Blank. A new window will pop-up. Deselect Fast Blanking. Click Blank in the lower right-hand corner.
  • Insert a CD-RW disc into the drive and open Brasero Disc Burning (under Applications >> Sound & Video.) Select Data Project, click on the green +, then select examples.desktop and click Add. Click Burn in the lower right-hand corner. A new window will pop-up with a few options. Under the Burning Speed option choose the slowest burning speed available. Click Burn. When the disc is done, verify that it contains the examples file by re-inserting the disc and seeing what pops up on the desktop.

If blanking does not work, ask your instructor about software bug workarounds.

If the CD does not eject after pressing the Eject Button or Auto Eject after Burning/Blanking open Terminal and type eject cdrom

Check if WiFi works

  • Click on the Wireless icon near the upper-right corner of the screen. NOTE: if there is no wireless icon or you see no wireless networks then you may have to enable a driver. Go to System -> Administration -> Hardware Drivers and select the appropriate wireless driver. The Broadcom STA driver may be a good choice.
  • Check to see that the Freegeek wireless network shows up on the list

Disconnect the wired network, select Freegeek from the list, open up a browser, and navigate to any web page. If you see the Free Geek click-through page, it works.

Set up printers

  • Go to System>Administration>Printing
    • Go to Server>Settings
    • click the top box "Show printers shared by other systems"
    • click the OK button
  • close the printing window

Preparing Computer for End User

Generate "printme" report for system

  • In a terminal, type printme
  • Enter your volunteer ID in the Volunteer ID field
  • Job should be Builder
  • Type should be Apple or Apple Laptop
  • Choose whether the computer is covered or not (if it has an Uncovered Electronic Device sticker on it somewhere, it's NOT covered. If it does NOT have a Uncovered Electronic Device sticker, it's covered)
  • Choose whether the computer is an FG-PDX system or not (if it has a FG-PDX sticker, it's covered. If it does NOT have a FG-PDX sticker, it's NOT covered)
  • Notes should include the following information:
    • Intel w/ Ubuntu installed
    • processor type and speed
    • memory size and speed
    • wireless card info
    • Battery test results for laptops
  • Print to the Classroom printer.

Prep system for the store

  • Clean the system and remove any stickers from the previous owner
  • Add small Free Geek sticker to the system
  • Write the printme system number on the computer under the battery if its a laptop
  • Bundle system with a power supply (if a laptop)
  • Take the system to the back room of the store or place on storage shelf as appropriate.
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