MacBuild Desktop Build

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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 certain PowerMac G4 models, all Mac minis, all iMac G4s, all iMac G5s, and all systems with Intel processors. The specs we build the most common models to are as follows:

Minimum Specs

PPC systems

PowerMac G5

PowerMac G5 Specs

Processor: G5/Single 1.6 GHz - Quad 2.5 GHz
RAM: At least 1024 MB
Hard drive: At least 100 GB - SATA
Optical drive: DVD ROM/CD-RW combo or better

Mac mini

Mac mini Specs

Processor: G4/1.25 GHz - 1.5 GHz
RAM: 512 MB
Hard drive: 40 GB - 80 GB
Optical drive: DVD ROM/CD-RW combo or better

Intel systems

No minimum, we build them all

What we don't build

We don't build anything not in the PPC specs listed above. This means we process standard desktop systems within the PPC specs above that have a single G4 processor below 1.0 GHz with our as-is process and either sell them in the store as is or grant them out to organizations in need.

So what happens with systems not listed above?

  • eMacs - 1.25 GHz and 1.42 GHz models are tested through our as-is process and sold in the store
  • PowerMac G3 / G4 Graphites - recycled
  • Old World / 68k / 9" CRT / beige Macs - we have an Old Mac Keeper List in MacBuild Eval and System Eval that we use for determining what we keep and what we don't. Old Mac Keepers are kept on the Old Mac shelf in the warehouse for future processing. Everything else is recycled. If a model that should be kept is presently being recycled, let a MacBuild instructor know.

Important note about netbooting OS X

We presently have a network-bootable setup of OS X available for use on the network. It's a very handy tool, but it does have its drawbacks. Some machines will be very picky about how they netboot and as such may refuse to do so. In that scenario, you should ask the instructor for an external hard drive to boot off of.

As-Is Procedure

Before running a system through the as-is process, look at what we don't build to make sure it should be tested through the as-is process. If you are uncertain, please ask an instructor.

  1. Install a tested battery
  2. Fill all RAM slots with tested RAM
  3. Install optical drive, if necessary
  4. For the HDD:
    • If the system does NOT have a built-in display, connect a wiped HDD to the primary IDE channel
      • REMEMBER: we are only installing this HDD for our testing purposes. It should be removed before the system is moved to the store
    • If the system has a built-in display, run it through our HDD wiping procedure before continuing the as-is process
      • If the HDD wiping procedure tells us the system has a bad HDD, let an instructor know so we can either replace the HDD during a less-busy day or use it as a training tool for newer volunteers
  5. Connect a mouse, keyboard, and monitor to system
  6. Boot the system into OS X:
    • Connect the OS X 10.4 FireWire HDD to the system
    • Make sure the FireWire 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 FireWire drive from the Startup Manager to boot into OS X 10.4
  7. When at the desktop, insert a CD into the optical drive and check if it mounts on the desktop
  8. Click on the apple icon in the upper-left corner of the screen
  9. Select the About this Mac option from the menu
  10. Click the More info button to launch the System Profiler
  11. 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
  12. Eject the CD
  13. Power the system down and remove components
    • If it is a standard desktop system, remove the HDD and leave only 256 MB of tested RAM in the system
    • If it a system with a built-in display, leave only 256 MB of RAM in the system
  14. Fill out the appropriate information on an As-Is sticker and attach it to the system
  15. 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.

  1. For the first-stage Ubuntu bootstrap, enter l for Linux
  2. For the yaboot boot prompt, enter Linux for the Ubuntu install that was just completed (it's case-sensitive, so make sure the L in Linux is capitalized)

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.

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:

  1. In a terminal, edit the file /etc/yaboot.conf as root
    • sudo nano /etc/yaboot.conf
  2. Locate the line that reads image=/boot/vmlinux
  3. Move the cursor to the end of the line that starts with append
    • The line, in its unaltered state, should read append="quiet splash"
  4. Add video=ofonly to the end of the append line (make sure to add it within the quotes of the original append entry
    • The line should now read append="quiet splash video=ofonly"
  5. Save and close the file
    • Ctrl+o, then Ctrl+x
  6. Update the bootloader with the changes to yaboot by running the following in a terminal:
    • sudo ybin -v
  7. Restart the system to test the change
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:

  1. In a terminal, edit the file /etc/usplash.conf as root
    • sudo nano /etc/usplash.conf
  2. Move the cursor down to the first empty line
  3. Type xres=1024, press Tab, and type yres=768
    • So the line should read: xres=1024 yres=768
    • If you happen to know the native resolution of the display, you can try using that instead
  4. Save and close the file
    • Ctrl+o, then Ctrl+x
  5. Update the startup files with the changed resolution values by running the following in a terminal:
    • sudo update-initramfs -u
    • The command takes a couple of of minutes to complete
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