Computers...clarified

My Ivy Bridge Build Dubbed "MikePro"

2012-09-24T23:45:00.003-07:00

Components:

New (Software):

Apple Mac OS X Version 10.8.2 Mountain Lion:

AppStore

Tonymacx86’s Unibeast 1.5.3 for Mountain Lion:

[FOUND IN THE DOWNLOADS SECTION OF Tonymacx86.com]

Tonymacx86’s Multibeast 5.0.2 Mountain Lion Edition:

[FOUND IN THE DOWNLOADS SECTION OF Tonymacx86.com]

New (Hardware):

Gigabyte GA-Z77MX-D3H LGA 1155 Motherboard:

NewEgg

Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge Quad-Core CPU @ 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost):

NewEgg

16GB (4 x 4GB) G.Skill Ripjaw DDR3-1600 (PC3-12800) RAM:

NewEgg

120GB OCZ Agility 3 SATA III SSD:

NewEgg

Zotac GeForce GTX 560 1 GB GDDR5 Graphics Card:

Amazon

Apevia X-QPack2 Aluminum Case:

NewEgg

Silverstone ST60F-ES 600-Watt Continuous Power PSU:

NewEgg

Thermaltake Slim X3 Low Profile 36mm Height CPU Cooler:

Amazon

HP HD-3100 Webcam:

NewEgg

ASUS VH238 23” 1080p LED Monitor:

Amazon

TP-Link WDN-4800 Wireless N Dual-Band 450Mbps Wireless Ethernet Adapter:

NewEgg

Previously Owned:

64GB Kingston V100+ SSDNow SATA II SSD:

NewEgg

1.5TB Western Digital Caviar Green 5900RPM HDD:

NewEgg

Microsoft Wired Digital Media 3000 Keyboard:

NewEgg

Apple Magic Trackpad:

NewEgg

LG GH22LS40 22x DVD-R/RW:

NewEgg

AzIO BTD-V201 USB Micro Bluetooth v2.1+EDR Adapter:

Amazon

Comments:

What Works:

DSDT-Free

450 Mbps Wifi

Gigabit Ethernet

USB 3.0

USB 2.0

Full Sound

QE/CI

Webcam

Sleep

Display Sleep

Bluetooth

What Doesn’t Work:

Nothing

Background:

After a few years on the Hackintosh scenes and numerous Core2 builds, I thought it was time for me to have a modern build. No doubt my most recent desktop build with a Core2Quad provided plenty of power—I was still finding that it didn’t bring the real speed I needed. I also found that my Mikebook Pro (HP Probook 4530s turned OS X running laptop) was putting my desktop to shame.

I decided it was time to splurge on a lightning fast (in my opinion) powerful build.

Selection of Components:

I decided that I wanted to take the most recent Ivy Bridge technology mixed with the very new 7-series chipset and combine them into one. I read plenty of good reviews on Sandy Bridge builds with the 6-series, but I thought “this is 2012…so, why not?” J.

I knew that I wanted a system that wouldn’t use a ton of power and didn’t require any special modifications. I found the most Core2 builds required very little effort if you chose the right parts. My goals were set so then I went to NewEgg and Amazon. My two online friends.

The Installation:

BIOS:

Instead of a long drawn out explanation of why I chose what I chose, I thought I would let the pictures do the talking. The main things I needed to do was enable the proper hard drive boot priority, enable USB 3.0, and disable integrated graphics. For those who want an amazing explanation of enable USB 3.0 for Gigabyte 7-series motherboards, please check out thelostswede’s explanation HERE. Screenshots to follow:

Mountain Lion Installation:

Using one of my other Hackintoshes I created my Mountain Lion USB installer. I followed the guide set fourth by Tony HERE

After configuring my BIOS and installing Mountain Lion I needed to install the extra components I had. Please make sure to Google around and find the AppleHDADisabler.kext. Without this you will get a kernel panic when using Voodoo HAD. The next part is easy thanks to Tony and pals--Multibeast

Windows Installation:

The key here is to completely disable the drive with Mountain Lion on it before the install. Some people recommend unplugging the data cable, but I didn’t think that was necessary.

For this step I chose to use a simple USB installer of Windows 7 Ultimate x64. For those of you who do not know how to install Windows 7 I would suggest Googling that. You could also check my Windows 7/Mac OS X dual-boot guide. Tony’s site is not for self-promotion, so I won’t say anymore.

Post Install:

There is one customization I chose to do. This was to edit my SMBIOS so that this build does not register as a MacPro 3,1, but rather a MacPro 5,1. The only thing you need to do before choosing this customization in Multibeast is to delete the AppleTyMceDriver.kext. This will cause a kernel panic. Make sure to run a utility like Kext Wizard to repair the drive permission and clear the cache.

This is the easy part. Lets verify things work properly.

First I want to check my USB 3.0 read/write speed. I used a software called BlackMagic. Here is a screen shot:

Second I wanted to check I am running at full 450 Mbps Wireless-N speeds.

Lastly I thought I would do a Geekbench 64-bit benchmark test.

A Fix For Intel HD Graphics 3000 Glitches / Freezes

2012-02-22T14:26:00.000-08:00

Give where credit where credit is due--that is all I can say. For a while now users of the HP Probook 4X30s series and others have struggled with the fact that Intel's graphics kexts for hackintosh users cause freezes and graphical glitches. Well there is an end to the wait. A user known as @mityushechka from the Tonymacx86.com forum's discovered a handy little app that will fix, more like put a band-aid on, the problems all of us have been suffering.

The app is called FanControl 1.2 and can be found here. This is a free app developed by Lobotomo software. Currently we are not sure why this works--just that we know that daemon it creates does something to fix our problem. The app does not actually work on fan control speed for us; rather the fix is a by-product of this installation.

For all those HP Probook users out there who have skepticism over the Mac OS X 10.7 Lion operating system and its functionality with your laptop--I have two words for you: Don't be. Everything more or less works. Here is the list of things that DO work:

HDMI
VGA (after a sleep cycle)
Bluetooth (only on complete shutdowns--meaning if you reboot your computer it won't work, but if you shut it down and boot it back up then it will work.)
USB 2.0
USB 3.0
Wi-Fi
Ethernet
Webcam
DVD-R/RW
TRIM
Semi-Good Battery Life (~2 hours on the stock battery)
Touchpad Gestures (Two Finger)

The things that don't work and probably won't work are:

Fingerprint Scanner
Full Touchpad Gestures (Three & Four Finger)

This is a list I can deal with. So as of right now I am recommending any users out there who want Lion and aren't wanting to pay an arm and a leg; go ahead an get it. Follow @4530sOSX on twitter and join Tonymacx86.com forum to gain access to instructions and the installer that was made for our laptops.

Mac OS X 10.6.8 Snow Leopard on HP Probook 4530s Install Guide

2011-11-21T22:23:00.000-08:00

Hardware Needed:

1) Blank CD
2) CD burner
3) Blank USB stick 4 GB or greater

Software Needed:

1) Mac OS X 10.6.0/10.6.3 DVD (Purchased legally at the Apple Store)
2) Mac OS X 10.6.8 Combo Update (Found here)
3) Tonymacx86's Update Helper (found in the Downloads section of Tonymacx86's website)
4) Tonymacx86's iBoot 3.2.0 (found in the Downloads section of Tonymacx86's website)
5) The following kexts (found here)
6) Multibeast 4.1.x (found in the Downloads section of Tonymacx86's website)
7) KextBeast (found in the Downloads section of Tonymacx86's website)

Instructions:

0) Copy 10.6.8 Combo Update, Update Helper, Install Files.zip, Multibeast, and KextBeast to your USB Drive.

1) Update to the F.20 Bios.

2) Burn the iBoot CD, load it into your DVD Drive, and then boot from CD.

3) Remove the iBoot CD once the bootloader has loaded and insert the Snow Leopard DVD.

4) Hit F5, highlight the Snow Leopard install disc, and press Enter.

5) Once loaded, go in Utilities in the top bar and select Disk Utility.

6) Highlight the hard drive you wish to install Snow Leopard on in the left pane. Select the partition tab. Create one partition with a GUID partition table and Mac OS Extended (Journaled) formatting.

7) Once complete, follow through with the installation. Select your newly created partition and goto Customize to deselect any of the extra software (i.e. Languages, printer software, etc.) you don't wish to install. Click Install This should take about 25 minutes.

8) Once installed, reboot and reinsert the iBoot cd.

9) After the bootloader loads, highlight the partition you just installed Snow Leopard to, type "-v" (minus the quotes), and hit Enter

Note: If that results in a kernel panic, repeats step 8 & 9, but this time type "-v -x" and then hit Enter

10) Run the Update Helper

11) Restart

12) Boot with iBoot CD and type "-v" and Enter on the Snow Leopard drive

13) Unzip the Install Files and copy the folder Extra onto the root of your hard drive. This should contain folders such as Users, System, Library, etc.

14) Run DSDT Auto-Patcher and place the resulting DSDT.aml in your Extra folder

15) Make sure nothing is on your desktop and copy all the files inside the folder Kexts onto your desktop

16) Run KextBeast

17) Copy the folder Bluetooth & Speedstepper to your desktop

18) Run the Multibeast selecting System Utilities & Lnx2Mac's Realtek 81xx Kext

19) Restart

20) Boot with iBoot

21) Run the Chameleon installer package and install the bootloader onto your Snow Leopard hard drive

Note: DO NOT select any options besides the ones pre-selected

22) Run Mac OS X 10.6.8 Combo Update

23) Reboot

24) Use boot flags -v to boot in

25) Open a Terminal windows an navigate the folder Bluetooth & Speedstepper on your desktop

26) Run the command (credit to the people in the insanelymac.com forums for this)

sudo ./speedstepper /System/Library/Extensions/AppleIntelCPUPowerManagement.kext/Contents/MacOS/AppleIntelCPUPowerManagement

27) Go into finder, locate the files IOBluetoothFamily.kext & NullCPUPowerManagement.kext in /System/Library/Extensions/ , and delete them.

28) Run Multibeast - Only select System Utilities and that's it.

29) Go back into terminal while still in the Bluetooth & Speedstepper folder and enter the following command (This is @BigDonkey's fix from the installer pack)

sudo ./install

30) Run Multibeast - Only select System Utilities and that's it.

31) Reboot and you should have a near perfect installation of Snow Leopard

Note: Your HDMI audio will not work and bluetooth will not work if you restart the computer or goto sleep (only full shutdown and power ons)

I am 100% happy with Snow Leopard. I do not get anymore of those glitchy lines or random freezes. I don't care about HDMI audio for now and am grateful to have such a solid and stable machine.

Thanks to @BKRibbs and all the people in Tonymacx86's 4530s forums for putting this thread together. Also, special thanks to Tonymac for arranging all these installers and forums for us hackintoshers.

Snow Leopard on my HP Probook 4530s

2011-11-18T09:53:00.000-08:00

Recently I decided to switch from the semi-stable Mac OS X Lion to the completely stable Mac OS X Snow Leopard for my HP Probook 4530s. I definitely made the right decision. Not only does this run very fast, but almost every feature works. This includes: sleep, wifi, ethernet, usb 3.0, webcam, and many other important things. Since I am lucky enough to have a Crucial C300 256GB SSD for my hard drive, my boot time is super fast. Way faster than Windows 7. Here is a video of my Probook booting.

Please feel free to ask as many questions as you can think of. I am available to help you if you need it.

Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R Mac OS X 10.7.2 Video

2011-10-28T17:47:00.000-07:00

I just recorded a quick video showing my system in use and the boot up speed. I am also including some pictures of my setup, as well as my Geekbench 64-bit scores. I will make one note that I believe this system boots very quickly. The only reason it takes 51.4 seconds to reach the desktop is because the Gigabyte BIOS takes forever. I listed the install guide below if anyone feels ambitious enough to try and build a similar system. I hope you enjoy this video.

Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R Mac OS X 10.7.2 Install Guide

2011-10-27T18:21:00.000-07:00

SUCCESS!!!!

Everything works!!!! Even Sleep.

Specs:
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R (Rev 1.1)

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 @ 2.83 GHz

RAM: 12 GB DDR2-800 (2 x 4GB Patriot & 2 x 2GB G.Skill)

Graphics: EVGA GTX 460 SC 1GB GDDR5

Hard Drives:
Crucial C300 128 GB SSD (Mac OS X 10.7.2) (SATA0 port on motherboard)
Kingston V100 SSDNow 64 GB SSD( Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit)
Western Digital Caviar Green 1.5 TB 5900 RPM (Storage)
Western Digital Caviar Black 500 GB 7200 RPM (Backups)

Optical: LG 22x DVD-R/RW Drive (Lightscribe)

Wi-fi: D-Link DWA-556 Xtreme Wireless-N Adapter

Ethernet: On-board Gigabit LAN

2-port USB 3.0 PCI-e x1 Card

So I put my build together, did a fresh install of Lion and now everything works great. Sound was tricky, but I got it.

Files Needed:

1) Java installer for Mac OS X 10.7 - Download Link
2) Mac OS X 10.7.2 Update - Download Link
3) MaLd0n's DSDT Auto-Patcher - (google around for it)
4) 10.6.2-AppleHDAInstaller.pkg - (google around for it)
5) Multibeast 4.0.2 or greater (found on Tonymacx86.com - resources section)
6) rBoot CD (found on Tonymacx86.com - resources section)
7) XMove (found on Tonymacx86.com - resources section)
8) Mac OS X 10.7 Lion App (legally downloaded)

METHOD:

0) Change your BIOS settings:
1) Integrated Peripherals
a) SATA RAID/AHCI Mode: AHCI [default is IDE]
b) SATA Port 0-3 Native Mode: Enabled [default is Disabled]
c) Make sure USB Mouse & Keyboard is enabled
d) I disabled the serial and parallel port because I don't use them, but this shouldn't make a difference
2) Advanced BIOS Features
a) Change your boot priority so that your CD/DVD Drive is first and Hard Drive is second
b) Change the hard disk priority so that the drive you want to install Lion on is first
3) Power Management Setup
a) ACPI Suspend Type: S1(POS) [default is S3(STR)]
b) HPET Support: Enabled
c) HPET Mode: 64-bit mode [default is 32-bit mode]

1) Tonymacx86's rBoot + XMove USB Install Guide
--Follow Tonymacx86's guide for this at this page. Only use the part that has to do with creating the USB installer

1a) Create a folder on your new Lion USB installer and put the first 5 necessary files from above in it

1b) Burn rBoot onto a blank CD

2) Boot with rBoot using the boot flags "-v" AND possibly "npci=0x2000" if you find you get stuck at PCI Configuration

3) Install the following files: (DO NOT REBOOT. Leave the installer screens open once done)
a) Java for Lion
b)Update to 10.7.2

4) Run MaLd0n's DSDT Auto-Patcher. Select the Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R motherboard from the drop down menus. Click apply. Keep the resulting DSDT.aml on your desktop.

5) Run Multibeast (DO NOT REBOOT yet. Leave the installer screen open when done)
Select the following options:
1) UserDSDT
2) System Utilities (Repair Permission + Rebuild Caches)

##Kexts & Bootloaders##
3) Audio > Realtek ALC8xx > ALC8xxHDA
4) Disk > IOAHCIBlockStorageInjector
> 3rdParty eSATA
> 3rdParty SATA
5) Graphics > NVIDIA Fermi OpenCL Enabler 10.7.0 / 10.7.1 (if you have a Fermi card)
6) Miscellaneous > USB 3.0 - NEC/Renasas and Etron (if you decide to use a USB 3.0 PCI-e x1 controller card)
7) Network > Lnx2Mac's RealtekRTL81xx Ethernet

##Customization##
8) Boot Options > 64-bit Apple Boot Screen
> PCI Root ID Fix
> Instant Menu

> Generate CPU States
> PCI Configuration Fix
> Use KernelCache
9) System Definitions > Mac Pro > MacPro 3,1

##Other##
10) OSx86 Software
11) Extension Migration Tool

If Multibeast Fails:

a) Skip step 6 and 7

b) Reboot with the rBoot CD

i) "-v npci=0x2000 -x" as the boot flags

c) Redo step 5

d) Once Multibeast is successful you should then go onto steps 6 and 7.

6) Run the 10.6.2AppleHDAInstaller.pkg

7) Reboot, but this time remove the rBoot cd and boot off your hard drive.

Voila! You should now have a completely functional (minus Sleep) install of Lion on your Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R (rev. 1.1) motherboard.

One note about Sleep: You can put your Lion install to sleep by using the drop-down Apple menu "Sleep" button. To wake it up, you must press your cases Power button and a few seconds later you must hit a key or two on the keyboard. This is what works for me.

How To Enable File Sharing In Mac For Mac & Windows Clients

2011-10-23T22:52:00.000-07:00

This second video is about the steps it takes to enable file/folder sharing in a Mac operating system to both Mac and Windows client computers. As you will see in the video there are plenty more sharing options such as screen sharing, remote access, and others. This video will only be about file/folder sharing.

I want to make a slight remark about the video which occurs at the :27 mark. The top check box is to enable file/folder sharing in Mac (AFB), while the second check box (SMB) is for Windows file/folder sharing.

How To Shrink & Add A Partition In Mac

2011-10-23T22:39:00.000-07:00

As I was working on my computer I started thinking about how my knowledge of Mac has grown over the past two years. Specifically, how I might take for granted the "easy" steps that once used to take me a while. I am going to add a series of videos that show some of the ways a user might get around in the Mac operating system.

The first video is how I would shrink a partition on my disk and then add a new one in the newly freed up space. I hope you all enjoy it.

Build Upgrade

2011-10-19T00:03:00.000-07:00

After a long wait, I have finally obtained the Core2Quad processor I've wanted. Actually, I've now got two: Intel Core2Quad QX6800 @ 2.93GHz (not in use) and an Intel Core2Quad Q9550 @ 2.83GHz (smokin' fast). I replaced the Pentium Dual Core E5800 on my GA-G31M-ES2L board and it was a smooth transition. Here are my current build specs (all of which are running Windows 7 Home Premium x64 and Mac OS X Lion 10.7.2).

Build #1

Processor: Intel Core2Quad Q9550 @ 2.83 GHz (pure power)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-G31M-ES2L Rev 2.4 (Soon to be replaced by a GA-EP45-UD3R)

RAM: 8 GB (2 x 4GB) Patriot DDR2-800 (Soon to be upgraded to 12 GB DDR2-800 (2 x 4GB Patriot and 2 x 2GB G.Skill)

Hard Drive(s): 128 GB Crucial C300 SSD (Formatted with GUID Partition Table--Windows 7 and Lion bootable)
1.5 TB Western Digital Caviar Green 5900 RPM (Storage)

500 GB Western Digital Caviar Black 7200 RPM (Backups)

Optical: LG 22x DVD-R/RW SATA Drive (with Lightscribe)

Graphics: EVGA GTX 460 SC 1GB GDDR5 (Dual-DVI/mHDMI)

Wi-fi: D-Link DWA-556 Xtreme Wireless-N PCI-e Card

Bluetooth: IOGear USB Bluetooth 2.0 Adapter

Ethernet: On-board Gigabit Ethernet (downgraded to strictly on-board because my TP-Link wasn't getting any use)

Webcam: HP Webcam 3100 USB

I hope someone out there is as inspired as I was to build such a nice machine. In case you were interested, I am attaching a photo of my updated Windows WEI scores.

Windows 7 / Mac OS X 10.7 Lion Dual-boot Install Guide (Part 2)

2011-09-22T00:31:00.000-07:00

Windows 7 / Mac OS X 10.7 Lion Dual-boot Install Guide Part 2
PDF Version: Install Guide PDF

Part Three – Windows 7 Installation

1) Turn on computer with fresh Lion installation and insert you Windows 7 DVD

2) Go to boot device priority and select the CD/DVD Drive

3) Press any key to load the installation disk

4) Select the Install Now

5) Agree to the terms and conditions

6) Select Custom Install

7) From there you will be shown a list of all the possible partitions/drives on the computer. Select the partition that is formatted in FAT.

8) This partition will not be usable, but if you click select that partition and click Format it will be formatted into NTFS

9) Once it is formatted, press Next

10) The install process should take up to 30 minutes depending on the speed of your computer and hard drive

11) When the installation finishes you will be asked to reboot

12) Reboot

13) Remove the Installation DVD before it get through the BIOS check

14) Your Windows installation will automatically launch into the final stages of installation

15) Once it is complete you will need to go through some of the user preferences to get to your desktop

16) Once at your desktop you will need to run whichever Service Pack you downloaded

17) When that is complete you will need to reboot a few times. Windows will do this for you.

18) After about two reboots you will get a dialog box that say the Service Pack has been installed. This is your cue to go back to Lion.

19) Shut down your computer

20) Plug the USB drive in and power on

21) The Chameleon boot screen will now list your Windows and Lion partitions. Select the Lion one.

22) Once booted in you will need to run the Chimera bootloader package

23) Click through until you see Change Install Location

24) Make sure to select Lion and click continue

25) After that is complete you should now go to Finder by click the furthest left icon in your dock at the bottom of the screen

26) Right click the drive in the left pane that is titled “Untitled,” this is your Windows drive

27) Click Get Info and rename the drive to Windows or whatever you would like to call your Windows installation

28) Once that is complete you can now shut down your computer

29) When booted up, you should now see the Chimera boot screen and two or three partitions
a. If you see two, then you can select the Lion partition for Lion and the Windows partition for Windows 7
b. If you see three, then you will select the Lion partition for Lion and the System Reserved partition for Windows 7

30) You now have successfully installed a Windows 7 / Mac OS X 10.7 Lion dual-boot system

Windows 7 / Mac OS X 10.7 Lion Dual-boot Install Guide (Part 1)

2011-09-21T19:29:00.001-07:00

Windows 7 / Mac OS X 10.7 Lion Dual-boot Install Guide Part 1
PDF Version: Install Guide PDF

By the request of some users, I am going to make a detailed Windows 7 / Mac OS X Lion dual-boot install guide.

Requirements:

1) Legal copy of any Windows 7 (32-bit or 64-bit) burned on DVD
a. Preferably 64-bit Home Premium, Professional, or Ultimate

2) Download Microsoft Windows 7 Service Pack 1
a. Dependent on whether you are installing 64-bit vs. 32-bit will change which Service Pack you download. The link can be found here for 64-bit and here for 32-bit

3) Legal copy of a Mac OS X 10.7 Lion .dmg/.iso
a. You can purchase Lion on the Mac App Store

4) Download a copy of the Mac OS X 10.7.1 Update Installer here and the Java Installer here

5) An 8 GB USB Flash Drive formatted with a GUID Partition Table

6) A blank CD-R

7) A USB/PS2 keyboard and USB/PS2 mouse

8) A computer running any version of Mac with a CD/DVD burner
a. This is so you can make a USB installer

9) A hard drive with at least 40 GB
a. Preferably a solid state drive with 60 GB or more

10) A laptop or desktop that has all the components compatible with Lion
a. This can be found by browsing the pages of OSx86 Project Hardware Compatibility List
b. If you have one part that is incompatible, then the whole Lion installation can’t be done
c. NOTE: If you want one that will definitely be compatible, please visit my blog at http://computersclarified.blogspot.com to find my two desktop and laptop. All are success stories and are relatively inexpensive compared to their Apple counterpart.

11) Software: XMove, rBoot (desktops) / rBootLe (laptops), Multibeast 4.0.2 (or most current), DSDT Auto-patcher (Desktops), Chimera Installer
a. Most of which can be found in the downloads section of http://www.tonymacx86.com (you must first register)
b. To find the DSDT Auto-patcher you will need to google around for it.

12) Patience

Part ONE – Lion Installation Preparation

1) On the existing Mac installation load your USB flash drive into the USB port

2) Go to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility

3) From the pane on the left, select you USB flash drive

4) Once selected, click the Partition tab on the right side

5) From the drop-down menu select “1 Partition” and then select the Options button below that.

6) From the Options menu, please fill in the circle for “GUID Partition Table”

7) Click Apply
a. This should take a few seconds depending on the speed of the computer you are one.

8) Once the flash drive is formatted, please double click your Mac OS X 10.7 Lion installation image
a. This might take a second to verify

9) Once loaded, please double click XMove

10) Click through all the warning until you see the button Change Install Location

11) Select the USB drive you just formatted

12) Once selected, click Install
a. This can take up to 20 minutes depending on the speed of your computer and the quality of the USB drive

13) Once this has finished, load the Chimera installer package

14) Click through until you reach the Change Install Location and select your USB drive again.
a. This should go rather quick

15) Once complete, you now have a bootable Mac OS X 10.7 Lion installer.

16) As a backup, burn the rBoot/rBootLE boot cd in-case the computer you are going to install Mac on does load the installer correctly.

Part TWO – Lion Installation

1) Once you have verified that all your hardware components / laptop are compatible with Lion, then it is time for the install.

2) Dependent on your motherboard you may have access to your BIOS settings.
a. If you do, change the following to if it is possible
i. SATA RAID/AHCI Mode --→ AHCI
ii. Onboard SATA/IDE Ctrl Mode -→ AHCI
iii. Keyboard USB Support -→ Enabled
iv. HPET --→ 64-bit
b. If you don’t, then you might be stuck here. Lets hope now ;)

3) Save the BIOS settings

4) Shutdown your computer

5) Load your USB drive or boot CD into the new computer
a. Dependent on which one you prefer to use

6) Before anything loads, change the boot device order so that your USB drive or boot CD is first

7) Boot into the device

8) The next screen should a Chameleon/Chimera boot screen

9) Click left/right to find the Lion Installer drive

10) Type “-v –x” minus the quotes and hit [Enter]
a. This should boot you into verbose and safe mode
b. This will enable you to see what is going on behind the scenes and make sure nothing goes wrong

11) Within a few minutes you should be loaded in the Lion installer.
a. If not, please google around to see if there is a specific install guide for you. Hopefully there is and you can change the boot flags (i.e. –v, -x, etc.) to make the installer load

12) The first thing you want to do is click Continue and in the next screen agree to the terms and conditions

13) Go to the menu bar up top and select Utilities > Disk Utility

14) In the left pane, search for the hard drive you wish to install Lion on

15) Select the drive and click the Partition tab in the right pane

16) Now from the Partition Layout drop-down menu select “2 Partitions”

17) Click the Options button at the bottom of the pane and once again fill in the GUID Partition Table bubble and click Ok

18) Now you want to select the first of the two newly created partitions and once selected on the right there should be a location for Name, Format, and Size. Fill them in as follows:
a. Name: Lion (or whatever you want to call your Lion installation)
b. Format: Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
c. Size: Adjust according to what is half the size of you full hard drive.
i. Example: My hard drive is 256 GB, so I typed 128

19) Now select the second of the two partitions

20) Do the same thing for this partition, except label it as follows:
a. Name: Windows (or whatever you want to call your Windows installation)
b. Format: MS-Dos (FAT)
c. Size: Leave it as is

21) Click Apply

22) Once finished, exit Disk Utility

23) The next screen should ask you to select a disk and have a Customize button on the bottom left

24) Select the drive you labeled Lion
a. If there is a small yellow exclamation point on that drive, then you probably formatted incorrectly and you need to go back to 19)

25) Before you click Install, you need to select the Customize button

26) If there is nothing in the pane then exit, but if there is, select the box for Essential Files (or something like that) and deselect everything else.

27) Click Install

28) Dependent on the speed of your computer, this could take up to 30 minutes

29) If everything worked, then you should see this screen

30) Reboot

31) Load your USB drive or boot CD into the computer again and make sure to select it in boot options

32) In the Chameleon/Chimera bootscreen, click left/right and highlight the hard drive with Lion installed on it.

33) Type “-v –x” and then click Enter

34) You will now test if your installation worked

35) If it did, then you are in the clear. If it didn’t then you need to google hardware specific installations for your computer

36) Enter all the important user information that is required until you reach the desktop

37) Once complete, run the 10.7.1 update file. Let that run until finished, but DO NOT click Restart

38) Once complete, run the Java installer package and let it finish

39) Run DSDT Auto-patcher and select your motherboard if it exists in the catalog.
a. If not, don’t worry because you don’t necessarily need it

40) When the auto-patcher finishes it should place a file called “DSDT.aml” on your desktop. DO NOT move or re-label this file

41) Open up Multibeast and click through until you see all the selectable options
a. If you have a DSDT.aml on your desktop, select UserDSDT Install, System Utilities, all the system-specific kexts you found while in the Hardware Compatibility List of OSx86project.com, and under OSX86 Software > KextHelper
b. If you don’t have a DSDT.aml, select EasyBeast, System Utilities, all the system-specific kexts you found while in the Hardware Compatibility List on OSx86project.com, and under OSX86 Software > KextHelper

42) Click Continue

43) After that has finished, click the Shutdown option from the Apple drop-down menu on the top left of your desktop

44) Remove the USB drive or boot CD

45) Boot up

46) In the Chameleon/Chimera boot screen click left/right until you hightlight your Lion drive

47) Type “-v” and then click Enter

48) If your system boots up, then you have just successfully installed Mac OS X 10.7 Lion to your computer.

49) Shutdown and lets begin the Windows installation

Gigabyte GA-G31M-ES2L/GA-G41M-ES2L Install Guide

2011-09-09T17:11:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: Per the request of some of the users on YouTube I am going to include all the kexts and other important installation information.

GA-G31M-ES2L (rev. 2.4) Download these files: G31 Kexts & Packages
GA-G41M-ES2L (rev. 1.0) Download these files: G41 Kexts & Packages
GA-G41M-ES2L Audio Kexts: G41 Audio Kexts
JAVA Package: Java package

NOTE: Sorry for the confusion on the download files. If you click the G31 link you will now get the G31 files. If you click the G41 link you will now get the G41 files. Not the other way around.

NOTE: For those of you that need to find MaLd0n's DSDT Auto-Patcher, you can search for it in Google. If the one you have from the download pack does not work then you must search for it. One suggestion would be to copy the file to your desktop and then run it.

Copies your motherboard's package as well as the java download you package to a flash drive so that you can plug that in to your system once Lion is installed.

All of the files I mention in the guide are zipped into the one file above. Just so everyone is aware--I did not create these files. These were made from various people who dedicate a lot of hard work to the OSx86 project and deserve the credit. I found these on kexts.com, insanelymac.com, & tonymacx86.com. Please join their sites and show your appreciation.

Install Process:
1) I used MaLd0n's guide at this thread for only installing the base system. Everything after that such as the multibeast, smbios, and other options I would recommend following my steps.

2) After I fully installed Lion, I needed to reboot to setup my user information.

3) Once I got past those screens, I ran 10.7.1 update which can be found here, but before rebooting after the install was finished I ran the following:

4) Run the Java package update and once that is installed run the DSDT Auto-Patcher by MaLd0n (go through the motherboard options and select the Gigabyte G31M-ES2L/G41M-ES2L [whichever one applies])

5) Place the generated DSDT.aml on your desktop

6) Run Multibeast 4.0.1 or greater
a. Within Multibeast select the following options
i. User DSDT Option
ii. 64-bit Boot Screen (GraphicsEnabler=Yes)
iii. System Utilities (Repair Permissions & Cache)
iv. Extension Migration Tool

7) Install the kexts from your specific pack that you downloaded with Kext Helper. Just drag them in and enter your password. Once it finishes, you will need to force quit it.

8) Run the package 10.6.2-AppleHDAInstaller.pkg

9) Go to /Extra on the root of your drive and copy the file org.chameleon.boot.plist to your desktop. Open that copied file (the one from the desktop) in TextEdit. Look over the following text and compare it to what you have. Edit yours so that it looks like the one in the picture.

10) Unzip the file iMac9,1 and place the file smbios.plist in the folder /Extra on the root of your drive

10) Dependent on whether or not you choose to use wifi, this may or may not be the final step.

11) Reboot!

If all went well, you should now finally be running Mac on your PC.

Note: If you want to change any of the boot options such as an time out chameleon screen, new themes, or hiding drives then please ask.

Dual-booting Windows 7 & OS X Lion on my HP Probook 4530s

2011-09-07T15:21:00.000-07:00

I want to first start this post by thanking all the hard working people in the forum of tonymacx86.com. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't have been able to do this. The thread for this particular notebook, HP Probook 4530s, is at TonyMacx86 Thread. I could not be happier with my success.

The specs of my laptop are pretty basic, but I upgraded to make it more a performance machine.

CPU: Intel Core i3-2310m @ 2.10 GHz (Sandybridge)

RAM: 8 GB OCZ DDR3 1333 MHz (2 x 4 GB)

Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 3000 512MB

Hard Drive: 256 GB Crucial C300 SSD (TRIM Supported)

Wifi: Atheros Card

Ethernet: Realtek 81xx

Card Reader: JMicron SD Card Reader

Trackpad: Basic Gestures (i.e. two-finger scrolling)

Other features: Facetime, brightness, audio, & battery

Here is a video documenting my success.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_T0ZEHq_gM

Later today or tomorrow I will post a video from my digital camera demonstrating the dual-boot. Feel free to post any comments or questions. The thread I listed above has a lot of great info. Props to the people at tonymacx86.com

UPDATE:

Here is my proof

Rooted Nook Color Gingerbread 2.3 with 4GB SD Card

2011-09-04T18:46:00.000-07:00

Here is the rooted Nook Color that I have. It is currently up for auction on eBay. It is one awesome Android tablet. Here is a video I made of it.

GA-G41M-ES2L Hackintosh OS X Lion 10.7.1

2011-09-04T17:03:00.000-07:00

Hello again! I just wanted to update everyone on the status of my first build. I finally installed Lion 10.7.1 on it and it is running super smooth. Here are the specs on it and soon I will have a working video. This is another build that I was able to spend around $650 and it is just as fast if not faster than the comparable Core 2 Duo iMac.

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-G41-ES2L (rev. 1.0) $59.99

Processor (CPU): Intel Core 2 Duo E7500 @ 2.93 GHz $125.99

Memory (RAM): 8 GB (2 x 4GB) DDR2 800 MHz $49.99

Harddrive: 60 GB OCZ Vertex Plus OCZSSD2-1VTXPL60G $59.99

Graphics Card: MSI GTS 250 Twin Frozr 1 GB GDDR3 $230.00

Ethernet Card (Wired): Gigabyte On-board Gigabit Ethernet FREE

Wireless (Wi-Fi): EdiMax 7811 UN USB 2.0 $16.99

Bluetooth: AZiO Bluetooth 2.1 USB 2.0 Adapter $9.99

Keyboard/Mouse: Microsoft Intellimouse/Wireless Keyboard $39.99

Speakers:Logitech X-530 Dolby 5.1 400-Watt $49.99

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcWvcH2gdxI

GA-G31M-ES2L Update

2011-09-04T02:23:00.000-07:00

Here's my updated build. I posted a newer video. Check it out!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk7ZBm6dRnY

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-G31-ES2L (rev. 2.4) $59.99

Processor (CPU): Intel Pentium Dual Core E5800 @ 3.20 GHz $69.99

Memory (RAM): 4 GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 800 MHz $49.99

Harddrive: 64 GB Kingston SSDNow V100 Solid State Drive $90.00

Graphics Card: Gigabyte GeForce GT220 1 GB DDR3 $74.99

Ethernet Card (Wired): TP-Link TG-3269 Gigabit Ethernet $12.99
(On-board) Gigabyte On-board Gigabit Ethernet FREE

Wireless (Wi-Fi): D-Link Xtreme N PCIe DWA-556 $54.99

Bluetooth: AZiO Bluetooth 2.1 USB 2.0 Adapter $9.99

Keyboard/Mouse: Microsoft Intellimouse/Wireless Keyboard $39.99

Webcam: (Updated) Microsoft LifeCam HD-30 $39.99

Monitor: (Updated) Ben Q G2222HDL 21.5" LED Display $159.99

Speakers: (Updated) Logitech X-530 Dolby 5.1 400-Watt $49.99

PC Security Software Recommendations 2011

2011-07-14T01:04:00.000-07:00

        Hello again! Today I would like to make a post on the "must have" security programs available to Windows-based PC's. It seems that almost everyday I read about a new security threat or that a major company has been hacked. I would prefer not to be a victim, so that is why I will be overly cautious when it comes to my own computer safety.

        These are the different programs I have installed on my computer so that I can be prepared for anyone who might try to break in. I will also remind you that some of this software is not free (although I wish it was), so I will also include a free alternative.

Security:
(Anti-virus, Anti-malware, Anti-spyware)

1) AVG Internet Security 2011 - $54.99
This complete software package provides you with anti-virus, anti-spyware, firewall (network intrusion prevention), internet link scanner, and identity protection. You can find this software at http://www.avg.com/us-en/internet-security. If you don't feel like coughing up $54.99 for an internet download, then you should shop around at your local electronics store for the possibility of discount with a mail-in rebate.
A free alternative to AVG Internet Security is Avast! Anti-virus. Avast! does not provide you with the complete package, but it does provide you with solid spyware and virus protection. Avast! can be found at http://www.avast.com/free-antivirus-download. All you have to do is sign up to obtain a registration code. Avast! provides you with instructions how to do this.

2) Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Pro - $24.95
Your security is not complete without malware protection. Malwarebytes provides you with protection against hijackers, rootkits, and other malicious stuff you may run into online. Like I said before, security is my biggest concern! You or I do not want our identities or other personal information stolen right from underneath our fingertips. Malwarebyte Pro can be found at the Malwarebytes homepage.
An alternative to the Pro version of this software is the free version. The free version does not provide you with every single tool available for complete malware protection, but it is very close. You can find the free version on the same link as the Pro version.

3) Software Updates - FREE!!!!
I cannot stress enough how important it is to frequently update your computer. Whether it is checking Windows Update or updating your virus definitions, the world of security is constantly evolving and you do not want to be left behind. Malicious hackers are constantly trying to find bugs (problematic code) in a program and code writers are constantly trying to fix these bugs before they become exploited. Everyday I check for updates for all of my programs, especially the security-based ones.

Thank you for reading my post!

Building a Mac From Scratch (aka Building a Hackintosh)

2011-07-12T16:31:00.000-07:00

This is a little video I put together of my most recent project. I built a Mac from parts meant for a PC. For those of you who do not know about this particular topic, it is called OSX86 or building a hackintosh. As we all know Apple charges an arm and a leg for their products, but one thing most people do not know is that you can make a hackintosh computer from most current PC (Windows-based) parts. For example, the equivalent Apple iMac that resembles my custom build is worth close to $1,000--I spent 730.

Now I bet everyone is wondering, "what is the point of doing something like this?" For me, it is the fact that I want to be very knowledgable about as many things as possible in the world of computers. Understanding and being proficient with operating systems different than ones produced by Microsoft will help make me a more cultured user. In a nerdy sort-of way, I also think this kind of stuff is fun.

One quick word of advice to anyone contemplating taking on such a project. It is NOT an easy task. From my computer knowledge alone I could not build something like this. There are websites such as InsanelyMac, TonyMacx86, OSx86 Project , which are devoted to this topic. They are complete with forums, tutorials, and hardware lists that have previously been tested. Not every PC part can work with an Apple operating system, so before you do something like this make sure you are prepared and have a game plan.

Now I am ready to talk about my build. I am going to list each part coupled with a price so that you can get a feel for what I am working with. Just like any computer, certain parts are always needed (i.e. motherboard, processor, graphics card, etc.). I am also using the newest version of the Mac OS X operating system, 10.7 Lion.

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-G31-ES2L (rev. 2.4) $59.99

Processor (CPU): Intel Pentium Dual Core E5800 @ 3.20 GHz $69.99

Memory (RAM): 4 GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 800 MHz $49.99

Harddrive: 64 GB Kingston SSDNow V100 Solid State Drive $90.00

Graphics Card: Gigabyte GeForce GT220 1 GB DDR3 $74.99

Ethernet Card (Wired): TP-Link TG-3269 Gigabit Ethernet $12.99
(Updated) Gigabyte On-board Gigabit Ethernet FREE

Wireless (Wi-Fi): ~~EdiMax 7811UN USB 2.0 Wireless N Adapter $16.99~~
(Updated Replacement) D-Link Xtreme N PCIe DWA-556 $54.99

Bluetooth: AZiO Bluetooth 2.1 USB 2.0 Adapter $9.99

Keyboard/Mouse: Microsoft Intellimouse/Wireless Keyboard $39.99

Webcam: (Updated) Microsoft LifeCam HD-30 $39.99

Monitor: (Updated) Ben Q G2222HDL 21.5" LED Display $159.99

Speakers: (Updated) Logitech X-530 Dolby 5.1 400-Watt $49.99

I am not including a guide on how to do this unless someone specifically asks me to provide one. Feel free to ask any specific questions about this or peruse the links above for info about building a custom Mac. Here is the link for the YouTube video I posted of the final project, My Build .

I hope you all enjoyed this post!

-Mike

Social Networking: A Beginners Guide to Instant Messaging (IM) / Videochat

2011-03-06T17:17:00.000-08:00

Microsoft Windows Live Essentials 2011 (WLE) provides you access to almost all of your social networking needs. A bundled software, WLE, enables users to access features such as instant messaging, videochat, blog writers, and many other web essentials. The aim of this post is to demonstrate the capabilities of one of the programs in this bundle, Windows Live Messenger.

Pros:

- Allows for communication with relatives, friends, and co-workers across the world without paying for an long distance phone calls.

- Integrates Facebook, recent news, and video chat into one application. This cuts down on the amount of open items on your computer which in-turn frees up memory for other programs.

Cons:

- Just like with learning any new application, sometime frustration can take over when something is immediately understood. But there is an answer for that, it's called computersclarified.blogspot.com. :).

How to sign up:

1) The first step in the process of getting connected to Windows Live is to obtain an Live ID. To do this, all you need to do is goto this website:

https://signup.live.com/signup.aspx?wa=wsignin1.0&rpsnv=11&ct=1280795923&rver=5.5.4177.0&wp=MBI&wreply=http:%2F%2Fhome.live.com%2F&id=251248&mkt=en-US&bk=1280795923&rollrs=12&lic=1

2) Now we need to obtain the ID, so we need to fill out some information. This is basically going to ask for some basic information such as name, email address, address, and birth year. This is all private stuff, so don't get too worried.

3) Before you enter any information, click the blue highlighted button that says "use your own email address."

4) Enter your email address, a strong password (atleast 6 mixed numbers and letters), retype the password, first name, last name, country, state, zip code, gender, birth year, and you must also type in some random security lettering. Also, click I accept to move forward.

5) Once you have successfully done all of this, you will be taken to your Live inbox. This is not that important, unless you want to create a profile that is more than basic. For right now, lets set up the messenger.

6) Now you must download the messenger software so that you may chat.
Download Link : Windows Live 2011 Essentials Download

7) Once you have download the software, now it is time to install. If you are only wanted in use this software for messaging, when you have the option to select which software to install, only click the boxes that say "Windows Live Messenger" and "Microsoft Silverlight", you can uncheck the rest.

8) This setup process may take a few minutes, so you can go grab a class of water and let it run for a few.

9) Once the setup is complete, you will be asked if you want to sign up for a Windows Live ID, you do NOT want to do this. We did this first.

10) Now to use the software. First, you might have to restart your computer to complete the setup, this is fine and normal. Restart.

11) When you restart a new item will start up with Windows, this is Windows Live Messenger. It will ask you to enter your username/email address and password. This is the Live ID you created @hotmail.com or @live.com. The password you created in step 4 is the password used here.

12) For conveinence, I select remember my ID and password. Also, if you don't like the option of this program starting automatically, you may disable that. To do this, click the option that says "Options" under "Forget me." A menu will pop up and the first item in the middle will be a box that says "Start Messenger when I log on to my computer." If you like it, check it, if you don't want it to, uncheck it.

13) Time to sign in.

14) Now, a screen is going to open and a lot of confusing stuff may pop up, but don't worry. You are going to shrink this screen and make thing easy to understand. In the top right of your new screen is going to be the word "Inbox," to the right of it is a small box that contains a few gray shaded boxes, click that and voila, the screen has shrunk.

15) As of now, you don't have any friends to videochat with, but to get some, please refer them to this blog post and you can help them sign-up.

If step 15 is you, please go out and tell people about this and come back when you are ready to set up videochat. If this isn't you, lets tell you how to add friends and configure your camera and sound.

Adding Friends:

The process of adding friends is relatively easy. To do this you must know someone else with a Live ID that is willing to be your friend. It is a two-step process that is as follows

1) In the top right of your screen inbetween "Inbox" and the gray squares is a little figure with a green plus sign on it, please click that. A menu is going to pop up and you need to pick the 4th option, which is "Add Friend." When you click that, a new box will appear asking for a friend's email address, enter your friend's address and click next. The next screen asks you to make them a favorite, do that if you like. Click next. Windows Live Messenger will attempt to send for confirmation.

2) Once you sent this confirmation, your friend now has to have Windows Live Messenger installed on their computer, and accept your friend request. This is easy, because once they sign in, a small message will appear on their friend list that tells them to confirm. Once they click this you will now both be friends and everytime each signs on and the other is already signed on, your friends ID will appear as active in your friend list.

Sending Messages:

To send a message on Windows Live Messenger a few things must happen.

1) You and the friend you wish to communicate with must be online.

2) Double-click their Live ID in your friend list and a new box will appear.

3) In the text box, type whatever message you wish to send and then click Enter.

Setup Videochat/Voice chat and use it:

Before you go to this section you must have some essentials before you can videochat or voice chat.

1) You must have a webcam and/or a microphone. If you are not sure, it is not too hard to figure out.

     a) For laptop/netbook users: If you purchased your pc within the past few years, chances are there is already one installed. To look, above your screen, there will be a little lens that is usually identified as the webcame. Most likely this is centered, but sometimes it is off-center. If you have a webcam, then this also means that you have a microphone as well.

    b) For desktop users: If you didn't purchase one seperately from your computer this means you probably don't have one. If you don't, no need to worry. You can go to most electronics stores, BestBuy, Target, Wal-Mart, or Radioshack and purchase one for around $40.

            ii) To install this newly purchased webcam (which does come with a microphone, so don't worry) you will need to plug it into your USB port on your computer. There are usually a few of these on any desktop. It is a rectangular port a little under an inch long. Your computer will install the drivers for this, so give it a minute or two before you move on.

2) To configure your device you need to be signed into Windows Live Messenger.

3) Once you are signed in, click the box that says your full name in the top left of your friend list.

4) A new box will pull down, what you are checking to see is if the menu bar is enabled. If it is, the third entry from the bottom that says "Show The Menu Bar" will be highlighted with a check next to it. If not, click that.

5) At the top of your Windows Live Messenger box will be a bar the says "File," "Contacts," and some more little grayed out words. Click the menu that says "Tools."

6) This will pull down and an option towards the bottom that says "Set up audio and video devices." Click that.

7) A new box will appear and will run through a few step to see if your audio input/output works, as well as video input.

8) The first drop down menu should say default in it, if it doesn't, click the arrow to the right and select default.

9) Make sure your speaker are not muted and your webcam is plugged in.

10) Click test. This is going to play a chime or two to see if your speakers are working. If you hear something, you are good. If not, please make sure your speakers are plugged in and on.

11) To test the microphone, a little rectangle filled with green, yellow, and red will be moving telling you that your microphone is picking up sound. If you blow into the microphone and the green turns to red then your microphone works. If not, you will need to make sure everything is plugged in and on.

12) If this works, now we must test the video. Click next.

13) When you do this, a box will appear and if everything is working, a video feed will appear of you or the room you are in. If nothing appears, once again, check your cables and power.

14) Click finish

15) Now it's time to videochat.

16) If you have a friend that is on, double-click their Live ID like you would for instant messaging.

17) Directly below the text box will the videochat option. Click that or you can click voice call.

18) Now your computer will attempt to connect. If this is successful, you can now videochat. If not, completely exit out of Windows Live Messenger, signin again, and retry to connect.

Social Networking: A Beginners Guide to Twitter

2011-02-23T17:41:00.000-08:00

--------------------------

Tweet tweet! Here's the down low on the twitter. Twitter is a social networking website, also called microblogging, which allows its users to post tweets to share with the public. A tweet is a text-based post of up to 140 characters (including spaces). These 140 characters can be used however you want.

Pros:

- Allows for instantaneous status updating that are short and to the point.

- Easily accessed on different devices such as web-based, smartphones, or tablet pc's.

- Good for promoting events, sharing links, pictures, and videos.

Cons:

- Twitter is completely public. This means that if someone searches for your username or full name associated with twitter, then you can be found. To some this is a problem, understandably so, but to others this medium is perfect for promotion.

- There is no unique interface designed for twitter. Although twitter is a web-based service, users can download applications on their smartphones and computers to access their accounts. This might lead to some confusion, but lucky for you there is http://computersclarified.blogspot.com/ to help you with that.

How to sign up?

1) Open your favorite browser up and type http://twitter.com/ into your address bar or simply click the link.

2) Move to the right side of the screen and click "Sign Up."

3) Follow the steps by entering your name, your desired username, a private password, and a verifiable email address.

4) Once you have filled in the user information feel free to read the Terms of Service and click "Create my account."

5) Now you have signed up, but you are not done. You will be asked to search for some interests you may have. The results of your searches will be different twitter accounts that you may or may not choose to follow.

6) Once you are done doing that, click the gray text at the top of the page that says "Friends," this will take you to the next step.

7) Once your page has loaded, you have the option to search for people by name, username, or even search within email/instant messenger contacts for people you may know who already have a twitter account. Example: type Michael Perlstein into the search box and click the "Follow" button for Inmike02. That is me.

8) When you are done doing this and you have imported whatever contacts from your email, on the bottom of the screen will be a button that says "Back to: Friends," click it!

9) Click the button at the bottom of the page that says "Skip import."

10) Voila! You have successfully set up your twitter account.

What can I do on twitter?

You can tweet, follow other friends who are on, or send direct messages to other people on twitter.

How do I "tweet?"

- If you are logged into your account from the web-based browser twitter, there should be an empty white box that has the words "What's happening?" above it, click inside it and write a message 140 characters or less.

- Once you have finished writing what you want, click "Tweet."

- To send a tweet or let someone know that you are tweeting about them, all you need to do is include their username in the tweet.

- I am going to tweet that I really love this new website I found and I want this user Cclarified to see that

Example: @Cclarified I found this new website that I really love.

- This tweet will appear in the user Cclarified's feed (a feed is a collection of tweets for a particular user).

Following friends

- To follow a friend on twitter, you must either know their name or username.

- On the top of your screen should be an empy box that has the gray letters "search" in it. Click in there and type the name you would like to search and press enter

- A new screen should appear, click the tab that says "people."

- Now if the person you are searching for has a twitter, they will pop up, if not, they won't.

- Click the "follow" button.

This is a very basic introduction to twitter and I hope that everyone found this useful. If there is anything that you need explained or would like me to post about feel free to comment or message me on twitter :). @inmike02 is my username.

Social Networking: A Beginners Guide to Facebook

2011-02-23T15:41:00.000-08:00

As our world advances into the age of information and computer technology is part of our everyday life, we as the user must advance with it. What once was done through letters and telephone is now done through e-mails and videochat. This transition might seem complicated to the average person, but let me assure you it isn't. This post is going to weigh the pro's and the con's of the different social networking tools available to us, as well as inform you on how to sign-up if you choose to do so. I am asking one thing of anyone who reads this post and that is to keep an open mind. Changing from old habits to new ones takes time and patience, but I promise that learning will occur.

The most popular arenas of social networking are Facebook, Twitter, Instant Messaging. I realize that for any more advanced users this list may be somewhat incomplete, but remember that this is a beginners guide.



--------------------------

According to Wikipedia.org, Facebook is a social network service that currently has more than 600 million active users. The point of Facebook is to allow a user to build a brief or intricate profile with information such as, but not limited to, birthday, pictures, videos, public messages (a.k.a. "posts"), and friend lists (a.k.a. "connections") in hopes that the through these items the user can share their daily life with other people. The first question I seem to run into is, "what happens if I don't want to share pictures" or "what happens if I don't people to see what I write to someone else (a.k.a. "writing on someone's wall")," while the simple answer is you can make what you do on Facebook as private as you choose. Privacy is a big issue and I believe the Facebook has implemented a policy that allows the users to control this sufficiently.

Pros:

- Allows for connections to be made to friends, family, co-workers, or anyone from your past that you might not have kept in contact with over the years.

- Allows for sharing of photos, videos, instant messages, and internet links with anyone you choose with just a couple of clicks.

- Creates a safe environment to reach out and make connections with new people such as joining social groups/dicussions.

- The privacy policy allows you to be invisible to anyone that is already registered on Facebook who you might not want to find you.

Cons:

- The last pro listed has one caviet. That is, if someone were to search your name through a search engine or one Facebook itself and they were NOT registered or logged in on Facebook, that person could find you with at minimum a profile picture showing.

- Another thing Facebook provides in their privacy policy/user agreement is that they provide advertisers with some of the information listed on your profile. Example: On my profile, I wrote that one of my favorite sports teams is the Miami Heat. What Facebook does with this is provide the keywords Miami Heat to an advertiser and on the right side of my screen occasionally I will have a small advertisement for Miami Heat merchandise. Is this a big deal? Not to me, but I know that some people prefer to keep everything private which is their choice and no one elses.

How to sign up?

1) Open your favorite web browser and type into the address bar http://www.facebook.com/ or you can click on the link and it will open up to Facebook. I would recommend opening a new window or tab to do this, that way if you want to continue to read my instructions you can do both at the same time.

2) Once the web site opens up, on the right side of the screen will be a few empty boxes asking for some basic information. Don't worry, this is only information used to verify your identity if you lose your password. Facebook also provides a small blue link below the birthday boxes that says "Why do I need to provide this?," click that if you would like a more detailed explanation.

3) Once you have clicked "Sign Up," you will need to confirm that the email address you are using is in-fact your email address. This is quick. Facebook is going to send you a few emails, one of which is the one you need to verify. Just click the link and then it will ask you to sign in and then you will be verified.

4) Voila! You have officially created an account for Facebook. Your username is the email address you provided and your password is the one you came up with at the sign-up page. Keep these private. Even though you do not store credit card or bank information on this website, cyber perps will impersonate you to spead spam and other forms of dangerous material.

What do I do in Facebook?

You can do many things with Facebook. Let's practice a few things so you can get the basics down.

Logging In:

To login to your Facebook account you will need to goto http://www.facebook.com/ and enter yoyr username and password into the required fields. I would recommend bookmarking this website if you plan to facebook (yes, you can use it as a verb) often. Your initial login will take you to something called the "News Feed," you can scroll this to see what all the people you are friends with are doing. A variety of things are shown in the "News Feed:" posts, pictures, videos, and news links.

Status:

This is the most commonly used feature on Facebook. Posting your status is what it's called. You can type a message fairly long and share with your friends what is going on.

   -   To do this, all you need to do is click the word "Profile" in the top right hand corner of your screen once you've scrolled up all the way.
   -   Once the page has loaded, you have arrived at your profile page. In the top middle of the screen a box will appear that says in light gray lettering "What's on your mind?" This is where you type out your status.
   -   Now that you have typed what you wanted, click "Share."

This will now post onto your profile page, as well as be posted to all of your friends news feeds.

Facebook Chat:

Recently, Facebook has implemented a program of instant messanging that allows friends to chat with one another while logged into Facebook. This is located in the bottom right of your screen. A little box will either say "Chat (Offline)" or "Chat (#)." A few things you should know about this is:
1) You can only chat with people you are friends with.

2) A green circle means that you are telling your friends that you are available for chat

3) If you don't like people to know you are using Facebook and don't want to use chat, there is a feature that makes you invisible. Click where it says "Chat (#)" and let your friend list load vertically up the screen. From there click on "Options" at the top of the list and select "Go Offline." From this point forward you can browse Facebook without letting other user you are online. If at any time you would like to go back onlne, just click where it say "Chat (Offline)" and Facebook will automatically log you back into the chat feature.

4) (HOW TO) To chat with someone, just load your friend list by click on the "Chat (#)" box and click a friends name. A text box should appear which allows you to write messages back and forth.

Posting Pictures:

One really nice feature of Facebook is that you can share albums of photos with your friends. Over the past two years, Facebook has made the proces of uploading photos a whole lot easier. The steps for this are pretty simple and should be done on the computer where the photos are located. For example: If I want to upload picture of my trip to Florida that are only on my laptop computer, I need to login to Facebook on that very same laptop so that I can access them directly when want to share them. Let's get started.

1) You want be logged in to Facebook and navigate to your profle page.

2) This is very similar to posting your status. Where you would go to post your status, the top middle of your profile page, is a little link titled "Photo." Click it.

3) Now three options will appear. If you are wanting to post a photo that you took the other day or where there is a file currently on your computer that is from years ago, click "Upload a Photo."

4) This is now going to change to a small box with a browse button. You need to click the browse button and navigate in your computer to find where you stored the photo you want to share. Usually, if you are on a Windows computer, this will be in My Pictures. There should be a dropdown menu that lets you navigate there.

5) Once you have found the folder where the picture(s) are located, select it/them and click open at the bottom.

6) Now you will have a chance to share something about the photo(s) you are sharing. In the box where it says in light gray lettering "Say something about this photo..." you can type whatever you would like. When you have done this just click "Share".

7) The picture(s) have posted and it/they will appear on your profile and in all of your friends news feeds.

For now, that is all, but this should give you the ability start to get connected to the people in your life that use Facebook.

Windows Experience Index (WEI) Ratings Part 3

2011-02-22T02:39:00.000-08:00

UPDATED INFORMATION!!!!

I finally found some time to reorganize and clean up the mess I used to call my Windows Experience Index page. I made things look a lot cleaner and hopefully a lot easier to read. Once again, please comment with your computer information so that I can have a more complete index. Thanks!

iOS 4.2.1 Jailbreak Status Update (It's Ready)

2011-02-09T16:21:00.000-08:00

Finally, the wait is over. After months of waiting, the Chronic Dev Team released an updated Greenp0is0n software that will jailbreak any iDevice on 4.2.1. Might I add that this is an untethered jailbreak, which means we can reboot our devices withOUT having to use our laptops. Lucky for us, those guys who spent countless hours working on this release made it very simple for us to use their software. WARNING: If you are an unlocker (meaning you want to use your iDevice on a different service provider besides AT&T) please refer to the iPhone Dev Team's blog regarding the status of your unlock and DO NOT PROCEED)

To jailbreak your iDevice running on firmware 4.2.1, you need to do a couple of things:

- Make sure you have the latest version of iTunes installed on your computer.

- Restore your iDevice to firmware iOS 4.2.1 simply by clicking "Update" in iTunes. (A side note to this is if you have heard rumors that iOS 4.3 has been released, DO NOT click "Update". You will need to hold Shift Key and click Restore and manually download the iOS 4.2.1 software.)

Now you are ready to go!!

First - Go to http://www.greenpois0n.com/ , select the operating system you are running, and download the associated file.

Second - Once you have successfully download the software, unpack it and execute it.

Third - Plug your iDevice into your computer (make sure it is still turned on at this point)

Fourth - Once your iDevice is plugged in, proceed to turn it off while it is still plugged in

Fifth - Now that your iDevice is turned off, click "Prepare to Jailbreak (DFU)"

Sixth - There is going to be a quick countdown to allow you to get ready

Seventh - Now when the countdown restarts at 3, hold your devices power button down for 3 seconds

Eighth - After the 3 seconds has passed, continue to hold the power button and hold the home button for 10 seconds

Ninth - After the 10 seconds has passed, release the power button and continue to hold the home button for 15 seconds (the program says 10, but 15 is a safe bet).

Tenth - If you were successful in puttting your iDevice into DFU mode, the grayed out "Waiting for DFU...." button should turn into "Jailbreak." If you were unsuccessful, go back to step one and restart. If your phone is stuck on the "Please connect to iTunes" screen, just hold the home and power button down together until the Apple boot logo reappears.

Eleventh - Click the "Jailbreak" button. Some white text is going to be running on your iDevice, but not to worry, that is all apart of the process.

Twelfth - When everything is done and your iDevice is rebooted, you will find a little Greenpois0n icon on your homescreen. Click it.

Thirthteenth - Click to install Cydia.

Fourteenth - Once your iDevice has successfully installed Cydia, click it and let the fun begin.

I hope this post was helpful to anyone wanting to jailbreak their iDevices running iOS 4.2.1. Thank you!

Top 5 Apple AppStore Games

2011-02-08T12:51:00.000-08:00

According to Wikipedia, 18% of smartphone users run the Apple iOS operating system. Within the AppStore is a choice of thousands of different applications to suit your pleasure. For me, games from the AppStore are very important. Games are important because they allow me to stimulate my mind when times gets rather boring. Over the years I have made my fair share of purchases from the Apple AppStore and I have found that a few games seem to stick with me. So this post will be regarding my top 5 "Must Have" games.

Games

1) Scramble 2 by Zynga

Scramble 2 was designed to be the iDevices equivalent to the old board game Boggle. By far my most favorite game. I've spent countless hours play solo, challenging friends, & playing online matches. This is a definite must have. FREE

2) Scrabble by Hasbro

The Scrabble app is exactly what it sounds like. The manufacturers of the old family board game got together and designed this app. The best feature of this app, is that you can login to your facebook account and challenge any of your friends on facebook to a game. A definite must have. $1.99

3) Angry Birds

Angry Birds has been the #1 seller in the Apple AppStore for well over a year. This fun game challenges the user to shoot as many pigs as possible with a sling-shot that fire little angry looking birds. The makers of this game provide a ton of levels for endless enjoyment. Warning: some levels are very hard and may require extended periods of time to complete. This is a must have app. $0.99

4) Sporcle

Sporcle is a trivia game. It is the take off of a popular trivia website that allows user to submit trivia lists and then challenges the user to fill the list in a certain amount of time. A very fun game for all of you trivia heads. $1.99

5) Bejeweled 2

Bejeweled 2 + Blitz is a very fun game. The point of this game is to line up consecutive jewels that look identical. As you get three or more in a row, they explode and disappear and are refilled with new jewels. A perfect game for a long car ride. $0.99

Windows Experience Index (WEI) Ratings Part 2

2011-02-05T15:26:00.000-08:00

Hey guys! So I just finished putting together a very early version of a table comparing computer components with their WEI. I know it is very small right now, but with every new submission I can expand it to offer a more complete table. Have fun. Here is the link, Windows Experience Index (WEI) Table , or you can also access it through my main page along the right-hand side.