What does it take to run OSX on a intel PC?

R

rockethobbit

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I know nothing about macs. I know a lot about Intel/Windows.

I have a copy of OSX for Intel that I want to install on my Intel PC that I would normally install XP.

What does it take to get OSX to work or am I totally clueless and it will never work because I need something called a iMac?

I have gotten OSX to install on the PC, but every time I boot from the HD it crashes or hangs.
 
Here is the problem... there has never been a copy of Mac OS X sold that wasn't already tied to an existing piece of hardware from Apple. If you have Mac OS X for Intel without an Intel based Mac, then you have it illegally. If you have an Intel based Mac and are trying to install that software on a second (non-Apple) system, that is illegal too.

There is no legal way to run Mac OS X on non-Apple hardware, and discussing ways to circumvent license restrictions in software is against board rules.
 
Ok, so basically you are saying is that I have to buy a apple computer to get OSX to function.

I suppose apple has no plans to release a copy of OSX for generic intel pc's?

What does it cost range for a moderatly powerful apple computer that runs OSX?
 
Yup. Gotta buy a Mac to run Mac OS X.

Apple currently has announced no plans to release Mac OS X for generic PCs... and why should they? That's where they make most of their money: hardware. So there's no motivation to do change things.

http://www.apple.com/store

The Intel Core Duo iMac and MacBook Pros have proven to be powerful computers so far...
 
Depends on what you want to do with it... anywhere from $0 to $4,000.

My top of the line system is an old Beige G3 from 1998. It has been upgraded to a G4 at 533 MHz (with 1 MB of L2 cache), has an ATI Radeon 7000 (with 32 MB of VRAM), has an 80 GB hard drive connected to an Ultra ATA/66 PCI card, and is running Mac OS X v10.3.9. This system cost me nothing (as in free), and that is including the 20" display I'm using with it.

If you would be unwilling to buy an expensive PC to run Windows, then hunting down a non-new Mac is pretty much the same type of thing. If you would build a PC system for running Windows, then upgrading an older Mac to get the same functionality as newer models is pretty much the same type of thing too. And if you were willing to try to hack Mac OS X onto a PC, then getting it to run on older Apple hardware that may not be supported (my Beige G3 is not supported for running 10.3 or 10.4) wouldn't be all that different.
 
You can find some Mac mini G4 models for decent prices. Heck, you can get an Intel one for a good price also if it's just to familiarize yourself with Mac OS X.

Running it on a non-Apple computer is not only illegal (as it requires a developer version that's not available for normal purchase), it's unsupported (especially here because of the forum rules....the thread would most likely be closed). You're going to encounter a lot of issues that no one would be able to help you with, and not just because of the rules but because of the fact that it IS unsupported, meaning it could be a number of things.

Your best bet is to get an older Mac that is supported under Mac OS X. Some of the Power Mac G4 towers and iMacs are quite affordable nowadays. Even at a GoodWill you might be able to find some interesting Macs. Don't believe me? Check this out. :)
 
Ok, I have an opportunity to buy a mac, but have no idea what it is worth. Could someone look at these specs and give me an estimate?

PMG4 800mhz 256mb 40gb HD CDRom RV200
 
Around 300ish dollars. (Subjective, but I've been buying and selling Macs for a while.)
 
That is the "stupidest" question ever! You cannot install Mac OS X, Mac OS 9, Mac OS 8 or any Macintosh Operational System on a PC... You can't... the OS System was made for Apple-based computers. I suggest you buy a Mac.
 
gabrielleitao said:
That is the "stupidest" question ever! You cannot install Mac OS X, Mac OS 9, Mac OS 8 or any Macintosh Operational System on a PC... You can't...
Click to expand...
I wouldn't go that far.

The developer releases of Mac OS X v10.4.1 that accompanied Apple's Intel based developer kit hardware was successfully installed on a number of non-Apple PCs (illegally). And this was possible because Apple had kept a version of their operating system in development that could function on generic PCs ever since Apple started development of Rhapsody (and that version was based on them). There was a generic PC version of every release even though the last publicly known version was Rhapsody Developer Release 2 (Rhapsody 5.1) before the start of the Intel transition.

So even though they never saw the light of day, there were generic PC versions of Mac OS X Server 1.x, the Mac OS X Developer Previews, Mac OS X Public Beta, Mac OS X v10.0.x, Mac OS X v10.1.x, Mac OS X v10.2.x, Mac OS X v10.3.x, and Mac OS X v10.4.0. And even though the developer kit versions of 10.4.1 were only slightly modified and the current releases even more modified, I'm sure that Apple still has a version of the current OS that can (with the right drivers) run on generic PCs.

Apple stopped supporting the version that the original poster is talking about at 10.4.3.

Further, Apple has never released any version of Mac OS X for Intel that wasn't directly tied to a physical piece of hardware. Any copies beyond those originally accompanying Apple hardware are illegal copies. Any installations on non-Apple hardware are illegal installations.

It is not a stupid question... just not an appropriate one for this forum.
 
Yes, you are obviously, RacerX and you are more into the Apple news than me, which I just got into the Macintosh World and I love it.

I said stupid question, it was a non-sense, sorry... What I mean to say by stupid question, is the fact that people are asking those questions frequently on the forums, in MacOSX.com and other forums, and they must undertand that Mac OS... doesn't... work.... on.... PECES.

Still it is illegal, and people cannot install Mac OS X on a PC, you need to be realllllly good to do that... or a reincarnation of Albert Einstein himself.... a genious to make it work... just kiddin... But still, it is illegal, Macintosh OS was made for Apple-based computers. That is why Macintosh is so wonderful. Hardware and Software work like a clock, where all the pieces work together and they are made by the same manifactor.

If you are still into those annoying PCs, and get viruses, bugs, BLue Screens Of Death, I'd suggest to buy the cheapest Mac, or a Mac mini.

And if you still want to install Mac OS X on a PC, I'd say: ---> "Good night, and Good Luck".

Gab
 
rockethobbit said:
Ok, I have an opportunity to buy a mac, but have no idea what it is worth. Could someone look at these specs and give me an estimate?

PMG4 800mhz 256mb 40gb HD CDRom RV200
Click to expand...

You'll probably need to increase the 256 mb to get OSX to run at a useable speed.
 
Always depends on what experience you want to have and what applications you intend to run. I, too, would say that 512 MB makes a *FAR* better experience on Panther. I know some people can get by easily on a low-spec machine like your 233 MHz/160 MB, and I remember that I actually _liked_ using my old iBook 300 MHz/192 MB for writing stories in TextEdit in Mac OS X Public Beta (pre "Cheetah" 10.0), but seriously: That's not what people would call "normal use". ;)
 
fryke said:
I know some people can get by easily on a low-spec machine like your 233 MHz/160 MB, and I remember that I actually _liked_ using my old iBook 300 MHz/192 MB for writing stories in TextEdit in Mac OS X Public Beta (pre "Cheetah" 10.0), but seriously: That's not what people would call "normal use". ;)
Click to expand...

lol. Well, I guess writing my novel, surfing the internet, using Photoshop, and bickering about on Skype are what I consider "normal" use for me. Nevertheless, those are my low-end "normal" uses. My high-end is Ableton Live, which I use an outdated 1Ghz eMac for.
 
there is the osX86 project, which produces installers which work with normal pcs.

However, because theyre navigating around DRM restrictions which are being re-implemented each update, you need to get any and all updates from that project.

I still use ppc apple, but I've heard reports from a friend who uses it that because the hardware is not supported, even after the drm is stripped from it, that it's much less stable and not nearly as efficient.

I'd suggest either going with ubuntu, which has similar apps to osx available for it to provide a pseudo-mac experience on pc hardware, or doing as suggested, and getting a cheap used apple =)..
 
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