Part 1:
MSI is a company known mostly for its PC components. They recently jumped into the netbook bandwagon with just about every other major pc manufacturer. They make a not too well known desktop with roughly the same dimensions as a ream of printer paper, called the MSI Wind.

The MSI Wind PC is a great little computer; It comes with a 1.6GHz Intel atom CPU, two SATA connections for 3.5" and 5.25" bays and 6 USB ports. You can pick a barebones one, requiring ram, a hard drive and possibly DVD drive, for $140 or so.

What You need To Roll A Mac:

1. MSI Wind PC.
This can be found on newegg for $140. http://www.newegg.com/Produ...ize-_-MSI-_-56167032

2. Hard Drive.
If you don't have a spare one laying around, the Wind has an internal CF card slot that may also be possible to use. I have not tried this myself and it would most like be ridiculously slow. I suggest Seagate, as they have yet to fail me. You can pick one up at Newegg for about 50$ with shipping.

3. RAM.
Again if you don't have it laying around, the Wind takes 200-pin DDR2 notebook memory, up to 2GB. You can get this at Newegg for about 20$.

4. Optical Drive:
I assume you already have a sata DVD drive or an usb one, the Wind does not have a pata/ide connection so you can't use an older drive. You can also get one of these at Newegg for about 20$, however it isn't required once you have the OS installed.

Speaking of which, you need the OS. It can be found online in various places. You must use MSIWindosx86.iso (search for it on thepiratebay, as long as you don't have an irrational fear of eye patches). As a torrenting client I recommend uTorrent. If downloading it causes you to lose sleep you can always buy a retail copy of Leopard and pretend the copy you're installing is that copy.

There are several other files mentioned here; all of which can be downloaded here.
If your Wind's bios is version 1.50 or later (you can find out by mashing the delete button right when it boots) you do not need to flash the bios, so therefore you do not need the corresponding files. However the other two files are divers needed for the video card and the sound.

To Get Started:
* At least one (maybe 5) blank DVDs.
* USB Flash drive to flash the bios.
* A PC or Mac capable of burning discs.
* USB keyboard/mouse.

I did all burning, downloading and anything else needed to install on a Windows 7 computer without any problems. There is no reason a XP or Vista machine won't work just as well.

Once you have all the required items, we can get started.

1. First burn the OS image on to a DVD, to do this I used isoburn to burn the image to the DVD. It took me about 3 or 4 bad discs to find that you should burn it at 2X speed; I got the best results with that.

2. While that is burning put the Wind together. Remove the two top screws in the back of the case then slide off the top panel.



Then remove the face plate (undo the three tabs at the top and pull forward).

Then remove the two screws holding the drive rack on. Once you have done this put your drives in.



If you are just using a temporary DVD drive leave it apart for now and just make the internal connections,

otherwise screw the drive rack back on. Now, plug in the sata and power connections for both drives, and clip the front panel back on. Before you put the top cover back on install the ram (you have to install at an angle then clip it upright).



Finally, replace the top cover. You now have a fully constructed Wind!

Now, The Software!:

Part 2:

3. You can skip this step if your BIOS is version 1.50 or later. If you are like me and got your Wind with BIOS under 1.50 then this is for you.

Install the HP format utility from the downloads page (here). While this is installing, find a flash drive. Once you have found the drive (probably in a pair of pants) back up all needed files on the drive onto your computer. Extract the Windows 98 boot files to a folder on your desktop or something (not the flash drive). Now run the HP format utility, check the DOS boot files box and browse to the win98 files. You can either format the drive as fat or fat32, (didn't try ntfs) and apply. Once this is done extract the msi Wind bios update to the drive root and eject.
Plug the drive into your Wind and mash the F9-F12 keys while booting to get to the boot menu. Select your flash drive. The Windows 98 DOS screen should shortly follow when it does type in "flash.bat" and hit enter,

after it is done your Wind should restart, pull out the drive. Your Wind may come up with a bad BIOS checksum error (mine did) ignore it (hit F2) and proceed.[/color]

4. Once you are done flashing, go into the BIOS (hit delete on boot),

go to the USB settings and change it from HIspeed(480mbps) to FULLspeed(12mbps).

Unfortunately it won't work unless you do this, also you can't change it back once it is installed either (won't go past grey screen). Hit F10 to save changes and restart.

5. Now insert your scratch free, fresh sharpie-labeled disc into the DVD drive and boot (you may have to mash the F9-F12 keys again to select the DVD drive). An all text screen should pop up asking you hit any key to boot from disc with a little timer counting down,

hit any key. Another screen should pop up with a bunch of text, your screen may flash a couple times and it should take no longer than 5 minutes.

6. After a short time a grey screen will come up, select your language.



Now at the top bar got to Utilities-> Disc Utility.


Part 3:

Now follow the steps to partition the drive 1 partition as Mac OS journaled (name it something pretty like Leopard),

hit apply then tell it to apply again. When you get to the license agreement *do not read it;* a small kitten may die if you do.[/color]

7. Follow the rest of the steps to install, selecting your new freshly made partition.

*Before you install, hit customize.* Now expand the Patches section until you see kernel and uncheck it.





Now install, which should take about 30 minutes, give or take a few, and then restart.

8. The screen that asked you hit any key to boot from the disc should come up again;

this time just let the timer run out. It will take a minute but the OS X set up will come up, just follow the very easy steps.




Part 4




Once it gets to the desktop restart the computer so the Ethernet will work.[/color]

9. After it has restarted, open and unarchive the other file that you downloaded, install the GMA950 package, and restart a final time.










10. Congratulations! OSX is installed on the Wind, and you can remove the install disc as you won't need it again until your envious friend wants to make one for himself. I suggest you visit Lifehacker for a bunch of tips and tricks for OSX. Also, doing the non-program updates (system updates) will screw it up; they attempt to modify the modified kernel. For now just update iTunes and the like. If you have any questions or need any help, feel free to email them at guides@uselessninjas.com and don't forget to visit their blog for our latest exploits/hacks/spouts of boredom.

The Authors & Where I Copied The Instructions & Pictures From:
http://www.uselessninjas.com/guides/msiwindosx/

Apparently they got that OSX for free. Fully legal and licensed, I'm sure.

John Stricker

There's a place around here... forget what it's called but they're selling the 20-24" current gen mac's CHEAP. They're factory refurbs but I think they want like $450 for a 20" model.

I might do something about that.

quote Originally posted by jstricker: Apparently they got that OSX for free. Fully legal and licensed, I'm sure. John Stricker

Yea, why take the risk and bother of pirating an OS when you can accomplish the same thing free of charge and legitimately with Linux?
Debian (my choice)
Ubuntu
Damn Small Linux
and many more

[This message has been edited by williegoat (edited 01-10-2010).]

I thought you hated mac?

that poor wind... just think of how much more usefull as a computer it could be with windows 7....

ati cablecard tuner, and that could be a VERY nice little htpc

Good job Boonie.

I have thought about making a Hackintosh (not because I need one but as a hobby project) but have not had the time.

quote Originally posted by williegoat: Yea, why take the risk and bother of pirating an OS when you can accomplish the same thing free of charge and legitimately with Linux? Debian (my choice) Ubuntu Damn Small Linux and many more

you can buy OSX retail.. so who said they *had* to have pirated it? ( unless i missed something in the screen shots.. i did float past them pretty fast, since there was nothing earth shaking )

I have a copy here, its good for 5 legal installs even. ( family pack )

Now, there is some questio about the legality of installing it on a non Apple branded machine, but that wasn't the issue that was brought up.

quote [B] Now, there is some questio about the legality of installing it on a non Apple branded machine, but that wasn't the issue that was brought up.

No, there's no question, that's a violation of the license agreement, which is illegal. Well, installing it on non-Apple hardware isn't illegal, but hacking the OS is, which is what it takes to install it.

Not that I care. I'm running Windows 7, and it's the FIRST time I've ever owned a legal copy of Windows. The license agreement is BS. So if you're going cripple me with a BS license agreement, I don't have any issues in pirating your software.

quote Originally posted by SGS: No, there's no question, that's a violation of the license agreement, which is illegal. Well, installing it on non-Apple hardware isn't illegal, but hacking the OS is, which is what it takes to install it. Not that I care. I'm running Windows 7, and it's the FIRST time I've ever owned a legal copy of Windows. The license agreement is BS. So if you're going cripple me with a BS license agreement, I don't have any issues in pirating your software.

There are several clone boards out there with an EFI chip that doesn't require any 'hacking' of the OS to get it to install and run. I assumed that this board had this? If it didn't, then this 'how to' wasn't any different then running it on any other board out there.

And yes, installing OSX on a non apple machine IS a violation of the agreement if you read the EULA on install. That said, if i bought the disk, i feel i can install it on any machine i want as far as I'm concerned. ( now i happen to own apples, but you get my point )

quote Originally posted by User00013170: And yes, installing OSX on a non apple machine IS a violation of the agreement if you read the EULA on install. That said, if i bought the disk, i feel i can install it on any machine i want as far as I'm concerned. ( now i happen to own apples, but you get my point )

No, the violation is hacking the OS. That's why the OP said NOT to run system updates...because as Apple finds out about the hacks, they run system updates to patch the hacks, leaving the computers with hacked OSs bricked. Someone right now is making a module that plugs into the USB header on the mobo and allows Mac OS to be installed...all without hacking the OS....and get this....Apple supports it!!!

The reason Apple supports it is because it allows enthusiasts would build their own machines for specific purposes, and who would never buy a computer ready to go in a box (PC, Mac, or otherwise). Thus they can get more market penetration.

Doesn't matter to me...like I said, pretty much all software licensing is BS that you cannot abide by, so in that case, I just treat the entire license as null and void.

If I didn't get Windows 7 for $30, I'd probably be running pirated copies.

quote Originally posted by SGS: No, the violation is hacking the OS.

Read the EULA sometime, as its clearly stated you cant run OSX on ANY non apple platforms, without breaking the agreement. ( i don't know if its published anywhere but during install time, so it might be a pain to get to )

Modifying or other acts as suggested really wasn't part of my 'breaking the EULA' statement. Those are all breaking the agreement of course, and what one does from that point is based on his or her morals since the legal line had already been cross.

EDIT: I think that clause was around as far back as the ProDOS days, but id have to go digging in the garage for that documentation... And don't get me wrong, i wasn't chastising you for doing it and was NOT tossing stones, i was just correcting the legal standpoint of it.. I'm the last person to toss 'moral stones' around and be a hyprocrit.

[This message has been edited by User00013170 (edited 01-10-2010).]

I think what JStricker means, is the subject says "for under $240 bucks!" but doesn't mention the cost of the software even tho Boonie includes the basic OS in the build up.

1. MSI Wind PC.
This can be found on newegg for $140.
+
2. Hard Drive...$50
+
3. RAM. $20
+
4. Optical Drive: $20
= $230.

Wonder why they called it pirate bay?????????????

Exactly.

As well as the author talking about having to have 5 blank DVD's to download the ISO on because the first four failed.

John Stricker

quote Originally posted by maryjane: I think what JStricker means, is the subject says "for under $240 bucks!" but doesn't mention the cost of the software even tho Boonie includes the basic OS in the build up. 1. MSI Wind PC. This can be found on newegg for $140. + 2. Hard Drive...$50 + 3. RAM. $20 + 4. Optical Drive: $20 = $230. Wonder why they called it pirate bay?????????????

i have 2 legit mac osx disk that i got for free, computers brake, the cd's become useless and are sometimes given away... or upgrades and the previous version is nolonger needed... just because he HAD the dvd, doesnt mean he pirated it, and even IF he did, its mac osx, not like anyone cares about it

quote Originally posted by jstricker: Exactly. As well as the author talking about having to have 5 blank DVD's to download the ISO on because the first four failed. John Stricker

I did miss that part totally due to just scanning it, however i personally NEVER use my original media to install anything. i always make copies and store the originals away so i could have easily missed the 'hidden' meaning.

I never said he pirated it. I said he left out the cost of the software.

Why and in what way did the 1st 4 CDs 'fail'?

And--exactly what does this mean? (you can tell I am not very up to speed on lots of things)

quote Speaking of which, you need the OS. It can be found online in various places. You must use MSIWindosx86.iso (search for it on thepiratebay, as long as you don't have an irrational fear of eye patches). As a torrenting client I recommend uTorrent. If downloading it causes you to lose sleep you can always buy a retail copy of Leopard and pretend the copy you're installing is that copy

[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 01-10-2010).]

It means they stole the OS by downloading it without paying for it.

As far as why the first 4 failed, it's not uncommon to burn an ISO image and have it fail particularly if it's a very large image and you try to burn it at too high a rate of speed. One little hiccup and you get to do it again.

John Stricker

quote Originally posted by maryjane: I never said he pirated it. I said he left out the cost of the software. Why and in what way did the 1st 4 CDs 'fail'? And--exactly what does this mean? (you can tell I am not very up to speed on lots of things)

quote Originally posted by maryjane: Wonder why they called it pirate bay?????????????

Wonder why they call it "Hooters"?
Something about an Owl?

I myself believe the intent in the article is to "pirate" the OS.
But as with most things, It is left up to the reader, being as always, stealing is a personel choice.

I found the whole thing interesting from a tech standpoint.
Although having no need or desire for a Mac (I don't hate Macs, I just think they do not make good gaming platforms), I thought it COULD be a kinda cool project.

So if not adding an OS to the total price negates the whole idea of this kinda neat little project, eh, I can live with that.
I would expect people to price the parts BEFORE they bought them, as well as using stuff they already have, to come to a FINAL ESTIMATED project cost.
Becouse everyone knows there are NEVER cost overuns on a project!

The title SHOULD have read, "How To Roll Your Own Mac For AROUND $240 Bucks! In 4 Parts, With A Ton Of Pictures."

Thanks for the post, Boonie. It was an interesting technical read. Obviously if anyone wants to duplicate it, they either have to have the OS already or get it however they decide to get it.

quote Originally posted by jstricker: It means they stole the OS by downloading it without paying for it. As far as why the first 4 failed, it's not uncommon to burn an ISO image and have it fail particularly if it's a very large image and you try to burn it at too high a rate of speed. One little hiccup and you get to do it again. John Stricker

So my burnt copy of my original is stolen? Just because its burnt it doesn't automatically mean its prated..

And i agree, i have little luck burning at high speeds myself, i go for 2x and rarely have an issue. Sure, its slower, but almost no coasters....

I think people go overboard about piracy and its effects.

Software companies and the MPAA would like everyone to believe that every time someone pirates their product they're losing money....which is simply not true. That opinion assumes that everyone who pirated the product would have gone out and purchased a legal copy, and that's simply not the case. Hell, Microsoft probably has their products pirated more than any other company in the world, and we all know where they stand financially.

And the license agreements are BS, because the first thing they all say before you click "I agree" is that if you don't agree with the license agreement, return the software for a refund. But at that point, obviously the software has been opened, and it's not returnable. In other words, you don't have a choice but agree to the terms. No thanks.

quote Originally posted by Boondawg: Wonder why they call it "Hooters"? Something about an Owl?

Well, there is an owl on the sign.

quote Originally posted by User00013170: Well, there is an owl on the sign.

Wth REALLY big eyes!

No, it's not stolen. But we both know this is NOT what happened with the author of the article. Just because you burn an ISO of an OS doesn't mean you stole it.

I have downloaded and installed software I didn't own to see if it suited my purposes and if not, I uninstalled it and if so, I bought the full version. Is that legal? No, it's not. However it is NOT cheating anyone out of money they earned either. I see a difference between RIGHT and LEGAL in many cases and I do leave that up to the individual to determine for themselves, however there is no "gray area" if you download software or a commercial movie from a torrent site and never pay the royalties, that is both illegal and wrong.

John Stricker

quote Originally posted by User00013170: So my burnt copy of my original is stolen? Just because its burnt it doesn't automatically mean its prated.. And i agree, i have little luck burning at high speeds myself, i go for 2x and rarely have an issue. Sure, its slower, but almost no coasters....

Thank you Boonie for showing us how to "test" whether we like the MAC OS so we can decide if we want to go buy a new MAC or just wipe the drive and install Linux when we're done.

So what if I download a movie, and I think it's terrible? Who stole from who in that case?

I have been HAPPY that I downloaded certain movies, because they were a waste of my time to watch, nevermind if I had paid money to watch it.

I don't think it's quite as black and white as you think.

Another example. Windows Vista SUCKED. I think Microsoft should have given Win7 to Vista users for FREE. But they didn't. So who got screwed on that deal?

quote Originally posted by SGS: Another example. Windows Vista SUCKED. I think Microsoft should have given Win7 to Vista users for FREE. But they didn't. So who got screwed on that deal?

I agree with that.
I think EVERYTHING is gray these days.
Black & White just don't exsist anymore.

Theft is theft.
It is not a question of the value or a mater of opinion.
It is a matter of personal integrity and honesty.
A very wise man once told me that one's belief is not what he says it is, it is what he does.

[This message has been edited by williegoat (edited 01-10-2010).]

quote Originally posted by Formula88: Thanks for the post, Boonie. It was an interesting technical read. Obviously if anyone wants to duplicate it, they either have to have the OS already or get it however they decide to get it.

quote Originally posted by Formula88: Thank you Boonie for showing us how to "test" whether we like the MAC OS so we can decide if we want to go buy a new MAC or just wipe the drive and install Linux when we're done.

quote Originally posted by Boondawg: Wonder why they call it "Hooters"? Something about an Owl?

My question could have been better worded I guess. Seems to me, a website or entity involved from the git go in something that is as controversial as they are, would have chosen a less "in your face" name.

quote I myself believe the intent in the article is to "pirate" the OS. But as with most things, It is left up to the reader, being as always, stealing is a personel choice. I found the whole thing interesting from a tech standpoint. Although having no need or desire for a Mac (I don't hate Macs, I just think they do not make good gaming platforms), I thought it COULD be a kinda cool project. So if not adding an OS to the total price negates the whole idea of this kinda neat little project, eh, I can live with that. I would expect people to price the parts BEFORE they bought them, as well as using stuff they already have, to come to a FINAL ESTIMATED project cost. Becouse everyone knows there are NEVER cost overuns on a project! The title SHOULD have read, "How To Roll Your Own Mac For AROUND $240 Bucks! In 4 Parts, With A Ton Of Pictures."

Yes, I remember your thread some months ago--where you stated in no uncertain terms that you were 100% against unlawful downloads. I also assumed that the text of this build was probably not yours originally. copied and pasted is what I figured.

quote Originally posted by williegoat: Theft is theft. It is not a question of the value or a mater of opinion. It is a matter of personal integrity and honesty. A very wise man once told me that one's belief is not what he says it is, it is what he does.

I don't know that I consider software and music piracy theft. I'm not saying that it's right, but to me, theft implies that I took something, and now someone else doesn't have it because I do. That's not the case with piracy. I have in my possession some software packages that cost more than most people on this forum probably make in a year. So, because I have that, does the software company lose revenue? Absolutely not. So if this is theft, what loss have they incurred by me having a pirated copy of their product?

I'm just playing devil's advocate here....

[This message has been edited by SGS (edited 01-10-2010).]

Nobody got screwed. You made the decision to buy it. You didn't like it. It's called buyers remorse. I have 4 machines running Vista and have no problems, so I'm happy. Your argument about downloading the movies to see if you like them I can somewhat agree with IF and only IF you really DO go out and buy the movies that you like. Do you? I didn't think so.

John Stricker

quote Originally posted by SGS: So what if I download a movie, and I think it's terrible? Who stole from who in that case? I have been HAPPY that I downloaded certain movies, because they were a waste of my time to watch, nevermind if I had paid money to watch it. I don't think it's quite as black and white as you think. Another example. Windows Vista SUCKED. I think Microsoft should have given Win7 to Vista users for FREE. But they didn't. So who got screwed on that deal?

quote Originally posted by maryjane: Yes, I remember your thread some months ago--where you stated in no uncertain terms that you were 100% against unlawful downloads.

"no uncertain terms" is not true.
I will never be in "no uncertain terms".
I'm too flakey for something that solid!

It was after much struggle with "gray area's" that I decided that it really came down too "if you didn't build it or pay for it, it wasn't yours".
I think everyone should be paid for their work.
And stealing someone elses work or any little part of that work's earnings is wrong.
Be it 10 cents or 10 million dollars.
I believe that.

But, I will ALSO say that NOT EVERY piece of software or media I own has been paid for.
So I guess that makes me somewhat of a hypocrite.

quote Originally posted by maryjane: I also assumed that the text of this build was probably not yours originally. copied and pasted is what I figured.

For the most part, yes.
I did rewrite & shorten some little bits of it.

You obviously aren't in the BUSINESS of creating intellectual property.

You did take something. You took the money that was rightfully the owner of the intellectual property and kept it in your pocket instead of paying for what you are using.

Don't give me that crap you don't think it's theft. You know damn well it is.

John Stricker

quote Originally posted by SGS: I don't know that I consider software and music piracy theft. I'm not saying that it's right, but to me, theft implies that I took something, and now someone else doesn't have it because I do. That's not the case with piracy. I have in my possession some software packages that cost more than most people on this forum probably make in a year. So, because I have that, does the software company lose revenue? Absolutely not. So if this is theft, what loss have they incurred by me having a pirated copy of their product? I'm just playing devil's advocate here....

That's been tried before SGS. It's the whole crux of intellectual property, and it doesn't matter if it's software, pictures, books or anything else. The courts and the law do not see it that way, and what you, I or anyone else thinks is not relevant in the least. It has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not "someone else doesn't have it because I do", it has everything to do with whether you have a legal right to take it without permission or cost.

People have been known to rob banks on the same premise--FDIC insures deposits so no one gets hurt--well--almost no one.

quote Originally posted by jstricker: Nobody got screwed. You made the decision to buy it. You didn't like it. It's called buyers remorse.

See, this is the flip side of the coin. You're basically saying that I, as the consumer, have NO recourse if I purchase something that doesn't live up to its advertised features. Not only are you saying that I have no recourse, but the only person I have to blame is myself. That's ridiculous!!! If that's what you really think, I really want you as a customer. Someone who just pays their money and doesn't complain if they get the shaft.

Consumers expect VALUE for their money. At least I do anyway.....