The art of living differently: customizing your Mac for yourself. Five tips for setting up Apple's new MacBook Air Setting up Mac OS after installation

The default settings do not always make everyday work with the operating system as convenient and efficient as possible. In this article, we have collected 30 useful tips for setting up macOS, which can be useful for both new and experienced Mac users.

In contact with

Steve Jobs spent a lot of his life making Mac computers as easy to use as possible, but many of the truly useful features still remained unobvious.

1. Turn on the right mouse button and change the movement speed

By default, the right mouse button in macOS is completely disabled, which is very surprising for new Mac users, and the speed of cursor movement leaves much to be desired. In order to configure both of these parameters, go to  → System settings... → Mouse → Select and click.

Here we put a tick next to the second item “ Simulate right button (click on the right)", and below there is a movement speed regulator, turning it to the right, we simply get the reactive speed of the cursor on the display.

By default, the Dock is located at the bottom of the display, but you can use your workspace more productively by moving the panel to the left or right side of the display. This will increase the working part of the window in many applications, for example in Safari, the width of the page is not as important as the height.

To configure the Dock, go to  → System settings... → Dock and in the column " Location on screen» place a dot opposite « Left" or " On right».

If at some point while working with an application you need to minimize it, then in the upper left part of the window, click on the yellow button between the cross and expand. The program thumbnail will collapse to the right side of the Dock with a nice animation. But in this case, the program will not collapse into its own icon, but an additional miniature will be created. If you are not satisfied with this situation, then everything can be fixed.

Go to  → System settings... → Dock and check the box next to “ Hide a window in the Dock into a program icon».

After that, click on the button " Collapse", the thumbnail will not be created if the program icon is already in the Dock.

4. Spotlight – macOS search engine

The easiest way to do everything faster on your Mac is to use Spotlight search. Just press the keyboard shortcut ⌘Cmd + Space(some may have Ctrl + Space), and you can instantly find files, open applications, search the Internet (yes, you don’t have to open the browser for this) or throughout your entire computer.

Spotlight can also be used as a calculator or currency converter. For example, enter the query “1000 usd” in the Spotlight search bar. The search engine will instantly display the current rate.

You can read more about search capabilities on Mac.

5. Lost your cursor?

Just quickly move your mouse left and right and look at the screen at the same time. The cursor will automatically increase in size, and it will be very difficult not to notice it. If desired, this function can be disabled ().

6. Similar to Ctrl + Alt + Delete on Mac

This combination from Windows does not work on Mac, but there is a great alternative - click ⌘Cmd + ⌥Option (Alt) + Esc, and immediately gain access to a menu to forcefully close frozen programs ().

If you are looking for an analogue Task Manager from Windows on Mac, it tells you how to find it.

7. Deleting files using hotkeys

Still deleting files on your Mac by dragging them onto the icon Baskets? There is a way to do the same thing a little faster - ⌘Cmd + Delete.

8. Taking a screenshot on Mac is easier than on Windows

To take a screenshot of the entire screen, tap ⌘Cmd + ⇧Shift + 3 to select a specific area – ⌘Cmd + ⇧Shift + 4. By the way, these and many other key combinations on Mac can easily be changed “to suit you” in the settings (section Keyboard → Keyboard shortcuts).

With the release of macOS Mojave, Apple's desktop operating system has a new tool for taking screenshots.

If you don't need the shadow on the screenshots, then open Terminal (via Spotlight search or by going to Finder along the path Programs → Utilities), enter the following commands and press the key Return(Enter) after each line:

defaults write com.apple.screencapture disable-shadow -bool true

killall SystemUIServer

The shadow won't bother you anymore.

P.S.: To return everything to its original position, replace true on false.

9. Move app windows in the background

To move an application window that is in the background without affecting the active program window in the foreground, press the key while dragging ⌘Cmd + left mouse button.

10. Startup on Mac

You can set a set of applications that will load as soon as your Mac turns on. To do this, go to the address System Settings → Users and Groups → Login Items tab and uncheck/uncheck ().

11. How to type the letter “е” if it is not indicated on the keyboard

If you need a letter "e"– just press and hold the Russian letter on the keyboard "e", and after you see the hint window, press the number on the keyboard "1".

There is a reliable way to check if music starts playing randomly from your Mac's speakers. To do this, simply click on the sound icon in the upper right corner of the screen (this is called the status menu, and the entire bar at the top of the screen is the menu bar). You'll see (a check mark next to the device name) whether your headphones are connected to your Mac right now.

Speaking of the menu bar, if it bothers you (for example, you don't like that it takes up valuable space on the screen), you can configure it so that it appears only when necessary. To do this, go to the address System Settings → General, and check the box next to the item Automatically hide and show menu bar .

14. How to change the arrangement of icons on the menu bar

If you want to change the arrangement of elements in the status menu, press and hold on the keyboard ⌘Cmd, and then drag the desired elements with the mouse. By the way, unnecessary elements can be deleted.

15. Split View mode, or how to quickly place two program windows on the screen at the same time

Do you need two programs at the same time to work? No problem - at the top of the window, press and hold the far right (most often green) button for 2 seconds. Select a second program from among those already open - and enjoy working in a “clean” interface without distracting details.

16. Hot Corners on Mac

Function Active angles allows you to hover your mouse over a specific corner of the screen and instantly do things like minimize all open windows, open Mission Control, Command centre or put the display into sleep mode. You can configure active corners in the menu of the same name ( System Settings → Mission Control).

17. Use the Viewer to view and edit images

Standard program View allows you not only to view images, but also to change the size, add comments, etc.

It can also be used to import a digital copy of your signature if you need to sign a document digitally.

18. QuickTime Player lets you record video and audio from your Mac screen without third-party apps

The built-in media player QuickTime Player has the ability to record an audio or video file that is currently playing on your screen, i.e. There is absolutely no need to look for third-party software for the same purposes ().

Starting with macOS Mojave, there is another way to record video from the Mac screen, which we talked about.

19. Precisely adjust volume and screen brightness

If you want to reduce the sound volume on your Mac just a little bit, press the F11 or F12 key while changing the setting ⇧Shift + ⌥Option (Alt). This will reduce the sound more slowly than with normal adjustments. Fn+F11 or F12. The same trick can be done with screen brightness ()..

21. How to rename several files at once

To rename several (for example, a dozen) files or photos at once in the Finder, select them, right-click and select the option Rename objects(number of objects).

You can also create keyboard shortcuts for applications. To do this, go to System Settings, Choose a section Keyboard, Further Keyboard shortcuts.

Add the program to the list of applications (if it is not there) using the icon «+» , then enter the name of the command for which you want to assign a keyboard shortcut (it should be written exactly the same as in the program itself, including the symbols “..."). The last step is assigning a keyboard shortcut for an action in the program ().

23. Voice search using Siri

Of course, talking to your computer in public is a strange thing. But if no one bothers you, then a voice request is a great way to search for information on the Internet, find photos, messages and other files on your Mac. You can find the multi-colored icon of the Siri voice assistant (the search works through it) on the right side of the menu bar.

Examples of useful Siri commands on macOS can be found here.

As part of the MWC 2016 exhibition, Apple is preparing for a March presentation and does not please us with a lot of news. This means we have time to carefully study existing products and discover something new by reading useful tips. In this article, you will learn about several secrets of the System Preferences application in OS X.

Quick settings from the Dock menu

Each section of System Preferences is accessible by right-clicking on the System Preferences icon in the Dock. Or you can long click on the icon.

Hotkeys

You can open some settings sections using a keyboard shortcut:

• Option (⌥) – F1 or F2- monitor settings
• Option (⌥) – F3 or F4- Mission Control settings
• Option (⌥) – F5 or F6- keyboard settings
• Option (⌥) – F10, F11 or F12- sound settings

The secret of the “Show all” button

By making a long click on the “Show all” button, you can get to any section of the settings. This is useful if you are configuring multiple settings in different sections.

Use search

If you don't remember the exact name of the setting and the section in which it is located, you can use the search. As a search query, you can not just write the approximate name of the setting, but even describe in your own words what you want to achieve by changing the setting.

As in the previous point, you can find the desired setting without even opening System Preferences. You can use Spotlight to search, provided that search by system settings is enabled in Spotlight settings.

Hidden sections

You can hide some sections of the System Preferences app from view. To do this, simply select "Customize" from the "View" menu. You can uncheck the sections you don't want to see, and then check them again in the same menu if necessary.

Alphabetical organization

By default, settings sections are grouped into categories. If for some reason this is not convenient for you, you can select an alphabetical arrangement in the “View” menu.

Removing partitions

Third-party applications are allowed to add their own sections to system settings. Sometimes the created partition does not disappear even after deleting the application. Luckily, with a simple right-click, you can delete the unwanted partition created by a third-party application.

Changing System Level Settings

Some system settings items are grayed out and cannot be changed. Work with these items is available only to the administrator. In order to make changes to one of these items, you will need to click on the lock icon and enter the administrator password.

Help is at hand

If you don't understand something in the system settings menu, just use the Help menu.

Based on materials from iDownloadBlog

If you have a Mac with a small display, adjusting applications so that everything is visible on the screen can sometimes take more time than actually working. Enough tolerating this! Today we will talk about how to free up maximum screen space for applications.

In contact with

The menu bar contains the Apple menu (“apple” in the upper left corner), the active application menu and status icons (for example, time, Wi-Fi signal strength). If you think about it, we don’t always need this part of the macOS interface. If so, then why not turn it off and call it only when necessary?

1. Open System Settings(via the Apple menu, Dock icon, or Spotlight search).

2. Select a section Basic.

3. Check the box next to the inscription Automatically hide and show menu bar.

The menu bar will immediately disappear. The next time it will appear only when you move the mouse cursor to the upper corner of the screen or click Ctrl + F2.

How to Automatically Hide the Dock

The Dock is a panel with application icons (Finder, Safari, Mail, etc.) at the bottom of the screen. There you can also add icons of programs that you often use, folders and documents. Very convenient - but the Dock often takes up a lot of space, and it’s difficult to switch it to “on demand” operation, i.e. displaying it only when you need it can save you a lot of desktop space.

To do this:

1. Open System Settings.

2. Select the Dock section. By the way, you don’t have to go into system settings - just click ⌘Cmd + ⌥Option (Alt) + D.

3. Check the box next to the item Automatically show or hide the Dock.

After this, the Dock will automatically disappear from the screen. Now he will appear only when the mouse cursor is at the bottom of the screen, and will again go into hiding after you click on the desired icon.

If you don’t want to hide the Dock, you can make it smaller (Size slider) or make small icons enlarge when you hover over them with the cursor (check the box next to Magnify). Finally, the Dock can be moved from the bottom of the screen to the left or right side - perhaps there it will not interfere with you as much.

Full screen mode

If you want to focus on one application and not be distracted by anything else, activate full screen mode! It automatically hides both the menu bar and the Dock, while the program window expands to full screen. If necessary, you can reach them with the cursor (as in the previous two cases).

There are two ways to switch to full screen mode:

1. In the application window, click on the green circle with two arrows diverging in different directions (it is located in the upper left corner). Clicking this icon again will return you to normal operation.

2. Shortcut Ctrl + ⌘Cmd + F.

Spaces (additional desktops)

Spaces helps organize open applications. You can organize up to 16 spaces at the same time and place as many applications as you like in them. The Spaces tool is great for sorting apps - for example, you can put only work programs in one Space, only home entertainment apps and games in another, etc.

If you have used Windows before, this is how to work in Windows with virtual desktops.

To access Spaces,

1. Open Mission Control ( F3 or Fn + F3 depending on the type of keyboard you have, or Ctrl+ up arrow).

2. Click on the icon «+» in the top right corner and create a new desktop. Open the necessary programs on it (you can also drag icons from an already used table to a new one).

We talked in more detail about the Spaces desktops and how to switch between them.

Your option

How do you keep your Mac desktop organized, friends? Share your opinion in the comments!

You can reset your personal settings on an Apple laptop or all-in-one in many cases. If your system starts to take a long time to boot, slows down during operation, the programs you need stop opening, and much more, then a reset is simply necessary. To understand how to reset your MacBook to factory settings, read our instructions.

Possible methods

First you need to determine the extent of the problem you have. There are two ways to reset the system:

1. full ;
2. Resetting system parameters to factory settings.

In many cases (for example, a system or program hangs) it is enough. Before you reset your Macbook Air, Pro, or iMac to factory settings using a reinstall, make sure to back up all important files and programs because this method involves wiping the hard drive.

The second option is simpler and more loyal - reset only the system parameters, but leave all the information on the disk untouched. Let's look at both options step by step.

How to restore Macbook Air, Pro, iMac to factory settings?

This method is suitable if the problem with the computer is not serious and not critical. For example, a long startup time, malfunction of a program, etc. In any case, we recommend that you use this method first before proceeding with the reinstallation. To reset factory settings, follow these steps:

• Turn off your MacBook in any convenient way. You can also read about them in the next section of our website;
• hold down the key combination Command+Option+P+R+power button;
• wait until the power-up sound is played twice, then release the keys;
• After turning on, the computer will be reset to factory settings. This way you can set up your MacBook like new.

How to restore macbook air, pro, iMac to factory settings: reinstalling the OS

Before this process, you need to complete the following steps:

• connect the Internet to your computer;
• copy all valuable information to an external drive;

• connect the device to a power source so that it does not turn off during OS installation;
• Now let's move on to the installation process:
• reboot your Macbook in a convenient way;
• During loading, press Command+R;

• wait until the computer starts recovery mode;
• in the window that opens, select “Disk Utility”;
• select boot disk;
• go to the “Erase” section;
• select the installed OS and click the “Erase” button;

• then return to the menu with the choice of programs for recovery;
• click the “reinstall OS” button;
• After this, the computer will connect to the Internet and begin downloading the distribution.

This method will not work to restore a macbook air, pro or iMac to factory settings without an Internet connection.

After the download is complete, the device will unpack all files and reboot. Next, the main screen with settings will appear. Log in with your Apple ID account, select the system language, and so on.

If you do not have access to the Internet, then you will need a bootable USB flash drive with the distribution. However, without an OS installer downloaded from the network, nothing will work anyway. Now you know how to reset your MacBook in two different ways and can put them into practice.

READ ME PLEASE

If you CANNOT unzip files onto a flash drive, please step away from the keyboard and urgently read the book “Computer for Dummies: A Detailed Guide on How to Use a PC”!!!

1. All files are uploaded to MEGA. Those who are having problems with it have re-uploaded it to the torrent in the comments.
2. Please don't ask me about installing Macs on laptops. I ask you to. Please. This is a very hemorrhoidal process. Install Ubuntu and connect the Mac theme. You will get the same experience
3. I rarely answer on Habré, write to VK for all questions.

This manual/guide/etc was written for those who are too lazy to piece together this or that information about installing a Mac on a PC, everything is clear and straightforward.

To begin with, before actually installing the system itself on a PC, we need to decide whether we need it or not, since the system itself is very specific in terms of installation and configuration, unless, of course, you have an Apple device. There is no point in explaining that deploying a system that was not originally planned for desktop PCs is a complex matter and it can take anywhere from 2 to N hours, depending on the compatibility of the hardware.

Now, let’s figure out what Hackintosh is: the word “hackintosh” was formed from the merger of two words “Macintosh” and “Hack”, which essentially means “hacked Mac”, although there is nothing to do with “hacking”.

In this guide, we will look at creating an installation flash drive from Windows (since this is the most popular system among “beginner hackintoshers”), installing the system on a blank disk, kernel extensions for your hardware and, in fact, installing and configuring the bootloader (it is at this point that many and problems arise)

CPU: Intel Core i5 4460 3.2 GHz (Haswell)
Memory: 16 GB Crucial Ballistix Sport
Graphics: MSI GeForce GTX 760 2048MB
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H81-S2V (UEFI Bios)

I would also like to point out that in this article we work with NVidia video cards and UEFI BIOS.

Well, let's go.

Step 1. Iron assessment and analysis

Yes, despite the fact that Hackintosh runs in one way or another on almost any configuration, it always does it differently. Therefore, it’s worth immediately analyzing our hardware.

Processors

So, let's start with the fact that on machines with AMD processors the system WILL NOT work(it is very difficult to call the dying state of agony in which she will arrive “work”). Yes, in fact, you can install a custom kernel, reflash it, and so on, but there’s no point in reinventing the wheel if it breaks anyway. The system runs without problems on Intel processors, starting with Core i3 (we are talking specifically about macOS Sierra 10.12; previous releases can also run on Core 2 Duo and Pentium processors). In my case, the i5 4460 stone fell out (4 cores, 4 threads, turbo boost up to 3.4 GHz).

ACHTUNG 2

Problems are observed on socket 2011-3 processors, in particular on the X99 chipset. Usually it appears due to too many bells and whistles on the motherboard.

Video cards

Next, let's decide on the graphics. If you use integrated Intel graphics (in my case it's HD4600), then most likely you will need a separate graphics factory (although they can start natively).

List of supported Intel graphics cores

Intel HD 3000
Intel HD 4000
Intel HD 4600 (laptops)
Intel HD 5000

Radeons (AMD) start, but again with a bang. For example, new cards (RX-4**), as well as the well-known R9 380 or R9 380x, can simply display the loading in a black screen.

List of exactly supported AMD cards

Radeon HD 4000 series
Radeon HD 5000 series
Radeon HD 6000 series (Preferably 6600 and 6800)
Radeon HD 7000 series (Preferably 7700, 7800, and 7900)
Radeon R9 200 series (R9 290 does not start)
Radeon R9 300 series (There may be problems with the R9 380. I haven’t personally tested it, but judging by the reviews on Reddit with these cards There is Problems)

In this manual we will not consider the AMD graphics plant, since it all comes down to framebuffer patches and Device ID changes in the bootloader (which is individual for everyone). More information about AMD cards here: click (English).

The situation is completely different with cards from NVidia. Almost everyone gets turned on, with the exception of some especially gifted ones. Problems are observed in the 10th episode, but, most likely, they will not appear soon. Everything is already normal. On GTX cards, the graphics start up with half a kick, GT cards are also not lagging behind, although there are some exceptions.

List of working NVidia cards

GeForce 7000 series
GeForce 8000 series
GeForce 9000 series
GeForce 200 series
GeForce 400 series
GeForce 500 series
GeForce 600 series
GeForce 700 series
GeForce 900 series
UPD 14.05 Geforce GTX 1000 Series

I am more than sure that you will find your card in the list.

Network Controller

I think there is no need to chew on how you can identify your network card...

Newby guide

Open the Task Manager → performance tab → Ethernet (Windows 10), there will be a network connection in big black letters.

By the way, you can also look in the BIOS

One way or another, we will not dwell on this in detail. In any case, you will have to install a network card, so I will simply provide a list of supported network cards.

Network cards

Intel Gigabit

5 Series – 82578LM/82578LC/82578DM/82578DC
6 and 7 Series – 82579LM/82579V
8 and 9 Series – I217LM/I217V/I218LM/I218V/I218LM2/I218V2/I218LM3

Realtek

RTL8111, 8168, 8101E, 8102E, 8131E, 8169, 8110SC, 8169SC
RTL8111/8168 B/C/D/E/F/G
RTL8101E/8102E/8102E/8103E/8103E/8103E/8401E/8105E/8402/8106E/8106EUS
RTL8105/8111E/8111F/8136/8168E/8168F

Atheros

AR8121, 8113, 8114, 8131, 8151, 8161, 8171, 8132,8151, 8152, 8162, 8172
AR816x, AR817x supported

Broadcom

BCM5722, 5752, 5754, 5754M, 5755, 5755M, 5761, 5761e, 57780, 57781, 57785,5784M, 5787, 5787M, 5906, 5906M, 57788, 5784M

Marvell

88E8035, 88E8036, 88E8038, 88E8039, 88E8056, 88E8001

Killer

E2200

Memory

There are no restrictions. The system runs on two gigabytes. Recommended 4. Author recommends 8.

Actually, we sorted out the hardware. If at this stage you have not changed your mind, move on.

Step 2. Make a bootable USB flash drive and deploy the installer to it

So, here we come to practice. Let me remind you that we do all this from Windows. I’ll say right away that we will not use images from the root tracker, which are so ardently recommended by people for whom everything works with hackintosh “up to 18”. First, we need the BDU (BootDiskUtiliy) utility.

You will need a flash drive >8 GB. Any.

1. Launch the utility
2. Destination disk → select our flash drive
3. Format disk

Now we wait. The flash drive will be formatted in Apple HFS and split into two partitions, one of which will have the bootloader installed (CLOVER), and the second will remain blank so that the installer can be deployed there.

After the completed manipulations we get approximately the following picture:

Next, you need to deploy the installer to the second partition. We also do this through the BDU utility. However, the question here is where to get the image from. There are two options: take a ready-made one, already unpacked, or personally get it from Install Mac OS Sierra.app from the AppStore. Since the second method requires quite a lot of time, and searching for this .app itself takes a very long time, we will use the first. Craftsmen have already prepared ready-made HFS files for this utility and extracted them from the .app for us. All we need is to download it (the image weighs almost 5 gigs, so you can just put it on download). Actually, download macOS 10.12 Sierra from here.

Downloaded.

1. We extract from the archive HFS Partition File (HFS+), a file with the extension .hfs.
2. In the BDU “Destination disk” utility window, select Part 2 of our broken flash drive.
3. Open “Restore partiton”.
4. Search and select our *.hfs file. Please note that it must be no larger than PART 2 partition.
5. We are waiting for it to be unpacked.
That's it, the installer on the flash drive is unpacked and ready to go.

Now we will need some files for your system. I have collected everything I need in this archive. Later I will explain what and why.

You will also need this kext, download it too: click. We unpack the folder from the archive into the root of the section with Clover, and the kext into the folder that we unpacked. That's it, it's ready. The flash drive is done. Let's move on.

Step 3: Install macOS Sierra on Intel PC

We check that the flash drive is inserted into the 2.0 port. Reboot, go into BIOS. Let me remind you that our BIOS is UEFI. Disable virtualization (Intel Virtualization). Set boot priority (BOOT) to our flash drive. Make sure that it will boot in UEFI mode. Save and apply the settings, reboot. We get to the Clover menu.

Clover is a Hackintosh downloader and installer.

Press the down arrow until we get to the Options menu. Press Enter. All we need here is this line:

We write the following into it:

Kext-dev-mode=1 rootless=0 -v npci=0x2000 nv_disable=1
Let me explain what each of these arguments does:

kext-dev-mode=1 is a necessary arg, without which the hack will not run. Allows you to load kexts into the system (Initially, FakeSMC.kext).
rootless=0 - disables SIP (System Integrity Protection). Required arg.
-v - “Verbose mode”. Instead of a beautiful apple, we will see a “console” loading so that we can identify an error if one appears.
npci=0x2000 (or 0x3000, depending on the PCI-e version) - optional. We prevent the download from stopping at the PCI scanning stage. You don't have to register it.
nv_disable=1 - optional. To avoid loading artifacts and other garbage, disable the graphical shell. We load in native graphics mode in Orthodox 144p resolution. You don't have to register it.

Apply the arguments by pressing Enter. Select Boot Mac OS Sierra from OS X Base System. And so, the birthplace download began. Let's look at some errors right away: still waiting for root device - the IDE controller does not have time to connect.

Fix

We reconnect the flash drive to another 2.0 port, boot with the following arguments:
kext-dev-mode=1 rootless=0 cpus=1 npci=0x2000 -v UseKernelCache=No

Missing Bluetooth controller transport - the video card did not turn on, or FakeSMC.kext was not connected. Check that there is FakeSMC.kext in the kexts/other folder. Bluetooth has nothing to do with it.

Fix

We load like this:

Kext-dev-mode=1 rootless=0 -v npci=0x2000
Or like this:
kext-dev-mode=1 rootless=0 -v -x npci=0x2000

If such errors still remain, then we try to load like this:

Kext-dev-mode=1 rootless=0 -v npci=0x3000 darkwake=0 nv_disable=1 cpus=1
In other cases, only Google will help, although these fixes should solve these problems.

We wait. At some points it may freeze. If it freezes for more than a minute, reboot. Should help in some cases.

And here we are, actually, in the installer. Select a language and click on the arrow. The language pack will load (it may freeze for a minute). Now open Utilities>Disk Utility, we need to format the disk for macOS. Select the desired disk and click “Erase”. For convenience, we call the new disk “Macintosh HD”. Format and close Disk Utility. Next, select the disk on which we will install the system (in our case, Macintosh HD), and install it.

Installation takes from 15 to 30 minutes, it all depends on the speed of writing to the disk. After installation, the system will prompt us to set up an Internet connection - skip it, we’ll do this later. We create a user. Done, we're in the system. Or rather, in her stump. Nothing is working for us yet. If you reboot the machine, it will be impossible to get into the system (due to the absence of a bootloader).

Fix

If the computer still reboots or switches off, you can choose to boot from a flash drive, then select “Boot macOS Sierra from Macintosh HD” in the clover menu, not forgetting to write boot arguments in the options menu.

Go ahead…

Step 4. Basic system setup and installation of kexts

So, here we are in the system. While she can do little, we won’t go online, the graphics don’t work, and in general everything looks very bad. This needs to be fixed.

Let's figure out what kexts are.

Kext(Kernel Extension) - kernel extensions that run this or that equipment that is incompatible with the original Mac (For example, where in the aimak can we find a network card from Realtek or a sound card?). These are what we need now.

First, we need the PostInstall folder, which you unpacked into the CLOVER partition on the bootable USB flash drive. From there, we first need the Kext Utility, which allows us to install kexts on the system. We launch it, enter the user’s password, wait until we see the inscription “All done”.

We install the kext on the network card (Network folder, sorted into folders for each network card), simply drag it into the program window. We wait until the “All done” message appears. Next, go to the CLOVER section of our flash drive, then to kexts, then to Other. Copy FakeSMC.kext from there to any place (Better in the same PostInstall), then install it in the same way as the kext on the network card. You will also need a USB 3.0 kext. It was in the Legacy_13.2_EHC1.kext.zip archive, which you extracted in PostInstall. Let's install it.

Done, we set up the Internet, USB and allowed the system to boot at all (FakeSMC.kext imitates the System Management Control chip, which is present only on Apple motherboards. Without this kext, the system simply will not start).

Now let's install the bootloader. Go to the PostInstall folder → Clover_v2.3k_r3949. There is a *.pkg file, open it.

Click continue, read the information about the bootloader (I’m lying, click continue too). Next, in the lower left corner, click “Configure”.

For UEFI boot, set the following settings:

We'll talk about legacy loading later, since everything is a little more complicated there and you'll have to patch DSDT.
Click “Install”. Let's go through the bootloader installation process.
Done, the bootloader is installed.

Step 5. Bootloader setup

After installation, we will receive a clean, unconfigured Clover bootloader, which needs to be slightly configured. Open Clover Configurator (in the future I do not recommend using this program for point-by-point editing of the bootloader config).

First, we need to get to the EFI partition with the bootloader. In the left menu, click Mount EFI. Next, click Check partition, a table of all partitions will appear. The partition we need should be on the same partition as Apple_HFS, it appears as EFI EFI. Click Mount partition. In the list, select the disk we need (For example, disk0s1). Please note that there is a bug where all sections are not visible. Roll the mouse wheel so you can scroll between sections and select the one you need.

Next, click Open Partition. It will open a “folder” with the desired section. Go to EFI>CLOVER. Copy plist.config to the PostInstall folder for convenience. Also, just in case, copy it somewhere else, since the one we just copied will be edited. And one more for backup. Copy and open plist.config.

We see something like this:

ACPI - We don’t touch the fixes, we drop (DropOEM) our video card (DropOEM_DSM works when two DSDT patches are encountered. Therefore, we leave the original autopatch method as the bootloader, and disable ours, if one appears).
Go to the BOOT section.

So this is where we need to dig in. We set the arguments ourselves, depending on the system.

-v (verbose) - the already familiar “text” boot mode. It is better not to enable it, but to register it manually if necessary.
arch - architecture. In my case x86_64
npci is a key already known to us. We post if necessary. I recommend doing the first boot without it, but in Verbose mode.
darkwake - responsible for sleep mode and hibernation. Has 7 modes. If the dream does not start by changing hibernatemode in the terminal, then I recommend using trial and error to find the desired darkwake mode.
cpus=1 - launch using only one core. I don't recommend choosing.
nvda_drv=1 - activation of the NVidia web driver, which we will install a little later. Choose if you have nVidia.
nv_disable=1 - disables non-video graphics and runs on the native Mac driver. It’s better not to select, but to register manually if necessary.
kext-dev-mode=1 and rootless=0 have already been explained earlier.

Let's go to the right subsection.

Default Boot Volume - the partition from which the disk selection to boot will begin by default. By default LastBootedVolume (last selected partition).
Legacy - Legacy Boot for older versions of Windows and Linux. It very much depends on the hardware and the design of the BIOS, so several algorithms have been developed:
LegacyBiosDefault - for those UEFI BIOSes that have the LegacyBios protocol.
PBRTest, PBR - PBR Boot options, this is just overkill. In my case PBR works.
XMPDetection=YES is an important parameter. Fixes the amount of RAM, slots, dies, frequency and number of channels.
DefaultLoader - if there are several loaders on the partition, select the default one. Must not be empty!
Timeout - time before automatic boot.
Fast - a parameter that skips the selection of a partition and immediately proceeds to downloading.
-1 (Timeout -1) - disable autoboot.

We skip the CPU section, the bootloader itself will pick up the necessary values. Devices is also better to skip if you have nothing to fake. Disable Drivers - disable unnecessary drivers at boot. GUI - customizing the appearance of the bootloader. I think there is no need to explain anything here, there are no special parameters here. Screen resolution, language and menu theme. It's simple. Graphics - graphics settings and injections.

Do not touch the Inject NVidia parameter! There will be artifacts at launch. It is designed to run older GT line cards

Kernel and Kext Patches - patches and kernel customization. By default, Apple RTC is selected. It's better not to touch. SMBIOS is the juice, customization and counterfeit of the poppy.

To configure factory information, click on the magic wand icon. Next, select iMac (if PC) or MacBook (if laptop).

ACHTUNG 3

You can also look among older configs, such as MacMini or Mac Pro. Your task is to choose the one that is most similar to your hardware.

Don't add anything to Memory and Slots. These are purely cosmetic parameters that clover picks up at the loading stage. Incorrectly set parameters can cause conflicts.

WARNING: Nvidia video cards without policy-kext edits only work on iMac13.1 and iMac14.2 Mac models.

In AppleGraphicsControl.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AppleGraphicsDevicePolicy.kext/Contents/info.plist we correct Config1 to none here:

It should work now.

Ready. We don’t touch anything else, we’ve done the basic settings. We save our file. Now copy it to the CLOVER folder of the EFI partition, log in, and replace it. Let me remind you that before this you should have made a backup.

Step 6. Install the graphics driver and reboot for the first time

We're almost there. Now all that remains is to start the video card. The PostInstall folder contains the WebDriver*.pkg package. Open it and install it. Then he asks us to reboot. Let's reboot.

Now let's make sure that we are not booting from a flash drive, but from hard drive in UEFI mode. Select Boot macOS Sierra from Macintosh HD. Let's start.

Note

I recommend using the -v switch for the first run, so that if something goes wrong, you can immediately identify the error. If the bootloader is broken and you cannot get into the system, then boot from the flash drive, enter the necessary keys in the options and boot the system into Verbose mode.

Done, here we are in the system. In the picture I showed approximately what the axis will look like after all the settings. Pay attention to how the system understood your Mac, as well as the processor frequency.

A sure sign that the Nvidia driver is working will be its logo on the taskbar. I turned it off, by the way, because it gets in the way, but you can access the invisibility control panel through “System Settings...”. We can check the Internet through Safari. USB 3.0 is trite by plugging a flash drive into a 3.0 port.

Additionally

- Sound

When it comes to sound, the situation is different. If you have an external sound card, then simply download the drivers for it from the manufacturer’s website (analog devices, such as mixing consoles, do not require drivers and start up immediately). For an integrated sound card, use one of these kexts:

Regarding AppleHDA

The following conditions must be met for it to work:

1. Availability of vanilla (pure) kext AppleHDA.kext in the system.
2. The presence of the HDEF section in your DSDT (or the clover fix FixHDA_8000->True)
3. Specify the layout in DSDT (or in the config.plist of the clover Devices->Audio->Inject->1,2,28...etc. Select from those specified for your codec above)
4. Put away ALL sound patches (if they were in your config.plist) from the KextsToPatch section
5. Remove DummyHDA.kext (if used)
6. If you used VoodooHDA.kext, delete it. Also delete AppleHDADisabler.kext and rebuild the cache.
7. For Intel HDMI 4000/4600, a clover fix is ​​required: UseIntelHDMI->True

Actually, that's all. Afterwards we get macOS Sierra ready to use.

UPD from 05/14/2017

- In the comments, kind people re-uploaded the file from mega to torrent. This is due to the fact that many people have problems downloading a file from mega. To be honest, I didn’t know that Mega has a limit on download speed (I use a premium account). Also, please write all questions to me on VK, but check the comments first. There is a chance that your problem has already been solved there. Again, I am not responsible for any risk this may cause to your computer. I also want to clarify one point that the article is presented solely for educational purposes. The very fact of installing a hackintosh on a PC is a gross violation of Apple's policy regarding their system, which is punishable by law. The author does not encourage using MacOS on non-Apple computers and does not encourage changing the system's source code.
- The end