Hello All,
I have decided to write this tutorial, mostly because i have seen a few Fan Boys writing that it is Hardware that is stopping Apple from supporting the new Mountain Lion 10.8. Which when i said it was apple getting people to upgrade and spend £2000 on a new pc i was immediately in a Flame War.
This is a Do-It-Yourself Tutorial, i will not post links to the full DMG as this is ILLEGAL, you will have to obtain the DVD from apple and pay for the Apple Developer Licence.
Anyway this will require you to burn the final DMG file to DVD as using the app gives you an error telling you the file has been modified and you must re-download 
If anyone has any solutions please let me know and i will update.
I have been at this solidly for the past 24 Hours, The problem being is that i am constantly getting the No Entry Symbol. Now i have pinned this down to the boot.efi file on the DMG.
I can get the installation to boot however the OS would not boot once the installation is finished.
I have only installed this on an MacPro1,1 however i don’t see any reason why it shouldn’t run on any of the other devices, possibly the video drivers, which can be installed later. When creating these files i have used all the strings from the Lion DVD, so anything on Lion should be supported on this!
NOTE: I think Apple has removed some drivers from this install my 7300 GT is now no longer supported. I will look into this further to see if i can bring the kexts for the older graphics from the Lion Install!
Anyway here goes!
- You will need to download the DMG file from https://developer.apple.com/devcenter/mac/index.action you will need to pay for a Mac Developer account which costs $99 a year.
- Mount the DMG that you have downloaded, inside the DMG there is a file called Install OS X Mountain Lion Preview 1.app Right click on the App and show Package Contents.
- You will want to go into the folder called SharedSupport and copy the file InstallESD.dmg and copy it to your Desktop.
- Close all the open windows, Now you will need to go into the terminal (Application/Utilities/Terminal), we are going to copy the DMG and make it writable so we can replace a file in the InstallESD.dmg image.
- Once in termal type “cd Desktop” then type in ”hdiutil convert InstallESD.dmg -format UDRW -o InstallESDedited.dmg” This will create a new file on the desktop called InstallESDedited.dmg.
- You will now want to Double click on the newly created InstallESDedited.dmg and it will now mount an Drive called “Mac OS X Install ESD”.
- You are going to have to replace the System Folder in the Drive, this contains the EFI64 boot.efi and the compatible boot files. I have a EFI32 boot.efi and the compatible files from the Lion 10.7 System Folder. Here is the link to download: System.zip.
- Drag the System File thats on the drive into the recycle bin and unzip(if it isn’t already) the downloaded System folder and copy it onto the root of the drive.
- Now open up the “Packages” folder from the root. Inside this folder there will be a quite a few items in the folder, The only one we are concerned with is OSInstall.mpkg (There is also an OSInstall.pkg BE CAREFUL). We now want to drag this file into the trash folder. Download the patched versions OSInstall.mpkg & EFI32.pkg(Right Click on Link, Download Linked File As).
- Drag the Newly Downloaded files into the Packages Directory. The directory should now look like this:
- Now you want to burn the DVDusing Disk Utility (You can also restore the DMG to a USB Flash Drive, which also works), i am sure you already know how to do this but just in case, run DiskUtility (utilities/DiskUtility) on the left hand side you should see the InstallESDedited.dmg file Click on the file then Click Burn! (Remember to put a blank DVD in
)
- Load into the Mac Pro and Enjoy, NOTE: Installation takes a lot longer than displayed, this is due to it thinking its being installed from a Faster HDD! If installed from the USB Stick then is quite a bit quicker.
If you see any mistakes please leave me a comment and i will get it sorted, this includes my English!
Hope you enjoy your new MacPro Experience!
Disclaimer:
Please Take a FULL BACKUP of you mac BEFORE installing this. I will not be held responsible for any data loss, bricking etc. Basically KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING! This tutorial is given to you and you use at your own risk. May i stress again take a FULL BACKUP before continuing, either with CarbonCopyCloner or Time Machine.
If you are referencing this tutorial Please add a link back to my blog. This has been quite a lot of work to make this is all i ask!
great work!!
Thanks very much for the nice comment, I hope that the tutorial was useful to you!
Jamie
Thank you for making my day. Now, no one tell Apple!
Excellent!
With this methods, does the Mac Pro boot the 64-bit kernel?
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Thank you tons. That worked for my MacPro 1,1 that I love..
Do you know if the process would be the same for a MBP 2.33 (I guess that’s a 1,1)? Has anyone tried?
Thanks for the HowTo.
thanks man works good on MP 1,1 with 6870 graphics. Hopefully they’ll continue to include the 32-bit kernel in the final release!
Can you help with the install on MacBook White (2,1)..
I can’t get the GMA950 to work!!.. Thanks
Worked for me on an older iMac. Thanks for the guide. I was ticked when I found out that Mountain Lion wouldn’t run on my machine, thanks for proving them wrong. Hopefully Apple changes its mind on this. I have noticed the screen is a bit jumpy when changing desktops, opening notification center, etc. but could be because its a beta, and not intended for my machine. But nonetheless its running.
Thanks for the guide, here’s hoping Apple don’t kill this method on the final release of ML
Strange… SharedSupport it doesn’t appear in the menu.
http://tinypic.com/r/25j837l/5
Hi Mate, I have just had a look at your picture, you appear to already be in the Mac OSX Install ESD file, it may be called something else. On the left hand side of the window click on the disk image that says Mac OSX Install ESD and follow the guide from Step 4.
Jamie
Thanks Man.
I’m currently running Lion with the 64 bit kernel using Chameleon on a modified Mac Pro 1,1 (it’s now a Mac Pro 2,1 8-core 3.0 instead of a 4-core 2.66). Would love to know if this will work with the Chameleon method…anyone with the developer seed willing to give it a go?
The OSinstall.mpkg link is down :/ please fix it but great job still!
Thanks, it worked for me on a MacBook 4,1 (early 2008) and I didn’t even have to burn it to a DVD. It’s actually faster than Lion. The only problem is the missing kext for the x3100 graphics. I hope somebody will be able to sort this out.
Which problems occur when kext is not available for X3100? I have a MacBook Early 2008 too…
What problems did you encounter? I have a media mbp machine that I would like to use for testing ML. Please explain. THank you.
The graphics lag when using Mission Control or Launchpad or playing Youtube videos. You also won’t be able to put your Mac to sleep since the display doesn’t turn off, it just stays white.
Got it. Good enough to play with I think. Who knows if we will find a fix for it once ML is lanced officially, for now all we can do is play. Thanks!
Worked on a Mac Pro 2,1 (upgraded from 1,1) w/ 5770 graphics. Thanks, this is great work.
I’ve been surfing on-line greater than three hours these days, yet I by no means discovered any fascinating article like yours. It’s beautiful value sufficient for me. In my opinion, if all site owners and bloggers made excellent content material as you probably did, the internet will be much more helpful than ever before.
Any update on the Nvidia Geforce 7300 GT drivers? I have the same video card as well, can you also package those ktexts if you get it working? Thanks.
yes please. Mountain Lion shows up the 7300 GT with 9MB *haha*
anyway I love your tutorial! Thank you so much!
I have MacBook2,1 with Intel GMA 950 graphics.
I followed your guide to make the new InstallESDedited.dmg package. Then instead of messing up creating any installation (DVD or USB) disc i simply attached an USB drive to my mac and double click (from Lion) the installation program. That worked fine as I suspected. The OS has been fully installed in the USB drive, rebooted once to keep installing, created and new user and then I did a final reboot. My unsupported Mac is running Mountain Lion right now.
The problem was the total lack of HW acceleration for the graphics. I tried copying the GMA 950 kexts from my Lion 10.7.3 (internal) disk but that didn’t work. The WindowServer (and probably others) processes kept crashing when it was launching the login window. So I’ve got the first GMA 950 kexts I’ve found from an hackintosh web site, installed them instead and… it works. But not 100%. Most (all?) non Flash web videos are blank. Mission Control thumbnails are corrupted and the animation is a little slow (but not annoying). LaunchPad takes ages to show.
Is there any specific GMA 950 kext that’s guaranteed to work at 99%? At least for the videos. I think I’ve read that the ones from 10.7.0 should work. Did they work for you? At least the videos. If so any chance you can add a link to download them in your excellent guide?
Hi my family member! I wish to say that this article is amazing, nice written and come with almost all significant infos. I would like to peer extra posts like this .
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Wow, Amazing Works great on my MacPro 1.1 . respect ! Thanks
Large lover of the site, plenty of your blog posts have seriously helped me out. Awaiting upgrades!
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I can’t use the terminal, can you upload the InstallESDedited.dmg, please?
No Sorry, I cannot upload the InstallESD.dmg as this is Apple’s file, this is classed as Piracy and is ILLEGAL.
This is only to allow people to use this on now no longer supported hardware not allow people to pirate the OS.
Jamie
I downloaded OS_X_Mountain_Lion_Developer_Preview_12A128p and mounted it and for the life of me cannot at all find InstallESD.dmg. So basically it ended before it started.
Robert, I had the same issue. You need to convert that image to a dmg image and name it “InstallESD.dmg”.
Then you can start the work as per Jamie’s explanation
Good day,
Am having problem here hope you may able to assist me.
i can find the folder called SharedSupport.
The same, it is not in “Contents”. Thank you for your answers.
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Could anyone upload the complete modification for an Macbook 3.1 on a torrent site, please?
Sorry, You will have to look elsewhere for a Torrent of this file. I will NOT post or allow sharing of illegal links on my site.
Jamie
Under you will see the details of my upgraded Tiger into a happy (but a bit slower Snow Leopard). Will it take Mountain Lion without any problems? I am not the best Mac osx operator ever… I consider the lion – from what I read in forums – not very easy to work with… Do you have any advice that can help me decide?
Hardware Overview:
Model Name: iMac
Model Identifier: iMac5,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 4 MB
Memory: 3 GB
Bus Speed: 667 MHz
Boot ROM Version: IM51.0090.B09
SMC Version (system): 1.8f2
Serial Number (system):
Hardware UUID: 00000000-0000-1000-8000-0017F2C5646A
Intel ICH7-M AHCI:
Vendor: Intel
Product: ICH7-M AHCI
Link Speed: 1.5 Gigabit
Negotiated Link Speed: 1.5 Gigabit
Description: AHCI Version 1.10 Supported
ST3160812AS Q:
Capacity: 160.04 GB (160,041,885,696 bytes)
Model: ST3160812AS Q
Revision: 3.BQH
Serial Number: 9LS1LPGL
Native Command Queuing: Yes
Queue Depth: 32
Removable Media: No
Detachable Drive: No
BSD Name: disk0
Medium Type: Rotational
Partition Map Type: GPT (GUID Partition Table)
S.M.A.R.T. status: Verified
Volumes:
Capacity: 209.7 MB (209,715,200 bytes)
Writable: Yes
BSD Name: disk0s1
Macintosh HD:
Capacity: 125.63 GB (125,627,793,408 bytes)
Available: 84 GB (83,997,216,768 bytes)
Writable: Yes
File System: Journaled HFS+
BSD Name: disk0s2
Mount Point: /
Capacity: 34.07 GB (34,070,118,400 bytes)
Writable: Yes
File System: MS-DOS
BSD Name: disk0s3
Can i Install Mountain lion following this tutorial in an Macbook 1,1 black? i need help Thanks
Everything is very open with a clear explanation of the issues. It was really informative. Your website is extremely helpful. Thanks for sharing!
thanks for share!
I have a problem, on the folder Contents, i don’t have SharedSupport. So i can’t do this ? Thank you for your answers ?
I cannot believe this guide lol….you are a genius!!!!! followed all the steps and got it going.
only one glitch….I tried to start from the CD but it would hang. So I restarted from my other partition, clicked on the installer and let it take its course. An hour later it was all done, and according to Activity Monitor….everything seems to be running in 64 bit…
Even full video acceleration was not an issue….
thanks man
forgot one thing…….it also seems heaps quicker and more responsive than 10.7……….
Man You are the best..this is amazing..right now i am installing it in a partition i didn’t even have to burn it or use an usb you are the best.
i am have a blackbook late 2007 and it looks awesome i don’t knw why apple is such as an asshole lately ..but anyway thanks a lot
add me on FaceTime N MESSAGES mannyflorenzan@aol.com
Awesome blog! Do you have any suggestions for aspiring writers? I’m planning to start my own blog soon but I’m a little lost on everything. Would you suggest starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many choices out there that I’m completely confused .. Any ideas? Cheers!
Where can i get this drivers for mine??
Chipset Model: GMA X3100
Type: GPU
Bus: Built-In
VRAM (Total): 144 MB
Vendor: Intel (0×8086)
Device ID: 0x2a02
Revision ID: 0×0003
Displays:
Color LCD:
Resolution: 1280 x 800
Pixel Depth: 32-Bit Color (ARGB8888)
Main Display: Yes
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes
Built-In: Yes
well i just googled them. but i install it on a partition in the same drive and it doesnt get to the desktop after i install them..i will try in another disk later on.
If only it was worth the effort.. I can’t beleive apple are binging out ML when Lion is still so buggy and horrid to use. I’m sticking with SL for the time being
Thick as a brick
Fantastic piece of writing, I must say i anticipate updates by you.
Thanks to your work I tried to install OS X 10.8 on my iMac 4.1 ( upgraded with Core 2 Duo processor and firmware so practically I have now an 5.1 iMac )… and this doesn’t work for me even if I upgraded the .plist ( both of the three of them ) with my iMac series number and the version of it ( Mac-F… and iMac5,1… )… I think the OSXInstall.mpkg is the cause because when I replace it with that one from Lion ( the patched one for Lion ) the error message came later, after the Installer verify the machine… with your mpkg I got a message that sound like that: “This version of OS X cannot be installed on this computer.” as soon as I tried to install the OS X. With the Lion mpkg I’ve got another error message, but after the validation and selection of hard-disk: “The additional components needed to install OS X can’t be found.” I really don’t understand where is the problem… I installed Lion without problems on this machine, I know very well to modify the .plist with the right additional series but still don’t work… any ideas? Thank you very much for your time and hard work!
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Great hack