October 21, 2014

There are a lot of guides out there on how to install Mac OS X Yosemite under VirtualBox, but unfortunately most of them are A) for the developer preview, or B) for Windows. While most of the steps are pretty much what you need, there are a handful of missing things that will make the process "Just Not Work" for the final retail release of Yosemite.

Here's my complete step-by-step guide on how to install Yosemite under VirtualBox with a Yosemite host.

1. First thing you'll need to do is download the Yosemite Installer from the App Store. It will save as "Install OS X Yosemite" in your /Applications folder.
2. Once it's there, open a Terminal and run the following commands:
   • sudo gem install iesd (If you've already previously installed iesd you can skip this step.)
   • cd ~/Desktop (We move to the Desktop to make it easier to get rid of the files we don't need.)
   • iesd -i /Applications/Install OS X Yosemite.app -o yosemite.dmg -t BaseSystem
   • hdiutil convert yosemite.dmg -format UDSP -o yosemite.sparseimage
   • hdiutil mount /Applications/Install OS X Yosemite.app/Contents/SharedSupport/InstallESD.dmg
   • hdiutil mount yosemite.sparseimage
   • cp /Volumes/OS X Install ESD/BaseSystem.* /Volumes/OS X Base System/
   • hdiutil detach /Volumes/OS X Install ESD/
   • hdiutil detach /Volumes/OS X Base System/
   (Most guides get this wrong, and simply tell you to use "unmount" rather than "detach.")
   • hdiutil convert yosemite.sparseimage -format UDZO -o yosemitefixed.dmg
   
3. Now you need to open VirtualBox, but leave your Terminal open because we aren't done there just yet.
4. In VirtualBox, create a new VM and name it. ("Mac OS X Yosemite" is probably a good choice.)
5. If you can spare it, give the machine 4GB of RAM, otherwise the default 2048 should be fine.
6. Go ahead and create a 20GB Virtual Hard Drive. Make it a Dynamically Allocated VDI.
7. Once the machine has been created, highlight it in the main VirtualBox window and click "Settings."
8. In the Settings window under "System > Motherboard" make sure "Chipset" has PIIX3 selected.
9. Click over to "Display" and max out the Video Memory.
10. Now move to "Storage" and choose the optical disc from the "Storage Tree" menu. (At this point it should be labeled "Empty.")
11. Next to the dropdown by "CD/DVD Drive" you will see a small CD icon. Click it, and select "Choose a virtual CD/DVD disk file..." then navigate to yosemitefixed.dmg on your Desktop and select it.
12. Check the "Live CD/DVD" checkbox, and then click "OK" to close the settings window.
13. Start the VM. You won't see an Apple logo while the system boots, but rest assured the system is starting.
14. IF YOUR MACHINE DOES NOT START FULLY, you will probably be stuck at an error that says "Missing Bluetooth Controller Transport." If so, power off the Virtual Machine, go back to your Terminal and type: VBoxManage modifyvm 'YOUR YOSEMITE VM NAME' --cpuidset 1 000206a7 02100800 1fbae3bf bfebfbff then close Terminal and restart the VM.
15. You should now be at the Welcome screen for the Mac OS X Installer. At this point you will need to partition your virtual disk image, so you should click "Continue" which will open the menubar at the very top of the screen.
16. From the top menubar, select "Utilities" and then choose "Disk Utility."
17. Once Disk Utility opens, you will see your VBOX HARDDRIVE in the left side. Select it, then click the "Partition" tab.
18. Under "Partition Layout" select "1 Partition." Name it "Macintosh HD" and use the "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)" format. Click "Apply" and then "Partition" on the dialog that appears.
19. Quit Disk Utility to return to the OS X Installer, and then install OS X to the drive partition you just created.

At this point, all you need to do is wait out the install and then once the VM reboots, you will be presented with the OS X Welcome Screen as if you've just booted a brand new Mac. Once you've gotten the initial setup finished and you've finally arrived at your Desktop, I recommend taking a snapshot of the VM, so you can revert back to your fresh install at any time.

Enjoy, and feel free to comment if you have any questions.

(16:31)

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July 7, 2014

It's been a very long time since I've updated this website. In the age of things like Facebook and Google+ there's a lot less need for a dedicated web log such as this, though even before I became a member of the various Social Media sites that are out there, I've been toying with the idea of taking Accipiter.org in a new direction - one that de-emphasizes the web log aspect and puts more focus on my creative endeavors. The archives will still be here and I expect that I'll probably yammer about something now and again, but I'm really looking toward modernizing the site and shifting its focus. It'll still be me and my bullshit, it'll just be a different kind of bullshit.

In the interim, I've added two long-overdue albums to the Photo Gallery: Hawaii, as well as last month's trip to Panama. Panama was an unexpected destination, chosen for its location, budget, and my desperate need for a proper vacation. Unfortunately neither my iPhone or my MacBook Pro fully survived the trip, but it was a nice time. (It was also pretty awesome to see the Canal.)

(12:30)

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December 12, 2012

It wasn't too long ago that I decided to take a road trip. I wasn't really sure where I was going, but I had mapped out a tentative route within the southeastern United States. That plan ended up changing after I left home, and I've ended up a lot farther west than I'd originally planned.

Day one was a lot of driving, really. Most of the areas where I was driving I'd seen plenty of times, so I took the route through Nashville (with a quick stop over at what I thought was Scott's old house but ended up being an identical house one house over; his had been painted a dark color) and kept on going until I reached Memphis where I stayed the night. The next morning is what began the actual trip which included seeing things, so I got up early and made a quick run up to Missouri to grab some GeoCaches before heading back to Memphis for a trip to the National Civil Rights Museum.

The museum itself is located at the site of Dr. Martin Luther King's assassination - the Lorraine Motel. While a lot of the museum focuses on Dr. King's life and legacy, it has a lot of information regarding human civil rights in general. It's worth a visit. I was actually given special access to the balcony where Dr. King was shot, as the museum is undergoing renovations.

I then left Memphis and headed over to Little Rock. The William J. Clinton Presidential Library is a really interesting place to visit, chronicling President Clinton's life pretty much from beginning to end with an obvious focus on his presidency. There's also few touches of Mrs. Clinton's life and role as First Lady, and a lot of information on government workings. In addition, there is a replica of both the West Wing's Cabinet Room as well as my future office, the Oval Office. Here I pose with Vice President Pleepleus:

After grabbing a few GeoCaches in Arkansas, I started heading west once again. After debating on whether to stop in Oklahoma City or push through to Amarillo Texas, I decided to stay in OKC for the night. I got up early the next morning and grabbed a few more GeoCaches to cap off Oklahoma while visiting some small towns. Clinton Oklahoma is one of those ridiculously small and cute towns you see every so often.

Not long thereafter found myself in the Lone Star State. Amarillo is a very flat and very grid-like city, but with some lines of the grid that really make no sense and with others not even being paved. It was a bumpy ride while exploring some areas of the town, but I didn't stay long and continued my westward journey until I hit Albuquerque and then finally Flagstaff Arizona, which is where I'd initially written this entry from a Starbucks at six in the morning.

(12:00)

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