PCWiz Computer Blog

Just a little progress update. INSTAHackintoshGUI is mostly done except for the DFE generator and the actual build process (I already have the code for it, but organizing it into the many different modes will be difficult). I’m talking to STLVNUB about the questions I have about the operation and hopefully I’ll be able to make a release.

While I was waiting for STLVNUB’s response the other day I decided to do some work on the Slimbuild GUI. Amazingly I was able to finish it off today and I just sent it to ~Galaxy (maker of the slimbuild script) for testing. I have tested it myself and it works great, but once I get the thumbs up from him you may see a release as soon as tomorrow

Cube has been released in the AppStore for free [AppStore Link]. This is a full featured port of the desktop version of the open source Cube first person shooter. The description reads:

Cube is an open source multiplayer and singleplayer first person shooter game built on an entirely new and very unconventional engine. Cube is a landscape-style engine that pretends to be an indoor FPS engine, which combines very high precision dynamic occlusion culling with a form of geometric mipmapping on the whole world for dynamic LOD for configurable fps & graphic detail on most machines. Uses OpenGL & SDL.

After evaluating the gameplay, Cube is 100% functional port of the desktop version and albeit some control and performance issues it works great and is definitely a must-download for iPhone gaming fanatics. The developer, fernLightning has submitted version 1.2 to the AppStore which is supposed to fix performance issues by compressing textures.

I have given weaksauce12 (creator of many popular guide packages) some web space to host his own blog with updates, downloads, and his general experience with Hackint0sh, BOOT 132, etc. The blog already has some excellent content on it that many people will find useful so please check it out:

http://pcwizcomputer.com/weaksauce12

It will be updated with more content in the future so subscribe to the RSS feed on the blog if you find the content interesting (which I’m sure you will)

The long awaited new version of the PC-EFI bootloader by netkas was just released. New features and changes:

* Now based on Chameleon codebase
* DSDT Overwrite patch from mackerintel
* Deep sleep support
* 64 bit kernel loading support
* Supports new location of Extensions.mkext in Snow Leopard
* Supports Chameleon’s boot0/boot1h

Some systems fail to go to sleep and according to netkas this is because of the RTC bug in DSDT, and you can patch the DSDT by using the patcher found here. Netkas says that on Radeon HD cards only 1/4 of the screen will be visible after deep sleep. You can download the bootloader here (mirror). For netkas’s original post see here.

The latest version of the popular INSTAHackintosh BOOT 132 based OS X DVD builder by STLVNUB, which lets you create your very own customized OSx86 install disc from a Leopard Retail Disc with minimal user intervention, has been released. Grab the download here and check out the ReadMe before using it to get an idea of how it works, because while it is simple to use you need to do things properly to avoid error. The new release has a lot of awesome new functions so people should definitely check it out!

As you may know already I am working on a GUI for INSTAHackintosh 0.6, the upcoming release of INSTAHackintosh. The current GUI is based on the old INSTAHackintosh 0.1, thats a 5 version difference so there is a fair bit of work to be done.

2 CPU Information utilities have been released for OSx86. Take a look:

CPU-X by netkas is an equivalent of CPU-Z for Windows. It shows you all the information about your CPU including, model, revision, core speed, multiplier, caches, and more. netkas mentions that as of now it only works properly on Core 2 based CPUs. Download and more information on this utility is available here. The next utility in the list is called “MSR Tools”

This utility serves a different purpose, however. It is a temperature monitor that delivers detailed CPU temperature, voltage, throttling, and speed statistics ideal for overclockers. The nice thing here is that it works great on OSx86 unlike previous OS X temperature utilities which failed to detect the temperature sensor. Download this utility here, copy it to your hard drive before using.

You may have noticed my absence within the past few weeks, and I would like to take the oppurtunity to explain what I am doing. First of all my absence has been due to the fact that I no longer have as much time as I used to do work on extra projects and other things are taking up the majority of my time. That said, it does not spell doom for the projects, new and exciting stuff is coming!

The last 2 blog posts note some new features to the site that I added to the transfer. In terms of the website transfer I can say that it is complete! There are a couple minor bugs needing to be squashed but that will be done within the week hopefully. All of our sites are up and running so enjoy! Now in terms of projects I have a couple things I hope to work on. My first priority is getting INSTAHackintoshGUI updated to version 0.5, the latest version of INSTAHackintosh. My current GUI is based on the initial 0.1 release, and while it does do its job version 0.5 seems to pose many advantages in store. Hopefully the code changes required will be not too hard, but that’s up for STLVNUB (developer of INSTAHackintosh) to fill me in on.

My next priority of course is the iPC OSx86 Install Disc project. Many people have asked about testing and all that, but I am not ready yet. As it stands currently the 10.5.4 version of the DVD is mostly finished, just a couple problems to sort out. This may take a while, I understand your dissapointment but as always good things come to those who wait. Since there are other DVD releases out there that you can use for now, there are other priorities I have to deal with first. There are some who believe that iPC will be the magic release, the one that cures everything. I have to be honest and tell you that it will not solve everyone’s problems, all DVD releases are mostly made the same and even though iPC does have many advantages it won’t be godly.

The last and final thing I have planned right now is a GUI for the Slimbuild BOOT 132 CD creator. I promised this one a while back to ~Galaxy but didn’t make much progress on it. I will start it around the same time iPC begins testing, possibly sooner. Well, that’s basically a wrap up of the goings on and what I have planned. Any questions please feel free to ask.

We are now starting to offer web services, for a competitive price we will completely setup and configure almost any PHP script available (and for some specific ones there is a $5 off price) on your web server for over half what others charge. We also can do other server jobs, content transfers, and a lot more,  just Contact Us to get a quote and to order. More details on what we offer here.

Our file repository is now open! Inside you will find over 100 files for Mac OS x86 and much more to come in the future. Users can also upload their own files to be hosted in our repository. To upload and download you need to be a member, as a guest you can only browse. Max upload size is 24 MB. Check it out now and take benefit of the many resources available!

Need for Speed Undercover, one of the most anticipated titles for iPhone will be coming to an AppStore near you very soon at the end of November when the console and PC versions debut. Need for Speed Undercover delivers (or at least it looks like it from the videos) some of the most stunning and fast paced gameplay the iPhone platform has ever seen. IGN Wireless gave it a thumbs up review saying “Not only is the game extremely fast, especially when you tap the on-screen NOS button, but the graphics outstrip anything you’ve seen on the iPhone thus far — and that include Gameloft’s superlative Asphalt 4″.

Nope, the screenshot above is not from Need for Speed, although you might have thought it was because of the equally stunning graphics. This one is called Fastlane Street Racing from ATOD AB and it delivers great graphics, special effects, 10 cars, unlockables, 5 Game modes, and more. The developers description:

Get ready for Fastlane Street Racing a high speed arcade racing game on the go. Weave through traffic in winding city routes and improve your driving on high speed race circuits. Incredible sense of speed and beautifully rendered surroundings makes Fastlane Street Racing one of the most polished racing titles available on the iPhone.

This game will be arriving before Need for Speed and has already been submitted to the AppStore, so you should see it there relatively soon. More gameplay video and screenshots are available at the fastlane site.