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January 29, 2012

How to set boot options for iBoot, Chimera, or Chameleon


Starting up Mac OS X for the first time on your Hackintosh can be a very tricky process, which often requires you to set special boot options through the use of boot flags. For those of you who don't know, boot flags are "arguments" (pieces of data that you enter) to change the way that your bootloader runs. The bootloader is the program that boots Mac OS X. Boot flags can set the boot options for iBoot, Chimera, Chameleon, and any other boot CD or bootloader for Hackintoshes. Read past the break to learn how to use boot flags.

There are two ways to apply a boot flag: either by typing it into the bootloader before starting up Mac OS X, or by typing it into org.Chameleon.boot.plist, the settings file used by the bootloader.


Using the new Clover Bootloader instead of Chameleon or Chimera? Check out our guide to using boot flags on Clover instead!

When your Hackintosh is in a tough situation and can't boot properly, you'll have to type boot flags straight from the Hackintosh's bootscreen itself. To enter boot flags into the bootloader from the bootscreen, just start typing. Once you think you've got the right boot flags, press Enter.


Once you've managed to boot into your Hackintosh, you can make those boot flags permanent, so that they'll automatically be entered into the bootloader every time you start Mac OS X. To do so, go to /Extra in your hard drive and open the file "org.Chameleon.boot.plist" with TextEdit. Under the <key>Kernel Flags</key> sections, enter any boot flags that you think you'll need.


That's all you need to do to apply a boot flag for your Hackintosh. If you need help finding the right boot flags for your Hackintosh, check out my list of common boot flags.