Thanks to the guys at MyDellMini, [mydellmini.com] and to our own TiUser for posting it here, [forums.macresource.com] I did it. The key was khyron's 4/15 post.

At the risk of forgetting a step, or re-inventing the wheel, here's what I did.

1) Connected RunCore to USB port on my Mac.
2) Booted from Leopard DVD.
3) Erased, formatted, partitioned RunCore (Journaled for Leopard/GUID for Intel etc.)
4) Installed OS X onto RunCore. Rebooted Mac from RunCore.
5) Still from the Mac, ran what turned out to be 3 sets of Software Updates, skipping none of them.
6) From the MyDellMini thread linked above:

Quote
khyron
This is the method I used, and it was a dream. Totally simple, none of the complex junk necessary for people who don't have a real Mac or don't have a USB port on their SSD.

You can completely eliminate the external monitor or any other strange bootup issues with one detail. When you run DellEFI on the real Mac (after install, booted from the SSD) select "Custom" and UNCHECK the box about generating a hardware-specific DSDT file. This will keep you from having any issues on first boot after moving the SSD from the Mac to the Dell.

Once you have booted successfully into OSX on the Dell, then run DellEFI again. This time also choose "Custom" and generate the DSDT file (leaving anything else unchecked, since it's all already done at this point). Now you're good to go!

And I was. Swapped out the orig. SSD for the RunCore and it booted right up into Leopard. Absolutely no other special software besides DellEFI was needed at any time, i.e. you don't need DellMiniBoot123. And without needing to buy external optical drives or extra cards/thumb drives (I had none of that), the difference in cost for the RunCore looks like a pretty good deal to me!

7) Disabled support for legacy USB in the BIOS --- honestly, I have only skimmed the main FAQs concerning other install methods. You all will tell me if there's something else I should or shouldn't have done. I did take the DellEFI app's advice to disable the fancy trackpad support etc.

Sleep, WiFi, webcam etc. works great. WiFi connects so fast to my network it completely shames the 2.2 MBP I still have from work, but that's running Tiger so that may be why it takes almost 30 secs to fully connect? (The mini 9 connects in about 5 or less seconds.)

I'm off to investigate the non-invisible folder issue mentioned by Markintosh, here: [forums.macresource.com] I've got it too.

At boot, I can tell the Apple logo screen is stretched. I'd read something about that but don't remember what.

Glad to hear it was a painless install!

---

Well, if I ever get a RunCore, I'll have to try it out.

---

I am not Ryan Seacrest, and I do not approve this message.

If ever you got rain in your heart,
someone has hurt you, and torn you apart,
am I unwise to open up your eyes to love me?

And let it be like they said it would be -
me loving you girl, and you loving me.
Am I unwise to open up your eyes to love me?

Run core me whenever you're lonely. (to love me)
Run core me if you need a shoulder
Now and then, you need someone older,
so darling, you run core me.

And when you're out in the cold,
no one beside you, and no one to hold,
am I unwise to open up your eyes to love me?

And when you've got nothing to lose,
nothing to pay for, nothing to choose,
am I unwise to open up your eyes to love me?

Run core me whenever you're lonely. (to love me)
Run core me if you need a shoulder
Now and then you need someone older,
so darling, you run core me.

Run core me whenever you're lonely.
Run core me if you need a shoulder
Now and then you need someone older,
so darling, you run core me.

---

New forum user map 8/2015: [www.zeemaps.com]

Quote
Seacrest
Well, if I ever get a RunCore, I'll have to try it out.

When did you place your order.

I placed an order for a 32 GB Runcore on March 12. I just got it today.

I called MDD, talked to Chris and he asked when I placed the order. He said (on Tuesday of this week) that they were filling orders placed from the end of February to the 16th of March.

He said at one time they had over 1,000 back orders for the 32 GB RunCores. They're fairing better on the 16 & 64 GB SSDs.

It's crazy.

---

I sit on a man’s back, choking him and making
him carry me, and yet assure myself and others
that I am very sorry for him and wish to ease his
lot by all possible means — except by getting off
his back. - Leo Tolstoy, novelist and Philosopher
(1828-1910)

Is it possible to load OS X directly onto Runcore from a Mac?

Or does it only work if you load OS X DIRECTLY onto Runcore FROM a Mac.

Do DIRECTLY and FROM need to be bigger in order for the installation to succeed?

Or can from and directly be the same as they normally would?

Quote
deckeda
And I was. Swapped out the orig. SSD for the RunCore and it booted right up into Leopard. Absolutely no other special software besides DellEFI was needed at any time, i.e. you don't need DellMiniBoot123. And without needing to buy external optical drives or extra cards/thumb drives (I had none of that), the difference in cost for the RunCore looks like a pretty good deal to me!

Thanks deckeda, for confirming the install. One quick question: did you download and install the DellEFI file onto your Mac first and run it after booting from the RunCore? That's the part I am not getting: how to run the DellEFI on the RunCore.

I just received shipping notice for my Dell Mini and am patiently waiting for the RunCore to arrive. I assume it will be a long wait, but we'll see. Thanks again.

Quote
TiUser
did you download and install the DellEFI file onto your Mac first and run it after booting from the RunCore?

Yes, but using this install method requires you to run DellEFI twice. Or in guitarist's case, TWICE.

The first time from the Mac, after it's booted from the RunCore SSD. You'll get a message wondering if that's wise, because DellEFI will know you're not using a Dell mini. Just keep going. That's this part, mentioned above:

Quote
khryon
... you run DellEFI on the real Mac (after install, booted from the SSD) select "Custom" and UNCHECK the box about generating a hardware-specific DSDT file.

The second time you run it is from the Dell when it's running Leopard:

Quote
khyron
Once you have booted successfully into OSX on the Dell, then run DellEFI again. This time also choose "Custom" and generate the DSDT file (leaving anything else unchecked, since it's all already done at this point).

What DellEFI does is install files onto the RunCore so that OS X runs correctly (or at all) on the Dell. So, the first time, when running it from the Mac, has to be done in order for the Dell to fully boot. But if you don't de-select the dsdt file, one will get written with the donor Mac in mind. I actually did this by mistake the first time and never got past the gray Apple screen later. I had to re-connect the RunCore to the Mac, search for a file on it that included "dsdl.aml" in the filename and delete it. Then the RunCore would boot the Dell. Generating the file while then booted from the Dell gets you the correct version of that file. Hope that helps.

I assume I can also download the DellEFI file onto a USB drive and run from that as well?

Yep. Once you are at the point of installing the DellEFI; you are basically running under OS X with some things not fully functioning. You just need to have the DellEFI on some type of disc you can access from the OS X finder.

---

I sit on a man’s back, choking him and making
him carry me, and yet assure myself and others
that I am very sorry for him and wish to ease his
lot by all possible means — except by getting off
his back. - Leo Tolstoy, novelist and Philosopher
(1828-1910)