If running Mac OS is a priority and having the ability to easily upgrade your components in the future, as well as having the added bonus of saving money. Then a Hackintosh is definitely worth considering as long as you are willing to spend the time getting it up and running and maintaining it.
Far from being 'illegal', Apple actively encourage users to run Windows on their machines as well as OSX. They've even created software called Bootcamp to make it easier to do so. So running Windows (or linux or whatever) on your Apple hardware is not illegal, it's not even a breach of the EULA.
Yes, you can fresh install macOS and carry over your config. plist and serial numbers. The preferred way to initially connect to the Mac App Store is with an Ethernet connection. Install the Wifi card after that.
Apple systems check for a specific chip and refuse to run or install without it. Apple supports a limited range of hardware you know will work. Otherwise, you're going to have to scrounge up tested hardware or hack hardware into working. This is what makes running OS X on commodity hardware difficult.
Apple rolls out system updates periodically, and if you want your Hackintosh to be running the latest and greatest versions of OS X, you're going to have to deal with these system updates at least a few times each year.
Rick's answer: Chris, while it's entirely possible to build your own computer and install Mac OS on it (and end up with what's called a Hackintosh), that might not be your best course of action. Actually, there are a couple of ways you can get yourself a machine that runs the popular Mac OS.
Firstly, you'll need a compatible PC. The general rule is you'll need a machine with a 64bit Intel processor. You'll also need a separate hard drive on which to install macOS, one which has never had Windows installed on it. Any Mac capable of running Mojave, the latest version of macOS, will do.
VirtualBox is 100% safe, this program lets you download os (operating system) and run it as a virtual machine, that doesn't mean that the virtual os is virus free (well depends, if you download windows for example, it will be like if you had a normal windows computer, there are viruses).
It is possible for malicious code to detect whether it is being executed inside a virtual machine or not. The malware may not be able to break out of the VM, but at the same time, it might not do anything when it is running inside the VM.
Yes a virus from the host can infect the VM. A infected VM can infect the network back again. When you run the VM in bridged mode it acts like any other pc connected on the local network. So the Vm needs a firewall and virus scanner like any other pc would.
VirtualBox truly has a lot of support because it's open-source and free. VMWare Player is seen as having a better drag-and-drop between host and VM, yet VirtualBox offers you an unlimited number of snapshots (something that only comes in VMWare Workstation Pro).
Some options are VirtualBox (Windows, Linux, Mac OS X), VMware Player (Windows, Linux), VMware Fusion (Mac OS X) and Parallels Desktop (Mac OS X). VirtualBox is one of the most popular virtual machine programs since it is free, open source, and available on all the popular operating systems.
A virtual machine (VM) works much like a physical one. An OS and applications installed inside a VM “think” that they are running on a regular physical machine since emulated hardware is used for running VMs on VirtualBox. Virtual machines are isolated from each other and from the host operating system.
To start, we'll need to create an ISO file of macOS High Sierra's installer, so we can load it in VirtualBox on our Windows machine. Grab your borrowed Mac, head to the Mac App Store, search for Sierra, and click “Download.” We don't want to upgrade your friend's Mac; we just need the downloaded files.
- Step 1: Download the Prerequisites.
- Step 2: Install the Prerequisites.
- Step 3: Unlock VMware to Install macOS Catalina on Windows.
- Step 4: Create a New Virtual Machine.
- Step 5: Install macOS Catalina as VM on VMware.
- Step 6: Complete Basic macOS Account Settings.
- Step 7: Install VMware Tools (Optional)
Installation in VirtualBoxEdit
- Open VirtualBox. Click "new"
- Type the name for virtual machine and Mac OS X for type.
- Select memory size.
- Select "Create Virtual Disk Now"
- Choose VDI for format.
- Select storage name and size.
- Go to "Settings"
- Go to "Storage" Tab.
Which macOS version is the latest?
| macOS | Latest version |
|---|
| macOS Catalina | 10.15.7 |
| macOS Mojave | 10.14.6 |
| macOS High Sierra | 10.13.6 |
| macOS Sierra | 10.12.6 |
Here's the last 10 MacOS names:
- MacOS 10.14: Mojave- 2018.
- MacOS 10.13: High Sierra- 2017.
- MacOS 10.12: Sierra- 2016.
- OS X 10.11: El Capitan- 2015.
- OS X 10.10: Yosemite-2014.
- OS X 10.9 Mavericks-2013.
- OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion- 2012.
- OS X 10.7 Lion- 2011.
