And - crucially - they are totally independent of whatever main operating system is running, as long as the operating system is 'EFI aware' - it understands the various low-level calls that EFI expects.

Unlike the BIOS, these drivers can be full featured and may be used passim rather than being discarded after booting. In simple terms, it's a small computer with its own operating system, providing a firmware connection between the main operating system and the various hardware components like disks, optical drives, graphics cards and so on. So in this sense the Bios is really only used for lift-off, although its original intention was to offer ongoing support to the operating system.ĮFI goes much further. The traditional Bios only uses 16-bit drivers, which modern operating systems tend to replace with much richer 32-bit equivalents as soon as they are loaded. The Bios replacement Apple uses is in fact an open standard, EFI (Extended Firmware Interface), introduced a decade ago by Intel as part of its attempt to get its Itanium chip off the ground.Ĭalling the Bios and EFI 'boot mechanisms' is an over-simplification.

The key to making a generic Intel Mac that can handle updates lies in the fact that the 'uniqueness' of Apple hardware is really dependent only on the mechanism the Mac substitutes for the venerable Bios (Basic Input/Output System), the firmware interface between the operating system and the hardware. Towards the end of last year the tide began to turn.

But rewarding, if you were lucky enough to make it work. For those not endowed with a deep understanding of hardware and software it was a perilous path. You needed to stay in touch with the Hackintosh community on sites like Insanely Mac and Hackint0sh for news of specially modified updates and drivers. Even if you managed to get it up and running, Apple's frequent operating system updates were to be dreaded and avoided.

Efi mac os x emulator