Hackintosh on the Dell Inspiron 15 3542

Repository containing files necessary to run macOS Catalina on the Dell Inspiron 15 3542, I would NOT recommend using this as your daily driver!

Hardware configuration

Your laptop should have specifications similar to the one listed in the table below for this to be compatible, if you laptop has a dGPU or a different wireless card you'll have to configure it yourself, no support is provided at all.

Specification	Detail
Model	Inspiron 3542
BIOS	A16 (24/09/2020)
Processor	i3-4030U
RAM	1 x 4GB 1600 MHz DDR3
Graphics	Intel HD 4400
Audio Codec	ALC3234
Display	LCD HD 1366x768 (15.6 inches)
Wi-Fi/Bluetooth Card	Atheros AR9565
Ethernet Controller	Realtek RTL8106E

What works

• macOS Catalina (10.15.7)
• Keyboard
• Touchpad
• USB ports
  • Two 2.0 USB ports and one 3.0 USB port
• iGPU - Intel HD 4400
• Full hardware acceleration
  • This also includes hardware accelerated decoding and encoding
• Sleep and wake
• Analog audio
  • Internal speaker, microphone and 3.5mm audio jack
• Digital audio
  • HDMI audio works perfectly fine
• Camera
  • Activity light works as well
• Wi-Fi
  • More on that later
• Ethernet
• SD Card reader
• DVD drive
  • Supports both reading and burning
• Backlight
  • You can even turn off the backlight completely

What doesn't work or has issues

• Wi-Fi
  • Network speed is halved, Wi-Fi icon always shows poor reception no matter how close you're to the access point.
• Bluetooth
  • Doesn't work at all.
• AirPlay
  • Doesn't work at all.
• Wake on USB
  • Thanks to the DVD drive, the laptop won't suspend if you enable "USB Wake Support" on the BIOS; so we have to disable it.
  • This causes the laptop to fully shut down every USB port. If you need to wake up the laptop you have to press the power button.

What I haven't tested yet

• Touch
  • I've a broken digitizer
• Anything related to iServices or continuity between several iDevices
  • I don't have any Apple devices

If you plan on using this, read this first

• To get sleep and wake working properly you have to make some changes in the BIOS. Go to the Advanced tab and make sure your settings look like what I've written below:

  • Intel(R)SpeedStep(TM): Enabled
  • Integrated NIC: Enabled
  • Virtualization: Enabled
  • USB Emulation: Disabled
  • USB Wake Support: Disabled
  • SATA Operation: AHCI

• There's also one small setting you have to change in Miscellaneous Devices:

  • External USB Ports: Enabled
  • USB debug: Disabled

• My config.plist has some invalid SMBIOS values, this is done on purpose, you'll have to generate your own using corpnewt's GenSMBIOS!

  • Guide yourself using what's written on OpenCore's config.plist Guide.
  • Use MacBookAir6,1 as model when requested.