Troubleshooting Intel AC 8265 WiFi on a Dell Latitude Hackintosh

Setting up wireless networking on a Hackintosh can indeed be one of the more challenging aspects, particularly because macOS is designed to work with only a specific set of Wi-Fi hardware. Based on your situation, it seems like the macOS did initially recognize your Intel AC 8265 WiFi card but then stopped working after a restart, which suggests a configuration issue that could be resolved with the right kexts and settings.

Here's a guide to troubleshoot and potentially resolve the issues with the Intel AC 8265 WiFi card on your Dell Latitude 7390 2-in-1 Hackintosh:

GUIDE STEP BY STEP:

1. Verify Kexts:

• Ensure you have the correct versions of AirportItlwm and IntelBluetoothFirmware kexts for your version of macOS.
• Check if these kexts are compatible with the Intel AC 8265 card.

2. Correct Kext Loading:

• Make sure the kexts are being injected correctly by your bootloader. The fact that moving them temporarily solved the issue indicates they might not be loading correctly on startup.

3. Rebuild Kext Cache:

• Boot into macOS and rebuild the kext cache using the following commands in Terminal:

  cssCopy code
  sudo kextcache -i /
  

• Reboot your system to see if the changes take effect.

4. EFI Partition Consistency:

• Compare the kexts in your EFI folder with those in the /Library/Extensions folder. They should be consistent.

5. Config.plist Review:

• Using a tool like ProperTree or Clover Configurator, check your config.plist to ensure it is configured correctly for your hardware.

6. Boot Arguments:

• Add or verify the presence of brcmfx-country=#a in your boot arguments to ensure wireless regulatory compliance, which can sometimes cause issues with card detection.

7. BIOS Settings:

• Check your BIOS settings to ensure that the Wi-Fi card is enabled and no conflicting settings are applied.

8. Test with HeliPort:

• If you are using itlwm, make sure to use the HeliPort application to manage your Wi-Fi connections instead of the native Wi-Fi menu.

9. System Preferences:

• Go to System Preferences > Network and make sure the Wi-Fi interface is set up correctly and has the correct configurations.

10. Replace the Card (If Needed):

• If troubleshooting fails, consider replacing the Wi-Fi card with one that is known to be compatible out of the box with macOS, such as Broadcom cards used in genuine Macs.

11. Community Support:

• Search forums such as tonymacx86 or Reddit's Hackintosh subreddit for any discussions related to the Intel AC 8265 and similar issues.

12. Logs Analysis:

• Look at the system logs to see if there are any messages related to the Wi-Fi card when you boot up or when Wi-Fi fails to work.

Notes:

• The peculiar behavior of the Wi-Fi working after moving kexts and then failing upon restart suggests a caching issue or that the bootloader is not consistently injecting the necessary kexts.
• Since some Dell laptops use Wi-Fi adapters compatible with Apple's hardware, they can work with minimal setup, but this isn't always the case with all adapters​​.
• If you can provide your EFI folder or its contents, it would be easier to diagnose any potential misconfiguration issues.