2006/2007 Mac Pro (1,1/2,1) and OS X El Capitan

[microphyst]

Afternoon, long time/first time here.

After much pissing about trying to find a nice way of getting El Capitan on my 1,2 [flashed 1,1], I'd like to thank Pike for the App - truly wonderous bit of engineering. I always found target disk mode-ing the install from another machine a bit sloppy.

I was wondering why it is that when using it to create a bootable USB it's only recognised as a boot disk the first time it's run. I was hoping to be able to keep a dedicated USB behind a breakglass incase anything goes wrong, but it's having none of it if I've booted off it already.

As a side note has anyone had any luck running the old Disk Utility on El Capitan? Seriously hate the new one. Doesn't seem to want to play with RAID at all.
[doublepost=1511619948][/doublepost]just figured out Pike and rthpjm aren't the same person as I suspected - so thanks to rthpjm as well.

 

[rthpjm]

I was wondering why it is that when using it to create a bootable USB it's only recognised as a boot disk the first time it's run.

It is a side-effect of the Apple install process. It blesses the USB using the “normal” locations at the end of the run. It’s too late in the process for me to “undo” it. I suppose I could have added to my custom package an extra bit to write a one-time boot script to bless the USB device on first boot into the new El Capitan, but I’ve only just thought of that approach.

You can manually fix it yourself. Just bless the USB appropriately.
Download the Pikify script and take a look at the bless command at the end of the script....

 

[jbarley]

As a side note has anyone had any luck running the old Disk Utility on El Capitan? Seriously hate the new one. Doesn't seem to want to play with RAID at all.

Check out this link for Disk Utility.
http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/files/file/480-disk-utility-patched-v2/

Sidenote: I've never seen a flashed 1,2, but I do have a MacPro 2,1

 

[ADK Bro !]

Hello can anyone help me i have followed all the instruction of installing mac os el capitan on mac pro but when my mac boot to the installer . It says i have already install mac os el capitan and i can't install it again But i am using mac os 10.7.....Please Help me solve this issue..

Thanks in Advance......

 

[AltheaFanClub]

Ah, ha!

What graphics card do you have?
How many monitors do you have connected?
How many physical connectors does your gfx card have, and what type are they?

Try this....

Boot
Wait for the grey screen
Wait about 1 minute more
Then remove the video cable from the back of the machine
Count to ten
Plug the video cable back in

If that doesn’t work, and your card has at least two physical connectors of the type you are using (e.g. DVI), move the video cable to the other port....

It sounds like you have encountered the issue where MacOS believes there are two monitors connected. It is sending the primary desktop signal to the “phantom” display. What you’re probably seeing is the “second” monitor with a plain black background. Try scooting the mouse around, a long way left, a long way right. See if the cursor appears on your monitor....

Thanks for this insight. I have a ATI Radeon HD 5770 Graphics Card with two Mini DisplayPorts and one dual-link DVI port.

I toggled the display options as described above and don't seem to have a resolution. Interestingly, on this last attempt (in Verbose mode), I have a gray screen with a progress bar that is "stuck" at the 1/3 point.

I will try a clean install of a piked El Cap boot disk and see if I can get a startup. Again appreciate all the assistance. Glad that other users have continued working setups, so seems it's just an issue in my current boot disk (rather than a new security enhancement from Apple which would undo the boot.efi work around).

 

[jbarley]

(rather than a new security enhancement from Apple which would undo the boot.efi work around).

I just this morning applied the latest Apple security update to my MacPro 1,1 and it did not break the boot.efi.

 

[Michael MP2]

I don't know how but I get a usable interface on a 2x dual model without flashing and the original Geforce 7300

I performed the installation by using either Pacifist or Carbon Copy Cloner on a fresh App Store download on another Mac, then cloned the drive onto the HD in the Mac Pro, and copied the boot.efi files from my main Mac Pro still on Yosemite

 

[rthpjm]

Thanks for this insight. I have a ATI Radeon HD 5770 Graphics Card with two Mini DisplayPorts and one dual-link DVI port.

I toggled the display options as described above and don't seem to have a resolution. Interestingly, on this last attempt (in Verbose mode), I have a gray screen with a progress bar that is "stuck" at the 1/3 point.

I will try a clean install of a piked El Cap boot disk and see if I can get a startup. Again appreciate all the assistance. Glad that other users have continued working setups, so seems it's just an issue in my current boot disk (rather than a new security enhancement from Apple which would undo the boot.efi work around).

Try a Parameter RAM reset (PRAM)

Just out of curiosity, can you boot into the Recovery HD?

Your symptoms seem to imply that the boot.efi file is okay (otherwise you would not get as far as you do). It sounds like you may have a kernel extension (kext) or some software that has broken due to the update. Have you tried a safe boot? Hold the shift key when you hear the boot chime, keep it held down until you see the progress bar (which usually also has “safe mode” or similar written under it). That will disable any third party extensions.....

 

[Fryedfrog]

I'm new to this forum, so hello!! Sorry to butt in, talking of .kext I am happily running 2 soon to be 3 MacPro1,1 with El Cap, using the very excellent Pikefy. Running well, just done the 10.11.6 update from 10.11.2, replaced the .efi's and had to "Bless" all working. Next job is USB 3, has anyone got it going well, I have an NEC chip 4 port PCIe that works with RehabMan Generic but VERY slowly, is there a better reliable .kext for USB 3, it's so close to being perfect.

 

[SuperMatt]

I got a free Mac Pro 1,1 on craigslist a while ago but I had put off updating it to El Capitan because it only has 8GB of RAM and the update tool required 12GB. Anyway, I saw on another forum post a disk image that was already setup so I didn't have to run the update tool. I tried it and I'm currently posting this from it on El Capitan. Thanks to MacRumors forum members for posting so much great info on keeping old Macs up-to-date!

Maybe later I'll update it to 2,1 - but after I tried the tool from netkas, I'm still listed as a 1,1.

 

[crosswick]

Argh... me & my stupid sleepy late-night head went ahead and clicked 'update all' in the App Store a few days ago... and now after some troubleshooting my Mac Pro 1,1 that was happily running El Capitan still won't use my GT730 video card, so I could use some help.

I've checked my boot.efi in the two typical places; seems by looking at their date like they weren't even touched, but I replaced them with a newly downloaded version anyway. The Mac does still boot up but I can't tell what's happening exactly seen as this video card has never worked until the desktop is visible.

When I put in my original Nvidia 7300GT it does boot and show everything. Could it be a matter of blessing? I've tried the following code linked from the tutorial; I get the error that the /boot folder doesn't exist:

sudo bless --folder /Volumes/SSDname --file /Volumes/SSDname/boot --setBoot

I've also made sure in System Preferences - Startup Disk that the correct volume is selected - no change.

Could it be that this latest update has broken compatibility with the GT730?

Any pointers greatly appreciated!

 

[jbarley]

could be one of the updates wreaked havoc on your Nvidia GPU driver and maybe you need to download the latest driver.
Check here for the newest drivers.
http://www.macvidcards.com/drivers.html

 

[crosswick]

could be one of the updates wreaked havoc on your Nvidia GPU driver and maybe you need to download the latest driver.
Check here for the newest drivers.
http://www.macvidcards.com/drivers.html

Sweet! That worked. Actually when booting with my 7300GT I already got a prompt from the Nvidia driver to install an update; I checked with the site you mentioned and turns out the update was the one to get.

Thank you!

 

[jbarley]

Glad it worked for you.

 

[SuperSwordGaming]

So random question, I wasn't able to find an answer so I just have to ask here, will any GPU that is within the power limit work? Or does the Mac Pro 1,1 have its own hard limit? If it does, what's the best value for a GPU that will work without having to flash it, or having one cheap that's pre flashed?

 

[rthpjm]

So random question, I wasn't able to find an answer so I just have to ask here, will any GPU that is within the power limit work? Or does the Mac Pro 1,1 have its own hard limit? If it does, what's the best value for a GPU that will work without having to flash it, or having one cheap that's pre flashed?

Try the netkas forums http://forum.netkas.org/

The MacPro 1,1 has two six-pin connectors on the mother board, but I’m not sure of the power limit protections.
I believe any card up to but not including the 1080Ti is probably okay, as always it depends on what you intend to do. The MacPro 1,1 is probably not ever going to be able to run a modern game flat out at extreme settings anyway. It is my theory (which others may disagree with, or prove me wrong) that the 1,1 is probably going to throttle performance overall, thus keeping the GPU within power specs anyway.
There’s a thread by user Rominator (we’ll known as the owner of macvidcards) talking about a 4,1 MacPro with a 1080Ti causing power draw issues....

 

[SuperSwordGaming]

Try the netkas forums http://forum.netkas.org/

The MacPro 1,1 has two six-pin connectors on the mother board, but I’m not sure of the power limit protections.
I believe any card up to but not including the 1080Ti is probably okay, as always it depends on what you intend to do. The MacPro 1,1 is probably not ever going to be able to run a modern game flat out at extreme settings anyway. It is my theory (which others may disagree with, or prove me wrong) that the 1,1 is probably going to throttle performance overall, thus keeping the GPU within power specs anyway.
There’s a thread by user Rominator (we’ll known as the owner of macvidcards) talking about a 4,1 MacPro with a 1080Ti causing power draw issues....

So GPUs don't particularly matter as far as compatibility? I was going to get this GPU here if it was compatible, but I have zero know how to flash it if necessary. And 4GB modules of RAM work on the 1,1 but do you need to do anything fancy or do they work out of the box, so to speak?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/NVIDIA-MSi...755820?hash=item2a9795132c:g:3QIAAOSw0wRaHRMp
https://www.ebay.com/itm/222607679564

 

[jabbo5150]

Anyone install the latest security update 2017-005 10.11.6? Is it safe to do so?

 

[jbarley]

Anyone install the latest security update 2017-005 10.11.6? Is it safe to do so?

I installed it last night, so far I've not noticed any issues.

 

[rthpjm]

So GPUs don't particularly matter as far as compatibility? I was going to get this GPU here if it was compatible, but I have zero know how to flash it if necessary. And 4GB modules of RAM work on the 1,1 but do you need to do anything fancy or do they work out of the box, so to speak?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/NVIDIA-MSi...755820?hash=item2a9795132c:g:3QIAAOSw0wRaHRMp
https://www.ebay.com/itm/222607679564

Both of those should be okay (disclaimer: I’m not providing a recommendation, nor any warranty given or implied).

The graphics card will not show the initial boot screens, but as soon as the EFI pre-boot environment hands over to Mac OS, the monitors will spring into glorious life. If you ever need to see boot screens, find or buy a VGA adaptor and connect a VGA monitor, most cards show the boot screens over VGA.

The memory looks correct and is very cheap. Buy in multiples of two (aka pairs). At that price consider buying 8 sticks, you won’t regret it...

 

[jacquesd]

Hello, is there a way to make continuity work with a mac pro 1.1 capitanified, and also to get a bluetooth le (for my midi stuff) i have bought a bluetooth dongle but no success, any help and workaround welcome

 

[Mr. Zarniwoop]

Hello, is there a way to make continuity work with a mac pro 1.1 capitanified, and also to get a bluetooth le (for my midi stuff) i have bought a bluetooth dongle but no success, any help and workaround welcome

From the first post:

Support for Handoff in El Capitan to allow AirDrop, Continuity and Instant Hotspot with iOS devices:

The original Airport Extreme (802.11a/b/g/draft-n Wi-Fi) and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR options from Apple don't support Handoff. Several vendors, including MacVidCards, sell new add-on hardware kits to retrofit older Mac Pros with 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 LE that work in 2006/2007 Mac Pros to allow Handoff. There have been reports of needing to sign out of iCloud and then sign in again after replacing WiFi and Bluetooth hardware to enable Handoff.

There has been a report of an OEM Bluetooth 2.0+EDR card causing a conflict with USB devices. If you experience issues with the built-in USB ports under El Capitan, you may also consider removing or upgrading your Bluetooth card.

In El Capitan, both Phone Calling and SMS from OS X with an iPhone work with a 2006/2007 Mac Pro and are not dependent on OS X Handoff support.

OSX WIFI may still sell them too.

 

[SuperSwordGaming]

Both of those should be okay (disclaimer: I’m not providing a recommendation, nor any warranty given or implied).

The graphics card will not show the initial boot screens, but as soon as the EFI pre-boot environment hands over to Mac OS, the monitors will spring into glorious life. If you ever need to see boot screens, find or buy a VGA adaptor and connect a VGA monitor, most cards show the boot screens over VGA.

The memory looks correct and is very cheap. Buy in multiples of two (aka pairs). At that price consider buying 8 sticks, you won’t regret it...

I appreciate the help! So for this GPU, I don't need to flash it at all if I'm not worried about the boot screen? And I'm going to buy just 2 or possibly 4, as my build has 4 sticks of 2GB right now, and with 2 sticks, I'd be at 16, or at 4 sticks, I'd be at 24GB, very big improvement. I have the 8400GT GPU installed as well, which will be handy if I upgrade GPUs and I should need to troubleshoot, which is a good thing.

 

[ssgbryan]

I appreciate the help! So for this GPU, I don't need to flash it at all if I'm not worried about the boot screen? And I'm going to buy just 2 or possibly 4, as my build has 4 sticks of 2GB right now, and with 2 sticks, I'd be at 16, or at 4 sticks, I'd be at 24GB, very big improvement. I have the 8400GT GPU installed as well, which will be handy if I upgrade GPUs and I should need to troubleshoot, which is a good thing.

Definitely want to go over 16gb. I'd recommend going whole hog up to 32gb.

One never has too much memory.

 

[SuperSwordGaming]

Definitely want to go over 16gb. I'd recommend going whole hog up to 32gb.

One never has too much memory.

What about the GPU? Do they work "out of the box"? I was thinking something like this instead if it doesn't need to be flashed.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/For-Fit-NV...d=162791132623&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851