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

[val_das]

Thank you so much, Its up and running, the issue was that i did it using usb i made one of my hard drives as El Capitan Volume instead, and it worked flawless

 

[val_das]

In terms of updates, so as i understood I cannot use security update, but can i update the rest of the updates?

 

[rthpjm]

In terms of updates, so as i understood I cannot use security update, but can i update the rest of the updates?

If you installed 10.11.6 then you’re already at the highest release of El Capitan. If you installed a lower version then you can usually upgrade to 10.11.6, but be cautious, most of those upgrades will overwrite the customised boot.efi file. There are two mainstream tools to protect the boot.efi files (my Boot64, and capitanpikefix by others - links on post 1390 & 1391). These tools simply copy back the customised boot.efi file if an Apple update overwrites it.

After Apple released 10.11.6, El Capitan went into security maintenance. Apple releases just security updates. You can safely install all the security updates up to and including Security Update 2017-005.
After that the 2018 and higher security updates contain an updated kernel file (largely to address the meltdown defects). Unfortunately those modifications are not compatible with original MacPros (1,1 and 2.1). If you install Security Update 2018-001 or higher then your MacPro will crash on boot, and restart, crash, restart. Often called a boot loop.

I documented a “fix” in this thread which essentially means obtaining the kernel file from the Security Update 2017-005 bundle, and overwriting the “non-compatible” kernel (effectively downgrading it). Lots of users are reporting it’s okay to do this, but the purists (like me) recommend not installing the 2018 Security Updates. The choice is yours...

 

[maks.ee]

Thank you for all your work. I might be getting some life out my old mac pro.

Any chance you still have Fix SecUpdate ElCapitan Mac Pro 1.1-2.1 Start Loop.dmg file to fix the boot loop after 2018-004 update? The link in your post seems to be broken. Thanks again!

Hi everybody,

I'm back, following my posts #4299 of July 20, 2018, #4419 of September 16, 2018, #4430 of October 3, 2018, #4464 of December 4 2018 and #4578 of March 10 2019, regarding the operation of the update "SecUpd2018-004ElCapitan" with Kernel 2017-005.

After 10 months EVERYTHING IS STILL STABLE !!!

New record, 39 days without rebooting ... and no instability! (I had to turn off before going on a weekend)


Fix SecUpdate ElCapitan Mac Pro 1.1-2.1 Start Loop.dmg

View attachment 836591

 

[jbarley]

Here is a DropBox link to the file you are seeking.

MP1,1 boot-loop-fix

Shared with Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

 

[maks.ee]

Thanks a lot. Got it working again on El Capitan with 2018-004 update. Now if only I could use my GTX 660. I can hear OS booting all the way through but never get a display to work. Original Nvidia GeForce 7300 GT only shows 8MB and is very slow. Off too searching the web for a solution. Latest Nvidia driver for El Capitan fails to install.

Here is a DropBox link to the file you are seeking.

MP1,1 boot-loop-fix

Shared with Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

 

[jbarley]

Regards to your nvidia driver problem, maybe check this link.
The script mentioned there has always worked for me when it comes to driver problems.

GitHub - Benjamin-Dobell/nvidia-update: Install nVidia drivers on macOS the easy way.

Install nVidia drivers on macOS the easy way. Contribute to Benjamin-Dobell/nvidia-update development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

 

[mapissa]

I bought an old MacPro 1,1 cheap. When it boots up it goes into the repair mode and I can get to the point where it tries to install Lion, but after giving the login info it tries to start the install process, but fails with the following message:

This item is temporarily unavailable. Try again later.

Has anyone run into this issue? Are there any workarounds to get it working again. Perhaps Apple has removed the Lion download, but without a replacement for this model. If its not possible, I would like to install something like Ubuntu on it and make a nice server out of it.

TIA

 

[rthpjm]

I bought an old MacPro 1,1 cheap. When it boots up it goes into the repair mode and I can get to the point where it tries to install Lion, but after giving the login info it tries to start the install process, but fails with the following message:

This item is temporarily unavailable. Try again later.

Has anyone run into this issue? Are there any workarounds to get it working again. Perhaps Apple has removed the Lion download, but without a replacement for this model. If its not possible, I would like to install something like Ubuntu on it and make a nice server out of it.

TIA

This could be a Date/Time issue. Try setting the date and time from the Installer or Recovery partition to 2007-01-01.

I had a similar issue with a modern MacBook Pro from work. The previous user completely wiped the HD then gave it back. I had to wind the clock back to get the Internet Recovery to work!

 

[mapissa]

This could be a Date/Time issue. Try setting the date and time from the Installer or Recovery partition to 2007-01-01.

I had a similar issue with a modern MacBook Pro from work. The previous user completely wiped the HD then gave it back. I had to wind the clock back to get the Internet Recovery to work!

Thanks. I just install Ubuntu on it. I might give it a try later

 

[AL1630]

I've been having a pretty strange issue that seems to be el cap related, as it doesn't happen when my MP is running windows or Lion. When I let the computer sleep, there's a chance that it won't wake up and will restart. The screen stays black, and eventually, I hear the chime and it comes to the loading screen. Does anyone know what could be causing this issue? Right now my solution is to not let the computer sleep, but i would like to be able to let it.

Specs:
MP 1,1 - Flashed to 2,1 firmware
Xeon X5355
Quadro 8800GT
24 GB RAM
My El Capitan install is running off an ssd but lion and windows are on mechanical drives, if that could be important.

 

[rthpjm]

I've been having a pretty strange issue that seems to be el cap related, as it doesn't happen when my MP is running windows or Lion. When I let the computer sleep, there's a chance that it won't wake up and will restart. The screen stays black, and eventually, I hear the chime and it comes to the loading screen. Does anyone know what could be causing this issue? Right now my solution is to not let the computer sleep, but i would like to be able to let it.

Specs:
MP 1,1 - Flashed to 2,1 firmware
Xeon X5355
Quadro 8800GT
24 GB RAM
My El Capitan install is running off an ssd but lion and windows are on mechanical drives, if that could be important.

Other users reported similar issues. An SMC reset usually helps. There are posts in this thread somewhere by me and others on the procedure (Apple’s support site usually has the procedure too)...

 

[ajordt]

Hi. I have been running El Capitan without any issues for a year now. Recently I needed to install and run Windows 10. For some reason I haven’t figured out yet how to accomplish that as the installer (a usb stick) is not showing up in the boot manager. i tested the usb stick in my other MacBooI Pros and it works. But not in my Mac Pro. Any help is appreciated.
Kind Reg, Andy.

 

[DCWinJC]

Hello rkanaga,

If you have a copy of the unmodified Apple version of ‘Install OS X El Capitan.app’, then you can get a copy of the boot.efi from there.

It’s probably easiest to do this from the Terminal rather than the Finder. This is because some folders and files have the hidden flag turned on which means the Finder will not show them.

cd ~
open /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app/Contents/SharedSupport/InstallESD.dmg
open /Volumes/OS\ X\ Install\ ESD/BaseSystem.dmg
cp /Volumes/OS\ X\ Base\ System/System/Library/CoreServices/boot.efi ~
diskutil eject /Volumes/OS\ X\ Base\ System
diskutil eject /Volumes/OS\ X\ Install\ ESD

That should put a copy of the unmodified boot.efi into your home folder (~).

Copy that to your old disk in the two usual locations.
You might need to elevate your privileges (sudo -s) to perform the copy at this point, and you might need to be booted off another partition (which I'm am assuming)

P.S. You can do this from your nMP, just put the 'Install OS X El Capitan' app into the Applications folder of the nMP (or put it at some other path and amend the first open command to suit).

Hi rthjpm. Thanks for these instructions. I'm migrating my old 2006 upgraed-to-MacPro 2,1 to an 2009-2010 5,1. I want to upgrade my "Piki-fied" El Capitan SSD to High Sierra then Mojave in my new machine. I was able to do the first part (copying and isolating the file) with no problem on my laptop. I only have one question. Where are the "two usual locations" you speak of? One would be the Install El Capitan.app in the above directory on my SSD but where is the second one? Thanks, Don

 

[rthpjm]

Hi rthjpm. Thanks for these instructions. I'm migrating my old 2006 upgraed-to-MacPro 2,1 to an 2009-2010 5,1. I want to upgrade my "Piki-fied" El Capitan SSD to High Sierra then Mojave in my new machine. I was able to do the first part (copying and isolating the file) with no problem on my laptop. I only have one question. Where are the "two usual locations" you speak of? One would be the Install El Capitan.app in the above directory on my SSD but where is the second one? Thanks, Don

Copy the file to:

• /System/Library/CoreServices/boot.efi (also written in shorthand as /S/L/C)
• /usr/standalone/i386/boot.efi

 

[DCWinJC]

Copy the file to:

• /System/Library/CoreServices/boot.efi (also written in shorthand as /S/L/C)
• /usr/standalone/i386/boot.efi

Thanks so much! I appreciate it!

 

[murat0606]

Hi, 8 GB RAM and SSD is not enough? Is this Mandatory?Thanks.
@rthpjm

 

[rthpjm]

Hi, 8 GB RAM and SSD is not enough? Is this Mandatory?Thanks.
@rthpjm

The 12Gb requirement is ONLY for the “Pikify installation method”. It is required because the method uses RAM disks to perform the install. One of the compressed installation files takes approximately 11gb to decompress. It all has to fit into the RAM initially.

Once El Capitan is installed 8gb is okay. Having said that El Capitan caches lots of items during run-time. Subjectively, I feel there is better “performance” of things like the Finder with more memory.

if you can afford to purchase more memory, I would certainly recommend that you do. If you can’t, or don’t want to, then you can still get your MacPro 1,1 or 2,1 running El Capitan. You will simply need to use one of the other methods of installing. This usually means using a newer “supported” Mac to perform the install onto your MacPro boot disk. Before you put the boot disk back into the MacPro remember to overwrite the boot.efi file with the Pike-version.

 

[murat0606]

The 12Gb requirement is ONLY for the “Pikify installation method”. It is required because the method uses RAM disks to perform the install. One of the compressed installation files takes approximately 11gb to decompress. It all has to fit into the RAM initially.

Once El Capitan is installed 8gb is okay. Having said that El Capitan caches lots of items during run-time. Subjectively, I feel there is better “performance” of things like the Finder with more memory.

if you can afford to purchase more memory, I would certainly recommend that you do. If you can’t, or don’t want to, then you can still get your MacPro 1,1 or 2,1 running El Capitan. You will simply need to use one of the other methods of installing. This usually means using a newer “supported” Mac to perform the install onto your MacPro boot disk. Before you put the boot disk back into the MacPro remember to overwrite the boot.efi file with the Pike-version.

Thank you for support.which method do you suggest? (in macrumors?)

 

[rosah]

I'm stuck. I had El Capitan installed and working. I then installed security update... I think ending in 005 or 006. I'd checked and thought it would be safe. It wasn't.
Mac got stuck in a reboot loop. By holding Option, I was able to boot to recovery mode.
The boot selector screen only showed the El Capitan system drive and the recovery drive, NOT a second Mac OS HDD connected via USB OR the El Capitan install USB I had already used to install El Capitan previously. Both devices are visible in Disk Utility in Recovery Mode.
I tried a re-install of El Capitan from Recovery. Got an error "unable to unmount" or something like that. The idiot that I am, I went to Disk Utility and erased the system drive, thinking I could THEN re-install with the Recovery tool. Nope. Installation fails (when the computer restarts during the installation process, it gets stuck in another restart loop. After turning off and back on with power button, it starts back up in recovery mode - without boot select screen - and it's like nothing happened - drive selected for installation seems to contain install data, but installation does not continue).
I am unable to boot from any other device. If I remove the SSD, I just get the blank grey screen with mouse cursor like no bootable devices are connected, even though there are 2. I've tried resetting PRAM, both by using the Option+Command+P+R on startup (nothing happens, gets stuck in boot loop), and by using the terminal command (nvram -c).

 

[WarlordCustom]

I got a mac pro 1.1 with 5Gb of ram and ATI 1Gb graphics card.
I bought an SSD drive and cloned my lion os, and it works super fast.

I read all the instructions for the upgrade. I found an El Capitan image, replaced the boot.efi, and the machine boots perfectly.

The problem is, i got random kernel panics. That's the first time in my life i've experienced such a thing.

Do you think it's a ram problem, or something else?
Mail hangs, Google Chrome hangs etc.

I've been working on this project for over a week, with no success.
Using the OSX Lion partition , the machine is rock solid, and stable.
But booting in El Capitan doesn't work as it should.

Is there a way to identify if it's a hardware error or software error?

 

[FlorisVN]

I got a mac pro 1.1 with 5Gb of ram and ATI 1Gb graphics card.
I bought an SSD drive and cloned my lion os, and it works super fast.

I read all the instructions for the upgrade. I found an El Capitan image, replaced the boot.efi, and the machine boots perfectly.

The problem is, i got random kernel panics. That's the first time in my life i've experienced such a thing.

Do you think it's a ram problem, or something else?
Mail hangs, Google Chrome hangs etc.

I've been working on this project for over a week, with no success.
Using the OSX Lion partition , the machine is rock solid, and stable.
But booting in El Capitan doesn't work as it should.

Is there a way to identify if it's a hardware error or software error?

You could perhaps run an Apple ASD test, to test your MacPro's hardware to be sure..

Im also not sure but the 2018 security update (latest), is perhaps not greatly compatible with the latest boot.efi files.. ?
Correct me if Im wrong..

I myelf have not yet updated to the this latest el captan security update..
System runs perfect 24/7

 

[WarlordCustom]

You could perhaps run an Apple ASD test, to test your MacPro's hardware to be sure..

Im also not sure but the 2018 security update (latest), is perhaps not greatly compatible with the latest boot.efi files.. ?
Correct me if Im wrong..

I myelf have not yet updated to the this latest el captan security update..
System runs perfect 24/7

where do i find a disk image of that el Capitan?
I am so tired off all these.. Please help if you can. If there's a way to get a disk image please let me know.

 

[rthpjm]

I'm stuck. I had El Capitan installed and working. I then installed security update... I think ending in 005 or 006. I'd checked and thought it would be safe. It wasn't.
Mac got stuck in a reboot loop. By holding Option, I was able to boot to recovery mode.
The boot selector screen only showed the El Capitan system drive and the recovery drive, NOT a second Mac OS HDD connected via USB OR the El Capitan install USB I had already used to install El Capitan previously. Both devices are visible in Disk Utility in Recovery Mode.
I tried a re-install of El Capitan from Recovery. Got an error "unable to unmount" or something like that. The idiot that I am, I went to Disk Utility and erased the system drive, thinking I could THEN re-install with the Recovery tool. Nope. Installation fails (when the computer restarts during the installation process, it gets stuck in another restart loop. After turning off and back on with power button, it starts back up in recovery mode - without boot select screen - and it's like nothing happened - drive selected for installation seems to contain install data, but installation does not continue).
I am unable to boot from any other device. If I remove the SSD, I just get the blank grey screen with mouse cursor like no bootable devices are connected, even though there are 2. I've tried resetting PRAM, both by using the Option+Command+P+R on startup (nothing happens, gets stuck in boot loop), and by using the terminal command (nvram -c).

You’ve hit the boot loop which is introduced by Security Update 2018-001 or newer (All Sec Updates are cumulative, if one introduces an issue, all subsequent Sec Updates continue to include it). The 2018-001 update introduced a new kernel file which we believe addressed the meltdown/spectre CPU vulnerabilities. Unfortunately these changes are not compatible with the MacPro 1,1 or 2,1 causing an immediate crash on boot, loop.

The immediate solution is to get a copy of the last-known-good kernel file and copy/overwrite /Volumes/your-ElC-disk-name/System/Library/Kernels/kernel. Instructions in my footer. If you don’t have access to a second working Mac, someone posted the kernel file here a few pages back. (I always prefer to use Apple originated methods rather than trust a random post - no disrespect intended). That will fix the boot loop issue.

Try booting now. If it works great! Welcome back!
If it still doesn’t boot then you may have compounded the issue by attempting a re-install. You probably need to replace the boot.efi files, and you may need to bless the ElC volume to make it bootable again...

 

[rthpjm]

I got a mac pro 1.1 with 5Gb of ram and ATI 1Gb graphics card.
I bought an SSD drive and cloned my lion os, and it works super fast.

I read all the instructions for the upgrade. I found an El Capitan image, replaced the boot.efi, and the machine boots perfectly.

The problem is, i got random kernel panics. That's the first time in my life i've experienced such a thing.

Do you think it's a ram problem, or something else?
Mail hangs, Google Chrome hangs etc.

I've been working on this project for over a week, with no success.
Using the OSX Lion partition , the machine is rock solid, and stable.
But booting in El Capitan doesn't work as it should.

Is there a way to identify if it's a hardware error or software error?

Sounds like you probably have low capacity RAM sticks! Do you have any 512MB or 1Gb RAM sticks installed?

It seems that I write endlessly about this issue. Please search this thread for my posts containing the word 512mb

e.g.
post #4697