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

[F1Mac]

Updated my 1,1 to 10.11.2 this morning directly from the App Store with no issue whatsoever. Previously running 10.11.1 with CapitanPikeFix.

 

[jt_69.V]

I don't have CapitanPikeFix, so I swapped the two boot.efi files manually (plus the one in the Recovery partition, just in case...) I had one kernel panic on the first reboot, but then everything looks good.

 

[LightBulbFun]

Just figured id post here now I got a Mac pro 1,1 running el cap very nice thanks to Pikes EFI Just as a note since i see other people have had issues with this too it seems that low amounts of RAM will cause el cap and Yosemite to Kernel panic with this boot.efi just before or after the window server loads (i also get the same KP on my 2,1 Macbook) once I fitted the 32GB of ram i got for my mac pro el cap ran without a hitch (before my Mac pro had 4 512MB sticks) (its defo a boot.efi thing since using the Yosemite boot.efi with yosemite does not cause a KP but the el cap one causes the same KP in both el cap and Yosemite) so yeah el cap runs very well on my 1,1 its such a shame that apple dropped the 1,1 and 2,1... (BTW the Geforce GT 740 has web drivers installed but it will work without them even all the way back to 10.7.5 due to being GK107 based but OS X will not know what to call the card just calls it nvidia chip model) edit: next reboot ill update to 10.11.2 and see how it goes

 

[rthpjm]

I have edited my post at #1412 with some updated information.

 

[the bug]

There are two boot.efi files in the Recovery partition:

./com.apple.recovery.boot/boot.efi
./System/Library/CoreServices/boot.efi

Do we need to replace both ?

Thanks
Jean

I did not show hidden files on that volume, and only saw the first one you listed (./com.apple.recovery.boot/boot.efi).
After replacing ./com.apple.recovery.boot/boot.efi , I was able to boot to recovery using cmd.+R .


- Jay

 

[F1Mac]

There are two boot.efi files in the Recovery partition:

./com.apple.recovery.boot/boot.efi
./System/Library/CoreServices/boot.efi

Do we need to replace both ?

Thanks
Jean

But there's no /System/Library/CoreServices on the Recovery HD

 

[the bug]

But there's no /System/Library/CoreServices on the Recovery HD

View attachment 604664

I didn't see one either, I assumed it was possibly a hidden System folder, but it looks like the ./com.apple.recovery.boot/boot.efi is the only by your screenshot.

I have never attempted "Internet Recovery" from the recovery partition, but there was talk some pages back in this thread about a second boot.efi located in the BaseSystem.dmg.

It was my understanding that "Internet Recovery" needs that second one (in BaseSystem.dmg) replaced to work (I never bothered).
Maybe that is the one he was referring to.

- Jay

 

[rkanaga]

Rather than disabling SIP from the recovery partition so that you can manually replace the Boot refi files, isn't a simpler approach to do this?

Keep a small partition on one of your HD's with a copy of Yosemite on it. After the Ap Store update, you boot into your Yosemite partition and you will be able to replace the necessary Boot Efi files on your newly updated El Cap partition since Yosemite does't stop you doing this? You can then boot back into El Cap.

(A small complication with this recent update that you need to update the Recovery partition first, then boot into Yosemite, fix the the recovery partition Efi 1st before doing the above or else you won't be able to book into the recovery partition as the Efi will have been overwritten.)

 

[macprobuffalo]

Has anyone performed an upgrade install on a RAID-0 volume running Yosemite to El Captain? I know in el captain you can only access the RAID Utility thought the recovery partition, i'm wondering if the installer will recognize my Yosemite created RAID volume.

 

[the bug]

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that 10.11.2 fixes the FaceTime crashes I've been having since ElCap, on my 1,1 flashed to a 2,1 !!

- Jay

 

[donjames]

It's late.....
I'm tired.....
I've probably jumped to all sorts of inaccurate assumptions!

My previous posts about using Boot64 or CapitanPikeFix (after modifying the SIP exclusion file) are redundant for 10.11.2.

Sorry folks. It looks like 10.11.1 must have updated the system_installd, which now has its own version of SIP. So when the installer takes over, SIP is effectively reset and re-enabled. This will stop Boot64 or CapitanPikeFix from replacing the Apple boot.efi files automatically. We will have to do it manually for now...

Dec  8 23:52:14 admins-Mac-Pro system_installd[483]: rootless_apply: unrestricted file at /var/folders/zz/zyxvpxvq6csfxvn_n0000000000000/C/PKInstallSandboxManager-SystemSoftware/543E6EEC-F966-4F54-8650-F7C86DB3A2CC.activeSandbox/Root/System/DeferredInstall/Root
Dec  8 23:53:02 admins-Mac-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.apple.rootless.init): Service only ran for 0 seconds. Pushing respawn out by 10 seconds.

Appears as part of the installer setup

When Boot64 sees the changes to the boot.efi files, it tries to replace them but SIP is back in force...

Dec  8 23:53:07 admins-Mac-Pro.local ensureBoot.sh: Not using the grey boot.efi. Switching over...
cp: /System/Library/CoreServices/boot.efi: Operation not permitted
cp: /usr/standalone/i386/boot.efi: Operation not permitted

It's probably because I hadn't edited the path file after updating to 10.11.1. I'll go check in the morning.

Either way it looks like there's currently a need to boot from another partition after each update to either replace the boot.efi files manually, or to re-edit the path file!

I'm going to go to sleep now...
I'll be more methodical in the morning....

============= sleep, loverly sleep ===========

I have realised that I overlooked a step before I ran the 10.11.2 update. I forgot to re-edit the paths file after the 10.11.1 update. It needed to be re-edited because 10.11.1 overwrites it with the Apple version. My mistake sorry.

But it did get me to thinking.... Maybe I could adapt my Boot64 tools to take care of that too.

I have some good news and some bad news. First the good news. I have adapted both pikify3.1 and Boot64 to take care of the boot.efi files and the paths file. I will upload new versions later, pikify3.1.v5 and Boot64.v2... (done, see post #1390 and post #1391)

I tested them:

• Created an installer using pikify3.1.v5
• Wiped a spare disk
• Installed El Capitan 10.11
• Booted okay into the new disk ( pikify did its thing )
• Installed Boot64.v2
• Upgraded to 10.11.1 using the Apple DMG from Support Downloads
• Booted okay ( Boot64 did its thing )
• Upgraded to 10.11.2 from the App Store
• Booted okay ( Boot64 did its thing a second time )

All well and good. Except......

The bad news, it looks to me like the /S/L/C/boot.efi file is still protected by SIP in 10.11.2.
I'm still investigating, all the mods seem to be in place, so I'm wondering if that efi file is now "hard coded" into SIP in some way.

I would be interested in feedback from others, if you could verify that /S/L/C/boot.efi is protected on your systems at 10.11.2?

What is an easy to tell if boot.efi is protected? I do have El Capitan 10.11.2 installed.

Regards,

donjames

 

[rthpjm]

What is an easy to tell if boot.efi is protected? I do have El Capitan 10.11.2 installed.

Regards,

donjames

Open a Terminal, type
touch /System/Library/CoreServices/boot.efi

If it is under SIP protection you will get an 'operation not permitted' message. If there's no message then it's not SIP protected. You can also simply try to overwrite it with a fresh copy of Pike's boot.efi file. Also you can list the directory typing
ls -lO /System/Library/CoreServices/

(the switches are minus, lowercase letter l (ell), uppercase letter o (oh))

If you see the word restricted on the line, then the file is protected

 

[jt_69.V]

But there's no /System/Library/CoreServices on the Recovery HD

View attachment 604664

Maybe I have a faulty Recovery partition then...

 

[donjames]

Open a Terminal, type
touch /System/Library/CoreServices/boot.efi

If it is under SIP protection you will get an 'operation not permitted' message. If there's no message then it's not SIP protected. You can also simply try to overwrite it with a fresh copy of Pike's boot.efi file. Also you can list the directory typing
ls -lO /System/Library/CoreServices/

(the switches are minus, lowercase letter l (ell), uppercase letter o (oh))

If you see the word restricted on the line, then the file is protected

Here ya go:
sh-3.2# cd /System/Library/CoreServices
sh-3.2# pwd
/System/Library/CoreServices
sh-3.2# ls -lO boot.efi
-rw-r--r--@ 1 root wheel restricted 316416 Dec 9 19:59 boot.efi

Looks like it is restricted.

Regards,

Don James

 

[rthpjm]

Maybe I have a faulty Recovery partition then...

View attachment 604768

I think maybe at some point you have extracted /System out of the BaseSystem.dmg into your partition (or ran a tool that did it).

Out of interest, what is in the com.boot.apple.R folder - it is very strange. I suspect that these are artefacts left over from other tools or mods...

For some time now, Recovery partitions only really contain com.apple.recovery.boot as a folder, with BaseSystem.dmg inside that folder. My Recovery partition looks like this:

.Trashes
.fseventsd
.metadata_never_index
com.apple.recovery.boot

 

[donjames]

Follow these instructions if you have just installed El Capitan, or are already using El Capitan and want automatically put the modifications in place during updates.

============== Edit ==================
This has been tested from initial install 10.11 to 10.11.1, and from 10.11.1 to 10.11.2.
There may be an issue once at 10.11.2 which might prevent a smooth upgrade to 10.11.3 when it arrives - under investigation
For now it should work well....
===================================

While Pike is recuperating (take your time Pike ), I have figured out how to set up our working El-Capitan installs so that they will survive the Apple update mechanisms. You will need to install your choice of "pike yos fix" the updated version now called CapitanPikeFix is at post #1253 (courtesy of @666sheep) , or my very own Boot64 stuff, they both pretty much do the same thing. My Boot64 stuff installs a Launch Daemon that watches the boot.efi files, if they get changed (by the Apple update) it simply puts the Pike copies back!

"Ah, but SIP stops them working!" I hear you cry. True!

But, we can exclude the boot.efi files from SIP - here's how:

I will assume your working El-Capitan is on the hard disk named Macintosh HD - change it to suit

• You don't need to do steps 1, 2, 3, and 4 if you have just used pikify3.1 (v3 or higher) to install El Capitan From the post above because it's already done for you)

1. Boot off another partition, I use the Recovery partition.
2. Open a Terminal

3. chflags nouchg /Volumes/Macintosh\ HD/System/Library/CoreServices/boot.efi
   echo "/System/Library/CoreServices/boot.efi" >> /Volumes/Macintosh\ HD/System/Library/Sandbox/Compatibility.bundle/Contents/Resources/paths
   echo "/usr/standalone/i386/boot.efi" >> /Volumes/Macintosh\ HD/System/Library/Sandbox/Compatibility.bundle/Contents/Resources/paths
   echo "/System/Library/Sandbox/Compatibility.bundle/Contents/Resources/paths" >> /Volumes/Macintosh\ HD/System/Library/Sandbox/Compatibility.bundle/Contents/Resources/paths

4. Reboot from your other partition back into your normal El Capitan disk (Macintosh HD)
5. Install CapitanPikeFix, or my Boot64 (attached)
6. If you are going to install my Boot64, download the zip file below, unzip it, and double-click it, follow the installer prompts (you might need to allow it with Gatekeeper - if you get a "can't install" message, try opening System Preferences > Security & Privacy > General, look for the "Open anyway" button). If that doesn't work, choose 'Anywhere' from the options and try again... (Don't forget to put this option back to your preference after Boot64 is installed!)
7. Sit back and enjoy El-Capitan

I don't claim to have discovered this fix. I'm simply good at using search engines, and then realising how this fits together. The credit goes to the Hackintosh community again. See http://www.idelta.info/archives/sip-rootless-internal-in-el-capitan/

I've tested this with a clean install of El Capitan 10.11 and successfully installed the 10.11.1 update from the App Store, and from a clean install using the 10.11.1 downloadable update.

I will modify my pikify3.1 script bundle with this mod already in. Look out for pikify3.1.v3.zip at post #1390 ...

===================== Version 2 ============================

V2 includes mods to watch the SIP/Sandbox paths file in addition to the boot.efi files

HI,

I just thought you might want to know.

I used pikify3.1v5 to make an El Capitan 10.11.1 installer. Installed on a clean hard drive. Ran Boot64v2. Downloaded and installed all of the updates. Rebooted the computer. Everything worked perfectly. The computer is now running El Capitan 10.11.2.


Thank you very much for the good work.

Sincerely,

Don James
Henderson, Texas USA

 

[goodfidelity]

Anyone got problems with the app store? Min just quits and i cant update anything..

 

[Mortimus]

Hello, i update today capitan 10.11.1 to 10.11.2
I changed manually the two boot.efi
The macpro boot on black screen with Apple but the progression bar blocked on 2/3
An issue ?
Sorry for my approximative english of frenchie

 

[sweetspud]

Guys,

Please forgive me for being lazy! I've been away and I see there have been some exciting developments!!

Could someone, please direct me to the latest method for installing El Cap for the first time from Yosemite??

I'm currently at 10.10.5 on my MP 2.66, 1,1 to 2,1.

Much appreciated!!

 

[Vickmnc84]

I downloaded the CaptainPikeFix but when I started to install it on my Mac Pro 1,1 with a HD 5770 and 16 GB of Ram running 10.11.2 I get a warning message that reads as follows: This package is incompatible with the version of OS X and may fail to install.

The message also says it may damage my system. I want to make sure I have the correct fix before I install it. If its not the correct one can you post a link to the one I should use?

 

[profinite]

sweetspud,

When I moved from Yosemite to El Capitan, I followed the installation method explained by andsat in #1229. I really like this method because:

(1) I can mount the target volume on the Desktop, and
(2) Even if something goes wrong, I know the whole setup will in the least start from the host volume.

Guys,
Please forgive me for being lazy! I've been away and I see there have been some exciting developments!!

Could someone, please direct me to the latest method for installing El Cap for the first time from Yosemite??

I'm currently at 10.10.5 on my MP 2.66, 1,1 to 2,1.

Much appreciated!!

 

[donjames]

Guys,

Please forgive me for being lazy! I've been away and I see there have been some exciting developments!!

Could someone, please direct me to the latest method for installing El Cap for the first time from Yosemite??

I'm currently at 10.10.5 on my MP 2.66, 1,1 to 2,1.

Much appreciated!!

Follow the instructions in posts 1390 and 1391. I installed El Capitan on a clean hard drive using OS X 10.11.1. After the install, I was able to update to OS X 10.11.2.

Regards,

donjames

 

[hwojtek]

Follow the instructions in posts 1390 and 1391.

He wants to upgrade from Yosemite, though.

 

[sweetspud]

He wants to upgrade from Yosemite, though.

Thank you!

 

[rthpjm]

Thank you!

Make sure you have a good backup.

My instructions at post 1390 & 1391 should work fine.

If you have a spare disk, I would recommend performing a clean install of El Capitan onto the spare disk. When the install finishes and you reboot into the new El Capitan disk, one of the set up steps is the Migration Assistant, use this to migrate your data from your Yosemite disk to this El Capitan disk. Doing it this way has the benefit of keeping your Yosemite disk intact for a while, think of it as your backup, or roll-back.

When you are satisfied that everything is working as expected on El Capitan, you can then choose what to do with the Yosemite disk, e.g. wipe it and use it for something else. I have used this method successfully as I migrated from Mavericks to Yosemite, and now to El Capitan. It's the safest method I can think of.

If you don't have a spare disk, then please make sure you have a full backup of your Yosemite disk. If you are using Time Machine, go into System Preferences > Time Machine > Options... and review any exclusions you have there. Think carefully about the exclusions, if you think you will need data that is currently shown as excluded, remove the entry from the list. Then force Time Machine to backup now. Finally run through my instructions.

Good luck.