Forced Obsolescence and the El Capitan rabbit hole

[ggalaximm]

So, I got a Mac Pro 4,1.

And LGA1366 Xeon processors for it are $20 cheap on eBay.

And I have OS X Lion.

And I tried to run "csrutil disable" so I could install the faster processor.

And I discovered that Command-R to get the special SIP/boot tools does not exist in Lion, only in El Capitan.

And I heard that El Capitan was a free download.

And I discovered at the Apple Store / Mac App Store, that it is no longer a free download there.

And I found a StackExchange question which discusses a special free version of El Capitan for Lion users.

https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/309399/how-can-i-download-an-older-version-of-os-x-macos

https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/309399/how-can-i-download-an-older-version-of-os-x-macos

And I found the special-version download link in the Mac App Store.

And the App Store won't let me "upgrade my payment information" from Mac OS Lion.

But I don't want Apple to have my credit card information.

So that's as far as I have slipped down this particular rabbit hole. I've come here to ask,

where is an El Capitan that I can download and install?

=== === ===

If this is a frequently asked question, then, shame on me.

And since I am trying to use a computer from ten years ago, feel sorry for me.

But I think the Macrumors forum is a nice place, and maybe there is some hope for me, here.


[doublepost=1547878305][/doublepost]"To download it, your Mac must be using macOS High Sierra or earlier."

Okay... ...... not helpful to me. Lion --> High Sierra --> El Capitan?
[doublepost=1547879495][/doublepost]Yes, I can tell that this rabbit hole is designed to get my credit card information .

As seen in

https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/309399/how-can-i-download-an-older-version-of-os-x-macos

"Sierra itself has vanished from everybody's purchase history."

"This version of 10.12.6 cannot be installed on this computer."

The El Capital special installer can only run "if the machine is capable of running High Sierra".

So, to find an OS which has "csrutil" somewhere in the /usr/bin, so I can "csrutil disable", so I can flash the Mac Pro from 4,1 to 5,1, so I can use the new processor,

seems impossible. Even though it's quite possible, it's just that Apple has made it illegal because they want my credit card information.

Again, I ask Macrumors Forums for a hint in this particular video game.


[doublepost=1547880880][/doublepost]And, it seems,

https://www.apple.com/shop/product/D6377Z/A/os-x-mountain-lion

This might work for me, but it will cost $20.00

https://www.apple.com/shop/product/D6377Z/A/os-x-mountain-lion

 

[ggalaximm]

Comment Number 20 in this thread

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...t-let-me-upgrade-4-1-to-5-1-firmware.1892293/


may have helped me solve it.

I'm a moron, I was trying to disable "csrutil" in an old operating system that doesn't even have SIP protection!
[doublepost=1547885139][/doublepost]OK, the 3.46GHz CPU ((an X5677)) is now working for me, and, that's new for me today January 19 2019.

I was chasing a wild goose, looking for csrutil in an operating system that didn't even have it.

This ifixit link,

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/How+to+Upgrade+the+Firmware+of+a+2009+Mac+Pro+41/98985

was more or less what I needed to do, then reboot while holding the power button down, see the fast four-blinks-per-second blinking of the power button light, then watch the grey firmware bar go from left to right.

 

[ggalaximm]

See Comment number 817 in this thread:

http://forum.netkas.org/index.php?PHPSESSID=p3v7upf2vr0qcttc5ddr21kp5fcd3tmc&topic=852.810

(a) Get the 5.1 Firmware Update package from https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1321

(b) Get the tool zipfile

(c) Double-click the 5.1 updater package so the Disk Image is Mounted

(d) Unzip the tool, Run the tool

==== ==== ====

I'll still need to pay them $20 for Mountain Lion, if I ever want to run El Capitan, Sierra, or High Sierra... .....
[doublepost=1547890198][/doublepost]

 

[arkieboy72472]

Or use dosdude1’s tool to download an installer for Sierra, HS, or Mojave. The patched install creator has a tool built in for the download. Save the download in the application folder.

Also on the same website you find the patch tool, and it is hidden, is a mega link to every OS from Lion onwards, I think.