[Guide] Installing 10.9 Mavericks on older Macs. -HackerWayne

[SummerSoFar]

Well folks, I tried it and I am back to Mountain Lion.
I have a Early 2006 iMac, CPU upgraded to a Core 2 Duo, firmware updated to iMac 5,1 with 3 GB of RAM.

I used the SFOTT method and it worked. It installed but I could not get the sound to work, and there was no graphics acceleration. (No KEXTS for ATI Radeon X1600)

So if you have an iMac, don't install Mavericks quite yet until the Mavericks Post Factor is out. I know there were a lot of people asking this on the thread, so now you know.

...

Thumbs up!

I am running the exact same setup. Thanks for the info and being willing to be the guinea pig on that!

 

[Hyde]

having troubs getting this installed on my MP1,1...

everything goes great. downloaded the 10.9 installer straight from Apple. on a MacPro1,1 and tried both USB key and a 10GB partition on a spare internal drive. it appears as though it gets created fine using SFOTT (meaning everything 'looks' correct on the USB key/partition) but when i try to hold 'Option' down on restart or even select it as the startup volume - it defaults back to the last OS that works that i am using (10.7.5). instructions were followed multiple times very carefully.

looking at the log everything looks like it is being created properly via SFOTTs 'auto run' until it hits here:

i could use some help from you ninjas out there please and TIA.

 

[atvusr]

i could use some help from you ninjas out there please and TIA.

What I see: the Path /Volumes/OS X Base System/ contains Spaces and they're not included in Apostrophes or have Backslashes. Or the given Path is simply wrong. Therefore the error: "No such file or directory".

It must look like: '/Volumes/OS X Base System/' or /Volumes/OS\ X\ Base\ System/ .

Google after: "OS X Filenames with Spaces". Check also, if the given Path is correct.

 

[Grichecth]

everything goes great. downloaded the 10.9 installer straight from Apple. on a MacPro1,1 and tried both USB key and a 10GB partition on a spare internal drive. it appears as though it gets created fine using SFOTT (meaning everything 'looks' correct on the USB key/partition) but when i try to hold 'Option' down on restart or even select it as the startup volume - it defaults back to the last OS that works that i am using (10.7.5). instructions were followed multiple times very carefully.

looking at the log everything looks like it is being created properly via SFOTTs 'auto run' until it hits here:

i could use some help from you ninjas out there please and TIA.

I had the same issue. I aborted an installation with ctrl+c once but the volume OSX Base System never properly unmounted, the new ones that show on the desktop are actually "OSX Base System 1" but you don't see the 1. Go into your HD and into /Volumes & delete/unmount the OSX Base System folder (Should have a red "Do Not Enter" icon thing on it). That solved it for me.

 

[bobobobo]

Still wait for MVRPF

 

[Hyde]

I had the same issue. I aborted an installation with ctrl+c once but the volume OSX Base System never properly unmounted, the new ones that show on the desktop are actually "OSX Base System 1" but you don't see the 1. Go into your HD and into /Volumes & delete/unmount the OSX Base System folder (Should have a red "Do Not Enter" icon thing on it). That solved it for me.

that worked for me (kinda)!

i just ended up erasing the whole drive and reinstalling 10.7.5 from scratch and doing everything else from scratch. i believe the problem started because i had run SFOTT but didn't have the 'Install OS X Mavericks' in the applications - just the ESD basically. so SFOTT created all these folders all over the place and i couldn't find them to get rid of them so i just started over. worked like a CHARM.

however - i definitely need to upgrade the graphics card in this old Mac. currently still using the 7300GT but was going to purchase the ATI 5770. will that work with this 10.9 hack?

lastly - would this old beast be better suited sticking with 10.7.5 or going to 10.8 instead of 10.9? i have 10GB of RAM and the Mac Pro 1,1 with two 3Ghz Intel Xeons.

please let me know and above all else - THANK YOU FOR HELPING ME.

 

[kings121]

is there a guide on how to do this as as there is
similar to the one for mountain lion??

 

[atvusr]

is there a guide on how to do this as as there is similar to the one for mountain lion??

You can find a Install Guide in Post #914. Use the Guide.txt in the linked "Mac-Pro-Xserve.7z" for the Installation respectively the linked App-Script "SFOTT" to create a Install Medium.

 

[kings121]

You can find a Install Guide in Post #914. Use the Guide.txt in the linked "Mac-Pro-Xserve.7z" for the Installation respectively the linked App-Script "SFOTT" to create a Install Medium.

ok but this doesnt support macbook only mac pro

 

[RV-ABZ]

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[atvusr]

ok but this doesnt support macbook only mac pro

As in Post #914 stated: "The guide will work on ANY 32bit EFI Mac having a 64bit CPU".

It works too with my MacBook Pro 2,2 (late 2006, ATI X1600), so it should also work with the MacBook. Note, that the Graphics is unaccelerated and there might be other little problems.

 

[TheRealPorkchop]

Ok, so I've spent the better part of today (off and on) reading this entire thread. It started out one way to install Mavericks, then I see another (possibly better) way came along and that's where my questions come from.

I've got a 2006 Mac Pro 1,1 that is all stock, nothing has been changed yet. I'm under the assumption that before I can do anything I have to change my video card from the 7300GT to (at the least) the ATI 5770. I plan to buy an Apple 5770, so no worries there. I have NOT changed the firmware yet, it's still 1,1 and not 2,1 - so this is one question I have, does this have to be done first?

If I flash/change my firmware to 2,1 can I keep my current 5150's until I can locate either 5355's or 5365's?

I have a Macbook Air that I just upgraded to Mavericks (it's a fully supported machine) so my next question is can I just clone the drive in my Air to a completely brand new drive for my Pro, then change out the files mentioned earlier? The Air is on 10.9.1 if that matters.

My Pro has 16gb of RAM, will that be supported or am I limited to only 4gb, I got a little confused while reading 43 pages. I've been wanting to upgrade to 32gb which is the limit (I think) of my Pro as it sits now. Would 32 be supported also?

 

[FixOrr]

x3100 Graphics Clarification

First off can I commend you guys for the fantastic work in creating solutions that allow mavericks to run on older macs. I would like to clarify the situation with the x3100 graphics chip. Can it be stated that "there is no and there never will be a solution that will allow mavericks to run on a computer that has the x3100 graphics chip?"

 

[wwanthony]

Ok, so I've spent the better part of today (off and on) reading this entire thread. It started out one way to install Mavericks, then I see another (possibly better) way came along and that's where my questions come from.

I've got a 2006 Mac Pro 1,1 that is all stock, nothing has been changed yet. I'm under the assumption that before I can do anything I have to change my video card from the 7300GT to (at the least) the ATI 5770. I plan to buy an Apple 5770, so no worries there. I have NOT changed the firmware yet, it's still 1,1 and not 2,1 - so this is one question I have, does this have to be done first?

If I flash/change my firmware to 2,1 can I keep my current 5150's until I can locate either 5355's or 5365's?

I have a Macbook Air that I just upgraded to Mavericks (it's a fully supported machine) so my next question is can I just clone the drive in my Air to a completely brand new drive for my Pro, then change out the files mentioned earlier? The Air is on 10.9.1 if that matters.

My Pro has 16gb of RAM, will that be supported or am I limited to only 4gb, I got a little confused while reading 43 pages. I've been wanting to upgrade to 32gb which is the limit (I think) of my Pro as it sits now. Would 32 be supported also?

I have the same machine as you. You answered a lot of your own questions:

1. You need the video card upgrade for sure.

2. The firmware upgrade is not required. Though I would do it first just to make sure it works with you current setup. I upgraded my CPUSs to 5355s and ran that way for a year before I knew I could upgrade the firmware.

3. I cloned my Mavericks install from my supported MacBook Pro and copied the new boot.efi file, and placed the drive in my Mac Pro 1,1....and all is good in the world.

4. I have 16GB in my Mac Pro and it is supported.

 

[Hennesie2000]

I have the same machine as you. You answered a lot of your own questions:

1. You need the video card upgrade for sure.

2. The firmware upgrade is not required. Though I would do it first just to make sure it works with you current setup. I upgraded my CPUSs to 5355s and ran that way for a year before I knew I could upgrade the firmware.

3. I cloned my Mavericks install from my supported MacBook Pro and copied the new boot.efi file, and placed the drive in my Mac Pro 1,1....and all is good in the world.

4. I have 16GB in my Mac Pro and it is supported.

No need to upgrade the firmware unless you are upgrading the CPUs. As really all it does is add support for additional CPUs. The 8800GT card is probably the oldest that works. You can save a lot of money a get something more powerful than the 5770 if you buy a PC Card. However, you loose the boot screen. I've been running various PC Cards since 10.6 and never had any issues.

 

[RV-ABZ]

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[FixOrr]

x3100 Graphics clarification

So thats a "no" then

 

[Eweie]

No graphics acceleration on those, no, never, no, never, no, no, no and no! It's been said enough time all over this thread, don't you think? Or should I say no once more?

Stop spreading misinformation.

 

[TheRealPorkchop]

I have the same machine as you. You answered a lot of your own questions:

1. You need the video card upgrade for sure.

2. The firmware upgrade is not required. Though I would do it first just to make sure it works with you current setup. I upgraded my CPUSs to 5355s and ran that way for a year before I knew I could upgrade the firmware.

3. I cloned my Mavericks install from my supported MacBook Pro and copied the new boot.efi file, and placed the drive in my Mac Pro 1,1....and all is good in the world.

4. I have 16GB in my Mac Pro and it is supported.

Thank you very much. So I guess I can upgrade processors and then upgrade the firmware. Thanks for answering...

No need to upgrade the firmware unless you are upgrading the CPUs. As really all it does is add support for additional CPUs. The 8800GT card is probably the oldest that works. You can save a lot of money a get something more powerful than the 5770 if you buy a PC Card. However, you loose the boot screen. I've been running various PC Cards since 10.6 and never had any issues.

So it's possible to upgrade the processors without a firmware upgrade, I assume it'll just show the wrong (or unknown) processor(s) in "about this Mac" but work correctly regardless?

From Apple, the 5770 is $250 and finding one on eBay hasn't been proving successful… not cheaply anyway. So I'm curious about this video card thing, running a PC card instead of a Mac card. I kinda like seeing the Apple logo at boot but honestly, I can live without it. So could you offer some suggestion(s) for "better" video cards?

 

[fredoux21]

Thank you so much man for the tip, finally, IT WORKS, I had to restart and boot from the key and do the install. I now have Lion on one drive and Mave on another drive and I can boot from each one as desired. ... If you can do it, apple can do it, but the greedy rotten apples dismissed us the Mac Pro1,1 generation because they want more of our money and buy more of their soon to be obsolete scrap. Did I mention their new Macpro looks like a butt plug?

...
Another issue encountered: booting and installing from USB flash drives did not work for me. When I press option key, I don't see the USB key. So what worked: I created a key on an external hard drive. Installation worked flawlessly afterwards.
...

Hi folks,
I've been reading and trying hard since two days. Here's my issues: When booting on the usb drive made with SFOTT (or previously manually) I got twice a folder with a interogation point in it and then the screen get stuck into apple logo... I tried several times with a 8gb usb key and then with a guid partition in an external usb hdd.
I have a 1st generation MacBookPro 1.2
I quoted (not fully) TheBigMacPro1,1 cause if he's done it I should be able to do it either with my beloved machine...
I'll appreciate your help!

Edit: the installer has a forbidden mark :

 

[RV-ABZ]

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[pulker]

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[Hennesie2000]

Thank you very much. So I guess I can upgrade processors and then upgrade the firmware. Thanks for answering...



So it's possible to upgrade the processors without a firmware upgrade, I assume it'll just show the wrong (or unknown) processor(s) in "about this Mac" but work correctly regardless?

From Apple, the 5770 is $250 and finding one on eBay hasn't been proving successful… not cheaply anyway. So I'm curious about this video card thing, running a PC card instead of a Mac card. I kinda like seeing the Apple logo at boot but honestly, I can live without it. So could you offer some suggestion(s) for "better" video cards?

I haven't done the processor upgrade yet either but from everything I have read (a lot) if you upgrade the processors then it will only see one of them till you upgrade the firmware.

As far as GPUs go, I am currently running a factory overclocked GTX 570. I am not sure if you can go higher than the 500 series in a Mac Pro 1,1 or not. The main thing is to look for a card with 2 6-pin power connectors. The GTX580 has a 6-pin and an 8-pin and can draw more power then the Mac Pro is rated for. I have a friend who picked up an older GTX260 on eBay for $30. That's a big upgrade from a 7300GT. Here is a link to a GPU hierarchy: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-7.html

 

[Gidfd79]

I 've never felt weak of heart for any thread online, but this one is just mindboggling complicated.

Can someone post a guide for the latest imac that didn't make the cut off (with ml neither)?

Pretty please?

 

[wwanthony]

I haven't done the processor upgrade yet either but from everything I have read (a lot) if you upgrade the processors then it will only see one of them till you upgrade the firmware.

As far as GPUs go, I am currently running a factory overclocked GTX 570. I am not sure if you can go higher than the 500 series in a Mac Pro 1,1 or not. The main thing is to look for a card with 2 6-pin power connectors. The GTX580 has a 6-pin and an 8-pin and can draw more power then the Mac Pro is rated for. I have a friend who picked up an older GTX260 on eBay for $30. That's a big upgrade from a 7300GT. Here is a link to a GPU hierarchy: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-7.html

I installed 5355s without the firmware update (I did not know about it at the time) and had no issues except the CPUs were described correctly in "About this Mac". Personally, I would upgrade the firmware first and have it running for a while before I upgrade the CPUs......i.e., control the variables.