MP 1,1-5,1 How do I bless the opencore legacy patcher USB installer?

[sirroderick]

I've been trying for some time to upgrade from Catalina to Big Sur on Mac Pro (2009). The USB installer won't mount because it's not 'blessed'. TBH honest I'm not actually sure what this actually means but I have attempted it a number of times over the last couple of years and whatever the legacy patcher version I always come up against the same brick wall - the installer won't mount because it's not blessed. I have 3 Mac Pros and they all behave the same. It's very frustrating. Can anyone shine a light in the darkness?

 

[cdf]

Maybe try a manual basic setup of OpenCore:

OpenCore on the Mac Pro

This guide explains how to use the excellent OpenCore boot loader to install, run, and update the latest version of macOS on the MacPro5,1, resulting in a clean, unaltered operating system just like on a supported Mac.

forums.macrumors.com

 

[sirroderick]

Thanks cdf - I'll give it a go.

 

[sirroderick]

Thanks pdf - I'll give it a go.

Ah starts with a clean install of Mojave - I did wonder if the Catalina opencore install might be the problem. If so it's surprising to not see more people having the same problem. Anyway nothing to lose.

 

[sirroderick]

The road leads to a another dead end. The Mojave installer doesn't seem to think my GTX 680 is Metal compatible. Odd because Catalina seems OK with it. In fact I fairly sure this the card I had when originally ran Mojave a couple of years ago. Maybe the card actually wasn't compatible in those days.

 

[tsialex]

The road leads to a another dead end. The Mojave installer doesn't seem to think my GTX 680 is Metal compatible. Odd because Catalina seems OK with it. In fact I fairly sure this the card I had when originally ran Mojave a couple of years ago. Maybe the card actually wasn't compatible in those days.

While booting a createinstallmedia USB installer fo Mojave don't work with Nvidia GPUs, if you run the installer from HighSierra to do a clean install to another disk it will work fine.

 

[sirroderick]

But how do I install HighSierra? Surely that's gonna be the same problem. I can't believe that this convoluted approach is the only way to get to the job done. SO many people seem to have successfully upgraded opencore Catalina to Big Sur. Why is this Mac Pro any different? I don't get it.

 

[tsialex]

This is a Mojave only problem, and known since at least June 2018. HighSierra works fine with NVIDIA Kepler GPUs + createinstallmedia.

Read more on the first post below:

MP5,1: What you have to do to upgrade to Mojave (BootROM upgrade instructions thread)

Please fully read this first post, you will probably find that you have one or more problems described into the various notes below. Mojave will only install if you have upgraded your BootROM to the current release and your Mac Pro have a Metal capable GPU*. If you are trying to install Mojave...

forums.macrumors.com

- Kepler NVIDIA GPUs (GT 640/740, GTX 670/680/780, Quadro K5000) note:

If you have a supported NVIDIA Kepler GPU like GTX 680 Mac Edition card, GTX 680 flashed with the Mac Edition firmware, GT 640/740, GTX 670/770/780 or a Quadro K5000 you can't do a USB clean install with it at the moment. The USB installer don't detect that the GPU is a Metal supported card and don't continue the install, it's a bug with Nvidia Kepler GPUs.

To do a clean install, do from macOS with two drives - just select your empty one when doing the install.

 

[sirroderick]

This is a Mojave only problem, and known since at least June 2018. HighSierra works fine with NVIDIA Kepler GPUs + createinstallmedia.

Read more on the first post below:

MP5,1: What you have to do to upgrade to Mojave (BootROM upgrade instructions thread)

Please fully read this first post, you will probably find that you have one or more problems described into the various notes below. Mojave will only install if you have upgraded your BootROM to the current release and your Mac Pro have a Metal capable GPU*. If you are trying to install Mojave...

forums.macrumors.com

Thanks for that but I think it's time to throw in the towel and restore Catalina from b/u. I could try the Big Sur upgrade on my other Mac Pros I suppose (one is a 2010 so might be different) but TBH I've come to the end of the line. I've wasted so much time on this over the last couple of years and life is short.

 

[sirroderick]

Against My better judgement I wasted yet more time on this and tried to download a High Sierra installer. Apple seems to have closed that door now and I can't find a copy elsewhere. It's so frustrating!

 

[Soba]

Against My better judgement I wasted yet more time on this and tried to download a High Sierra installer. Apple seems to have closed that door now and I can't find a copy elsewhere. It's so frustrating!

As I recall, once you are running Mojave or later, it's not possible to download older macOS installers from the App Store.

However, there's another way to get the High Sierra installer. Use the macOS High Sierra Patcher Tool for Unsupported Macs from DosDude. Note that you don't need to run through the whole procedure on that page; just download the tool (you can find the link under the Things you'll need section), run it, then go to Tools > Download macOS High Sierra… You can close the tool after the download completes.

I'm not in a position to help with the rest of your problem, but this should get you a fully working High Sierra installer.

 

[sirroderick]

Thanks. The patcher tool will take all night at 3KB/sec but should be here sometime tomorrow. Looks like it depends on an external link which is very likely to be Apple server. That seems unlikely to work but I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and hope I'm wrong.

 

[sirroderick]

Thanks. The patcher tool will take all night at 3KB/sec but should be here sometime tomorrow. Looks like it depends on an external link which is very likely to be Apple server. That seems unlikely to work but I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and hope I'm wrong.

I'm feeling a comforting glow of nostalgia for the golden age of early 90s dial-up modems . This download keeps buzzing and buzzing all night long with a dl rate in the double figure bytes per/sec as my life ebbs away in slowmo then... PLUG PULLED!!! thank goodness there IS life after death.

Try this one guys - it's a little miracle (at least on the face of it). I let you know if it installs OK.

https://www.sl-soft.de/en/anymacos/

 

[sirroderick]

While booting a createinstallmedia USB installer fo Mojave don't work with Nvidia GPUs, if you run the installer from HighSierra to do a clean install to another disk it will work fine.

Finally tracked down A High Sierra installer.

I followed this Indian guy's instructions

(but substituting the High Sierra for the Mojave installer). All seemed fine till the final stage (the 'R' key recovery mode) which took me to the same macOS utilities menu as 'R' + CMND. I did try the Install macOS option there but it does nothing.

Any thoughts?

 

[tsialex]

Finally tracked down A High Sierra installer.

I followed this Indian guy's instructions

(but substituting the High Sierra for the Mojave installer). All seemed fine till the final stage (the 'R' key recovery mode) which took me to the same macOS utilities menu as 'R' + CMND. I did try the Install macOS option there but it does nothing.

Any thoughts?

Install an AppleOEM GPU, select your createinstallmedia USB installer with the BootPicker, then fully erase the disk you want to install, recreate the partition, install.

No need to do anything more.

 

[sirroderick]

I may have the original Mac Pro GPU somewhere if not then I'm hesitant about buying one. Wasting time is one thing but money... that's a but different. BTW, wouldn't putting an AppleOEM GPU in have solved the issue with installing Mojave?

 

[tsialex]

I may have the original Mac Pro GPU somewhere if not then I'm hesitant about buying one. Wasting time is one thing but money... that's a but different. BTW, wouldn't putting an AppleOEM GPU in have solved the issue with installing Mojave?

No, because you can't use a non-METAL GPU to install Mojave.

Like I wrote from the start, you need to install HighSierra, then you install Mojave to another disk (from High Sierra).

 

[sirroderick]

No, because you can't use a non-METAL GPU to install Mojave.

Like I wrote from the start, you need to install HighSierra, then you install Mojave to another disk (from High Sierra).

OK got it. You sure know your stuff. Respect.

Is this the card I need?

 

[tsialex]

OK got it. You sure know your stuff. Respect.

Is this the card I need?

Should work fine, Apple GT120 is fully supported up to HighSierra.

 

[sirroderick]

GPU seems to be working fine but boot incredibly slow. Progress bar took over an hour to get to 100% and now it seems like it's stuck there. Assumed I'd be able to boot from the High Sierra installer USB I already made but doesn't look like it.

 

[sirroderick]

I cloned the USB stick to regular USB hard drive and it seems a lot happier. Trouble is it behaves exactly the same as before I swopped the GPUs.

"All seemed fine till the final stage (the 'R' key recovery mode) which took me to the same macOS utilities menu as 'R' + CMND. I did try the Install macOS option there but it does nothing".

 

[tsialex]

I cloned the USB stick to regular USB hard drive and it seems a lot happier. Trouble is it behaves exactly the same as before I swopped the GPUs.

"All seemed fine till the final stage (the 'R' key recovery mode) which took me to the same macOS utilities menu as 'R' + CMND. I did try the Install macOS option there but it does nothing".

I really don't know what you are talking about, please post a picture of the screen.

 

[sirroderick]

You remember I built the USB stick High Sierra installer (as explained by that Indian guy) well once I installed the old GPU and powered up with USB stick inserted the progress bar moved incredibly slowly - took over 1/2 hr to get to 100% then stopped there. I had force quit manually. When I relaunched I didn't even get the progress bar. I tried this several times with and without CMD+R & R but nothing except the Apple logo. I wondered if High Sierra might not read SSD USB sticks so I cloned the stick onto a regular mechanical USB drive (using Carbon copy cloner). It seemed to make a difference and the machine started up a lot quicker and this time took me to the Utilities window (see pic). The Install macOS never seems to do anything as far as I can see and the other options don't help.

Maybe the High Sierra image isa t fault. I spent several hours looking for a High Sierra installer and this was the ONLY source I could find since Apple closed the door. https://www.sl-soft.de/en/anymacos/ Looks kosher on the face of it but who knows.

 

[tsialex]

You remember I built the USB stick High Sierra installer (as explained by that Indian guy) well once I installed the old GPU and powered up with USB stick inserted the progress bar moved incredibly slowly - took over 1/2 hr to get to 100% then stopped there. I had force quit manually. When I relaunched I didn't even get the progress bar. I tried this several times with and without CMD+R & R but nothing except the Apple logo. I wondered if High Sierra might not read SSD USB sticks so I cloned the stick onto a regular mechanical USB drive (using Carbon copy cloner). It seemed to make a difference and the machine started up a lot quicker and this time took me to the Utilities window (see pic). The Install macOS never seems to do anything as far as I can see and the other options don't help.

Maybe the High Sierra image isa t fault. I spent several hours looking for a High Sierra installer and this was the ONLY source I could find since Apple closed the door. https://www.sl-soft.de/en/anymacos/ Looks kosher on the face of it but who knows.

This is the macOS installer screen, just go on. Btw, even with a extremely slow USB key, I can boot a High Sierra createinstallmedia USB installer in less than 5 minutes.

 

[sirroderick]

Like I said 'Install macOS' doesn't do anything. the CONTINUE goes off and it just sits there