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MP 1,1-5,1 Mac pro 2009 4,1 Boots up but no video output (black screen)Mac pro 2009 4,1 Boots up but no video output (black screen). It was working fine on t

T

Teachermark01

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 22, 2020
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Mac pro 2009 4,1 Boots up but no video output (black screen).

It was working fine on the old OS that was on it. I want to update to the highest OS it can run. So I did. But after that I get an black screen.

I tried to reset some things like time code, vram etc. Nothing works. Can't even go to the BIOS to reset everything (or I've got the wrong key combination).

I have also added two other hdds. And on one of them was an Windows installation. So I hold the option key on startup to choose an other hdd and choose the Windows one. And that was just working fine.

What can I do to run Mac OS again? Also tried an Bootable USB with el Capitan but It won't recon the USB flash drive I've made on my 2019 Macbook pro.

Who can help me out?

With kind regards,

Mark
 
When I use Option + Command + P + R
And waited till the second time hearing the startup sound it looks like it's working fine.

But still no output. I see the Apple logo in the beginning but after that no output.

De Mac pro itselfs keeps running with no errors or blinking lights.
 
Natively, that Mac can only run up to El Cap. You would have to flash that to 5,1 firmware to make it run Mojave. (Not sure if that is what you were trying to do.) As for the flash drive, on your new Mac, did you format the flash drive in Disk Utility with the Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format? That new Mac could have made it APFS which would not work in this case as far as I know. Also, are you using the "create install media" command? If not, here is some info from Apple directly on how to do that. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201372. Unless you tried to flash something and it went wrong and bricked the USB ports (not sure if possible) a properly formatted and created flash drive should work just fine on that Mac Pro.

EDIT: Reading your second post, it sounds like it still boots but maybe the video drivers are corrupt in Mac OS. In your first post, you mention being able to boot Windows which further makes me feel this is a software issue of some sort. Hopefully you have a backup, as it sounds like maybe a reinstall (which you are trying to do) should get it back up and running.
 
Supposing you'd like to get adequate help, I'd recommend to start with a Signature and/or a detailed description of all hardware and software installed.
I.e. just "an old OS" "the highest OS it can run" is very undefined and will not provide any relevant information to the reader...
 
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I am not sure which version OS was on it. So that's not good.

I did an update not with the app store because that OS version has no app store.

I want to update to El Capitan first before flashing to 5,1.

I did format the flash drive in Disk Utility with the Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format.

I thought so too, maybe a software problem but the reinstall won't work or I can't get it to boot from the flash drive
 
Gpu is an ATI Radeon HD 4870 512MB Mac Pro Graphics Card

6gb ddr3 ram
And de standard Xeon 2,66 MHz cpu
 
With this scarce information there are too many parameters and possibilities...
To get the info e.g. OS version, ROM version, etc. the MP has to boot first.
If you still have the original installer DVD , or if you could make a usb installer of El Capitan on another Mac, you can install this on a drive , formatted to Mac OS extended(=HFS+) and post some screenshots when it works.

Download El Capitan here:
Download OS X El Capitan.


Are there any (red) lights on the backplane and/or the CPU tray when you power the MP on?
Do you have another GPU e.g. OEM Apple GT120 you could try?

EDIT: just install 1 drive for El Capitan and remove all other drives before you start the install.
 
I did download el Capitan. But I can't make a Bootable flash out of it on Catalina.

It downloads an dmg file, so I open that file than I get die pkg file. When I click on that its saying: "this version of OS X 10.11 can not be installed on this computer".

And then I can do nothing...
 
That is the problem, this does not work on my Macbook Catalina.
Tried 10 times now, nothing worked.

Ive downloaded El Capitan, (it's in the downloads folder).

Then I go to the terminal and I fill in:

sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/THENAMEOFMYFLASHDRIVE --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app

Fill in my password next, and than it says:
'
sudo: /Applications/Install OS X El Capitan.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia: command not found
'
 
If your app is in the downloads folder, that is the wrong path. That command paths to Applications which is where you should put the installer app. That dir that you are pointing to does not exist on your Mac so it does not work. I make drives on Catalina all the time, so I think it is a path issue.
 
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I suggest to go step by step thoroughly according the guide

Create a bootable installer for macOS - Apple Support

You can use a USB flash drive or other secondary volume as a startup disk from which to install the Mac operating system. These steps are primarily for system administrators and other experienced users who are familiar with entering commands in Terminal.
support.apple.com support.apple.com
Note that:
-the download should be in the applicationfolder
-open the downloaded file and run .pkg
-name the usb MyVolume.
 
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Also, it has been a long time since I have downloaded/installed El Cap so can't remember the process 100%. If it is a DMG you probably have to mount it and move the install mac os el cap app into the app folder.
 
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Sorry, it's been a while ago too;)

If you would have read the guide: "On a Mac that is compatible with El Capitan, open the disk image and run the installer within, named InstallMacOSX.pkg. It installs an app named Install OS X El Capitan into your Applications folder. You will create the bootable installer from this app, not from the disk image or .pkg installer."

So:
-erase the usb, format Mac OS extended and name the usb MyVolume.
-download the installer
-rightclick on it , double click on the .pkg file
-this installs the installer in the app folder (you have to authorize this)

-open terminal etc
-you should see this : (screenshot)
 

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Before you're going to install EC on your MP, remove all disks except for 1 blank disk.
Once you boot the installer, open DiskUtilities format the disk to Mac OS Extended , then start the installation of EC.
 
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