macOS 10.14 Mojave on Unsupported Macs Thread

[toptekjon]

The update period is usually three years for Safari + general security updates and four years for iTunes (minus one year as High Sierra was released last fall). Third-party browsers such as Chrome are generally supported for twice as long as Safari.

So there's still some time to go before High Sierra is no longer viable, but missing out on features like dark mode on older Macs is seriously disappointing nonetheless. Dark mode should have been added years ago in my opinion.

Agreed. Dark Mode should be an absolute requirement for every app and every OS. I'm pretty annoyed with the fact that Developers of apps and Operating Systems tend to ignore this extremely common request from their users. If I have a choice in apps, and one has dark mode, I choose that app. Bright screens are very obnoxious.

 

[Larsvonhier]

I ran some benchmark tests and monitored the action with iStat Menus (v5).
Most machines* settle (after doing the photo indexing, spotlight indexing) to a just slightly increased CPU usage of around 4-6% total for non-user related tasks, leaving approx. 95% idle CPU time. On (High) Sierra that was around 98% idle. Both values far from frying the machines!

What I noticed in the past (especially with beta macOS versions) is that when I connected external monitors (DVI), the process WindowServer jumped to 20-40% permanently sometimes - until I disconnected and re-connected the ext. monitor. I sent proof of that bug to Apple and it never re-appeared in final releases. Sometimes in following betas it showed up again...

* iMac 8,1
* MB 7,1
* MB Air 2,1
* MB Pro 4,1

"picture, or it did not happen" ;-)
This is on the MB Air 4,1 with Mojave build ..326h.

 

[bjwhite3114]

Copied into place and rebooted. option for nightshift is now there for me running Mojave B3 on 15" MPB 2011 (8,2)

Thanks!

Ok found, check it on page 87.

Please consider it could not work, but this is not invasive I assure it is easy fixable.
If you booting after apple logo to a black screen then go back to your HS and replace again your backed up CoreBrightness file in the Mojave disk, and you will boot again as before.

If it doesn't work I think already know why perhaps haven't included a binary patch for you MBP 8,2 model. Don't remember if I included, but if doesn't work I will try make another through Xcode for your MBP.

I have hex editor checked the CoreBrightness file it seems that only one of these MacBookPro: MBP 9,x or MBP 8,x Series you can "choose" to patch at once for Night Shift, so I guess they will require two separated patches or two binary files already patched.
Also notice a separate patch required for MacBookAir5,x or MacBookAir4,x and so on. It will be not so simple to include all the unsupported night shift machines.

Anyway one made by dosdude1 would be surely better than this.

Here is bjwhite3114 I patched to include your MBP 8,2 this time, give it a try with this updated one, just following the same steps of thread page 87, I'm confident Mojave Night Shift will work for your machine this time!

This file should work for any of these machines:
MacBookPro8,x
iMacPro1,x
iMac13,x
Macmini6,x
MacBookAir5,x
MacPro6,x
MacBook8,x

 

[waydabber]

Sadly I have a noob question. How can I download Mojave beta in order to patch it with dosdude's patcher? I downloaded the Mojave patcher (0.1b10) and attempted to use the built in Tools/Download MacOS Mojave... option, which in turn downloaded the latest High Sierra installer (instead of Mojave). Then I tried to download the Mojave installer from the App Store, but it only downloaded Apple's new Mojave installer app which does not contain the entire installer (since it is supposed to be downloaded on-the-fly by this small interim installer). Is there a direct link to download the latest beta?

I'm trying to download Mojave using a supported machine which already runs Mojave, and I plan to try installing it on an unsupported Late 2009 i7 iMac using the patcher.

 

[0403979]

Sadly I have a noob question. How can I download Mojave beta in order to patch it with dosdude's patcher? I downloaded the Mojave patcher (0.1b10) and attempted to use the built in Tools/Download MacOS Mojave... option, which in turn downloaded the latest High Sierra installer (instead of Mojave). Then I tried to download the Mojave installer from the App Store, but it only downloaded Apple's new Mojave installer app which does not contain the entire installer (since it is supposed to be downloaded on-the-fly by this small interim installer). Is there a direct link to download the latest beta?

I'm trying to download Mojave using a supported machine which already runs Mojave, and I plan to try installing it on an unsupported Late 2009 i7 iMac using the patcher.

Download the patcher again. A silent update (one that doesn’t change the version number) was released to fix this issue.
[doublepost=1531763457][/doublepost]

Ok found, check it on page 87.

Please consider it could not work, but this is not invasive I assure it is easy fixable.
If you booting after apple logo to a black screen then go back to your HS and replace again your backed up CoreBrightness file in the Mojave disk, and you will boot again as before.

If it doesn't work I think already know why perhaps haven't included a binary patch for you MBP 8,2 model. Don't remember if I included, but if doesn't work I will try make another through Xcode for your MBP.

I have hex editor checked the CoreBrightness file it seems that only one of these MacBookPro: MBP 9,x or MBP 8,x Series you can "choose" to patch at once for Night Shift, so I guess they will require two separated patches or two binary files already patched.
Also notice a separate patch required for MacBookAir5,x or MacBookAir4,x and so on. It will be not so simple to include all the unsupported night shift machines.

Anyway one made by dosdude1 would be surely better than this.

Here is bjwhite3114 I patched to include your MBP 8,2 this time, give it a try with this updated one, just following the same steps of thread page 87, I'm confident Mojave Night Shift will work for your machine this time!

This file should work for any of these machines:
MacBookPro8,x
iMacPro1,x
iMac13,x
Macmini6,x
MacBookAir5,x
MacPro6,x
MacBook8,x

Will this work on a MacBook 7,1?

 

[jackluke]

Copied into place and rebooted. option is now there for me running Mohave B3 on 15" MPB 2011 (8,2)
Thanks!

Will this work on a MacBook 7,1?

Yes it will work I'm using right know, but for MacBook 7,1 anyway I advice using the one posted on page 87 has been further tested for long, both files are patched from a clean CoreBrightness taken from Mojave beta 2, and thanks to bjwhite3114 I had the confirm it's working also on Mojave beta 3.

 

[tywebb13]

Sadly I have a noob question. How can I download Mojave beta in order to patch it with dosdude's patcher? I downloaded the Mojave patcher (0.1b10) and attempted to use the built in Tools/Download MacOS Mojave... option, which in turn downloaded the latest High Sierra installer (instead of Mojave). Then I tried to download the Mojave installer from the App Store, but it only downloaded Apple's new Mojave installer app which does not contain the entire installer (since it is supposed to be downloaded on-the-fly by this small interim installer). Is there a direct link to download the latest beta?

I'm trying to download Mojave using a supported machine which already runs Mojave, and I plan to try installing it on an unsupported Late 2009 i7 iMac using the patcher.

Well I'm not really into patching and installing onto unsupported systems etc.

However there is way to get mojave or high sierra full installers via installinstallmacos.py which I wrote about here: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...pport-for-itunes.2126709/page-7#post-26243593 albeit for an unrelated issue (they were actually trying to get high sierra). But you can get mojave using that too.

So hope that helps.

 

[pkouame]

"picture, or it did not happen" ;-)
This is on the MB Air 4,1 with Mojave build ..326h.

Thanks good info. Just a few personal observations regarding performance on our old unsupported core 2 duos running modern macOSes (from experience with Sierra and High Sierra unsupported threads):

- In addition to the usual indexing culprits (spotlight, photo) you can add Mail (and its services) and the console to the list. They will seriously tax our poor cores. Depending on your configuration, it's always a good idea to let things settle a while after a new OS is in place.

- Look out for tailspind and spindumpd also revving up to snapshot your apps when the cores are maxed out. It just adds to the load and is of only real value to development. They are easily disabled like this
launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.tailspind.plist etc... Also rename and back up the corresponding plists. This worked on HS.

- This is generally a losing battle since new features will add more load

- Every beta will introduce a different performance profile and may or may not tune different aspects of the system. So a little instability is to be expected with pre-releases and betas (even though Apple is getting better at it). It's usually best to wait and assess performance with the final public releases or betas (towards the end of the summer) Unless it's something really egregious...

Just my two cents.

 

[Larsvonhier]

Thanks good info. Just a few personal observations regarding performance on our old unsupported core 2 duos running modern macOSes (from experience with Sierra and High Sierra unsupported threads):

- In addition to the usual indexing culprits (spotlight, photo) you can add Mail (and its services) and the console to the list. They will seriously tax our poor cores. Depending on your configuration, it's always a good idea to let things settle a while after a new OS is in place.

- Look out for tailspind and spindumpd also revving up to snapshot your apps when the cores are maxed out. It just adds to the load and is of only real value to development. They are easily disabled like this
launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.tailspind.plist etc... Also rename and back up the corresponding plists. This worked on HS.

- This is generally a losing battle since new features will add more load

- Every beta will introduce a different performance profile and may or may not tune different aspects of the system. So a little instability is to be expected with pre-releases and betas (even though Apple is getting better at it). It's usually best to wait and assess performance with the final public releases or betas (towards the end of the summer) Unless it's something really egregious...

Just my two cents.

Could not agree more. Especially removing the tailspin and spindump saved me lots of beach balls and CPU resources on previous macOS on unsupported machines... and not only there!
In my impression, as long as you do not stress your machine too much with rendering jobs, photoshop, or virtual machines, its still very reasonable and practical to use anything from C2D Penryn on as day-to-day workhorses. Even more when you max out RAM and install SSD instead of mech. drives!
It depends on the implementation of new features whether they demand resources at any time or just when they are invoked. Siri for instance is residing quietly as long as you don't talk to it, other features can be switched off or are user selectable as i.e. night shift or dark mode, true tone will be following).
(We have a bunch of 2008+ machines in our office for just that kind of business work, networking, even doing CAD in parallels desktop under Win7 - all quite ok as long as you don't have 123 apps open and running at the same time ;-)
So, yes, a losing battle, but imho quite worth the effort of not buying new machines...
[doublepost=1531771938][/doublepost]Folks, beta 4 is just released... leeeech ;-)

 

[pkouame]

Could not agree more. Especially removing the tailspin and spindump saved me lots of beach balls and CPU resources on previous macOS on unsupported machines... and not only there!
In my impression, as long as you do not stress your machine too much with rendering jobs, photoshop, or virtual machines, its still very reasonable and practical to use anything from C2D Penryn on as day-to-day workhorses. Even more when you max out RAM and install SSD instead of mech. drives!
It depends on the implementation of new features whether they demand resources at any time or just when they are invoked. Siri for instance is residing quietly as long as you don't talk to it, other features can be switched off or are user selectable as i.e. night shift or dark mode, true tone will be following).
(We have a bunch of 2008+ machines in our office for just that kind of business work, networking, even doing CAD in parallels desktop under Win7 - all quite ok as long as you don't have 123 apps open and running at the same time ;-)
So, yes, a losing battle, but imho quite worth the effort of not buying new machines...

Got that right! With a small investment in ram and SSD, my old mbp is running like a champ. I have Mojave running (very smoothly) with a zillion Safari and Firefox tabs open, terminal, various monitors, vlc, vpn software. Sleep and iSight finally working. I'm pleased as punch and actually think this runs better now than it did out of the box. And yes, some judicious management of the app load will make your experience more or less enjoyable. I'm waiting for a few more betas to roll by b4 I revisit the old Mac Pro 3,1.

 

[Larsvonhier]

beta 4 is now build 18A336e with support of the formerly unsupported 2018 MacBook Pro ;-)

 

[0403979]

macOS Mojave Beta 4 has been released for developers and probably (I don’t know.) public beta testers.
[doublepost=1531773645][/doublepost]I’m downloading Mojave Beta 4 from the patcher at the moment. Assuming this downloads the right version then I'll post the installer version when it’s done.
[doublepost=1531773687][/doublepost]

with support of the formerly unsupported 2018 MacBook Pro ;-)

I (Rather unimpressivly.) predicted that.

 

[TimothyR734]

Got that right! With a small investment in ram and SSD, my old mbp is running like a champ. I have Mojave running (very smoothly) with a zillion Safari and Firefox tabs open, terminal, various monitors, vlc, vpn software. Sleep and iSight finally working. I'm pleased as punch and actually think this runs better now than it did out of the box. And yes, some judicious management of the app load will make your experience more or less enjoyable. I'm waiting for a few more betas to roll by b4 I revisit the old Mac Pro 3,1.

I would love to be able to install a ssd in my iMac 9,1 but I wouldn't even have a clue about doing that I think the front glass has to come off most likely delicate glass I only brought up the temps to see what the various macOSes are doing with the components

 

[0403979]

I’m downloading Mojave Beta 4 from the patcher at the moment. Assuming this downloads the right version then I'll post the installer version when it’s done.

It downloaded High Sierra. I’m reinstalling the patcher and trying again.

 

[pkouame]

I would love to be able to install a ssd in my iMac 9,1 but I wouldn't even have a clue about doing that I think the front glass has to come off most likely delicate glass I only brought up the temps to see what the various macOSes are doing with the components

Check out this video https://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/imac_20_early09_hd/

Absolutely the best investment you can make to breathe new life in your machine! You will more than feel the difference. That and maxing out your RAM are essential. The procedure is not that difficult but make sure you get their cheap toolset. A friend to help with the screen can help. You won't regret it.

 

[0403979]

It downloaded High Sierra. I’m reinstalling the patcher and trying again.

Well it’s downloading High Sierra again. I’m going to sleep now but maybe you could look into this. @dosdude1

 

[Aletancredo]

macOS Mojave Beta 4 has been released for developers and probably (I don’t know.) public beta testers.
[doublepost=1531773645][/doublepost]I’m downloading Mojave Beta 4 from the patcher at the moment. Assuming this downloads the right version then I'll post the installer version when it’s done.
[doublepost=1531773687][/doublepost]

I (Rather unimpressivly.) predicted that.

Hi I am running macos mojave beta 2 how can I download the beta 4 using the patcher? Do you have the link? Thank you

 

[pkouame]

macOS Mojave Beta 4 has been released for developers and probably (I don’t know.) public beta testers.
[doublepost=1531773645][/doublepost]I’m downloading Mojave Beta 4 from the patcher at the moment. Assuming this downloads the right version then I'll post the installer version when it’s done.
[doublepost=1531773687][/doublepost]

I (Rather unimpressivly.) predicted that.

Read the release notes carefully. There are still quite a few known issues and some new ones popping up. Not quite there yet, but getting there...

 

[TimothyR734]

Check out this video https://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/imac_20_early09_hd/

Absolutely the best investment you can make to breathe new life in your machine! You will more than feel the difference. That and maxing out your RAM are essential. The procedure is not that difficult but make sure you get their cheap toolset. A friend to help with the screen can help. You won't regret it.

Thank you very much
[doublepost=1531775524][/doublepost]

Well it’s downloading High Sierra again. I’m going to sleep now but maybe you could look into this. @dosdude1

Developer Beta 4 isn't out here yet usually I get a notification from OSX Daily and Softpedia when a new beta is out

 

[Starplayr]

Well it’s downloading High Sierra again. I’m going to sleep now but maybe you could look into this. @dosdude1

Apple is still updating High Sierra. I’ve seen two builds of 10.13.6 recently guess that messes up the Downloader’s logic. Might have to create a whitelist.

 

[TimothyR734]

macOS Mojave beta 4 is released to developers just got the notification and it has support for the 2018 MacBook Pro 2018 Public Beta 3 later this week

 

[0403979]

Read the release notes carefully. There are still quite a few known issues and some new ones popping up. Not quite there yet, but getting there...

I’m not a paying developer so I can’t see the release notes.

 

[dosdude1]

Apple is still updating High Sierra. I’ve seen two builds of 10.13.6 recently guess that messes up the Downloader’s logic. Might have to create a whitelist.

Fixed already, just download again with the patcher (no need to download a new copy).

 

[nekton1]

Just upgraded a working update-install-patched beta 3h version to beta 4 on MP3,1 (with GTX 6800) using Software Update in system preferences. The end result was a KP screen in six or seven languages.
Rebooted from b10 USB patch installer and ran the recommended 3,1 patches again then rebooted. It came to Finder OK showing 18A336e as the OS version (had to reset iCloud password). AND I got all my missing Sound hardware (Digital Out, Line Out) back, which had gone MIA in beta 3h.

Fixed already, just download again with the patcher (no need to download a new copy).

 

[pkouame]

I’m not a paying developer so I can’t see the release notes.

Developers will be interested. Nothing really earth shattering for normal end-users. Won't hurt if you have the time to reimage your machine.