macOS 10.14 Mojave on Unsupported Macs Thread

[flygbuss]

@flygbuss You have visited that site and installed el capitan on your machine?

I've been there and installed Yosemite. It works but it's not usable because of the lack of acceleration.
Even with disabled animations it's just not nice to use.



Don't get fooled by the desktop, it is Yosemite I just like the 10.9 picture.

 

[0403979]

I've been there and installed Yosemite. It works but it's not usable because of the lack of acceleration.
Even with disabled animations it's just not nice to use.

View attachment 825709

Don't get fooled by the desktop, it is Yosemite I just like the 10.9 picture.

I would only recommend Mountain Lion on these machines due to the lack of acceleration. You can install Mavericks if you need electron apps or something but otherwise I wouldn't recommend it.

 

[antony34]

Major MacBook 4,1 breakthrough:
Internal and external USB fully working: Trackpad (with functionality as with MacBook 5,2) and keyboard and both USB ports are now up and running!
No Teleport tool or screen sharing needed any more to access the machine and audio, wifi, IR remote receiver, framebuffer (144MB intel x3100) working now. Not much else to desire now (except the OpenGL speedup).
All in all, this machine is very much usable now, with up to 6GB RAM and a 2,4GHz C2D. Not to mention my other hack (external GPU via mPCIe) that in addition brings full graphics acceleration even to this macbook. See https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...-1-and-up-with-pcie-expresscard-slot.2135898/

Hint: Took some kexts from the USB beta kext package by OSXHackers...
Details on which kexts did the trick with kernel cache precompiling on another machine will follow shortly.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1948251871910491

OMG.....i may need to charge my 4,1 now

 

[MiniPjotr]

Looks like for you it is just a matter of upgrading to High Sierra first(this should update your firmware) and then you'll be all set for APFS Mojave install.

@avz: thanks - yes worked well and High Sierry updated the firmware or system so that now the macMini4,1 can do an APFS Boot!

 

[flygbuss]

I would only recommend Mountain Lion on these machines due to the lack of acceleration. You can install Mavericks if you need electron apps or something but otherwise I wouldn't recommend it.

Yes, after testing it I think so too. And I mean, to be fair.. It's 13 years old now.
I just thought I can give it to a friend, she's a single mom and doesn't have much money.
My idea was to put a 256GB SSD inside and the kids could use it for school and some surfing.
But without a current OS it would be more like giving away electronic waste.
Well it was worth a try, sorry for off-topic.

 

[Larsvonhier]

Here´s my working prelinked kernel MB 4,1. Should be the same as the one that @0403979 will be generating. Just as a sneak preview for the early adopters ;-)

Link to dropbox (file too large to upload here):
https://www.dropbox.com/s/wzeerjvamc0hm5e/prelinkedkernel?dl=0

 

[0403979]

Here´s my working prelinked kernel MB 4,1. Should be the same as the one that @0403979 will be generating. Just as a sneak preview for the early adopters ;-)

Link to dropbox (file too large to upload here):
https://www.dropbox.com/s/wzeerjvamc0hm5e/prelinkedkernel?dl=0

Will this work for the installer? I only need a prelinked for that.

 

[Larsvonhier]

Yes, after testing it I think so too. And I mean, to be fair.. It's 13 years old now.
I just thought I can give it to a friend, she's a single mom and doesn't have much money.
My idea was to put a 256GB SSD inside and the kids could use it for school and some surfing.
But without a current OS it would be more like giving away electronic waste.
Well it was worth a try, sorry for off-topic.

Why not put 10.8. with full accel. on it and supply recent and safe browsers like TenSixFox (based on FireFox 45.9 ESR)? Still better than "electronic waste" and quite useful for light browsing, iTunes (incl. sync to not too modern iPhones), daily eMail tasks, older versions of Pages, Numbers, or (if one has to endure it) Office 2011 or even 2016, etc...
[doublepost=1552237226][/doublepost]

Will this work for the installer? I only need a prelinked for that.

I have no experience in replacing/modifying installer components, but it should work.

 

[dosdude1]

Why not put 10.8. with full accel. on it and supply recent and safe browsers like TenSixFox (based on FireFox 45.9 ESR)? Still better than "electronic waste" and quite useful for light browsing, iTunes (incl. sync to not too modern iPhones), daily eMail tasks, older versions of Pages, Numbers, or (if one has to endure it) Office 2011 or even 2016, etc...

Actually, the best browser option is @parrotgeek1's custom build of the latest Firefox Quantum version modified to run on OS X 10.7 and 10.8.

 

[jackluke]

Here´s my working prelinked kernel MB 4,1. Should be the same as the one that @0403979 will be generating. Just as a sneak preview for the early adopters ;-)

Link to dropbox (file too large to upload here):
https://www.dropbox.com/s/wzeerjvamc0hm5e/prelinkedkernel?dl=0

Unluckily I can't test it, since I have an old Merom cpu MBA1,1 , only SSE3, but for fun will try to run El Capitan at least.

edit:
Got it working OS X El Capitan on Unsupported Macs credits to TMRJIJ

 

[0403979]

Why not put 10.8. with full accel. on it and supply recent and safe browsers like TenSixFox (based on FireFox 45.9 ESR)? Still better than "electronic waste" and quite useful for light browsing, iTunes (incl. sync to not too modern iPhones), daily eMail tasks, older versions of Pages, Numbers, or (if one has to endure it) Office 2011 or even 2016, etc...
[doublepost=1552237226][/doublepost]
I have no experience in replacing/modifying installer components, but it should work.

Make an installer with my patcher but change /File/Cache/10.14.3 in the tool to your file.
[doublepost=1552239513][/doublepost]@Larsvonhier Any idea where I can get a black MacBook for cheap in this area? I want one to run Mojave on for fun.

 

[Loyd-01a]

I do however have many features that dosdude1 does not. For example, live package patching (meaning your installer will always have the up to date system components that will patched on the spot), an unpatching tool (useful for switching patchers or to a supported device), a transparency tool (allowing you to fix transparency related issues easily, courtesy of SpiraMira and testheit), support for update package patching, support for multiple versions, support for simple installer creation of any version, support for apfs recovery partitions (courtesy of jackluke), now support for the MacBook4,1, and many more features.
[doublepost=1552225101][/doublepost]
Have I earned a spot on the credits list yet?

Like before, for me the answer is : NO !

If you want, you can start another thread and put your self as the Supreme Guide. But for this thread, don't add your self to the major contributors ! you have to understand that : like in school, you can't give your self a diploma...
Almost everything you did is courtesy of someone. It's a good think to try to help others, but please let @dosdude1 the thread starter judje this. Sorry you don't deserve credits for this special thread ;-(

 

[0403979]

Like before, for me the answer is : NO !

If you want, you can start another thread and put your self as the Supreme Guide. But for this thread, don't add your self to the major contributors ! you have to undertand that : like in school, you can't give your self a diploma...
Almost everything you did is courtesy of someone. It's a good think to try to help others, but please let the thread starter judje this. Sorry you don't deserve credits for this special thread ;-(

The amount of time and effort I have put it to coding my tools is a lot. I’ve spent hours just figuring out how to perfect one fonction. I may not have done the a lot of research but I have done a great implementation and it has taken me a while to do so. If you want to complain then you can complain. I have spent time and effort on this and I think I deserve having at least one or two people discover me from the credits.

 

[Larsvonhier]

Make an installer with my patcher but change /File/Cache/10.14.3 in the tool to your file.
[doublepost=1552239513][/doublepost]@Larsvonhier Any idea where I can get a black MacBook for cheap in this area? I want one to run Mojave on for fun.

<OT start>
The black versions of the MacBooks are not too easy to find for a decent price. White MB 4,1 are everywhere on eBay - problem is that ppl do not know and specify what they sell, for most sellers its just an A1181. If you're lucky, you can see a detailed "about this Mac" screenshot and then buy it by (better) chance...
My approach is a different one: I got a cheap "BlackBook" A1181 but only a Core Duo (1,1). Mainboards are mostly interchangeable between all the A1181 ´books, so I´ll buy a working 4,1 or even 5,2 board and cram it in the black housing... (not top priority so it will take some rainy weekends or even foggy November to come).
<OT end>
[doublepost=1552241249][/doublepost]

Actually, the best browser option is @parrotgeek1's custom build of the latest Firefox Quantum version modified to run on OS X 10.7 and 10.8.

Good browser alternative, will check it out - did not have it on my radar ;-)
I checked all news around the TenFourFox (PPC) project and was happy that two ports exist for intel (10.4 and up to current macOS).
Thanks!

 

[dosdude1]

The amount of time and effort I have put it to coding my tools is a lot. I’ve spent hours just figuring out how to perfect one fonction. I may not have done the a lot of research but I have done a great implementation and it has taken me a while to do so. If you want to complain then you can complain. I have spent time and effort on this and I think I deserve having at least one or two people discover me from the credits.

Here's an idea that I think would be best in this scenario. Since you're adding MacBook4,1 support to your patcher, why don't you make your patcher's main goal to get Mojave running on the MacBook4,1 machines? Since I won't be adding MacBook4,1 support to my tool (mainly due to lack of graphics acceleration), and my tool already provides support for all the other unsupported systems, I think it'd be great if your tool's main goal was to provide support for MacBook4,1 machines. If this is something you'd consider, I'd definitely add a link to your tool on the OP as a solution for installing Mojave on a MacBook4,1, as well as put a link to it on my webpage.

On another note, I have a crap ton of white MacBook4,1 systems. If you'd be willing to pay for international shipping, I can just give you one.

 

[0403979]

Here's an idea that I think would be best in this scenario. Since you're adding MacBook4,1 support to your patcher, why don't you make your patcher's main goal to get Mojave running on the MacBook4,1 machines? Since I won't be adding MacBook4,1 support to my tool (mainly due to lack of graphics acceleration), and my tool already provides support for all the other unsupported systems, I think it'd be great if your tool's main goal was to provide support for MacBook4,1 machines. If this is something you'd consider, I'd definitely add a link to your tool on the OP as a solution for installing Mojave on a MacBook4,1, as well as put a link to it on my webpage.

I don't want to only focus on MacBook4,1s. I will do everything I can for them but they're not my sole target. I understand that most people will want to use your patcher because of the GUI and the Patch Updater app but I've made a very different tool by now. In the beginning my goal was to port your patcher to bash and maybe add a few features but I've advanced beyond that now and I've added more things than I could've ever imagined adding. It bothers me that most people don't want to use my tool but I want to keep it available for those who take features over ease of use. I love your tool and mainly your research but it doesn't appeal to me personally. You've made the process easy and simple for everyone but I personally prefer something a little more challenging but more in depth with progress messages and more features and support bundled into one tool. Don't get me wrong, this isn't an attack on your or on anyone but I just prefer the tool I made myself. I will support MacBook4,1s as best I can.

 

[dosdude1]

I don't want to only focus on MacBook4,1s. I will do everything I can for them but they're not my sole target. I understand that most people will want to use your patcher because of the GUI and the Patch Updater app but I've made a very different tool by now. In the beginning my goal was to port your patcher to bash and maybe add a few features but I've advanced beyond that now and I've added more things than I could've ever imagined adding. It bothers me that most people don't want to use my tool but I want to keep it available for those who take features over ease of use. I love your tool and mainly your research but it doesn't appeal to me personally. You've made the process easy and simple for everyone but I personally prefer something a little more challenging but more in depth with progress messages and more features and support bundled into one tool. Don't get me wrong, this isn't an attack on your or on anyone but I just prefer the tool I made myself. I will support MacBook4,1s as best I can.

See, yeah, that's the thing... The main goal of my patcher tools are to provide the easiest, and most seamless experience of installing macOS on an unsupported machine, for a "normal" user. That, and I just love making GUIs LOL. Still, I'll add your tool as an alternate method to the OP if someone desires to try using it. I know you worked hard on it, and as long as it works, I don't see any reason why not to add it to the OP.

 

[Sveto]

You're right, I wrote in general, but in my case I was referring to MacbookAir1,1 that has GMAX3100 iGPU, I managed installing over it "Windows 8.1 64 bit" into the internal disk and Mountain Lion 10.8 (I guess with some EFI 64 bit hack from OSXHackers), I don't remember exactly, it's still boxed dusted somewhere.

edit:
my mistake, El Capitan is the last OSX to unofficially "support" SSE3 instructions, so Merom cpu can't boot any patched Sierra or later that needs SSE4.1 , but only recent Windows 8.1/10 64 bit.

You should update to x64 Windows 10 Pro, or if no Microsoft store needed than to Enterprise LTSC. I have it on the MacBook3.1 Black, which has the same hardware as MacbookAir1,1 and I have upgraded to the maximum 6GB of RAM. It runs latest Windows 10 really well, you also need to instal macfancontrol (free) and let it manage fans with one of the sensors. This is necessary, because Apple's fan control does a really lousy job. In most cases will make fans run all the time, or overheat. Chell has moded x64 drivers for the GMAX3100, which opens max possible ram to the card and improves the performance for some games and video rendering, but of-course no miracles can be expected in the FHD department. 720p is ok for the most part.

 

[Larsvonhier]

On another note, I have a crap ton of white MacBook4,1 systems. If you'd be willing to pay for international shipping, I can just give you one.

If this is ok with you and Julian is interested, I´d like to team up with you guys and arrange a US shipment of two MB4,1 (white of course). A friend of mine in the US or my brother (also in the US) will visit me in a couple of weeks (around mid/end of May). Shipment cost would drastically decrease within the US, and shipment from Germany to Switzerland should be low also (or we arrange a meeting here ;-)
I´d roundup your costs, dosdude1, with a small PayPal donation on your project(s).
Sounds good? Lemme know...

 

[0403979]

See, yeah, that's the thing... The main goal of my patcher tools are to provide the easiest, and most seamless experience of installing macOS on an unsupported machine, for a "normal" user. That, and I just love making GUIs LOL. Still, I'll add your tool as an alternate method to the OP if someone desires to try using it. I know you worked hard on it, and as long as it works, I don't see any reason why not to add it to the OP.

I try my best to make it work. I usually can't test everything due to only having one device and it being my personal one. If I find an issue I try to fix it ASAP. If more people start using it then I'll probably work harder to make sure it's working but atm I just don't think it's worth doing a complete test of every update. I've never even tested it on Sierra or High Sierra. I just hope I'm not gonna be responsible for a broken machine.

 

[dosdude1]

If this is ok with you and Julian is interested, I´d like to team up with you guys and arrange a US shipment of two MB4,1 (white of course). A friend of mine in the US or my brother (also in the US) will visit me in a couple of weeks (around mid/end of May). Shipment cost would drastically decrease within the US, and shipment from Germany to Switzerland should be low also (or we arrange a meeting here ;-)
I´d roundup your costs, dosdude1, with a small PayPal donation on your project(s).
Sounds good? Lemme know...

Yeah, sure, I could definitely do that! Just make a group PM or something and we can arrange details.

 

[Sveto]

I´d advocate that entry in the "hall of fame" for the work done at least. All the more, should the patcher work for MB 4,1 - well see in a couple of hours / days ;-)

btw, here´s a link to an actual recording of video playback on the MB 4,1 with Mojave (way better than back in the days of unaccelerated Yosemite on MB4,1 - Apple seems to have increased the efficiency of their decoders while transiting away from OpenGL?!). No dropped choppy frames any more, even with 720p or 1080p streams.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/qcte5br095og78d/IMG_9796.mov?dl=0
Make sure to watch it after download or switch to 720HD if streaming directly from dropbox! Pls. excuse the remaining artifacts, 1280x800 is grainy to the iPhone X camera... real outcome is so much better!

A small correction, youtube is automatically dropping to 720p stream (1280x800 res), but if you manually force 1080p it will be choppy. And trying to watch 720p on an external 1080p display will be an ugly experience. Nevertheless this is a great achievement.
[doublepost=1552244793][/doublepost]

Why not put 10.8. with full accel. on it and supply recent and safe browsers like TenSixFox (based on FireFox 45.9 ESR)? Still better than "electronic waste" and quite useful for light browsing, iTunes (incl. sync to not too modern iPhones), daily eMail tasks, older versions of Pages, Numbers, or (if one has to endure it) Office 2011 or even 2016, etc...
[doublepost=1552237226][/doublepost]
I have no experience in replacing/modifying installer components, but it should work.

Or just go with the latest Windows 10, and you can have all latest browsers (Vivaldi & Brave are my favorites) and latest Office. In fact all from the latest to oldest apps coded in the last 20 years. This I call possibilities on a "13 years old laptop" as you say. Perfect for education.

 

[jimbob200521]

You could trying booting with CMD + S and entering this code in the text field.

/usr/sbin/bless -mount /Volumes/Installer\ Name -setBoot
/sbin/reboot

Finally had a chance to try this (booting while holding CMD + S) and it's a no go as I don't have any display (until, normally, the OS begins loading) :-\ I've seen others have done the Mojave install on the iMac 12,1 21.5" with a K2000M video card upgrade but haven't come across any how to's so far. I'm not worried about initially getting into the installer by selecting my boot device in High Sierra before a restart but again, it's the post install reboot into the installer to run the post install scripts that I'm worried about. Anyone have any more thoughts on this? Input would be greatly appreciated as I'm craving me some Mojave on this machine!!

 

[0403979]

If this is ok with you and Julian is interested, I´d like to team up with you guys and arrange a US shipment of two MB4,1 (white of course). A friend of mine in the US or my brother (also in the US) will visit me in a couple of weeks (around mid/end of May). Shipment cost would drastically decrease within the US, and shipment from Germany to Switzerland should be low also (or we arrange a meeting here ;-)
I´d roundup your costs, dosdude1, with a small PayPal donation on your project(s).
Sounds good? Lemme know...

Sounds good to me. I'd have to figure how to arrange payment since I'm a kid lol but this is definitely something I'd be interested in.

 

[jackluke]

A small correction, youtube is automatically dropping to 720p stream (1280x800 res), but if you manually force 1080p it will be choppy. And trying to watch 720p on an external 1080p display will be an ugly experience. Nevertheless this is a great achievement.
[doublepost=1552244793][/doublepost]
Or just go with the latest Windows 10, and you can have all latest browsers (Vivaldi & Brave are my favorites) and latest Office. In fact all from the latest to oldest apps coded in the last 20 years. This I call possibilities on a "13 years old laptop" as you say. Perfect for education.

I find agree, sometimes even on a i5 dual core and accelerated graphics I get choppy 1080p videos, cloud hosting servers maybe do some kind of upscaling resolution or optimization, probably on most it's not a native 1080p when it flows smooth, the true test is when chosing 1080p videos at 60fps.

Just a random one for example: