macOS 10.15 Catalina on Unsupported Macs

[caaalebbb]

Wait for the re-boot phase (2nd stage of the installation), press and hold ALT key to get the boot selector. Then choose the "install macOS" drive instead of your previous drive. Make sure your iMac is APFS ready (either off the shelf by previously installing High Sierra or by APFS ROM patcher method).

Thanks. Right now High Sierra is installing, but I'll try installing Catalina again after.

By the way, after the first part of the Catalina installation, when it rebooted but to the boot-from-drive mode rather than continuing the Catalina installation, I turned the machine off, removed the USB stick, and turned the machine on. Would this be effectively the same as the method you are suggesting? Or do I need to hold the alt key and choose "install macOS", like you are saying, but keep the USB stick in? I saw a black screen with some script running for a few seconds, then I saw a black screen with a white apple logo and a progress bar and it looked like it might have been installing. I left it for about an hour and I came back and it was a white screen with a black apple logo and a black progress bar that was finished, but not doing anything. Maybe it was taking awhile, so I just let it keep going over night. But when I woke up this morning it was still stuck like that so I just forced shutdown.

 

[K two]

Thanks. Right now High Sierra is installing, but I'll try installing Catalina again after.

By the way, after the first part of the Catalina installation, when it rebooted but to the boot-from-drive mode rather than continuing the Catalina installation, I turned the machine off, removed the USB stick, and turned the machine on. Would this be effectively the same as the method you are suggesting? Or do I need to hold the alt key and choose "install macOS", like you are saying, but keep the USB stick in? I saw a black screen with some script running for a few seconds, then I saw a black screen with a white apple logo and a progress bar and it looked like it might have been installing. I left it for about an hour and I came back and it was a white screen with a black apple logo and a black progress bar that was finished, but not doing anything. Maybe it was taking awhile, so I just let it keep going over night. But when I woke up this morning it was still stuck like that so I just forced shutdown.

What is the BootROM version?

 

[Larsvonhier]

Thanks. Right now High Sierra is installing, but I'll try installing Catalina again after.

By the way, after the first part of the Catalina installation, when it rebooted but to the boot-from-drive mode rather than continuing the Catalina installation, I turned the machine off, removed the USB stick, and turned the machine on. Would this be effectively the same as the method you are suggesting? Or do I need to hold the alt key and choose "install macOS", like you are saying, but keep the USB stick in? I saw a black screen with some script running for a few seconds, then I saw a black screen with a white apple logo and a progress bar and it looked like it might have been installing. I left it for about an hour and I came back and it was a white screen with a black apple logo and a black progress bar that was finished, but not doing anything. Maybe it was taking awhile, so I just let it keep going over night. But when I woke up this morning it was still stuck like that so I just forced shutdown.

The installation of HS is only advisable in terms of getting APFS support if your machine is officially supported by High Sierra (using a patcher to get it up and running just does not help afaik). In that case (=unsupported for HS), you should alternatively use dosdude1´s APFS ROM patcher, found on his site (->my software -> other software, zip-password is "apfs"). Be aware that there is some risk bricking your machine if you do not stick to the proper procedure (power fail during flash write access, i.e.)
That makes the software patch (that you seem to see during early boot, with the white/yellow text outputs) unnecessary and provides a clean(er) way to get boot support for APFS. That, in turn, makes it much easier to select the right 2nd stage boot volume when installing, updating and upgrading macOS Mojave and Catalina.

 

[caaalebbb]

What is the BootROM version?

I do not know. How can I tell? After the first unsuccessful attempt at installing Catalina, I reinstalled El Capitan. I then downloaded and installed the package linked under "important info" at dosdude1.com/catalina/ to install the latest BootROM. I then restarted the system per the instructions. I then remade a Catalina boot usb drive (from the patcher) and tried reinstalling Catalina. I had the same problems installing: after the first stage of the installation, the system rebooted and automatically booted from the USB drive rather than continuing the installation. I turned it off and removed the USB drive and the same thing happened that I described above (it ultimately gets stuck at a white screen with the apple logo and a loading bar).

The installation of HS is only advisable in terms of getting APFS support if your machine is officially supported by High Sierra (using a patcher to get it up and running just does not help afaik). In that case (=unsupported for HS), you should alternatively use dosdude1´s APFS ROM patcher, found on his site (->my software -> other software, zip-password is "apfs"). Be aware that there is some risk bricking your machine if you do not stick to the proper procedure (power fail during flash write access, i.e.)
That makes the software patch (that you seem to see during early boot, with the white/yellow text outputs) unnecessary and provides a clean(er) way to get boot support for APFS. That, in turn, makes it much easier to select the right 2nd stage boot volume when installing, updating and upgrading macOS Mojave and Catalina.

Ah I also could not get High Sierra to install anyway. It was also getting stuck at a white screen. I just made a boot drive for El Capitan and am going to try a fresh install. From there would the best thing to do be to install the APFS Rom Patcher from dosdude1's site and then retry Catalina? If so, where can I find the proper procedure for installing the APFS Rom Patcher so I don't ruin anything? And would it be better to try a different install method (e.g. "install on this machine" rather than making a bootable usb)?

 

[K two]

I do not know. How can I tell? After the first unsuccessful attempt at installing Catalina, I reinstalled El Capitan. I then downloaded and installed the package linked under "important info" at dosdude1.com/catalina/ to install the latest BootROM. I then restarted the system per the instructions. I then remade a Catalina boot usb drive (from the patcher) and tried reinstalling Catalina. I had the same problems installing: after the first stage of the installation, the system rebooted and automatically booted from the USB drive rather than continuing the installation. I turned it off and removed the USB drive and the same thing happened that I described above (it ultimately gets stuck at a white screen with the apple logo and a loading bar).



Ah I also could not get High Sierra to install anyway. It was also getting stuck at a white screen. I just made a boot drive for El Capitan and am going to try a fresh install. From there would the best thing to do be to install the APFS Rom Patcher from dosdude1's site and then retry Catalina? If so, where can I find the proper procedure for installing the APFS Rom Patcher so I don't ruin anything? And would it be better to try a different install method (e.g. "install on this machine" rather than making a bootable usb)?

Boot ROM version can be found under Apple symbol in upper left hand corner of the screen then into About this Mac/System Report/Hardware, the top entry.

 

[K two]

I do not know. How can I tell? After the first unsuccessful attempt at installing Catalina, I reinstalled El Capitan. I then downloaded and installed the package linked under "important info" at dosdude1.com/catalina/ to install the latest BootROM. I then restarted the system per the instructions. I then remade a Catalina boot usb drive (from the patcher) and tried reinstalling Catalina. I had the same problems installing: after the first stage of the installation, the system rebooted and automatically booted from the USB drive rather than continuing the installation. I turned it off and removed the USB drive and the same thing happened that I described above (it ultimately gets stuck at a white screen with the apple logo and a loading bar).



Ah I also could not get High Sierra to install anyway. It was also getting stuck at a white screen. I just made a boot drive for El Capitan and am going to try a fresh install. From there would the best thing to do be to install the APFS Rom Patcher from dosdude1's site and then retry Catalina? If so, where can I find the proper procedure for installing the APFS Rom Patcher so I don't ruin anything? And would it be better to try a different install method (e.g. "install on this machine" rather than making a bootable usb)?

Go back to System Report down to SATA/SATA Express, if MCP79 is the Controller. The ROM Patcher is a definite risk per @dosdude1. However, the APFS Patch on the V.1.4.4 patcher works just fine but as Larsvonhier points out not as "clean," the scrolling characters at boot artifact.

 

[caaalebbb]

Ok, El Capitan successfully finished installing successfully and everything is running like normal.

Boot ROM version can be found under Apple symbol in upper left hand corner of the screen then into About this Mac/System Report/Hardware, the top entry.

The Boot ROM version is IM81.00C1B00

Go back to System Report down to SATA/SATA Express, if MCP79 is the Controller. The ROM Patcher is a definite risk per @dosdude1. However, the APFS Patch on the V.1.4.4 patcher works just fine but as Larsvonhier points out not as "clean," the scrolling characters at boot artifact.

I went to System Report down to SATA/SATA Express and I do not think MCP79 is the controller. It says Intel ICH8-M AHCI.

Should I try dosdude1's patcher? Or is there something else I should do before trying dosdude1's Catalina patcher again (or is there something I should do differently)?

 

[K two]

Ok, El Capitan successfully finished installing successfully and everything is running like normal.


The Boot ROM version is IM81.00C1B00


I went to System Report down to SATA/SATA Express and I do not think MCP79 is the controller. It says Intel ICH8-M AHCI.

Should I try dosdude1's patcher? Or is there something else I should do before trying dosdude1's Catalina patcher again (or is there something I should do differently)?

That is a stock (unpatched) BootROM and an intel controller. The @dosdude1 caveat only cited the MCP79 because there are so many versions. The ROM Patcher is very easy to use but may take a long time to complete. Good luck. If the Boot ROM is changed, re-build the USB installer with Disable APFS Booter selected under <Options> in the v.1.4.4 patcher menu items before the build.

 

[valtheuw]

...and does it still run (mine crashes since a few macOS updates, latest version 1.0.1) ?
The Wifi thing might really be an issue with overheating, some cards really can get burnin´ hot. You might try another one, perhaps different type (though supported by Catalina/patches).

I did not test it enough. It still copies iTunesfiles. If it would not run smooth enough, I'd switch back to... high Sierra.

 

[caaalebbb]

That is a stock (unpatched) BootROM and an intel controller. The @dosdude1 caveat only cited the MCP79 because there are so many versions. The ROM Patcher is very easy to use but may take a long time to complete. Good luck. If the Boot ROM is changed, re-build the USB installer with Disable APFS Booter selected under <Options> in the v.1.4.4 patcher menu items before the build.

I started the patching process, but then I got to a step where I need to put the system in firmware programming mode (screenshot attached). I followed the instructions. But when I got to the part that says "hold the power button until the LED on the front begins to flash rapidly", no LED began flashing when I held the power button down. When I held down the power button, the chime sounded and the computer started up like (what seemed to be) normal. I kept holding it down until I got to the login screen. I tried this twice. Any idea what I might be missing?

Edit: I found this thread, where someone seems to have run into the same issue. But unfortunately the thread doesn't seem to offer a clear solution.

 

[K two]

I started the patching process, but then I got to a step where I need to put the system in firmware programming mode (screenshot attached). I followed the instructions. But when I got to the part that says "hold the power button until the LED on the front begins to flash rapidly", no LED began flashing when I held the power button down. When I held down the power button, the chime sounded and the computer started up like (what seemed to be) normal. I kept holding it down until I got to the login screen. I tried this twice. Any idea what I might be missing?

Edit: I found this thread, where someone seems to have run into the same issue. But unfortunately the thread doesn't seem to offer a clear solution.

View attachment 1719863

Where is the power LED on that model of iMac? Do this and try it again - https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3603 Let it go three bongs. The good news is the ROM patcher has correctly identified your iMac. ?

 

[caaalebbb]

Where is the power LED on that model of iMac? Do this and try it again - https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3603 Let it go three bongs. The good news is the ROM patcher has correctly identified your iMac. ?

I have no idea where the power LED is. I'm not sure if I've seen one on it. But I’ll look tomorrow morning and try to reset the PRAM and SMC.

 

[caaalebbb]

Where is the power LED on that model of iMac? Do this and try it again - https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3603 Let it go three bongs. The good news is the ROM patcher has correctly identified your iMac. ?

Well, it turns out that these aluminum models of iMac don’t have a sleep indicator light (SIL) which I assume is the LED these instructions are referring to. And I can’t find any instructions for how to boot in firmware programming mode. Any ideas?

Edit: I’ve been trying to hold down the power button on startup. So far as I can tell, the only thing that is happening differently at startup is that there is a much longer delay before the startup chime sounds after initially pushing down the power button. Normally it takes about 3 seconds between pressing the power butting and the startup chime ringing. It’s about 10 seconds between the two if I’m holding the power button down.
Is firmware programming mode supposed to look different?

 

[brunoccr]

Catalina 10.15.2 @ Early 2009 iMac 24". Everything is working fine, expect external monitor. I tried adding external monitor using DisplayPort and using external USB Graphics. Both of them are working fine on login screen (I see wallpaper, cursor is moving etc.), but after trying to login (or plugging it in when user is logged in) WindowServer crashes, as below:

Process:               WindowServer [639]
Path:                  /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/SkyLight.framework/Versions/A/Resources/WindowServer
Identifier:            WindowServer
Version:               600.00 (450.1)
Code Type:             X86-64 (Native)
Parent Process:        launchd [1]
Responsible:           WindowServer [639]
User ID:               88

Date/Time:             2020-01-08 18:42:48.536 +0100
OS Version:            Mac OS X 10.15.2 (19C57)
Report Version:        12
Anonymous UUID:        32E329D6-BF68-4B8B-8122-9BD8965DDDD4


Time Awake Since Boot: 260 seconds

System Integrity Protection: disabled

Crashed Thread:        4  Dispatch queue: DisplayServicesSerializationQueue

Exception Type:        EXC_CRASH (SIGABRT)
Exception Codes:       0x0000000000000000, 0x0000000000000000
Exception Note:        EXC_CORPSE_NOTIFY

Application Specific Information:
Assertion failed: (!CGSRunningInServer()), function SLSGetOnlineDisplayList, file /BuildRoot/Library/Caches/com.apple.xbs/Sources/SkyLight/SkyLight-340.54/SkyLight/Services/Display/CGSDisplay.cc, line 983.

StartTime:2020-01-08 18:41:44
GPU:
MetalDevice for accelerator(0x38a3): 0x0 (MTLDevice: 0x0)
IOService:/AppleACPIPlatformExpert/PCI0@0/AppleACPIPCI/IXVE@10/IOPP/IGPU@0/NVDA,Display-A@0/NVDATesla

(...)

Any idea why?

Any solution? My Macbook Pro supports Catalina but Brightness Control is not working and when I apply the Backlight Patch from @dosdude1 the same problem as yours begins to occur. I suspect my screen is replaced.

 

[K two]

Well, it turns out that these aluminum models of iMac don’t have a sleep indicator light (SIL) which I assume is the LED these instructions are referring to. And I can’t find any instructions for how to boot in firmware programming mode. Any ideas?

Edit: I’ve been trying to hold down the power button on startup. So far as I can tell, the only thing that is happening differently at startup is that there is a much longer delay before the startup chime sounds after initially pushing down the power button. Normally it takes about 3 seconds between pressing the power butting and the startup chime ringing. It’s about 10 seconds between the two if I’m holding the power button down.
Is firmware programming mode supposed to look different?

If the start-up progress bar is thicker/looks different ROM Patcher should run.

 

[Joe-User]

Has anyone been able to install security updates on patched Catalina?

 

[hvds]

Has anyone been able to install security updates on patched Catalina?

View attachment 1720976 View attachment 1720977

Yes, several contributors have - see e.g. post #13,488 or #13,057 .

 

[spuberman7]

View attachment 868101

Machine Support

Spoiler: Early-2008 or newer Mac Pro, iMac, or MacBook Pro

MacPro3,1​

MacPro4,1​

iMac8,1​

iMac9,1​

iMac10,x​

iMac11,x (systems with AMD Radeon HD 5xxx and 6xxx series GPUs will be almost unusable when running Mojave. More details are located in the Current Issues section below.)​

iMac12,x (systems with AMD Radeon HD 5xxx and 6xxx series GPUs will be almost unusable when running Mojave. More details are located in the Current Issues section below.)​

MacBookPro4,1​

MacBookPro5,x​

MacBookPro6,x​

MacBookPro7,1​

MacBookPro8,x​

Spoiler: Late-2008 or newer MacBook Air or Aluminum Unibody MacBook

MacBookAir2,1​

MacBookAir3,x​

MacBookAir4,x​

MacBook5,1​

Spoiler: Early-2009 or newer Mac Mini or white MacBook

Macmini3,1​

Macmini4,1​

Macmini5,x​

MacBook4,1*​

MacBook5,2​

MacBook6,1​

MacBook7,1​

Spoiler: Early-2008 or newer Xserve

Xserve2,1​

Xserve3,1​

Video Card Support
Pre-Metal AMD video cards (Radeon HD 6xxx series and older without acceleration, Radeon HD 4xxx series and older with acceleration.)
Pre-Metal Nvidia video cards (GeForce 5xx series and older without acceleration, GeForce 3xx Series and older with acceleration i.e. 8600M(GT)/8800M(GT), 9400M/9600M(GT), 320M/330M)
Pre-Metal Intel video cards (Intel HD Graphics 3000 and Intel HD Graphics Arrandale)

Installation
To install on your machine, you can download and run @dosdude1's macOS Catalina Patcher application, which will let you download a copy of the latest installer app from Apple and create a bootable installer drive for use on unsupported Macs. It contains all the patches necessary to achieve the hardware support listed above. The installation guide can be found here and an installation guide video here.

More advanced users may consider using RMC's macOS Patcher (developed by @0403979), which is a command line-based tool that provides the same hardware support, while also adding support for MacBook4,1 systems. To install Mojave using this patch, just follow the instructions on the guide found here.

APFS ROM Patcher
Warning: This tool could irreversibly brick your EFI chip. Please exercise caution with machines that have multiple EEPROM definitions. Relevant information can be found here and here. The APFS ROM patcher can be found here. Use the password apfs to decrypt the ZIP.

Known Issues

Spoiler: AMD Radeon HD 5xxx/6xxx Series Video Card Acceleration

Currently, it is not possible to get full graphics acceleration when running Catalina on a system with a Radeon HD 5xxx or 6xxx series video card. Catalina will be almost unusable without graphics acceleration. This includes the 15" and 17" MacBook Pro systems (MacBookPro8,2 and 8,3). If you want to enable GPU acceleration on these machines, you'll need to disable the AMD video card (This will work on MacBook Pro 8,2 and 8,3 systems ONLY. You CANNOT disable the AMD GPU in an iMac.) Weird colors will also be produced when running Catalina with one of these video cards installed/enabled. To disable the AMD GPU on a 2011 MacBook Pro 8,2 or 8,3, follow the guide found here.​

Spoiler: All Photos tab

In the Photos app, there is no tab for "All Photos." However, if you right-click any photo, you can choose, "Show in All Photos" and the expected "All Photos" functionality is displayed.​

You can also set up a smart album, call it "All Photos" and use search criteria "Date Captured is after 1/1/1970".​

Spoiler: MacBook4,1 Video Card Acceleration

The Intel GMAx3100 in the MB4,1 is not fully supported (framebuffer only, no acceleration). Catalina will be almost unusable without graphics acceleration.​

Builds and Installer Versions
2019/10/07 10.15.0 Final, build 19A583, installer 15.0.33
2019/10/29 10.15.1, build 19B88, installer 15.1.03
2019/12/10 10.15.2, build 19C57, installer 15.2.02
2020/01/29 10.15.3, build 19D76, installer 15.3.00
2020/03/24 10.15.4, build 19E266, installer 15.4.01
2020/04/09 10.15.4 supplemental, build 19E287, installer 15.4.02
2020/05/26 10.15.5, build 19F96, installer 15.5.01
2020/06/01 10.15.5 supplemental, build 19F101, installer 15.5.02
2020/07/xx 10.15.6, build 19G73, installer 15.6.00
2020/08/13 10.15.6 supplemental, build 19G2021, installer 15.6.00
2020/09/24 10.15.7, build 19H2, installer 15.7.02
2020/11/13 10.15.7 supplemental, build 19H15, installer 15.7.03

Spoiler: 10.15.0 beta versions

2019/06/04 10.15.0 beta 1, build 19A471t, installer 15.0.11​

2019/06/17 10.15.0 beta 2, build 19A487l, installer 15.0.15​

2019/07/02 10.15.0 beta 3, build 19A501i, installer 15.0.17​

2019/07/16 10.15.0 beta 4, build 19A512f, installer 15.0.18​

2019/07/31 10.15.0 beta 5, build 19A526h, installer 15.0.21​

2019/08/19 10.15.0 beta 6, build 19A536g, installer 15.0.23​

2019/08/28 10.15.0 beta 7, build 19A546d, installer 15.0.25​

2019/09/10 10.15.0 beta 8, build 19A558d, installer 15.0.27​

2019/09/23 10.15.0 beta 9, build 19A573a, installer 15.0.30​

2019/09/30 10.15.0 beta 10, build 19A578c, installer 15.0.31​

2019/10/03 10.15.0 beta 11, build 19A582a, installer 15.0.32​

Spoiler: 10.15.3 beta versions

2019/12/17 10.15.3 beta 1, build 19D49f​

2020/01/14 10.15.3 beta 2, build 19D62e​

2020/01/24 10.15.3 beta 3, build 19D75a​

Spoiler: 10.15.4 beta versions

2020/02/05 10.15.4 beta 1, build 19E224g ​

2020/02/19 10.15.4 beta 2, build 19E234g ​

2020/02/26 10.15.4 beta 3, build 19E242d ​

2020/03/03 10.15.4 beta 4, build 19E250c ​

2020/03/10 10.15.4 beta 5, build 19E258a​

2020/03/18 10.15.4 beta 6, build 19E264b​

Spoiler: 10.15.5 beta versions

2020/04/01 10.15.5 beta 1, build 19F53f​

2020/04/16 10.15.5 beta 2, build 19F62f​

2020/04/29 10.15.5 beta 3, build 19F72f​

2020/05/08 10.15.5 beta 4, build 19F83c​

2020/05/20 10.15.5 beta 5, build 19F94a​

Credits
@ASentientBot - Achieved full graphics acceleration, achieved semi-acceleration, fixed IOHID timeout, fixed AirPort, fixed Xcode 11 Metal crashes
@jackluke - Fixed brightness control under semi-acceleration, fixed Wi-Fi AirDrop option, fixed Continuity with a dongle, fixed AirDrop with Broadcom cards
@parrotgeek1 - Developed LegacyUSBInjector, developed SIPManager, developed NDRVShim, source
@Czo - Fixed SUVMMFaker, source
@oliveira131 - Developed script to apply patches for AirDrop with Broadcom cards and Continuity with a dongle (from jackluke)
Apple - Fixed IOHID timeout, fixed Xcode 11 Metal crashes, fixed Siri Metal crashes, fixed Photos Metal crashes.
Don't know why you did it, but, thanks Apple.

Moderator Note
Please do not ask for, or provide help getting developers profile information to access unauthorised beta software on MacRumors. If you are not a developer, sign up to the Apple Beta Software Program to get the official public beta releases.

Spoiler: Other Platforms

Unsupported Macs Discord server
RMC Element community

Spoiler: Other Threads

macOS Catalina (10.15)
macOS 10.15 Catalina on Unsupported Macs - @0403979

macOS Mojave (10.14)
macOS 10.14 Mojave on Unsupported Macs Thread - @dosdude1

macOS High Sierra (10.13)
macOS High Sierra (10.13) Unsupported Macs Thread - @foxlet

macOS Sierra (10.12)
MacOS 10.12 Sierra Unsupported Macs Thread - @redheeler

OS X El Capitan (10.11)
OS X El Capitan on Unsupported Macs - @TMRJIJ
2006/2007 Mac Pro (1,1/2,1) and El Capitan - @Mr. Zarniwoop

OS X Yosemite (10.10)
OS X Yosemite on Unsupported Macs - @TMRJIJ
2006/2007 Mac Pro (1,1/2,1) and OS X Yosemite - @Mr. Zarniwoop

OS X Mavericks (10.9)
[Guide] Installing 10.9 Mavericks on older Macs. - @Wayne_819
Mac Pro 2,1 and OS X Mavericks - @5050

OS X Mountain Lion (10.8)
Success! Install 10.8 on old unsupported Mac - @Wayne_819

@dosdude1 @0403979 I used Dosdude1's macOS Catalina patcher on my macbook air 4,2 (mid 2011). Everything is working well, display, mic, wifi, speaker, key. However, the iSight camera is not working. The camera is not registered at neither normal mode or safe mode. Would anyone know how to fix it?

• 
  macOS Catalina

 

[apom7]

Running beautifully on a late 08 Macbook with 5gb of ram and an SSD. Very smooth and fast. Saved another MacBook from the dumpster. Thank you!!

For anyone having issues make sure you correctly format the drive to APFS first. If you don't it will run super sluggish / throw the computer out

 

[caaalebbb]

If the start-up progress bar is thicker/looks different ROM Patcher should run.

It didn't really look any different. But I did take the risk and proceed with the next step on the ROM Patcher and it said it installed/patched successfully. But the Boot ROM number didn't change, and after the first step of the install process the system automatically just booted from the USB rather than continuing the installation (so I rebooted holding option and selected MacOS install). Although Catalina did ultimately install, I still get the scrolling white and yellow text at startup (which I don't really mind), making me think that the Patcher didn't actually do anything. But Catalina is working fine, except for Zoom, where none of the video works.

 

[K two]

It didn't really look any different. But I did take the risk and proceed with the next step on the ROM Patcher and it said it installed/patched successfully. But the Boot ROM number didn't change, and after the first step of the install process the system automatically just booted from the USB rather than continuing the installation (so I rebooted holding option and selected MacOS install). Although Catalina did ultimately install, I still get the scrolling white and yellow text at startup (which I don't really mind), making me think that the Patcher didn't actually do anything. But Catalina is working fine, except for Zoom, where none of the video works.

Congratulations! If the bootROM didn't actually update, the scrolling text is needed to boot. Look here for the Zoom fixes http://dosdude1.com/catalina/zoomnonmetal-new.command.zip and here http://dosdude1.com/catalina/ under FAQ.

 

[K two]

@dosdude1 @0403979 I used Dosdude1's macOS Catalina patcher on my macbook air 4,2 (mid 2011). Everything is working well, display, mic, wifi, speaker, key. However, the iSight camera is not working. The camera is not registered at neither normal mode or safe mode. Would anyone know how to fix it?

• 
  macOS Catalina

Try tccplus, here - https://github.com/jslegendre/tccplus

 

[adam556]

I have just released version 1.3.6 of Catalina Patcher, which should fix the issue where some third-party applications wouldn't launch. If you have been having this issue, you can either use the latest Catalina Patcher version, or run "sudo nvram boot-args=amfi_get_out_of_my_way=0x1" in Terminal, and then reboot.
[automerge]1585672919[/automerge]

Run "sudo nvram boot-args=amfi_get_out_of_my_way=0x1" in Terminal then reboot. That should take care of that issue.

Hi dosdude1,

I ran this code and it worked. Thank you. But I would like to re-enable amfi. How would I do this safely? I don't want to run any code I find from a google search with amfi disabled. But I do trust you! I used the catalina Patcher afterall, which is brilliant!

Much appreciated,
adam

 

[adam556]

Hello,

I am looking for a safe command to run that re-enables amfi on my mac. I am also using the Catalina Patcher on my MBP 8,1

This is the command I used to disable it:

sudo nvram boot-args=amfi_get_out_of_my_way=0x1

How do I re-enable it? I trust this forum and your expertise!

Ultimately I just want AMFI turned back on safely.

Cheers,
Adam

 

[amstel78]

Hello,

I am looking for a safe command to run that re-enables amfi on my mac. I am also using the Catalina Patcher on my MBP 8,1

This is the command I used to disable it:

sudo nvram boot-args=amfi_get_out_of_my_way=0x1

How do I re-enable it? I trust this forum and your expertise!

Ultimately I just want AMFI turned back on safely.

Cheers,
Adam

I don't have an answer for you but I am interested to know if this is even possible. I believe AMFI requires SIP to be enabled and if you're running DosDude's Catalina patcher, SIP has to remain disabled otherwise you'll break some of the patches. Everything I've seen online indicates AMFI will trigger a kernel panic if SIP is turned off.