macOS 10.15 Catalina on Unsupported Macs

[K two]

Hi everyone. I haven't updated since 10.15.7 which was distributed via a full image and installed with the dosdude patcher. Now I wanted to install the latest security update on my Macbook Pro Mid 2009 and run CatalinaOTAswufix.app and then started the download of the update and also hit the Fix OTA update button. However, when I try to install, it just goes to the black screen with the install progress bar and after a minute it just boots normally again and the update wasn't applied. Did I miss anything necessary to do?

Yes, you missed the macOS Installer. Un-patched Boot ROM requires some form of a OpenCore booter to find the Installer. USBOpenCoreAPFSloader3.app has been around a long time and is attached. The instructions are built-in, a short read.

 

[MBAir2010]

Since there is an extra sdd drive laying around, i will install Catalina OSX
this is for a MacBook Air 2010 running Mojave or a spare (no screen or upper case) running El Cap
since there is nothing to lose, and much to gain
i was seeking advice.

everything is time machined and i will use a 2GB ram motherboard
on a spare MBA for the install which will take longer

thanks in advance!

 

[offdwall]

the first solution listed in this doc solved it for me, but you will probably have to give everything access one more time,

https://superuser.com/questions/144...ra-and-microphone-privacy-settings-in-macbook

I've been able to use tccplus to manually add camera and microphone access to Slack and Zoom but looking for a fix of why no apps are auto populating the appropriate Privacy areas in the Security Pref panel. Also just noticed that any AppleEvents are now not allowed and manually using tccplus does not work for AppleEvents. This all seemed to start with the latest Catalina security update. Is there a CatalinaPatcher parameter that I'm missing to allow the Security/Privacy prefs to work normally again? Help!

 

[internetzel]

I've been able to use tccplus to manually add camera and microphone access to Slack and Zoom but looking for a fix of why no apps are auto populating the appropriate Privacy areas in the Security Pref panel. Also just noticed that any AppleEvents are now not allowed and manually using tccplus does not work for AppleEvents. This all seemed to start with the latest Catalina security update. Is there a CatalinaPatcher parameter that I'm missing to allow the Security/Privacy prefs to work normally again? Help!

Look here: https://dortania.github.io/OpenCore...-permissions-to-apps-ie-camera-access-to-zoom

 

[TigerA]

Preference Error: "Could not load Displays preference pane" after migrating to OCLP Catalina from dosdude1 Catalina for an iMac 10,1.
Tried various OCLP settings by changing "SMBIOS settings" and "Allow Accel on Mojave/Catalina:" with no luck.
A solution would be very much appreciated.

Added: Just noticed this Sidecar icon, which should have not appeared in Catalina. Not sure what happened and if this caused the error of Displays preference pane?

 

[Ausdauersportler]

Preference Error: "Could not load Displays preference pane" after migrating to OCLP Catalina from dosdude1 Catalina for an iMac 10,1.
Tried various OCLP settings by changing "SMBIOS settings" and "Allow Accel on Mojave/Catalina:" with no luck.
A solution would be very much appreciated.

Migration will not work, you need a clean new installation in a new APFS container to start with. Changing the SMBIOS usually breaks some things. As I said before, it is experimental and I guess not a lot of people did it before.

Since my systems have a metal GPU and full support by OCLP no post-install patching is needed after doing a clean installation. Your system would need this post install patching after enabling choosing Allow Accel on Mojave/Catalina: while creating the OC.

So the process is installing OC using OCLP, booting OC, booting the stock Apple USB Catalina installer and installing it to the new container, booting Catalina and running the OCLP app again to run the post install patching process.

Pretty much similar to the @dosdude1 patcher. The complete process has been described for Big Sur legacy graphics patching and is in fact the same. So please check the OLCP docs.

 

[TigerA]

Migration will not work, you need a clean new installation in a new APFS container to start with.

Just like to clarify my "migration", which was to boot with a OCLP USB and re-install the stantand Catalina over the dosdude1 Catalina, thus retained all the existing data. The procedure is mentioned in this post. Once installed, I then patched AFPS with the latest OCLP nightly built TUI app. Not sure if this meets your definition of a "clean new installation". If not, I will need to erase the disk and start from scratch, and restore the data by using Migration Assistant afterwards.
Well, this has turned out to be my most comprehensive exercise for killing time during COVID lockdown😅😅😅
PS. The GeForce 9400 GPU is soldered on the motherboard for the iMac10,1. The iMac12,2 initially had a faulty HD6970 at the time of purchasing. I used the oven baking trick to revive it, and so far so good.

 

[internetzel]

The iMac12,2 initially had a faulty HD6970 at the time of purchasing. I used the oven baking trick to revive it, and so far so good.

So you now have the time to look for a replacement card until the card breaks again.

 

[TigerA]

So you now have the time to look for a replacement card until the card breaks again.

The only issue is the cost -- may not be economically sensible. For example, WX4150 on either eBay or AliExpress sells for around USD200. I can buy a 27" iMac13,2 with metal graphics card for not much more. That's the main concern.
BTW, I can see the reason for HD6970 to fail so common: It runs very hot: up to 80C (die temperature) just for watching YouTube.
Anyway, it's off the topic and promise won't do it again. back to the unsupported Catalina... 😅 😅

 

[offdwall]

Look here: https://dortania.github.io/OpenCore...-permissions-to-apps-ie-camera-access-to-zoom

I'm not running OpenCore on this machine just straight up dosdude CatalinaPatcher. Are you saying this is normal behavior? I didn't have this issue when I first installed CatalinaPatcher.

If I could figure out the syntax for adding AppleEvent permissions using tccplus, I could live with this. I don't see any documentation to allow application 1 to send apple events to application 2.

 

[Heindijs]

I just reinstalled Catalina but for some reason Safari refuses to display a window (does start up, just doesn’t do anything) I can’t seem to find anyone else having this problem. It happened after I installed the Safari update from Preferences. I tried reapplying all patches but that doesn’t help.

 

[MBAir2010]

I just reinstalled Catalina but for some reason Safari refuses to display a window (does start up, just doesn’t do anything) I can’t seem to find anyone else having this problem. It happened after I installed the Safari update from Preferences. I tried reapplying all patches but that doesn’t help.

check the proxy server and turn off or on auto proxy server
this is in system pref-network-advanced-proxies
this could also be a java script update needed as well


(im installing catalina now on another mbair)

 

[Heindijs]

check the proxy server and turn off or on auto proxy server
this is in system pref-network-advanced-proxies
this could also be a java script update needed as well


(im installing catalina now on another mbair)

Thanks, but that doesn’t seem to help.

EDIT: Now I see more people having issues with Safari 15 on Catlina on Reddit. All from about a day ago. Even on supported hardware. Seems like a Apple issue
EDIT: Found a installer for Safari 15 from the Apple site. Now it works again

 

[internetzel]

I'm not running OpenCore on this machine just straight up dosdude CatalinaPatcher. Are you saying this is normal behavior? I didn't have this issue when I first installed CatalinaPatcher.

This has been normal behaviour for some time now. It happens when AMFI is turned off; you could try to remove "amfi_get_out_of_my_way=..." from the NVRAM parameter boot-args, but I don't know whether all patches will continue to work then.

 

[offdwall]

This has been normal behaviour for some time now. It happens when AMFI is turned off; you could try to remove "amfi_get_out_of_my_way=..." from the NVRAM parameter boot-args, but I don't know whether all patches will continue to work then.

I found this command:

sudo nvram boot-args=""; sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.security.libraryvalidation.plist DisableLibraryValidation -bool true

This seems to have completely solved the Security Privacy issues and a slew of apps re-requested their appropriate Privacy access on reboot.

I'm not sure what else I may have broken with this but it certainly solved the issue at hand.

 

[MBAir2010]

sorry:

 

[techguy82]

Yes, you missed the macOS Installer. Un-patched Boot ROM requires some form of a OpenCore booter to find the Installer. USBOpenCoreAPFSloader3.app has been around a long time and is attached. The instructions are built-in, a short read.

Thank you! That was the part I have missed. Successfully installed macOS 10.15.7 (19H1419).

 

[techguy82]

Oh no! Now I have a bigger problem I'm using Cyberghost with the app and the Wireguard protocol. When I connect to the VPN, it says connected but when I check my IP on https://ifconfig.co/ it still shows my normal public IP?! Do I have to change or update any network settings? Please help!

When I connect with the Cyberghost app through IKEv2 protocol, I can't access certain websites.

I have now installed Tunnelblick and it seems to work.

But does the Cyberghost app is looking for something on my patched Macbook what is somehow different and I can't properly connect via Wireguard? I mean the connection says connected and produces traffic. However, internet traffic isn't routed through it.

 

[K two]

Oh no! Now I have a bigger problem I'm using Cyberghost with the app and the Wireguard protocol. When I connect to the VPN, it says connected but when I check my IP on https://ifconfig.co/ it still shows my normal public IP?! Do I have to change or update any network settings? Please help!

When I connect with the Cyberghost app through IKEv2 protocol, I can't access certain websites.

I have now installed Tunnelblick and it seems to work.

But does the Cyberghost app is looking for something on my patched Macbook what is somehow different and I can't properly connect via Wireguard? I mean the connection say connected and produces traffic. However, internet traffic isn't routed through it.

Wish I could help but I don't speak VPN. Don't forget to update X-Protect and MRT. Also, the Validation Patch in the Utilites ƒ Patch Updater.

 

[techguy82]

Wish I could help but I don't speak VPN. Don't forget to update X-Protect and MRT. Also, the Validation Patch in the Utilites ƒ Patch Updater.

Is this the correct configuration for possibly updating X-Protect and MRT? Thank you in advance and sorry for the screenshot in German - but I think the configuration points are in the same order like in English. (I want automatic updates disabled but I'm unsure about the last point).

 

[Ausdauersportler]

Updated to 19H1419 using OCLP 0.2.5:



Notes:

1. The still available software update is Monterey Beta (enrolled to the DeveloperBeta seed).
2. SideCar pref pane is possibly only available because of the FeatureUnlock.kext included in OCLP. But this system does not have the hardware to support SideCar (metal iGPU like HD4000 and better).

 

[internetzel]

Updated to 19H1419 using OCLP 0.2.5:

View attachment 1846453

Notes:

1. The still available software update is Monterey Beta (enrolled to the DeveloperBeta seed).
2. SideCar pref pane is possibly only available because of the FeatureUnlock.kext included in OCLP. But this system does not have the hardware to support SideCar (metal iGPU like HD4000 and better).

Did the same after updating from 10.14.6 to 10.15.7 today.

 

[Macbook_catalina]

Thanks a lot to all of you.

 

[techguy82]

I had to unload "routined" in the terminal which prevented sleep with several sub post install processes:

launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.routined.plist

So far it doesn't seem to have any bad consequences and sleep is working again.

Hope this info helps anyone. I'm still searching for a solution for the VPN problem - so if anyone has an idea I would be happy to hear it

PS: I can also recommend for people with larger photo libraries or who are using iCloud photos to disable photo and media analysis to prevent your machine going crazy on the fans:

launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.photoanalysisd.plist && launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.mediaanalysisd.plist

 

[TigerA]

Thanks a lot to all of you.
View attachment 1846583

Just wonder if you can click the Displays icon in Settings and show the expected Display Preference Pane settings?
I tested on both my non-metal iMacs running OCLP v025 and all have the same issue of Display Preference pane.