macOS 10.15 Catalina on Unsupported Macs

[Squatting Hen]

Putting the drive back to journaled, reinstalling High Sierra, then running boot camp, and using my windows 7 disc, got windows back.

Last time when I added Catalina windows became unbootable.

Any easy suggestions at this point. Would like to stick with dosdude1 and just use Catalina and Windows, but it seems the APFS might be messing with windows. Not sure.

 

[K two]

SUdb2022-002 OTA via CatalinaOTAswufix,OC and Catalina Patcher v.1.4.4. Runs as expected. And as usual - MRT and the Validation Patch needed updates.

This is on a SSHDD!!

 

[ps866mker]

It's an Apple easter egg, click on the version number in the About This Mac pane

Thank you! Always learning!

 

[Squatting Hen]

delete

 

[TigerA]

Updated to 19H1806 and the OCLP v0.4.1 GUI won't apply the post-install patch (ask for root access but the relaunch never showed up afterwards). In the end, I used v0.3.3 instead.

 

[Ausdauersportler]

Updated to 19H1806 and the OCLP v0.4.1 GUI won't apply the post-install patch (ask for root access but the relaunch never showed up afterwards). In the end, I used v0.3.3 instead.

Hmm, I guess this might me worth noting in an issue report. It is clearly a software problem worth to be investigated, even if there is no Catalina support officially.

 

[TigerA]

Hmm, I guess this might me worth noting in an issue report. It is clearly a software problem worth to be investigated, even if there is no Catalina support officially.

I've been thinking about this as well. Also like to point out that each time when doing update, the first attempt always failed towards the end (a spinning gear showed up and gradually grinding to a hold). I always had to reinstall Catalina with an installation USB (or a partition containing installation app on a disk), then update, and finally apply post-install patch. In the future I'd skip the first update attempt and directly re-install Catalina followed by update and post-install patch.
Need to make it clear to the people new to this forum: I run Catalina with OCLP, not dosdude1. And nothing wrong with dosdude1's Catalina. I used it for half year and loved it: super stable.

Add_1: The safari 15.4 beta 1 keeps reloading certain pages when javascript is enabled. But some webpage won't function correctly without the javascript neither. It has become a catch-22 situation. Don't know how to roll back to version 15.3 other than to wait for the next safari release?

Update_1: After reinstalling safari 15.4 beta1 downloaded from Developer's site, it works perfectly now. I suspect it was the OnyX caused safari javascript issue, for which I did not mention before.

 

[ScooterComputer]

Updated to 19H1806 and the OCLP v0.4.1 GUI won't apply the post-install patch (ask for root access but the relaunch never showed up afterwards). In the end, I used v0.3.3 instead.

I also saw this behavior. I was able to use the TUI version (0.4.1) successfully.

 

[ps866mker]

Question for those using OCLP for Catalina, is the experience the same as with dosdude1 patch? I tried OCLP with BigSur on my 2011 and experienced the glitches as mentioned in the FAQs. Dosdude Catalina on my 2011 is pretty much uneventful and native - everything works except for the slightly harder update process.

 

[TigerA]

Question for those using OCLP for Catalina, is the experience the same as with dosdude1 patch? I tried OCLP with BigSur on my 2011 and experienced the glitches as mentioned in the FAQs. Dosdude Catalina on my 2011 is pretty much uneventful and native - everything works except for the slightly harder update process.

The only issue is not having Display preference with OCLP Catalina, which has been mentioned by me in this thread.
The update is also not very straight forward as I’ve mentioned a few posts back. But at least I can do it.

Is your mid-2011 an iMac, or MacBook? The reason for asking is that the stock iMac use TS2 graphics card, which would not work with dosdude1‘s Catalina.

 

[coasterOneEightThree]

I have another MacBook Pro 5.5 here that runs very well with Catalina. Unlike my Mac Pro 3.1, which can natively boot APFS drives, the MacBook Pro does not have such a patched ROM but uses the post install APFS patch for its internal SSD drive.

Yesterday I was able to install the Security Update 2022-001 on the Mac Pro 3.1 with the CatalinaOTAswufix.app without any problems.

Unfortunately, that doesn't work on the MacBook Pro 5.5. The installation progress bar runs all the way through, but then the process just aborts and the macOS Desktop reappears (without a restart!). Although I had clicked the OTA update fix button in time (while downloading the update ...), I had no success despite multiple attempts.

What's going on here? Thanks in advance for helpful hints!

 

[ps866mker]

The only issue is not having Display preference with OCLP Catalina, which has been mentioned by me in this thread.
The update is also not very straight forward as I’ve mentioned a few posts back. But at least I can do it.

Is your mid-2011 an iMac, or MacBook? The reason for asking is that the stock iMac use TS2 graphics card, which would not work with dosdude1‘s Catalina.

Thanks for your response. I have a 13in MBP 2011. Also have a 2012 where OCLP runs without issue on Big Sur.

Edit: Also, I noticed that after the last update there was a minute or two delay before the Apple logo appears and continue to load. I had to reset NVRAM and everything was back to normal boot time.

 

[K two]

I have another MacBook Pro 5.5 here that runs very well with Catalina. Unlike my Mac Pro 3.1, which can natively boot APFS drives, the MacBook Pro does not have such a patched ROM but uses the post install APFS patch for its internal SSD drive.

Yesterday I was able to install the Security Update 2022-001 on the Mac Pro 3.1 with the CatalinaOTAswufix.app without any problems.

Unfortunately, that doesn't work on the MacBook Pro 5.5. The installation progress bar runs all the way through, but then the process just aborts and the macOS Desktop reappears (without a restart!). Although I had clicked the OTA update fix button in time (while downloading the update ...), I had no success despite multiple attempts.

What's going on here? Thanks in advance for helpful hints!

Unpatched bootROM - put the attached tool on a small USB, boot it <option> at the restart to see the macOS Installer to complete the install. Then apply the @dosdude1 Catalina patches. Instructions are built-in to attached.

 

[Hack5190]

Now something related to Catalina:
Since applying the update to 19H1713 the Software Update control panel as well as the softwareupdate command line tool cannot finish searching for updates, they're just searching infinitely.

Does anyone else experience that behaviour?

Give it time mate. Mine is s l o w, but it updates.

 

[internetzel]

Give it time mate. Mine is s l o w, but it updates.

No, that wasn't the reason. It didn't finish within 24 hours, or even more.

In the end I deleted the softwareupdate preference files and rebooted to safe mode. There it worked normally and after rebooting into normal mode it also worked there. No idea how it got solved or what was the reason.
Prior to this rebooting didn't change anything.

 

[ScooterComputer]

The only issue is not having Display preference with OCLP Catalina, which has been mentioned by me in this thread.
The update is also not very straight forward as I’ve mentioned a few posts back. But at least I can do it.

Is your mid-2011 an iMac, or MacBook? The reason for asking is that the stock iMac use TS2 graphics card, which would not work with dosdude1‘s Catalina.

I'm seeing these issues too, on a 2011 MacBook Air I tried a Catalina/OCLP install on for the giggles. It runs great, once I got past figuring out the spoofing secret incantations. But, no Display prefpane. And I can't figure out how to do the update that just got released this week (and I've provisioned it with some user data, so I'm not real keen on blowing it out).

I have an Early 2011 MacBook Pro too, which has the same chipset, so I might play on it and see if I can't figure out the update thing. (Having to enable VMM, which is 'spoofless' I guess; and something about the post-install patches… the documentation is just really sketchy.)

I get that the OCLP folks don't want to support Catalina, but given how much better (I have been led to believe) it handles the non-metal GUI stuff (than Big Sur and Monterey), and that it is still officially supported, it would be a good version for these older Macs. And yes, I get it that Dosdude1's patcher works, and he's got my eternal Mac "love"… but OCLP is just SUCH a cleaner, better way to be doing this. I have a bunch of people with 2010–2011 MacBook Airs/Pros and iMacs that—with an SSD installed, plus $150 at local Apple Auth Service Provider—could drive them for another few years… but likely not with the intricacies of the patcher. Beyond that, I"ve been collecting them and redeploying them with Win10 licenses to folks I know who can't afford nicer laptops. A 2011 MacBook Air is so much nicer than most new Win sub-$1000 laptops it isn't even funny. I'd prefer for them to be Mac users… but Apple has decided it doesn't like folks not wealthy enough for their standards. Quite sad, IMHO.

 

[Hack5190]

No, that wasn't the reason. It didn't finish within 24 hours, or even more.

In the end I deleted the softwareupdate preference files and rebooted to safe mode. There it worked normally and after rebooting into normal mode it also worked there. No idea how it got solved or what was the reason.
Prior to this rebooting didn't change anything.

Glad you got it sorted. My experience has been patience works

 

[K two]

I'm seeing these issues too, on a 2011 MacBook Air I tried a Catalina/OCLP install on for the giggles. It runs great, once I got past figuring out the spoofing secret incantations. But, no Display prefpane. And I can't figure out how to do the update that just got released this week (and I've provisioned it with some user data, so I'm not real keen on blowing it out).

I have an Early 2011 MacBook Pro too, which has the same chipset, so I might play on it and see if I can't figure out the update thing. (Having to enable VMM, which is 'spoofless' I guess; and something about the post-install patches… the documentation is just really sketchy.)

I get that the OCLP folks don't want to support Catalina, but given how much better (I have been led to believe) it handles the non-metal GUI stuff (than Big Sur and Monterey), and that it is still officially supported, it would be a good version for these older Macs. And yes, I get it that Dosdude1's patcher works, and he's got my eternal Mac "love"… but OCLP is just SUCH a cleaner, better way to be doing this. I have a bunch of people with 2010–2011 MacBook Airs/Pros and iMacs that—with an SSD installed, plus $150 at local Apple Auth Service Provider—could drive them for another few years… but likely not with the intricacies of the patcher. Beyond that, I"ve been collecting them and redeploying them with Win10 licenses to folks I know who can't afford nicer laptops. A 2011 MacBook Air is so much nicer than most new Win sub-$1000 laptops it isn't even funny. I'd prefer for them to be Mac users… but Apple has decided it doesn't like folks not wealthy enough for their standards. Quite sad, IMHO.

Relax. OCLP boots @dosdude1 installs w/o changing anything, perfectly. OCLP is handy to use on a Mac with an un-patched bootROM. In fact this Mini3,1 has a stock bootROM and OCLP_042N by-passes the APFS patch on start-up and runs better than expected.

 

[coasterOneEightThree]

Unpatched bootROM - put the attached tool on a small USB, boot it <option> at the restart to see the macOS Installer to complete the install. Then apply the @dosdude1 Catalina patches. Instructions are built-in to attached.

Thank you for taking the time, @K two !

Unfortunately I also had no success with it. The update behavior is exactly as described before, no matter which boot option is used.

I'm a little stumped right now ...

Is there a possibilty to patch the separate download file of this security update?

 

[K two]

Thank you for taking the time, @K two !

Unfortunately I also had no success with it. The update behavior is exactly as described before, no matter which boot option is used.

I'm a little stumped right now ...

Is there a possibilty to patch the separate download file of this security update?

Many have used the @jackluke tools for over a year, quite successfully to update their @dosdude1 Catalina installs.

• The update will start to install - at 15% progress it will reboot - hold <opton> select the USBOpenCoreAPFSloader, it will boot and display a list, if CatalinaOTAswufix.app was run correctly, the list should include <macOS Installer> selecting will start the installer to completion, at which time booting into the Catalina Patcher USB will be necessary to re-install the recommended patches. If the macOS installer does not appear, delete everything in the /Library/Updates ƒ and start-over. This update method absolutely works w/o fail if done correctly. Often a few attempts and patience is necessary to get it right.

 

[coasterOneEightThree]

Again thank you, @K two !

It was a tough fight, but finally I was able to update the MacBook 5.5 from build 19H4 to 19H1713 with the help of your detailed description. ?

 

[Squatting Hen]

I am trying to update to 19H1713 now, but I must be doing something wrong.

I ran the CatalinaOTAswufix.app, changed from beta updates and started the download. I clicked the OTA fix, but got a few errors about CatalinaOTAswufix.app still running and the service configuration (I think) still open.

I had the option to then start the update, which I did and my computer restarted. I got an error (attached) and then installed the cat patcher (dosdude1) and ran the macOS post install. PC rebooted again to the same scary error.

Keeps rebooting to this.

Thank you all. This went smooth a week or so ago. I must be missing something.

Did I break this again??

 

[ps866mker]

I am trying to update to 19H1713 now, but I must be doing something wrong.

I ran the CatalinaOTAswufix.app, changed from beta updates and started the download. I clicked the OTA fix, but got a few errors about CatalinaOTAswufix.app still running and the service configuration (I think) still open.

I had the option to then start the update, which I did and my computer restarted. I got an error (attached) and then installed the cat patcher (dosdude1) and ran the macOS post install. PC rebooted again to the same scary error.

Keeps rebooting to this.

Thank you all. This went smooth a week or so ago. I must be missing something.

Did I break this again??

Did the same with me about 2 times. The third time it went through but I had the delay in booting. I cleared NVRAM and back to normal.

 

[Squatting Hen]

I had to reinstall the OS from the Catalina dosdude1 usb

Did the same with me about 2 times. The third time it went through but I had the delay in booting. I cleared NVRAM and back to normal.

Thanks. I know I have taken up a lot of posts lately but I appreciate all the help. I was worried, and nothing I did would work, so I reinstalled Catalina from the dosdude1 boot I had and I have it back.

Can someone hold my hand here and explain what I am supposed to do to get the updates? I thought I followed all the instructions but it didn’t work last time.

Do I get out of beta? I did that this last time, but messed up somewhere.

Screenshot is where I am.

 

[TimothyR734]

I had to reinstall the OS from the Catalina dosdude1 usb

Thanks. I know I have taken up a lot of posts lately but I appreciate all the help. I was worried, and nothing I did would work, so I reinstalled Catalina from the dosdude1 boot I had and I have it back.

Can someone hold my hand here and explain what I am supposed to do to get the updates? I thought I followed all the instructions but it didn’t work last time.

Do I get out of beta? I did that this last time, but messed up somewhere.

Screenshot is where I am.

If you create a OpenCoreAPFSLoader usb, install the up dates one at a time(works for me) then install the Catalina security update once it reboots hold your option button selected the OpenCoreAPFSLoader usb from the list choose macOS installer as the it what your HD/SSD is temporarily named then let the update do its thing then when its down and reboots hold the option button select your usb you install Catlina with and apply the pos install patches