macOS 11 Big Sur on Unsupported Macs Thread

[brandonsierra]

Yes they do. iOS 14 will support the iPhone 6s and later. iPadOS 14 will support the iPad Air 2 and later, all iPad Pro models, iPad 5th generation and later, and iPad mini 4 and later. You should join our Discord, we discussed WWDC live and it's a quick way to distribute info to a lot of users!

and you should unban me from the discord thanks

Brandon ROBLOX Scripter#1821
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and you should unban me from the discord thanks

Brandon ROBLOX Scripter#1821

yep

 

[libneko]

And after three hours I also got "Big Sur" desktop loaded on core2duo, I followed a different path from ASentientBot, I used CatalinaOTAswufix.app , anyway I'd advise to use his method is safer, because after my "OTA update" I found a weird "Big Sur" label "Update" (a new APFS volume for firmware updates?) with many Firmware files, probably the installer attempted a firmware update on unsupported machine, but no issues.

The current 0.59 opencore version can't inject any patched kext on the prelinkedkernel, even if it is still there, I mean they changed the "kextcache" method but the prelinkedkernel is still used (kcditto to put it in its "Big Sur" Library and Users Data APFS volume).

Of course: no wifi, no sound, no video acceleration, the challenge has just begun.

About Wifi bad news, apple has dropped also AirPortBrcm4360 driver (the one I patched for AirDrop that spoofed to a supported Catalina Wifi), now seems they only like the AirPortBrcmNIC.kext .

I guess rather than for Metal GPU, apple dropped the 2012 Mac because of their Wifi card.

Any way to replace kext without opencore?

 

[jackluke]

Any way to replace kext without opencore?

I have no idea, maybe opencore developers will find a way on next OpenCore.efi update, because prelinkedkernel is still present on "Big Sur".

 

[nekton1]

Some Apple mail invites said "Bug Sur" and even Big Sur can be abbreviated to BS (surprised Apple let that slip by).
As an early alpha, it's a bug fest on supported machines.

 

[Darkdes]

Provided that you add in nvram boot-args at least "-no_compat_check", holding CMD+S after power-on, from the "Big Sur" command shell type:

mount -uw /
cd /System/Library/UserEventPlugins/
mv com.apple.telemetry.plugin com.apple.telemetry.plugin2
exit

now you should get the "Big Sur" desktop but currently without Wifi .
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Try this: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/macos-10-15-catalina-on-unsupported-macs.2183772/post-28320558

Launch it from Catalina desktop or downloads folder, click first "Software Update fix" button, then start to download the 10.16 macOS beta OTA installer, during downloading re-launch catalinaotaswufix and click the "OTA update fix" button.

This should make a pre-patched distribution "Install macOS beta.app" that you can run directly from Catalina desktop.

Do I need the beta profile

 

[brandonsierra]

How do we get wifi on Big Sur?

 

[toru173]

And after three hours I also got "Big Sur" desktop loaded on core2duo, I followed a different path from ASentientBot, I used CatalinaOTAswufix.app , anyway I'd advise to use his method is safer, because after my "OTA update" I found a weird "Big Sur" label "Update" (a new APFS volume for firmware updates?) with many Firmware files, probably the installer attempted a firmware update on unsupported machine, but no issues.

I think these are APFS filesystem snapshots. They show up on my Mojave install (with a warning that some features are not supported), but not for Sur. diskutil apfs listsnapshots shows a few, and I’m assuming this is how Sur does versioning and rollbacks during updates

 

[Humble-X]

Hi I'm new here👋🏾. but i wanna get straight to it. I recently updated my wifi/bluetooth card "Airport Card" to
802.11ac + Bluetooth 4.2 for Unibody MacBook Pros from here :https://subtle.design/products/80211ac/

will this work with no walk arounds? i could do some testing if you guys are interested. LMK😎

 

[jackluke]

Maybe apple


HD4000 is also working then.. ?
besides the Nvidia kepler card.. ?

maybe this wifi upgrade can be a solution for Uniboy mpb users.. ? :

802.11ac and BT 4.2 are here for unibody MBPs and A1342 MB!

I am pleased to announce that 5 years after my post found here (where I threw in the towel early): https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/macbook-pro-802-11ac-upgrade.1521466/page-4#post-18438927 , native 802.11ac WiFi and Bluetooth 4.2 are working on classic unibody MBPs! :cool::D All of this...

forums.macrumors.com

On "Big Sur beta 1" unsupported but Catalina supporter Mac:

- HD4000 is working will full Metal acceleration, apple also don't removed their kext

- Nvidia Kepler (example GT 650M) is working with full Metal acceleration (but not sure if apple removed their kext)

- Making a wifi card upgrade that uses the AirPortBrcmNIC.kext will work on "Big Sur"

from a supported Catalina Mac running this: kextstat | grep AirPort

if the output is com.apple.driver.AirPort.Brcm4360
this is not more a supported "Big Sur" Wifi card.

 

[viettanium]

look like the lack of the pre-2013 Macs because of the N wifi card.

 

[Humble-X]

from a supported Catalina Mac running this: kextstat | grep AirPort

if the output is com.apple.driver.AirPort.Brcm4360
this is not more a supported "Big Sur" Wifi card.

how about com.apple.driver.AirPort.BrcmNIC (1400.1.1) ?

 

[jackluke]

how about com.apple.driver.AirPort.BrcmNIC (1400.1.1) ?

This is surely supported and apparently is the only Broadcom Wifi group present on the "Big Sur" IO80211Family.kext Plugins.

 

[tsialex]

look like the lack of the pre-2013 Macs because of the N wifi card.

Seems Apple removed support for all Intel processors that were retired, see below, except the late-2013 Mac Pro that was sold until last December. All Intel processors before Haswell are now declared obsolete/retired.

https://software.intel.com/security...execution-attack-mitigation-product-cpu-model

The mystery is why the two iMacs late-2013 that have Haswell processors and 802.11ac were dropped.

 

[jhowarth]

On "Big Sur beta 1" unsupported but Catalina supporter Mac:

- HD4000 is working will full Metal acceleration, apple also don't removed their kext

- Nvidia Kepler (example GT 650M) is working with full Metal acceleration (but not sure if apple removed their kext)

- Making a wifi card upgrade that uses the AirPortBrcmNIC.kext will work on "Big Sur"

from a supported Catalina Mac running this: kextstat | grep AirPort

if the output is com.apple.driver.AirPort.Brcm4360
this is not more a supported "Big Sur" Wifi card.

So does that imply that the MacPro 3,1 with GTX680 and BCM9436CD might actually still be usable under Big Sur (provided that they don't yank additional support in the future seeds)?

 

[jackluke]

So does that imply that the MacPro 3,1 with GTX680 and BCM9436CD might actually still be usable under Big Sur (provided that they don't yank additional support in the future seeds)?

I guess so, but you should add LegacyUSBInjector.kext otherwise no input output devices.

But I don't know how to add kext patches to "Big Sur" kextcache.

 

[libneko]

Is there any possibility, if root becomes mountable, that wifi fix will be as simple as copying old bcm plugin/whole kext from catalina?

 

[Moises Pablo]

Could someone please make a recap, if it’s possible, teaching how to install it with the wifi working?

 

[libneko]

Could someone please make a recap, if it’s possible, teaching how to install it with the wifi working?

There is no solution for wifi at the moment

 

[Humble-X]

ok, I haven't been in my hacking days since Maemo... not sure if you guys know about that dinosaur😁. but i just downloaded a python script from here: https://github.com/munki/macadmin-scripts and I'm going to attempt something.
i will keep you guys up to date with my findings. if I'm headed in the wrong direction LMK🤞🏾
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ok, I haven't been in my hacking days since Maemo... not sure if you guys know about that dinosaur😁. but i just downloaded a python script from here: https://github.com/munki/macadmin-scripts and I'm going to attempt something.
i will keep you guys up to date with my findings. if I'm headed in the wrong direction LMK🤞🏾

i hit a huge speed bump
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ok, I haven't been in my hacking days since Maemo... not sure if you guys know about that dinosaur😁. but i just downloaded a python script from here: https://github.com/munki/macadmin-scripts and I'm going to attempt something.
i will keep you guys up to date with my findings. if I'm headed in the wrong direction LMK🤞🏾

i hit a huge speed bump

 

[Alex-Microsmeta]

And after three hours I also got "Big Sur" desktop loaded on core2duo, I followed a different path from ASentientBot, I used CatalinaOTAswufix.app , anyway I'd advise to use his method is safer, because after my "OTA update" I found a weird "Big Sur" label "Update" (a new APFS volume for firmware updates?) with many Firmware files, probably the installer attempted a firmware update on unsupported machine, but no issues.

The current 0.59 opencore version can't inject any patched kext on the prelinkedkernel, even if it is still there, I mean they changed the "kextcache" method but the prelinkedkernel is still used (kcditto to put it in its "Big Sur" Library and Users Data APFS volume).

Of course: no wifi, no sound, no video acceleration, the challenge has just begun.

About Wifi bad news, apple has dropped also AirPortBrcm4360 driver (the one I patched for AirDrop that spoofed to a supported Catalina Wifi), now seems they only like the AirPortBrcmNIC.kext .

I guess rather than for Metal GPU, apple dropped the 2012 Mac because of their Wifi card.

Wow! What a good news! Exactly the same hardware of my Macmini 2010 (Macmini4,1)
@jackluke , @dosdude1 @ASentientBot I'm available for all tests you need, as always

 

[FlorisVN]

On "Big Sur beta 1" unsupported but Catalina supporter Mac:

- HD4000 is working will full Metal acceleration, apple also don't removed their kext

- Nvidia Kepler (example GT 650M) is working with full Metal acceleration (but not sure if apple removed their kext)

- Making a wifi card upgrade that uses the AirPortBrcmNIC.kext will work on "Big Sur"

from a supported Catalina Mac running this: kextstat | grep AirPort

if the output is com.apple.driver.AirPort.Brcm4360
this is not more a supported "Big Sur" Wifi card.

thx, maybe if we are lucky the HD4000 kexts wont be removed in newer versions of BS . .. ?

 

[jackluke]

There is no solution for wifi at the moment

This is my attempt for AirPort4360 driver Wifi kext, but is refused from "Big Sur" kernel from prelinking.

I am not skilled to fix symbols, but I guess it is fixable.

sudo mount -uw / ; killall Finder

replaced the IO80211Family*.kext with stock Catalina ones

sudo -s
chmod -R 755 /System/Library/Extensions/
chown -R 0:0 /System/Library/Extensions/

kextcache -i /


Executing: /usr/bin/kmutil install --volume-root / --check-rebuild
rebuilding local auxiliary collection
kmutil done

kmutil install --volume-root /
Error: Please specify one of --check-rebuild, --update-all or --force.
Usage: kmutil install [--variant-suffix <variant-suffix>] [--arch <arch>] [--no-authorization]
[--verbose] [--repository <repository> ...] [--volume-root <volume-root>] [--check-rebuild]
[--update-all] [--force] [--authentication] [--no-authentication] [--update-preboot]


kmutil install --update-all


rebuilding release collections: boot, system
rebuilding release collections:
    boot kernel collection
    system kext collection
failed to build release collection:
    One or more binaries has an error which prevented linking.  See other errors.
    Could not use 'com.apple.driver.AppleBCMWLANCore' because:
Cannot find symbol for metaclass pointed to by '__ZN28AppleBCMWLANSkywalkInterface10superClassE'
    com.apple.driver.AppleBCMWLANCore:
        Cannot find symbol for metaclass pointed to by '__ZN28AppleBCMWLANSkywalkInterface10superClassE'
failed to build any collections (expected: 1)
rebuilding local auxiliary collection
kmutil done

 

[Minh_Ton]

You should re-download from Mojave or Catalina a full "Big Sur beta" installer using my CatalinaOTAswufix and apply the OTA swu fix during the downloading, in this way the OTA installer post-scripts make automatically a distribution pre-patched "Install macOS beta.app", otherwise as @h9826790 just wrote you should use opencore and spoof to a supported machine.

I have not yet tried "opencore spoofing to install" because don't know the behaviour of how firmware update packages are handled on "Big Sur", but it should work too, I mean EFI firmware update should fail the checksum when detect a different EEPROM, and the installer should continue anyway.

I’ve successfully booted to the Installer but I don’t know the exact path to put LegacyUSBInjector.kext so that I can use my keyboard and trackpad...

 

[jackluke]

thx, maybe if we are lucky the HD4000 kexts wont be removed in newer versions of BS . .. ?

They are present in BigSur/System/Library/Extensions/AppleIntelHD4000Graphics*.kext

and don't forget its framebuffer: AppleIntelFramebufferCapri.kext

Just make a copy and you can add them easily with kmutil on next release if they remove.
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I’ve successfully booted to the Installer but I don’t know the exact path to put LegacyUSBInjector.kext so that I can use my keyboard and trackpad...

You should add it to the BigSur prelinkedkernel with kmutil , at the moment only APFS firmware supported HighSierra machine can boot with keyboard and trackpad because they can use the stock BigSur IOUSB kext.

 

[Bruno Berchielli]

And after three hours I also got "Big Sur" desktop loaded on core2duo, I followed a different path from ASentientBot, I used CatalinaOTAswufix.app , anyway I'd advise to use his method is safer, because after my "OTA update" I found a weird "Big Sur" label "Update" (a new APFS volume for firmware updates?) with many Firmware files, probably the installer attempted a firmware update on unsupported machine, but no issues.

The current 0.59 opencore version can't inject any patched kext on the prelinkedkernel, even if it is still there, I mean they changed the "kextcache" method but the prelinkedkernel is still used (kcditto to put it in its "Big Sur" Library and Users Data APFS volume).

Of course: no wifi, no sound, no video acceleration, the challenge has just begun.

About Wifi bad news, apple has dropped also AirPortBrcm4360 driver (the one I patched for AirDrop that spoofed to a supported Catalina Wifi), now seems they only like the AirPortBrcmNIC.kext .

I guess rather than for Metal GPU, apple dropped the 2012 Mac because of their Wifi card.

Great finding!

I've upgraded my rMBP 15 mid-2012 wifi card years ago due to the lack of AC compatibility. It's a cheap and easy upgrade that is totally worth it.

Hope that's why the first generation of rMBP were put off the table. Because it sure has the necessary horse power to work with Big Sur.