macOS 11 Big Sur on Unsupported Macs Thread

[Ausdauersportler]

A question. Will it be a wiki post with detailed tutorial and linked files and patches once GM be published?
Is there a tutorial yet? I found some in webpages but has been obsolete (beta 1-beta 2) and doesn’t upgrade with all the improved of this thread

I do not have a glass ball. The best you can get for a very limited set of systems is this:

GitHub - barrykn/big-sur-micropatcher: A primitive USB patcher for installing macOS Big Sur on unsupported Macs

A primitive USB patcher for installing macOS Big Sur on unsupported Macs - barrykn/big-sur-micropatcher

github.com

@jackluke has another approach for some other systems. Search for his posts here.

 

[alfon_sico]

Thank you

 

[webg3]

OpenCore rules
Thanks @jackluke ,
I now have a model never released for the MacBook Air 11" 2015

 

[Ausdauersportler]

OpenCore rules
Thanks @jackluke ,
I now have a model never released for the MacBook Air 11" 2015

View attachment 964928

Hi!
Any chance of getting a documentation or report of your special installation procedure? This may help others to achieve the same.

 

[Bmju]

I just tested and added some binary exec buttons to my USBopencore setup menu to restart and power off (typically not present on any OpenCanopy or OpenCore bootloader default releases ).

That sounds cool! Is it available on your repo? I did already look in your current zip download - not sure where else I maybe should be looking. Thanks!

 

[jackluke]

That sounds cool! Is it available on your repo? I did already look in your current zip download - not sure where else I maybe should be looking. Thanks!

Here: https://github.com/jacklukem/USBOpenCoreAPFSloader/releases/tag/4.3

This essentially is an automatised setup for the 4s1 spoofing version with the addition of Restart and Power off buttons at opencore menu and also allows to install it on any FAT32 formatted USB devices.

The 4b version is a non spoofing version mainly for non-APFS or Legacy USB (booting BigSur Preboot with CMD+S and exit).

 

[Bmju]

Here: https://github.com/jacklukem/USBOpenCoreAPFSloader/releases/tag/4.3

This essentially is an automatised setup for the 4s1 spoofing version with the addition of Restart and Power off buttons at opencore menu and also allows to install it on any FAT32 formatted USB devices.

The 4b version is a non spoofing version mainly for non-APFS or Legacy USB (booting BigSur Preboot with CMD+S and exit).

Thank you very much for that - I've got the app and installed it, it's giving a load of 'cannot create /Volumes/mydisk/...' errors, even after I've tried giving the app 'Full Disk Access' permissions - sorry if I'm missing anything obvious. Any thoughts as to what else it might need? (This is when trying 'On FAT 32 Device (it's contents are kept)', and on a just-formatted USB drive. The other options give different errors! :-( )

 

[jackluke]

Thank you very much for that - I've got the app and installed it, it's giving a load of 'cannot create /Volumes/mydisk/...' errors, even after I've tried giving the app 'Full Disk Access' permissions - sorry if I'm missing anything obvious. Any thoughts as to what else it might need? (This is when trying 'On FAT 32 Device (it's contents are kept)', and on a just-formatted USB drive. The other options give different errors! :-( )

I guess you are running it from BigSur desktop (it works easier on Mojave or Catalina), I should fix again "Near an USB drive" because there is still an issue when is used a label with multiple spaces, anyway try this from terminal:
rm -r /private/tmp/USBOpenCoreAPFSloader*

then assign a label without spaces to your USB FAT32 device example: USBopencore , it should work.

edit:
just fixed, now it should work also when the label has multiple spaces example: "USB Disk Label".

I reuploaded the fixed files: https://github.com/jacklukem/USBOpenCoreAPFSloader/releases/tag/4.3

Note to use "Near an USB device" or "an empty USB device" from BigSur desktop is required at least SIP disabled (also hold control key and click open to skip unidentified developer), otherwise get "failed with 71", while instead using the third option "on a FAT32 USB device" the USBopencore making should proceed also with SIP enabled .

 

[tpluth]

I just installed Public Beta 9 on my Mac Pro 4,1/5,1 with the micropatcher. No issues and the most difficult and time consuming part was splitting my 1TB SATA Express SSD into two partitions so I could switch between Catalina and Big Sur if need be. I also have it running on my 2019 15" MBP.

 

[Bmju]

I guess you are running it from BigSur desktop (it works easier on Mojave or Catalina), I should fix again "Near an USB drive" because there is still an issue when is used a label with multiple spaces, anyway try this from terminal:
rm -r /private/tmp/USBOpenCoreAPFSloader*

then assign a label without spaces to your USB FAT32 device example: USBopencore , it should work.

edit:
just fixed, now it should work also when the label has multiple spaces example: "USB Disk Label".

I reuploaded the fixed files: https://github.com/jacklukem/USBOpenCoreAPFSloader/releases/tag/4.3

Note to use "Near an USB device" or "an empty USB device" from BigSur desktop is required at least SIP disabled (also hold control key and click open to skip unidentified developer), otherwise get "failed with 71", while instead using the third option "on a FAT32 USB device" the USBopencore making should proceed also with SIP enabled .

No, I was running it from my Catalina partition, but I'll try some of those settings, thank you.

By the way, I just wanted to say I really appreciate all your effort, and everyone else here, in making this stuff available.

 

[Fran Frin]

I can install in a iMac mid 2011?

 

[Pascal Baillargeau]

I can install in a iMac mid 2011?

It works well on iMac 2011 with a metal capable gpu card.

 

[MacHacJac]

OpenCore rules
Thanks @jackluke ,
I now have a model never released for the MacBook Air 11" 2015

View attachment 964928

How did you do this?

 

[webg3]

How did you do this?

I used these tools.

OpenCore4s1_iMac5,1 change MacBookAir7,1 and id-board

OpenCore Configuration I added the remaining information on config.plist

 

[webg3]

Hi!
Any chance of getting a documentation or report of your special installation procedure? This may help others to achieve the same.

It Is

 

[MacHacJac]

I used these tools.

OpenCore4s1_iMac5,1 change MacBookAir7,1 and id-board

OpenCore Configuration I added the remaining information on config.plist

Ok thx!

 

[Bmju]

I guess you are running it from BigSur desktop (it works easier on Mojave or Catalina), I should fix again "Near an USB drive" because there is still an issue when is used a label with multiple spaces, anyway try this from terminal:
rm -r /private/tmp/USBOpenCoreAPFSloader*

then assign a label without spaces to your USB FAT32 device example: USBopencore , it should work.

edit:
just fixed, now it should work also when the label has multiple spaces example: "USB Disk Label".

I reuploaded the fixed files: https://github.com/jacklukem/USBOpenCoreAPFSloader/releases/tag/4.3

Note to use "Near an USB device" or "an empty USB device" from BigSur desktop is required at least SIP disabled (also hold control key and click open to skip unidentified developer), otherwise get "failed with 71", while instead using the third option "on a FAT32 USB device" the USBopencore making should proceed also with SIP enabled .

Hi @jackluke,

I've run a couple of tests, it works absolutely fine for me on either Big Sur or Catalina - the only thing I was missing was that it needs SIP disabled. (It doesn't need that other permission I tried to give it. I worked out for myself that it currently needs you to manually delete that sub-dir of `/private/tmp` to run it a second time.)

I don't know if perhaps you could update the instructions at https://github.com/jacklukem/USBOpenCoreAPFSloader/releases/tag/4.3 to add that it requires SIP disabled to run? That was all that was blocking me. Other than that, it's peachy - the experimental Shut Down and Reboot options work fine! I wonder if there are some nice open-source shut down and reboot icons that could be applied to them?

 

[justperry]

It Is

You should say:
It's in my last post, see the one before this one.
Or Add the one before this one and add Ausdauersportler comment.

 

[Ausdauersportler]

It Is

Sorry, I did not ask for the tools you used to change the tires on your car, I asked for a more comprehensive (short) description of all the steps needed using these tools why and when....

This would make it a tutorial usable by others.

 

[jackluke]

I used these tools.

OpenCore4s1_iMac5,1 change MacBookAir7,1 and id-board

OpenCore Configuration I added the remaining information on config.plist

I know there are many graphic tools to edit easily make the config.plist , but sometimes (mainly when spoofing) they change many parameters to fit a "non-mac" hardware without warnings, so I personally edit the config.plist with a plain text editor or Xcode .

 

[jackluke]

Sorry, I did not ask for the tools you used to change the tires on your car, I asked for a more comprehensive (short) description of all the steps needed using these tools why and when....

This would make it a tutorial usable by others.

If you use my USBopencore to spoofing another Mac this part:

Spoiler

<key>PlatformInfo</key>
<dict>
<key>Automatic</key>
<true/>
<key>UpdateDataHub</key>
<false/>
<key>UpdateNVRAM</key>
<false/>
<key>UpdateSMBIOS</key>
<true/>
<key>UpdateSMBIOSMode</key>
<string>Create</string>
<key>Generic</key>
<dict>
<key>SystemProductName</key>
<string>iMac15,1</string>
<key>SystemSerialNumber</key>
<string></string>
</dict>
<key>DataHub</key>
<dict/>
<key>PlatformNVRAM</key>
<dict/>
<key>SMBIOS</key>
<dict>
<key>BoardProduct</key>
<string>Mac-42FD25EABCABB274</string>
</dict>
</dict>

change the SystemProductName and BoardProduct with the machine you want to spoof

to show the spoofing also on "About this Mac" you should add a true Mac serial number of that machine here:

<key>SystemSerialNumber</key>
<string></string>

To remove spoofing just change these two parameters:

<key>Automatic</key>
<false/>

<key>UpdateSMBIOS</key>
<false/>

 

[jackluke]

Hi @jackluke,

I've run a couple of tests, it works absolutely fine for me on either Big Sur or Catalina - the only thing I was missing was that it needs SIP disabled. (It doesn't need that other permission I tried to give it. I worked out for myself that it currently needs you to manually delete that sub-dir of `/private/tmp` to run it a second time.)

I don't know if perhaps you could update the instructions at https://github.com/jacklukem/USBOpenCoreAPFSloader/releases/tag/4.3 to add that it requires SIP disabled to run? That was all that was blocking me. Other than that, it's peachy - the experimental Shut Down and Reboot options work fine! I wonder if there are some nice open-source shut down and reboot icons that could be applied to them?

Just added a custom icon for Restart and Power off so simply reinstall USBopencore through my app and it's shown, but currently it's the same icon for both buttons, because seems from opencore binary exec use a common icon, I also tried to drag and drop the icon in the binary exec and it worked on Finder, but not on opencore menu, so for now they need to use the same icon.

 

[Alex-Microsmeta]

Are we still far to BS GM / Final? Bloomberg says that after iPhone 12 13 October Keynote there will be another dedicated event in November for Mac Silicon... Or maybe Intel builds have a different timeline? Someone here has a Mac mini Silicon delelopers Kit?

 

[Bmju]

AFAIK on OpenCore there isn't any feature in config.plist that after reboot stores any nvram value, but you could use the @Barry K. Nathan setvars , it could be added also to opencore a similar feature as refind.

@vit9696 kindly took the time to reply about this on here, and from what he says it is unfortunately technically impossible (because of how UEFI works) for OpenCore to do what I wanted: to leave boot-args="-no_compat_check" alone outside the context of an OpenCore boot, but to use your required value, @jackluke, of boot-args="-no_compat_check amfi_get_out_of_my_way=1 agdpmod=pikera" inside the OpenCore boot session.

So I'm still looking for alternative workarounds that are quicker than booting into recovery and resetting boot-args by hand.

I've just got an unmodified rEFInd bootloader also installed, no problem, but then I was surprised to see nothing in it's config section for setting custom nvram values (i.e. I want to just configure it to set boot-args="-no_compat_check") - I don't know if anybody can kindly point out what I'm missing here!

Also @jackluke, you've kindly pointed me towards setvars, and I can see that that code does what I want (i.e. can easily be modified to do exactly what I want). But I'm not sure how I could chain it into say rEFInd? Or into OpenCore, but I'm hesitant about using OpenCore because I don't understand how - if it's even possible - to get an OpenCore boot which says "don't change anything" - all the OpenCore config.plist examples apply quite a lot of patches, and just removing all the config, it doesn't even start! So I'm probably missing something there, too! :-(

 

[Bmju]

Also @jackluke, you've kindly pointed me towards setvars, and I can see that that code does what I want (i.e. can easily be modified to do exactly what I want). But I'm not sure how I could chain it into say rEFInd? Or into OpenCore, but I'm hesitant about using OpenCore because I don't understand how - if it's even possible - to get an OpenCore boot which says "don't change anything" - all the OpenCore config.plist examples apply quite a lot of patches, and just removing all the config, it doesn't even start! So I'm probably missing something there, too! :-(

Oh, I think I understood now. @Barry K. Nathan's setvars is a mini-bootable thing of it's own, to reset the relevant vars, right? I'll play with this - if I can make a copy which just sets boot-args and nothing else - which is what I need, so I guess it might be useful for someone else - then I'll post that up.