macOS 11 Big Sur on Unsupported Macs Thread

[Quackers]

I followed the guide in this thread (P241 iirc) and BKN's guide explicitly.
No Opencore to my knowledge.

 

[m4f1050]

@m4f1050 @Nado1969
I have a mid 2012 retina MBP running Catalina.
I created a new partition and installed Big Sur following the guide in this thread together with @barryKN's guide on Github.
The installation went great but had a little problem with the command for the patching but fixed that from the booted Big Sur installation later.
With the retina having 2 graphics chips you'll find that the Nvidia card is the one that it will use by default and no graphics switching is available.
This is fixable with a single terminal command that needs to be run after every reboot (currently) - see post 3255 on page 131 of this thread.
After running the command the system used the Intel HD 4000 integrated graphics chip and will switch to the Nvidia card as required by whatever you're running. When demand reduces it will switch back to the Intel chip.

The system works well on my machine and in fact I'm using it constantly and don't currently use Catalina at all.
But as said I'm dual booting both systems and Big Sur was fresh installed on a second partition.

I think I have seen one person on here that has had problems with a non-retina MBP of the same age.

I have MacOS 11.0.1 (20B29) on my internal SSD, running fast with no problems on my MBP Retina 10,1 mid-2012 with Broadcom BCM43xx 802.11ac upgrade. Displaypolicyd is enabled, gfxCardStatus v.2.4.4i set on Dynamic Switching.

I had tested Big Sur OS all the way back to Beta3; these were installed on my external SSD. Heating was an issue early on, but Dynamic Switching seems to cure that. At one point I needed to disable displaypolicyd, but not now.

What OPENCORE did you use? I tried 0.6.3 and it gave me a black screen upon boot. (I have Catalina 10.15.7 ATM)
Also, @buckrock posted "fix" for the GFX switch. Maybe I can switch it to the Intel HD 4000 and check if it goes black when it tries to use the nVidia. In that case I would have to look for a solution then, but at least I would have a booting OC + Catalina where I can then venture a bit more into Big Sur.

 

[m4f1050]

I followed the guide in this thread (P241 iirc) and BKN's guide explicitly.
No Opencore to my knowledge.

@Quackers
Ah! Ok, can you send me the link to the thread and the guide? I thought I needed OpenCore... So you don't get the "upgrade" notification the method you used, correct?

Thanks!

 

[Dilli]

While login into Bigsur my blutooth has gone missing and I cant use keyboard or mouse except for wired. When I try to slide the bluetooth toggle on it shows my devices but bluetooth keeps going off. When I click on preference i get following error

Edited. Fixed the issue, some wire got loose inside the imac related to wifi/bluetooth card.

 

[justperry]

Yeah, I am baffled... I have my Mac Pro 5,1 (mid 2010) running Big Sur (with RX580) but on the MacBook Pro it's not that easy to upgrade video... And if you think about it, Big Sur will probably be the last macOS with Intel based processor support. So Mac Pro with RX580 would be the cheapest solution to run Big Sur, and I was hoping my MacBook Pro (mid 2012) was the same scenario... I don't really like how Apple is handling this...

Nope, try again, probably another 3-5 years.
Just an example, the latest Intel mac is barely a few months old, normally Apple supports macs with a minimum 5 years OS compatibility.
I have 2 Macs from 2012, the last OS was still supported so about 8 years of support.
Apple will not support Intel that long but 100% sure more than what you said above.
My guess was above, 3-5 years.

 

[justperry]

Here is an interesting website that has a lot of info on most all Macs , it seems there is more than one version of the 2012 MacBook Pro

MacBook Pro "Core i7" 2.3 15" Mid-2012 Specs (Mid-2012 15", MD103LL/A, MacBookPro9,1, A1286, 2556*): EveryMac.com

Technical specifications for the MacBook Pro "Core i7" 2.3 15" Mid-2012. Dates sold, processor type, memory info, hard drive details, price and more.

everymac.com

MacBook Pro "Core i7" 2.3 15" Retina 2012 Specs (Retina Mid-2012, MC975LL/A, MacBookPro10,1, A1398, 2512): EveryMac.com

Technical specifications for the MacBook Pro "Core i7" 2.3 15" Retina 2012. Dates sold, processor type, memory info, hard drive details, price and more.

everymac.com

Website, there are several, tell you a secret, try Mactracker, a free App.

 

[Quackers]

@Quackers
Ah! Ok, can you send me the link to the thread and the guide? I thought I needed OpenCore... So you don't get the "upgrade" notification the method you used, correct?

Thanks!

No upgrade option on my rMBP mid 2012
I used this guide
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...unsupported-macs-thread.2242172/post-29221192
and also consulted this guide
https://github.com/barrykn/big-sur-micropatcher

 

[m4f1050]

Nope, try again, probably another 3-5 years.
Just an example, the latest Intel mac is barely a few months old, normally Apple supports macs with a minimum 5 years OS compatibility.
I have 2 Macs from 2012, the last OS was still supported so about 8 years of support.
Apple will not support Intel that long but 100% sure more than what you said above.
My guess was above, 3-5 years.

I corrected my statement. Newer macs already have an ARM processor (along with the Intel processor) that they will probably end up using for future macOS'es to run ARM-specific apps for the transition, that's what I meant. Then again, those are rumors and not announced on apple...

 

[Quackers]

@m4f1050
The first time I installed (a fresh install on a new partition) I used the setvars.sh instruction as it was but it resulted in an unsealed volume so I re-installed last night using the setvars.sh with the -e option as explained by BarryKN in the second guide. Not sure if that was correct but it did result in a sealed volume (though seal shows as broken).

 

[m4f1050]

No upgrade option on my rMBP mid 2012
I used this guide
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...unsupported-macs-thread.2242172/post-29221192
and also consulted this guide
https://github.com/barrykn/big-sur-micropatcher

Too early to know, but I guess I would have to do a Time Machine backup, install newer Big Sur, then restore? Or maybe someone will figure out an "update" to install over existing Big Sur? Who knows yet... VERY tempted to upgrade, in fact, I am going to do a CCC to another drive, keep my original untouched and try it, but I might wait for the next update to see how updates will work before I install it on my main SSD...

 

[justperry]

I'm having an issue where my 2012 iMac 27" will not, after successful installation of the micropatcher, accept my password in Recovery mode (while it will in boot mode), so I cannot get into Terminal to apply the wi-fi fix patch. Without wi-fi, I cannot verify my password via Apple ID in Recovery mode, so while I've "successfully" upgraded to Big Sur, I'm stuck with no wi-fi currently. I've been combing through the forums but haven't found a fix. Can anyone suggest anything?

Is you disk encrypted, if so try to decrypt it first, pretty positive I read somewhere in this thread, it has problems with encryption.

I've successfully installed Big Sur 11.0.1 on my late 2012 Mac Mini; everything works as expected, meaning all is well except WiFi, but that's ok for me.
Overall, I'm underwhelmed; biggest annoyance so far is that Carbon Copy Cloner can't create clone backups anymore...
Hoping that future updates would arrive via System Preferences/Software Update – which is not the case so far, at least not with the dev. beta of 11.1.

CCC should be working on the latest built beta, was released yesterday or the day before.

 

[Quackers]

Too early to know, but I guess I would have to do a Time Machine backup, install newer Big Sur, then restore? Or maybe someone will figure out an "update" to install over existing Big Sur? Who knows yet... VERY tempted to upgrade, in fact, I am going to do an HDClone to another drive, keep my original untouched and try it, but I might wait for the next update to see how updates will work before I install it on my main SSD...

Up to you
My first installation updated alright but the second one shows no updates available as yet so we'll see.

 

[justperry]

Mail 14 does not work with the latest SpamSieve beta on my unsupported Mac Mini late 2012; maybe due to missing the drivers:

Nov 19 14:12:33 xxx Mail[5966]: getattrlist failed for /System/Library/Frameworks/OpenGL.framework/Resources//GLRendererFloat.bundle/GLRendererFloat: #2: No such file or directory
Nov 19 14:29:10 xxx com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (application.com.apple.mail.1152921500311907838.1152921500311907843[5966]): Service exited with abnormal code: 1
Nov 19 14:29:20 xxx Mail[6330]: getattrlist failed for /System/Library/Extensions/AppleIntelHD4000GraphicsGLDriver.bundle/Contents/MacOS/AppleIntelHD4000GraphicsGLDriver: #2: No such file or directory
Nov 19 14:29:20 xxx Mail[6330]: getattrlist failed for /System/Library/Frameworks/OpenGL.framework/Resources//GLRendererFloat.bundle/GLRendererFloat: #2: No such file or directory

I found this
On https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1651455
by

Haik Aftandilian

This looks like a case of PR_LoadLibrary() failing due to the new linker cache and dynamic library behavior in Big Sur documented below. More specifically, the call to PR_LoadLibrary() in CGLLibrary::EnsureInitialized() is failing to load /System/Library/Frameworks/OpenGL.framework/OpenGL because the access(2) call in PR_Access() returns -1.

From https://developer.apple.com/documentation/macos-release-notes/macos-big-sur-11-beta-release-notes/

New in macOS Big Sur 11 beta, the system ships with a built-in dynamic linker
cache of all system-provided libraries. As part of this change, copies of dynamic
libraries are no longer present on the filesystem. Code that attempts to check
for dynamic library presence by looking for a file at a path or enumerating a
directory will fail. Instead, check for library presence by attempting to dlopen()
the path, which will correctly check for the library in the cache. (62986286)

 

[macinfo]

macOS Big Sur 11.1 (Build 20C5048k) now also seems to be available as a public beta.

 

[out_in_the_sticks]

I've been trying to install Mac OS Big Sur on my late 2013 27" iMac to no avail using the Patched Sur method. I follow the directions to a tee but keep getting a message half way through installation that says "Installation cannot proceed because the installer is damaged." I've recreated the boot USB multiple times.

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[MAlexB]

I found this
On https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1651455
by

Haik Aftandilian

Thank you, found the culprit: https://forum.c-command.com/t/error-message-with-apple-mail-on-macos-11/13310/3

 

[TA 455SD]

I've been trying to install Mac OS Big Sur on my late 2013 27" iMac to no avail using the Patched Sur method. I follow the directions to a tee but keep getting a message half way through installation that says "Installation cannot proceed because the installer is damaged." I've recreated the boot USB multiple times.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Try to clear all your cache , then restart the machine and then re download , it sounds like the installer pkg may have been corrupted during the download

 

[Ausdauersportler]

OK ! Thank for all the help 👍 . While waiting for the next version of the patch, I will read again the micropatcher documentation and your other importants posts again , to better understand the kernels extensions and other important files

Have a good day

If you want to do my a favour check this version of the patch-kext.sh made for the 0.5.1 micro patcher. Replace the old version on you USB Installer. Boot into Big Sur, open Terminal app and call:

1.

/Volumes/Install\ macOS\ Big\ Sur/patch-kexts.sh -u

2. reboot again into Big Sur

3.

/Volumes/Install\ macOS\ Big\ Sur/patch-kexts.sh

You can do the same from the Recovery booted into the USB Installer using you VOLUME name of your Big Sur installation according to the docs of the micro patcher.

 

[sergiodadi]

If you want to do my a favour

With pleasure

check this version of the patch-kext.sh made for the 0.5.1 micro patcher. Replace the old version on you USB Installer. Boot into Big Sur, open Terminal app and call:

1.

/Volumes/Install\ macOS\ Big\ Sur/patch-kexts.sh -u

2. reboot again into Big Sur

Reboot OK

3.

/Volumes/Install\ macOS\ Big\ Sur/patch-kexts.sh

reboot again to have Ethernet / WIFI

 

[hvds]

I confirm that installation from "Basesystem fix" (createinstallmedia from 11.0.1 20B29 to a USB media, then BigSur BaseSystem legacy usb fix+fix2) works well to an installation target SSD on internal SATA.
I've removed my workhorse Catalina SSD from the internal SATA connector and put it aside, connected my BS SSD to SATA with an erased partition that I used for installation.
Booted the USB installer, used Hax3 from the green button on the main installer window, confirmed Hax3 with the button upper right.
Then started installation to the empty partition on internal BS SSD. Proceeded automatically through all three stages, then tried to boot BS (reboots due to missing patches).
Applied all patches, in my case via micropatcher 0.5.1 patch-kexts.sh (slightly modified to also contain night shift and USB mouse/keyboard usage without single-user booting). This is equivalent to using Legacy USB, framebuffer, snapshot and Frameworks fixes of "Basesystem fix" installer.
BS installed and post-install patched this way on an internal SSD boots and works fine. This is for a legacy USB MBP5,2.

The other option I have used successfully is with USB3 provided by a nanoTECH expresscard. One can't boot from these, so booting anything needs to start on on-board USB port, and when an installer stage then hangs due to legacy USB power problen (after 10-15sec), hot-swap to USB3 from where it continues.

Other MBP users have used a 2nd SATA port if available (e.g. for the internal DVD drive) for an additional SSD for BS.

At present there seems no software means working yet for continuing stage3 installation to a SSD connected to on-board USB of legacy USB machines.

Next is to check installation with a micropatcher-patched installer, to internal SSD. I guess I'll need to resort to USB3 for booting the USB installer itself, and for giving keyboard input to it.

I didn't use OpenCore in the process, maybe it will help with legacy USB as well, as it did for Catalina OTA updates.

Thanks jackluke and BarryKN for all your work. That provides BS installation even on legacy USB machines. Using the result in production of cause requires graphics acceleration.

Successfully installed 11.0.1 to MBP5,2 mid 2009 (a legacy USB machine), using "pure" (but slightly modified) BarryKN micropatcher 0.5.1.
Normally I use an installer patched with jackluke's "Basesystem Fix", with or without micropatcher's patch-kexts.sh for post installation patching.

"pure" micropatcher installation for legacy USB did require some tricks, including extra hardware in form of USB ports not subject to the legacy USB problem (I use a nanotech expresscard with two USB3 ports), and a USB keyboard and mouse. But it works. It is more a proof of existence than a practical proposal.

- create the BS installer with createinstallmedia and patch it with micropatcher.sh
- if the installer is a USB device, boot plugged into an on-board USB port. Need to boot with CMD+S
- hot-swap it to USB3 after some 10sec, and booting continues
-- if the installer is on a partition of the internal SATA disk, this is not needed
- need the USB keyboard in a USB3 port now just to type exit
- installer comes up on the display. Now need USB keyboard+mouse to operate it
- I used an internal SATA disk as installation target. All three installer stages proceed without extra intervention
-- if the target is on USB, this requires extra USB hotswaps at the start of stage2 and stage3 (CMD+S and USB keyboard in both cases)
- then booting installed BS needs patch-kext.sh first. Reboot into installer for this
- after the post-install patching, BS boots fine, USB (including for mouse/keyboard) works without CMDS+S / exit.

The latter because a patched IOHIDFamily.kext is included in the kexts of my modified copy of micropatcher. patch-kexts.sh modified accordingly.

 

[k.alexander]

Same issue with the 27gb of space during the installation. I actually have over 100GB after moving my Parallels image to an external disk, just to be sure. How did you manage the TM snapshots? Did you just turn TM off and wait a bit?

It's TimeMachine snapshots. Google how to delete them. I did a manual delete via terminal. Took me a few minutes to get rid of the 16 snapshots I had all from earlier that day.

 

[JMStearnsX2]

Nope, try again, probably another 3-5 years.
Just an example, the latest Intel mac is barely a few months old, normally Apple supports macs with a minimum 5 years OS compatibility.
I have 2 Macs from 2012, the last OS was still supported so about 8 years of support.
Apple will not support Intel that long but 100% sure more than what you said above.
My guess was above, 3-5 years.

I bought the Power Mac G5 a few months before the transition to Intel. I got ONE OS upgrade....

 

[justperry]

I bought the Power Mac G5 a few months before the transition to Intel. I got ONE OS upgrade....

*There are no model names and dates in your post, so, in a way your post means nothing.
Example, the mid/late 2012 cMBP was sold until November 2016, if you bought the day they released it it would have had 8 years of OS support, half that if you bought it in November 2016.

First Power Mac released was in November 2003, last OS it could run was OS X Leopard which was superseded by Snow Leopard in 2009, that's 6 years.

The transition was I think in the beginning of 2006, you bought it a few months earlier so you got almost 4 years support.

Back then there were no yearly OS Updates.

 

[Ausdauersportler]

With pleasure


View attachment 1673917



Reboot OK



View attachment 1673920

reboot again to have Ethernet / WIFI

More importantly the system should be able to sleep without panic and have AMD video acceleration enable, check with VideoProc. You need OpenCore

 

[justperry]

Is this 11.1

http://swcdn.apple.com/content/down...n9y64jk2jemzuy1oio5m85hm/InstallAssistant.pkg

I checked before, twas still /50/49/001, it changed now.

Downloading now.

Nope...I don't think so, odd actually, this was updated recently, a new 11.0.1?