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macOS 11 Big Sur on Unsupported Macs Thread
- Thread starter dosdude1
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I finally decided to try OCLP 1.5 on the myriad of ancient Macs I have that have been running on Catalina via the dosdude1 patcher. And to my surprise, things seem pretty stable for me on the following hardware:
Mac Mini 5,1
Macbook 5,1
iMac 8,1
Mac Pro 3,1
The biggest installation issues were the many freezes during the install process, but once they finally finished, things seem pretty OK. The graphics patchers seem to work well too. I have two Mac 3,1s and the current installation I'm typing on is a second drive on my daily driver machine, not my normal boot volume. I will try a permanent installation on my household media server (also a Mac Pro 3,1) later this weekend. I'll have to pull the bluetooth card first before doing that. If that goes well, I'll finally upgrade my main desktop Mac Pro 3,1.
Mac Mini 5,1
Macbook 5,1
iMac 8,1
Mac Pro 3,1
The biggest installation issues were the many freezes during the install process, but once they finally finished, things seem pretty OK. The graphics patchers seem to work well too. I have two Mac 3,1s and the current installation I'm typing on is a second drive on my daily driver machine, not my normal boot volume. I will try a permanent installation on my household media server (also a Mac Pro 3,1) later this weekend. I'll have to pull the bluetooth card first before doing that. If that goes well, I'll finally upgrade my main desktop Mac Pro 3,1.
Successfully updated Mac Pro 3,1 from 11.3 to 11.4 (install and update using OCLP 0.1.2)
The only problems I've noticed (in general, not specific to 11.4) are:
The only problems I've noticed (in general, not specific to 11.4) are:
- Rebooting - often freezes during boot, and need to restart.
- NBA 2k21 Arcade Edition won't open (and I suspect there would be other games with the same problem, but haven't tested):
There is a debate about whether bits 0x10 and 0x800 in csr-active-config prevent macOS updates.
Some people and webpages who really should know (e.g. https://osxlatitude.com/forums/topic/11553-how-do-i-disable-sip-system-integrity-protection/ ) are stating that 0x10 prevents updates period, and that 0x800 prevents incremental (but not full) OTA updates.
But other people are reporting that they've got those bits set, and that they're getting updates fine anyway!
If anybody is using SIP disabled most of the time, but is getting OTA updates (and especially incremental OTA updates) I'd be very interested to know your csr-active-config value (as reported by
I don't want to spam the whole list, so perhaps PM me.
Many thanks in advance for any replies!
Some people and webpages who really should know (e.g. https://osxlatitude.com/forums/topic/11553-how-do-i-disable-sip-system-integrity-protection/ ) are stating that 0x10 prevents updates period, and that 0x800 prevents incremental (but not full) OTA updates.
But other people are reporting that they've got those bits set, and that they're getting updates fine anyway!
If anybody is using SIP disabled most of the time, but is getting OTA updates (and especially incremental OTA updates) I'd be very interested to know your csr-active-config value (as reported by
nvram csr-active-config).I don't want to spam the whole list, so perhaps PM me.
Many thanks in advance for any replies!
In my quest for getting the most recent version of Big Sur to install on my MacPro 5,1 another milestone has been reached.
After erasing the HDD (connected via SATA2 bus) used for a successful installation of 11.3.1 after a failed update to 11.4 it seems to work some of the time. There was no way I could get it do anything useful by booting a 11.4 USB and formatting/installing it from there. What I did was format it from 11.2.3 (2.5" SSD connected via PCIe adapter) and run the installer after that.
After it does the normal reboots to install 1 of 6 things happen:
1. At 1/3 progress it will hang indefinitely.
2. At 1/3 it will show forbidden symbol.
3. At 1/3 it will slowly creep to 1/2 and hang indefinitely.
4. At 1/3 it will reboot for some reason.
5. At 1/3 it will do a resolution change, quickly finish up and go to login screen (success).
6. It won't even get to 1/3.
There seems to be no way to get anything higher than 11.2.3 to boot from the SSD... but that's fine since the HDD is only for "testing" purposes.
OCLP 0.1.4 was used.
After erasing the HDD (connected via SATA2 bus) used for a successful installation of 11.3.1 after a failed update to 11.4 it seems to work some of the time. There was no way I could get it do anything useful by booting a 11.4 USB and formatting/installing it from there. What I did was format it from 11.2.3 (2.5" SSD connected via PCIe adapter) and run the installer after that.
After it does the normal reboots to install 1 of 6 things happen:
1. At 1/3 progress it will hang indefinitely.
2. At 1/3 it will show forbidden symbol.
3. At 1/3 it will slowly creep to 1/2 and hang indefinitely.
4. At 1/3 it will reboot for some reason.
5. At 1/3 it will do a resolution change, quickly finish up and go to login screen (success).
6. It won't even get to 1/3.
There seems to be no way to get anything higher than 11.2.3 to boot from the SSD... but that's fine since the HDD is only for "testing" purposes.
OCLP 0.1.4 was used.
I have to say how IMPRESSED I am that 2008 machines can still run the latest OS unofficially.
I mean, think about it, these are early intel machines that are not the initial coreduo machines that were 32bit chips
I mean, think about it, these are early intel machines that are not the initial coreduo machines that were 32bit chips
Since upping to 11.4 on a Mini3,1 OCLP v.0.1.6 seeing your #1,2 and 5 with increasing frequency. Have to shut-down to recover. 😵💫
Looks like almost every 64bit intel Mac made can run macOS up to and including Big Sur. 😁
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Sadly the only 64bit PowerPC is excluded as well: the PowerMac G5.
And what about the iMac G5?Sadly the only 64bit PowerPC is excluded as well: the PowerMac G5.
I still have my PowerMac G5, I was going to pull the guts out of it and put a Mac Mini M1 inside just for a laugh.And what about the iMac G5?
Check in on the Catalina thread and do it right now and explain where this is less bumpy or more smoothly.
Try to figure out what exactly do you have to do today to get a recent security update of Catalina installed. You would be really surprised, especially when you discover and understand the new tools to be used.
No, this is the best tool we had in a decade because ít allows you to use Apple software, Apple software update, Apple security features in exactly the way Apple designed it.
I agree
The poster saying its bumpy is probably commenting on the lack of the os with patcher combined. I prefer this implementation of having them separate
I understand that having an daemon running checking on patches is a nice thing. OC was never meant to patch, it injects. And I am pretty sure that OCLP will offer a something to make the process more smoothy for systems needing patches. (How can one make using Apple software update more comfortable?)
The best thing is we have now an Open Source project and everybody capable and willing can make contributions and changes can even and/or provide his own version. We depend no longer on the limited time of a single (even if he is a really good) programmer to implement changes.
The @dosdude1 patchers have been generated in a community process as OCLP is right now. Nothing has really changed there.
I kinda agree but we should also try to understand why.
I could be wrong but Big Sur is more complicated under the hood compared to Catalina.
Some things were introduced that makes it harder to work around. Take one example, SSV (Sealed System Volume).
Big Sur’s Signed System Volume: added security protection – The Eclectic Light Company
It looks like we have the "exact same machine". I too have the Radeon HD 7950 and the same Broadcom chip - only difference seems to be the firmware - mine is version 5.106.98.102.31, yours is 7.77.11.1 - I'll look into updating that.
I als have a Samsung 970 Evo M.2. sitting idle, waiting for me to put it onto the Wings PX1 that I currently use to boot Catalina - I've been holding off updating my Big Sur beyond version 11.2.3.
Willem
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Has anyone tried to install BS 11.* & OpenCore 1.5 on a Mac with an OWC Aura Pro drive? I got my rMBP 10,1 to boot off the BS+OC USB stick OK and had a look around. BS 11.3.1 seemed to be working AOK
At a certain point, while still booted off the BS+OC USB stick, macOS offered to do an OTA update to BS 11.4 and, somewhat recklessly, I agreed. Basically it didn't work and I found myself going round in circles in Recovery mode.
I eventually rebooted off a Catalina installer USB stick. There seemed to be something wrong with the OWC SSD main drive. In Disk Utility one of the data volumes was greyed-out; when viewed in the simplified view in About This Mac > Storage, the OWC drive showed up as '?????'.
So I reformatted the internal OWC drive and reinstalled Catalina, and my data + settings using Migration Assistant, successfully. I'm thinking the OTA update while booted on the BS+OC USB stick was the problem. But maybe the OWC drive was the problem, I'd installed it a couple of days earlier and all had been OK with Catalina restored to it.
I'd appreciate any feedback on this before trying again.
At a certain point, while still booted off the BS+OC USB stick, macOS offered to do an OTA update to BS 11.4 and, somewhat recklessly, I agreed. Basically it didn't work and I found myself going round in circles in Recovery mode.
I eventually rebooted off a Catalina installer USB stick. There seemed to be something wrong with the OWC SSD main drive. In Disk Utility one of the data volumes was greyed-out; when viewed in the simplified view in About This Mac > Storage, the OWC drive showed up as '?????'.
So I reformatted the internal OWC drive and reinstalled Catalina, and my data + settings using Migration Assistant, successfully. I'm thinking the OTA update while booted on the BS+OC USB stick was the problem. But maybe the OWC drive was the problem, I'd installed it a couple of days earlier and all had been OK with Catalina restored to it.
I'd appreciate any feedback on this before trying again.
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I admit this isn't quite what you asked, however my iMac 14,2 has an OWC Mercury Electra 6G SSD in place of the original HDD and installing BS 11.4 with OCLP 0.1.5 worked great.
Good to know, thank you.
Right, particularly the connector socket, different shape on a rMBP 10,1. Formatting through disk utility was all pretty routine though. There may be other differences. I believe it draws more power but that's just hearsay from OWC. It may be to prevent people putting a new OWC SSD in an OWC Envoy external drive enclosure, which they say only works with the old Apple internal SSD. There's various scuttlebutt about that on the web.
Anyway, I'm giving it another shot now I have the recovery workflow all figured out, and know what not to do.
Hey Everyone,
I successfully patched my 2012 Mac Mini to Big Sur 11.1 using the "big-sur-micropatcher" tool back in November 2020. I've had no issues and things have been working great. However, I know MacOS Big Sur 11.4 was released last week and I have been thinking of upgrading. I was unsure what the best approach is to upgrade from my currently 'patched' MacOS 11.1 install to MacOS 11.4 would be?
Anyone that could offer any assistance or feedback would be greatly appreciated. Sorry in advance if this is a 'newb' question, as I've tried searching, and just got lost on the multiple pages on this specific discussion thread.
Thanks,
Asif
I successfully patched my 2012 Mac Mini to Big Sur 11.1 using the "big-sur-micropatcher" tool back in November 2020. I've had no issues and things have been working great. However, I know MacOS Big Sur 11.4 was released last week and I have been thinking of upgrading. I was unsure what the best approach is to upgrade from my currently 'patched' MacOS 11.1 install to MacOS 11.4 would be?
Anyone that could offer any assistance or feedback would be greatly appreciated. Sorry in advance if this is a 'newb' question, as I've tried searching, and just got lost on the multiple pages on this specific discussion thread.
Thanks,
Asif
It worked, now running OCLP off the hard drive. External monitor, Dell U3011 TB->DisplayPort working better than ever. No issues with Bluetooth or Wif-Fi, still has the original earlier version Broadcom card.
I think my first, failed, attempt while running it on the USB stick and trying to do an OTA update trashed the formatting on the internal OWC Aura SSD. If I were doing it again I'd not accept any OTAs while booted off the USB BS+OCLP stick.
Thanks y'all, this is way cool! 😙
I think my first, failed, attempt while running it on the USB stick and trying to do an OTA update trashed the formatting on the internal OWC Aura SSD. If I were doing it again I'd not accept any OTAs while booted off the USB BS+OCLP stick.
Thanks y'all, this is way cool! 😙
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The FAQ on the first post actually covers this:
Q: Where/how can I upgrade the Big Sur installation with upcoming releases?
A: Normally unsupported implies, that Apple locks out these Macs from the normal initial installation process as well as from the normal upgrade process. Currently only the option 1 (OpenCore Legacy Patcher) offers the possibility to use the (normal) Apple upgrade process (called OTA upgrades). Option 6 (Patched Sur) has a macOS updater inside its post-install app, and while it still requires the 12 GB InstallAssistant.pkg, it does not require a USB to upgrade. With all other versions, you have to go through the initial process, again. Download the recent InstallAssistant.pkg from Apple, create a USB installer, follow the instructions provided by the various patcher options.
So if you are in the situation to update think about migrating to OCLP which became the new de facto standard. It offers updating in the same way as with a supported system using the Apple software update process (I am biased!).
Possible Trojan virus delivered with Patched Sur patch? Has anyone else experienced this?
iMac14,2, Quad-Core Intel Core i7, 3.5 GHz (2013) - Operation system is on 1GB SSD, Home folder is on hard disk HGST 8TB (this is NOT a "Fusion Drive" arrangement)
A month ago, I successfully upgraded my iMac to macOS Big Sur Version 11.2.3 by using Patched Sur. Everything went smoothly. At that time I installed the "Patched Sur" app.
A couple of days ago I wanted to upgrade to Big Sur version 11.4. First I upgraded the app to Patched Sur v0.1.2 (64) and followed every step (including Terminal use) as described. I solely used Patched Sur v0.1.2 for downloading the necessary files for my upgrade.
This ended with an error screen saying Error 1x255 (see uploaded screenshot) I also tried to download and install USB on a USB thumb drive (64GB), but screen instructions did not show the thumb drive, but instead indicated that I should erase one of my hard disks.
Giving up until I could collect more information, I ran a virus scan with ClamXAV 3.3 and found the existence of a Trojan.OSX.Flashback which showed up for the first time. I also ran a confirmation wider range scan overnight, but found hat this was the only virus present. It was quarantined by ClamXAV and I proceeded to trash and delete it.
However, the interesting part is the information that came out about the path of this virus:
File Name Infection Name Status Current Path Original PathHax6.dylib Trojan.OSX.Flashback
Deleted /usr/local/lib/Patched-Sur-Patches/InstallerHax/Hax6/Hax6.dylib /usr/local/lib/Patched-Sur-Patches/InstallerHax/Hax6/Hax6.dylib
I hope to hear from others who also may have experienced this? And I am also wondering how to proceed with updating Big Sur to 11.4 after this? Obviously I am not eager to download more copies of this Trojan to my iMac.
iMac14,2, Quad-Core Intel Core i7, 3.5 GHz (2013) - Operation system is on 1GB SSD, Home folder is on hard disk HGST 8TB (this is NOT a "Fusion Drive" arrangement)
A month ago, I successfully upgraded my iMac to macOS Big Sur Version 11.2.3 by using Patched Sur. Everything went smoothly. At that time I installed the "Patched Sur" app.
A couple of days ago I wanted to upgrade to Big Sur version 11.4. First I upgraded the app to Patched Sur v0.1.2 (64) and followed every step (including Terminal use) as described. I solely used Patched Sur v0.1.2 for downloading the necessary files for my upgrade.
This ended with an error screen saying Error 1x255 (see uploaded screenshot) I also tried to download and install USB on a USB thumb drive (64GB), but screen instructions did not show the thumb drive, but instead indicated that I should erase one of my hard disks.
Giving up until I could collect more information, I ran a virus scan with ClamXAV 3.3 and found the existence of a Trojan.OSX.Flashback which showed up for the first time. I also ran a confirmation wider range scan overnight, but found hat this was the only virus present. It was quarantined by ClamXAV and I proceeded to trash and delete it.
However, the interesting part is the information that came out about the path of this virus:
File Name Infection Name Status Current Path Original PathHax6.dylib Trojan.OSX.Flashback
Deleted /usr/local/lib/Patched-Sur-Patches/InstallerHax/Hax6/Hax6.dylib /usr/local/lib/Patched-Sur-Patches/InstallerHax/Hax6/Hax6.dylib
I hope to hear from others who also may have experienced this? And I am also wondering how to proceed with updating Big Sur to 11.4 after this? Obviously I am not eager to download more copies of this Trojan to my iMac.
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