macOS 11 Big Sur on Unsupported Macs Thread

[Barry K. Nathan]

Thank you, but I cannot access the BS Recovery with Command + R. It crashes after screen becoming white from black.

Single-user mode is Command + S, not Command + R. (Of course, if there was a reason you were trying to boot to recovery instead of single-user and I missed it in your earlier posts, then never mind.)

 

[Aaron2020]

After a few tries I finally got Big Sur installed on a second partition on my MBP! Still figuring out WiFi, that looks fairly complicated. But hey, I'm one step closer to using it as my main OS once it's fully released.

Follow this for wifi https://medium.com/@andv/making-wif...d-macs-with-failed-with-66-error-36c98e3f7965

 

[telepati]

This is the method I used to make a USB Installer for Big Sur https://parrotgeek.com/bigsur/

Thank you. I tried and I got prohibited sign again. I also checked on the Install macOS Beta USB Contents/Resources Looks like everything ok. But still getting a prohibited sign.

@hvds I also create USB installer with @jackluke USBOpenCoreAPFSloader3 but even with that I am still get prohibited sign. I will look the posts you shared. Thank you. ?

 

[jackluke]

Thank you. I tried and I got prohibited sign again. I also checked on the Install macOS Beta USB Contents/Resources Looks like everything ok. But still getting a prohibited sign.

View attachment 929291

@hvds I also create USB installer with @jackluke USBOpenCoreAPFSloader3 but even with that I am still get prohibited sign. I will look the posts you shared. Thank you. ?

From a non-APFS (or any mac that uses Legacy IOUSB) you can't boot any USB BigSur external root DMG ramdisk devices, instead to install it on internal SATA disk you should do it from Catalina with ASentientBot Hax3.dylib: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...unsupported-macs-thread.2242172/post-28619108

or spoofing USBopencore to a supported Mac, for some reason OpenCore considers spoofing a MacBook7,1 as a supported Mac (not a MacBook7,1) because his spoofed specs results instead a MacBook10,1 (I attach an example check the version and board-id) that is a supported BigSur Mac.

Once you have installed BigSur on a non-APFS mac, you should from Catalina mount the Preboot and copy in this path /Volumes/UUID-BigSur/System/Library/CoreServices/ the BigSur prelinkedkernel fix.zip for com.apple.Boot.plist .

Then booting using USBopencore targeting your "BigSur Label - Data" (CMD+S, then type "exit").

This will allow to boot a non-APFS IOUSB legacy penryn Core2Duo BigSur, the steps are not simple, but if anyone found an easier method share it.

Another easy method is if you clone from a BigSur install or have an already installed BigSur on external USB disk: Example non-APFS IOUSB legacy external USB BigSur installation

 

[Alex-Microsmeta]

You should re-install from Catalina your BigSur using this: Hax2.dylib
then you can remove telemetry from BigSur single user mode.

Otherwise you can make from Catalina this: USBOpenCoreAPFSloader3.app.zip

If you use an external USB that contains an Installer or MacOS installation use "Near an USB device without erasing"

If you use an external empty USB drive without any multi-partition scheme example a 16 USB drive then use the second option, don't use second option on a multi-partition USB disk.

After reboot, hold alt-option key select usbopencore (with its icon) and pick your "Big Sug - Data" label to boot BigSur on unsupported mac.

Thank you! I Try both options
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In terms of ease of use, my patcher won't catch up to ParrotGeek's until maybe next week. (I plan to do a new release of my patcher, v0.0.5, today or tomorrow, but it will still be a little harder to use than ParrotGeek's.)

The catch right now with ParrotGeek's patcher is that his fork of Hax.dylib is functionally similar to ASentientBot's original Hax and not Hax2 or Hax3, and it does not try to prevent volume sealing. Otherwise I would just enthusiastically say, forget my patcher for the near future, use his instead. (I think I'm still going to update my readme to mention his patcher as an alternative to consider.)

Thank you! I try both options

 

[jborko]

To enable BigSur Wifi use this: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...unsupported-macs-thread.2242172/post-28595200

To enable BigSur speakers and mic use the file attached (stock from my HighSierra installation).

To install both properly follow these steps:

(possibly booting using usbopencoreapfsloader3 and the prelinkedkernel)

open a BigSur terminal and type:

sudo mount -uw / ; killall Finder

open /System/Library/Extensions/

replace from Finder in that path the IO80211Family.kext and AppleHDA.kext

return to terminal continue typing

sudo -s

chmod -R 755 /System/Library/Extensions/

chown -R 0:0 /System/Library/Extensions/

kextcache -i /

(this is required to update the prelinkedkernel)

kmutil install --update-all

(this is required to update the BootKernelExtensions.kc)

kcditto

(this is required to copy both the "kextcache" to the APFS Preboot)

at next reboot both should work on unsupported BigSur Mac.

Ok so it seems I made progress and managed to work through the 66 error by using @ASentientBot and @libneko guides. Thanks a lot for coming up with that.

@jackluke I was able to also go through the kext installation process afterwards too. And on a first glance all looks well, however after reboot, Audio situation is still the same - as if the kext is not installed properly (there is no option for Audio in system preferences)...

Catalina worked with the same kexts, so another approach might be needed here.

Just for clarity - I installed using OpenCore method (configuration very similar to the one that your tool creates) and I boot using opencore too (easier for me because of the display firing up only during the macOS loading)

 

[hvds]

This one, will have to check the chipset used (I think it was NEC but I have to look it up tomorrow).

edit:
See vendor/product ID screenshot. It is supported out of the box, no further kexts or plist mods required.
View attachment 929115

That looks good to me. Thanks! I've ordered one via ebay.com, about 35 USD.
My hope is that one can install BigSur to disks connected this way, which is currently not possible via on-board USB connectors of older MBPs (like my MBP5,2).
Though maybe jackluke and company find a software means like they did for OTA updates to Catalina for disks connected to USB of such machines.

 

[jackluke]

Ok so it seems I made progress and managed to work through the 66 error by using @ASentientBot and @libneko guides. Thanks a lot for coming up with that.

@jackluke I was able to also go through the kext installation process afterwards too. And on a first glance all looks well, however after reboot, Audio situation is still the same - as if the kext is not installed properly (there is no option for Audio in system preferences)...

Catalina worked with the same kexts, so another approach might be needed here.

Just for clarity - I installed using OpenCore method (configuration very similar to the one that your tool creates) and I boot using opencore too (easier for me because of the display firing up only during the macOS loading)

You should replace the HighSierra's AppleHDA.kext in /Volumes/BigSurSystemLabel/System/Library/Extensions/
but if you can't "mount -uw /" from BigSur single user mode or normal booting, then you should replace the AppleHDA.kext as @libneko Wifi kext replacing method, that is through snapshot booting.

My opencore config is mainly to quickly disable csrutil (SIP), platform check (board-id), amfi (library validation), telemetry (penryn core2duo kp), and to enable APFS driver and IOUSB legacy (non-APFS mac).

 

[AlexanderDev.]

hello guys,
im trying to get macOS Big Sur on my MacBook Air 2012. but with the installer I have I don't get the option to install on any disk. its just gray... somebody help?

 

[jborko]

You should replace the HighSierra's AppleHDA.kext in /Volumes/BigSurSystemLabel/System/Library/Extensions/
but if you can't "mount -uw /" from BigSur single user mode or normal booting, then you should replace the AppleHDA.kext as @libneko Wifi kext replacing method, that is through snapshot booting.

My opencore config is mainly to disable csrutil, platform check (board-id), amfi, telemetry, and to enable IOUSB legacy.

Thanks, I did manage to go through the replacement of the AppleHDA with Normal booting (from opencore - if that can be considered normal). Meaning I can "mount -uw /" and run the rm / cp commands into the BigSur /S/L/E/. But I think you are right in saying that it seems that BigSur boots from snapshot which is why the newly added kexts might not be loaded. (I am not sure if this conclusion makes sense)

I will try with @libneko snapshot boot method too.

 

[Aaron2020]

@hvds I also create USB installer with @jackluke USBOpenCoreAPFSloader3 but even with that I am still get prohibited sign. I will look the posts you shared. Thank you. ?

You missed 1 step thats why it's showing no entry sign.

If you installed big sur on a separate volume then boot into Catalina-> open terminal and run this command

sudo nvram boot-args="-no_compat_check"

Then boot into big sur.

or boot into recovery and run above command in terminal then boot into big sur

 

[jackluke]

@ASentientBot have you found a way to patch BigSur BaseSystem.dmg (740 MB) to ignore the invalid image root ramdisk verification ?

(Maybe through your patched boot.efi ?)

Because if can ignore this image verification, I guess I've added the legacy usb to a BootKernelExtensions.kc for non-APFS mac to use an external USB BigSur installer (with legacy usb).

Here is a kp log after altering the BaseSystem.dmg BootKernelExtensions.kc .

 

[nitinnk]

Making WiFi work on Big Sur unsupported Macs with “failed with 66” error

How to make wifi work on unsupported macs running Big Sur, if you have “failed with 66” error

medium.com

can someone help me? can you tell me if i should run these commands from the boot terminal or from the big sur terminal? thank you.

 

[MacHacJac]

I'm having trouble spoofing my MacBook Pro 8,1. Can someone send some steps so I know I'm doing it right?

 

[Larsvonhier]

hello guys,
im trying to get macOS Big Sur on my MacBook Air 2012. but with the installer I have I don't get the option to install on any disk. its just gray... somebody help?

If you click on the volume, and get error 3, then Hax.dylib is not working correctly. Check the terminal command again!

 

[MacHacJac]

In the Hax.dylib terminal command I see "zsh: exec format error: /Users/MyUsername/Hax.dylib". What went wrong and what should I do?

 

[MacHacJac]

I finally got it going using the hax.dylib method. It seems stuck at this point, though. Will update soon.

 

[Alex-Microsmeta]

Maybe you have some FileVault enabled , firmware password or Fusion drive ?

Because in that case BigSur uses another layer of Preboot, otherwise I don't know.

@jackluke, before trying your 2 suggested options, I was writing on a pendrive Olarila Big Sur raw image. It boots on BS recovery but hard disks are greyed like without @ASentientBot hax patch. I'm thinking that maybe Olarila installer could help you two to fix something. Now I'm reinstalling Big Sur using hax2 (never tryed before) then I will try to remove telemetry with BS internal and Olarila Recovery. If It will not work I will try again with your patch then I will report my results here ?

 

[jackluke]

@jackluke, before trying your 2 suggested options, I was writing on a pendrive Olarila Big Sur raw image. It boots on BS recovery but hard disks are greyed like without @ASentientBot hax patch. I'm thinking that maybe Olarila installer could help you two to fix something. Now I'm reinstalling Big Sur using hax2 (never tryed before) then I will try to remove telemetry with BS internal and Olarila Recovery. If It will not work I will try again with your patch then I will report my results here ?

BigSur USB Installer and Recovery work (only adding -no_compat_check) from any "HighSierra APFS Supported Mac", the issue is only for non-APFS mac that have legacy IOUSB devices.

Removing telemetry.plugin (or replacing kext) from a BigSur Recovery if you have "snapshots booting system" won't work, I mean the BigSur sealed System (snaphot booting) still have the telemetry.plugin on its locked image.

 

[timidpimpin]

Question... have Apple improved dark mode at all? I always found Mojave and Catalina dark mode to be too hard on my eyes, yet in Windows 10 their implementation isn't hard on my eyes at all.

 

[Minh_Ton]

@ASentientBot have you found a way to patch BigSur BaseSystem.dmg (740 MB) to ignore the invalid image root ramdisk verification ?

(Maybe through your patched boot.efi ?)

Because if can ignore this image verification, I guess I've added the legacy usb to a BootKernelExtensions.kc for non-APFS mac to use an external USB BigSur installer (with legacy usb).

Here is a kp log after altering the BaseSystem.dmg BootKernelExtensions.kc .

@jackluke Extract this zip and replace the boot.efi file in /Volumes/BigSurUSBLabel/System/Library/CoreServices with the patched one from ASentientBot to disable BaseSystem Verification =) I also got that Kernel Panic log when modifying BaseSystem without replacing the boot.efi file.

 

[tkukoc]

Im just going to throw this out there and no one may know and someone else might think it's a dumb question.. but.. can anyone recommend an external usb wifi adapter for mac mini 2012 that would work with Big Sur? Again obviously this is beta 1.. so I totally get if no one knows yet.. or again if its a dumb question.. just curious if anyone else is using something external on a similar unsupported machine? Thx as always.

 

[Aaron2020]

can someone help me? can you tell me if i should run these commands from the boot terminal or from the big sur terminal? thank you.

Step 0 and 1 in Big Sur terminal, rest in recovery mode terminal. Then final step in Big Sur terminal

 

[MacHacJac]

Thanks is it normal that the installer stays on 3 minutes left vor a long time ?

Yes it is normal. It happened to me too. Be patient

 

[BitVolcano]

Hi Everyone! I'm having trouble booting into BS. Every time I go to boot into it, it immediately crashes and continually goes into a boot loop. any chance someone could help me? also, I have not installed it yet, this is just booting into the installer. Im using a 2010 15' MBP, Nvidia GT350M, Core i5