macOS 12 Monterey on Unsupported Macs Thread

[giovyledzep]

What’s your current version of MacOS? 🤔

New SSD so nothing installed on the machine.
But I also tried with the old HD with El Capitan and the same happens.
Same thing also happens when I try to install Catalina with dosdude1's Catalina Patcher.
The computer just keeps booting over and over into Recovery Mode regardless of which volume is selected at Startup Manager.

It sounds like Infinite Recovery OS Booting listed here is what's happening? (https://dortania.github.io/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher/TROUBLESHOOTING.html#infinite-recovery-os-booting)
But if that's the case I don't really understand the instructions to fix. If I uninstall OpenCore from the USB I get the No Access sign at startup.

Thanks

 

[internetzel]

I am not sure, if I understand completely.

Q: Will OCLP>#5. Patcher Settings>#4. Boot Volume Settings>#1. Set FireWire Boot: Currently True

allow to successfully:
i) Install OpenCore to <not USB> external FireWire800/400 drive
ii) Boot from ext. FW drive
iii) Install Monterey from ext. FW drive

leading to the desired result of a working Monterey installation on internal Macintosh HD?

Clarification would be appreciated.

Thank you in advance, internetzel

Yes, those things should work.

 

[doris1997]

New SSD so nothing installed on the machine.
But I also tried with the old HD with El Capitan and the same happens.
Same thing also happens when I try to install Catalina with dosdude1's Catalina Patcher.
The computer just keeps booting over and over into Recovery Mode regardless of which volume is selected at Startup Manager.

It sounds like Infinite Recovery OS Booting listed here is what's happening? (https://dortania.github.io/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher/TROUBLESHOOTING.html#infinite-recovery-os-booting)
But if that's the case I don't really understand the instructions to fix. If I uninstall OpenCore from the USB I get the No Access sign at startup.

Thanks

You have to get High Sierra installed with all it’s latest updates then update High Sierra to Monterey (High Sierra installs a much needed firmware update) that is needed for all following versions of MacOS. ?

 

[likegadgets]

no issues here OCLP 0.3.3 OOKLA SpeedTest app thru Wi-Fi and Wired connections.

View attachment 1932194

What are the specs of your Mac? I tried downloading directly from Apple Store, and copying the APP from another Mac. It crashes instantly upon start. My MAC is a Retina Mid 2012, 2.7Ghz i7 same Intel Graphics. I had upgraded the Airport Card to the one in the 2013 with WiFi n and AC and bluetooth 4. Looks the issue is hardware specific (thought it ran OK in Catalina on the same machine. Everything else seems to be OK

 

[mwidjaya]

You have to get High Sierra installed with all it’s latest updates then update High Sierra to Monterey (High Sierra installs a much needed firmware update) that is needed for all following versions of MacOS.

Apparently, it is a good idea to have latest firmware - updated by OS updates (official supported ones).

This is the reason, on my 2012 mini, I keep a small separate partition running Catalina(last official OS for 2012 mini).

Catalina still gets security updates now and then, so recently I did this:
- shutdown, pull out OCLP USB stick
- boot with option-cmd-P-R (reset NVRAM)
- boot again with option held, select Catalina
- apply all software updates
- firmware got updated from 286.0.0.0.0 to 425.0.0.0.0
- shutdown, put back OCLP USB stick
- option boot and select EFI boot
- ctrl select Big Sur

Voila, back to regular programming.

SilentKnight is a nice little app that runs some useful checks.

SilentKnight, Skint, silnite, LockRattler, SystHist & Scrub

Skint – a watchful eye on security settings Updated! Checks key security settings and features including SIP, SSV, Gatekeeper, XProtect, XProtect Remediator and macOS security updates. Runs a…

eclecticlight.co

 

[MarvelFanboy58]

do not have artifacts/glites your MBP?

Dock, on the edges?

Ookla Speedtest also crashes in 12.1 on my late 2013 iMac 14,2

 

[doris1997]

Apparently, it is a good idea to have latest firmware - updated by OS updates (official supported ones).

This is the reason, on my 2012 mini, I keep a small separate partition running Catalina(last official OS for 2012 mini).

Catalina still gets security updates now and then, so recently I did this:
- shutdown, pull out OCLP USB stick
- boot with option-ctrl-P-R (reset NVRAM)
- boot again with option held, select Catalina
- apply all software updates
- firmware got updated from 286.0.0.0.0 to 425.0.0.0.0
- shutdown, put back OCLP USB stick
- option boot and select EFI boot
- ctrl select Big Sur

Voila, back to regular programming.

SilentKnight is a nice little app that runs some useful checks.

SilentKnight, Skint, silnite, LockRattler, SystHist & Scrub

Skint – a watchful eye on security settings Updated! Checks key security settings and features including SIP, SSV, Gatekeeper, XProtect, XProtect Remediator and macOS security updates. Runs a…

eclecticlight.co

Thanks for that information hopefully “giovyledzep” will read your reply as well! ?

 

[Breault720]

Apparently, it is a good idea to have latest firmware - updated by OS updates (official supported ones).

This is the reason, on my 2012 mini, I keep a small separate partition running Catalina(last official OS for 2012 mini).

Catalina still gets security updates now and then, so recently I did this:
- shutdown, pull out OCLP USB stick
- boot with option-cmd-P-R (reset NVRAM)
- boot again with option held, select Catalina
- apply all software updates
- firmware got updated from 286.0.0.0.0 to 425.0.0.0.0
- shutdown, put back OCLP USB stick
- option boot and select EFI boot
- ctrl select Big Sur

Voila, back to regular programming.

SilentKnight is a nice little app that runs some useful checks.

SilentKnight, Skint, silnite, LockRattler, SystHist & Scrub

Skint – a watchful eye on security settings Updated! Checks key security settings and features including SIP, SSV, Gatekeeper, XProtect, XProtect Remediator and macOS security updates. Runs a…

eclecticlight.co

I'm running the same system. Does anyone know if you do a VM install of Catalina if it can update the system firmware?

 

[patent10021]

TLDR version:
AFAICS, Main thing with SIP is to protect .kext, and if you are technically savvy enough to be having this discussion about it, you likely don't have to worry about disabling it if needed. You likely aren't going to be engaging in stupid behavior that puts you or your data risk...whether SIP is enabled or disabled. If you aren't in that category, you probably shouldn't be looking to run unsanctioned macOS versions on your unsupported HW in the first place...in which case, just go buy a new Mac and be done with it.

Agreed. But I'm not really keen on upgrading this 2014 MBP for a few of reasons.
- Most audio apps like Native Instruments are still using Rosetta2 so I'd be wasting $.
- My 2014 MBP runs smooth so why be forced to upgrade? (out of principle).
- I prefer 2nd gen.
- I'm waiting for 2022 M1 MBP without the notch?

Regarding SIP and risks. Is it correct to say that those risks are only relevant to unsigned apps? I guess it can apply to any kind of malware.

 

[jth4]

Hi everybody, just confirming the Monterey patch works fairly well on a Late 2012 MacMini. There are a few graphic artifacts around the dock and the edges of some windows, but it's pretty great otherwise. I can totally work with it! I just opened a fairly hefty Final Cut project and worked on it with no problems. Thanks!

 

[roysterdoyster]

Current system status: MBP4,1 on Monterey 12.2b build 21D5025f

Prepared 2 external drives for a Clean Install attempt of Monterey 12.2b on my MBP4,1 Early 2008 with OCLP 0.3.3 TUI:
1) FireWire800 (Boot from FireWire enabled and built to FW800-drive)
2) SanDisk Cruzer 128GB USB 2.0 Stick(as per a survey provided by K two)

Step 1: Check Boot into external drive
1) FW800->fail (Ø-Symbol) (Monterey Installer was selectable, then failed to load)
2) USB 2.0->OK (Monterey installer correctly showed panel "Time Machine Backup"/Monterey installation/..First Aid", would let me then proceed with installation screen.

I will report later in this thread on
Step 2: Clean Install attempt via SanDisk Cruzer USB 2.0 stick

Any advice on how to get FireWire to work, would be appreciated, as it is significantly faster. I would estimate by factor 2.

 

[cab_007]

I'm running the same system. Does anyone know if you do a VM install of Catalina if it can update the system firmware?

VM install of any OS running as guest would not update the firmware of the host.

 

[K two]

Current system status: MBP4,1 on Monterey 12.2b build 21D5025f

Prepared 2 external drives for a Clean Install attempt of Monterey 12.2b on my MBP4,1 Early 2008 with OCLP 0.3.3 TUI:
1) FireWire800 (Boot from FireWire enabled and built to FW800-drive)
2) SanDisk Cruzer 128GB USB 2.0 Stick(as per a survey provided by K two)

Step 1: Check Boot into external drive
1) FW800->fail (Ø-Symbol) (Monterey Installer was selectable, then failed to load)
2) USB 2.0->OK (Monterey installer correctly showed panel "Time Machine Backup"/Monterey installation/..First Aid", would let me then proceed with installation screen.

I will report later in this thread on
Step 2: Clean Install attempt via SanDisk Cruzer USB 2.0 stick

Any advice on how to get FireWire to work, would be appreciated, as it is significantly faster. I would estimate by factor 2.

• Research the F/W enclosures and their controller ICs, they may not boot APFS? The enclosures open easily or should. The controller is the biggest package on the board. Might save lots of effort por nada.

 

[roysterdoyster]

MacBookPro4,1 17-inch Early 2008 successful Clean Install of Monterey 12.2 Beta Build 21D5025f via OCLP 0.3.3 TUI Offline and external USB2.0 Stick SanDisk Cruzer 128GB.

Setup Assistant took 1hr+.
After Post-install patches less glitches than before after upgrade from Catalina>Big Sur->Monterey.

Thank you for everyone who helped me out with this Clean install.

 

[roysterdoyster]

• Research the F/W enclosures and their controller ICs, they may not boot APFS? The enclosures open easily or should. The controller is the biggest package on the board. Might save lots of effort por nada.

Will check and report back. I have 3 FW drives. With the USB 2.0 stick you recommended I accomplished the Clean Install via external USB, btw. Thank you, K two

 

[0134168]

Agreed. But I'm not really keen on upgrading this 2014 MBP for a few of reasons.
- Most audio apps like Native Instruments are still using Rosetta2 so I'd be wasting $.
- My 2014 MBP runs smooth so why be forced to upgrade? (out of principle).
- I prefer 2nd gen.
- I'm waiting for 2022 M1 MBP without the notch😎

Regarding SIP and risks. Is it correct to say that those risks are only relevant to unsigned apps? I guess it can apply to any kind of malware.

Really, get an M1.

 

[startergo]

Apparently, it is a good idea to have latest firmware - updated by OS updates (official supported ones).

This is the reason, on my 2012 mini, I keep a small separate partition running Catalina(last official OS for 2012 mini).

Catalina still gets security updates now and then, so recently I did this:
- shutdown, pull out OCLP USB stick
- boot with option-cmd-P-R (reset NVRAM)
- boot again with option held, select Catalina
- apply all software updates
- firmware got updated from 286.0.0.0.0 to 425.0.0.0.0
- shutdown, put back OCLP USB stick
- option boot and select EFI boot
- ctrl select Big Sur

Voila, back to regular programming.

SilentKnight is a nice little app that runs some useful checks.

SilentKnight, Skint, silnite, LockRattler, SystHist & Scrub

Skint – a watchful eye on security settings Updated! Checks key security settings and features including SIP, SSV, Gatekeeper, XProtect, XProtect Remediator and macOS security updates. Runs a…

eclecticlight.co

firmware can be updated manually:

Extract Firmware from OS X installer

Extract Firmware from OS X installer. GitHub Gist: instantly share code, notes, and snippets.

gist.github.com

 

[mwidjaya]

firmware can be updated manually:

Did not know that.

Learn something new. Thank you.

=========
Edit:

Thought about it more. Something was nagging at me.

- Method seems ok but it is a little more complicated than that
- Firmware update can be coming from full installer (like 11.6.2 which does not contain MM61.scap) or
- in 2012 mini's case it is a security update to 10.15.7

Security Update 2021-007 (Catalina) – Apple Support (AU)

This update is recommended for all users and improves the security of macOS.

support.apple.com

- Went unpacking though the contents of Security Update 2021-007 (Catalina)
- Found the correct EFI payload for 2012 mini, file called MM61.scap
- File identifier says 424.0.0.0.0

But my method of applying all software updates, got me to 425.0.0.0.0

Maybe some other update is getting EFI payload that gets it to 425.0.0.0.0

Hmnn, manual method remains tricky. Think will stick with applying all software updates to officially supported OS partition.

 

[K two]

Will check and report back. I have 3 FW drives. With the USB 2.0 stick you recommended I accomplished the Clean Install via external USB, btw. Thank you, K two

As others have reported createinstallmedia success w/ SanDisk USBs so this is good to know.

 

[EugW]

Converted the list to supported SMBIOS:

Mac-06F11F11946D27C5 - MacBookPro11,5
Mac-06F11FD93F0323C5 - MacBookPro11,4
Mac-0CFF9C7C2B63DF8D - MacBookAir9,1
Mac-112818653D3AABFC - Internal unit
Mac-112B0A653D3AAB9C - Internal unit
Mac-1E7E29AD0135F9BC - MacBookPro15,3
Mac-226CB3C6A851A671 - MacBookAir8,1
Mac-27AD2F918AE68F61 - MacPro7,1
Mac-35C5E08120C7EEAF - Macmini7,1
Mac-473D31EABEB93F9B - MacBookPro13,1
Mac-4B682C642B45593E - iMac18,1
Mac-50619A408DB004DA - Internal unit
Mac-53FDB3D8DB8CA971 - MacBookPro15,4
Mac-551B86E5744E2388 - MacBookPro14,3
Mac-5A49A77366F81C72 - Internal unit
Mac-5F9802EFE386AA28 - MacBookPro16,2
Mac-63001698E7A34814 - iMac19,2
Mac-65CE76090165799A - Internal unit
Mac-66E35819EE2D0D05 - MacBookPro13,2
Mac-747B1AEFF11738BE - Internal unit
Mac-77F17D7DA9285301 - iMac18,2
Mac-7BA5B2D9E42DDD94 - iMacPro1,1
Mac-7BA5B2DFE22DDD8C - Macmini8,1
Mac-827FAC58A8FDFA22 - MacBookAir8,1
Mac-827FB448E656EC26 - MacBookPro15,2
Mac-90BE64C3CB5A9AEB - Internal unit
Mac-937A206F2EE63C01 - MacBookPro15,1
Mac-937CB26E2E02BB01 - MacBookAir7,2
Mac-9394BDF4BF862EE7 - Internal unit
Mac-9AE82516C7C6B903 - MacBook9,1
Mac-9F18E312C5C2BF0B - MacBookAir7,1
Mac-A369DDC4E67F1C45 - iMac16,1
Mac-A5C67F76ED83108C - MacBookPro13,3
Mac-A61BADE1FDAD7B05 - MacBookPro16,4
Mac-AA95B1DDAB278B95 - iMac19,1
Mac-AF89B6D9451A490B - iMac20,2
Mac-B4831CEBD52A0C4C - MacBookPro14,1
Mac-B809C3757DA9BB8D - Internal unit
Mac-BE088AF8C5EB4FA2 - iMac18,3
Mac-C6F71043CEAA02A6 - Internal unit
Mac-CAD6701F7CEA0921 - MacBookPro14,2
Mac-CF21D135A7D34AA6 - Internal unit
Mac-CFF7D910A743CAAF - iMac20,1
Mac-DB15BD556843C820 - iMac17,1
Mac-E1008331FDC96864 - MacBookPro16,1
Mac-E43C1C25D4880AD6 - MacBookPro12,1
Mac-E7203C0F68AA0004 - MacBookPro16,3
Mac-EE2EBD4B90B839A8 - MacBook10,1
Mac-F60DEB81FF30ACF6 - MacPro6,1
Mac-FFE5EF870D7BA81A - iMac16,2

Given that the 2015 MacBook Air 13" and the 2017 MacBook Air 13" both are MacBookAir7,2, does this mean the 2015 will have a longer lifespan than usual, because it will get official updates just as long as the 2017 MacBook Air?

Or conversely, do you think the 2017 MacBook Air will have a shorter lifespan since it's essentially a 2015 MBA?

Or will the two machines get treated differently in terms of macOS support somehow? Note that MBA 2015 13" is EMC 2925 and MBA 2017 13" is EMC 3178.

Why is the Mac mini 2014 supported, but not the iMac 2014? They were literally introduced at the same moment.

The Mac mini 2014 was discontinued in 2018. The iMac 2014 was discontinued in 2015. Because of this, some of us have been postulating the Mac mini 2014 will get official macOS 13 support as well.

 

[roysterdoyster]

As others have reported createinstallmedia success w/ SanDisk USBs so this is good to know.

It is. It took me 4 days to get the desired result and only your advice solved the problem.

I did the whole clean install through OCLP 0.3.3 TUI Offline, from start to finish.

OCLP is fantastic.

 

[patent10021]

Really, get an M1.

I'm at the store now lol

 

[roysterdoyster]

After clean install of Monterey 12.2b latest build Silent Knight v1.1.7 gives a warning:

? Gatekeeper 94, 8.0 should perhaps be 181, 8.0

and

No Software updates available

How can it be solved?

Thanks for help in advance.

 

[mwidjaya]

How can it be solved?

Nothing to worry about, or do about it.

So if you see that your Mac’s Gatekeeper data is still stuck in the summer of 2016 with version 94, don’t worry about it: Catalina and Big Sur ignore that database now, and not only doesn’t the old version make any difference, but you can’t update it anyway. SilentKnight and LockRattler only report this for compatibility purposes.

Why is my Mac’s Gatekeeper data so out of date?

When you check the version of Gatekeeper data on a new Mac, why should it show one which was pushed by Apple nearly 5 years ago for El Capitan?

eclecticlight.co

 

[roysterdoyster]

Nothing to worry about, or do about it.

So if you see that your Mac’s Gatekeeper data is still stuck in the summer of 2016 with version 94, don’t worry about it: Catalina and Big Sur ignore that database now, and not only doesn’t the old version make any difference, but you can’t update it anyway. SilentKnight and LockRattler only report this for compatibility purposes.

Why is my Mac’s Gatekeeper data so out of date?

When you check the version of Gatekeeper data on a new Mac, why should it show one which was pushed by Apple nearly 5 years ago for El Capitan?

eclecticlight.co

Thank you, for your reply, mwidjaya, that's a relief. I read the article just now, thanks for pointing me to that.

Would you have another quick tip for me?

Safari 15.3 latest from Monterey 12.2b shows annoying behaviour, when I fire it up, it always starts with windows from the last session. I would like Safari to show a blank page, when I open Safari. That was my working preference before the fresh install of Monterey.
Is there a tweak for it?