macOS 14 Sonoma on Unsupported Macs Thread

[Sven G]

Yesterday, I experimented with installing a clean copy of macOS 14.4b5 on an external SSD, in order to verify if the VMware Fusion Applications menu problem was still present: and, indeed, the menu was still blank (completely grey), from the beginning, with a newly created admin user, also without any root patches installed; and the same with the latest OCLP 1.4.0n root patches installed: no difference. So this probably means that there is a problem between the version of the Electron framework used in the menu and macOS 14.4, maybe peculiar to my machine, who knows: very strange (and I haven’t found other reports of this particular issue: but let’s see with macOS 14.4 RC/final; and let’s hope that VMware will update the menu, if it is a common problem).

 

[cab_007]

Yesterday, I experimented with installing a clean copy of macOS 14.4b5 on an external SSD, in order to verify if the VMware Fusion Applications menu problem was still present: and, indeed, the menu was still blank (completely grey), from the beginning, with a newly created admin user, also without any root patches installed; and the same with the latest OCLP 1.4.0n root patches installed: no difference. So this probably means that there is a problem between the version of the Electron framework used in the menu and macOS 14.4, maybe peculiar to my machine, who knows: very strange (and I haven’t found other reports of this particular issue: but let’s see with macOS 14.4 RC/final; and let’s hope that VMware will update the menu, if it is a common problem).

Not sure if you took the latest Fusion update (13.5.1 (23298085)) but my fusion menu items are all there and I'm running -

Still have to manually force Discrete graphics mode before launching any hosts and I have disabled 3D acceleration of my guests via the vmx file configs.

 

[Sven G]

Yes, it is the latest VMware Fusion 13.5.1. On my MBP11,3, OTOH, it is not necessary to force discrete graphics and 3D acceleration works (except for paravirtualized macOS guests). It is only the Applications menu that doesn’t work, since the 14.4 betas (it was fine in 14.3.1)…

 

[MacinMan]

Yes, it is the latest VMware Fusion 13.5.1. On my MBP11,3, OTOH, it is not necessary to force discrete graphics and 3D acceleration works (except for paravirtualized macOS guests). It is only the Applications menu that doesn’t work, since the 14.4 betas (it was fine in 14.3.1)…

@Sven G As @rbart mentioned Parallels is claimed to work better on patched Macs vs VMWare. Have you tried it to see if this is the case? I don't want to pay for a license if it's not going to make a difference.

 

[wp591]

I recently watched a video on YouTube on upgrading my unsupported. iMac late 2015, to the latest Sonoma using open core legacy patcher

And was hoping someone had knowledge of how to get out of this loop I'm stuck in

So I followed the YouTube video, which all seem to recommend the same route, I downloaded the Sonoma iOS installer on a 16 GB flash. USB then followed the software

But after installing the OS now in some form of loop, where it installs the Sonoma iOS, then restart back to Butta, which has the four options, see screenshot attached

After googling, I tried holding the option key after restarting the Mac, but once the options appear, they quickly disappear after a few seconds and reload the initial boot up page shown in screenshot


Hoping someone knew the way I can wipe my hard drive clean (one terabyte fusion drive) and start the whole process over again. Something has clearly gone wrong in the set up.

Thank you for any advice as I can't see any help on YouTube for this or even on Google

– I can't upload the screenshot as it says the file is too big, but it is just that recovery menu of four options:

Restore from time machine
Install Mac iOS Sonoma
Safari
Disc utility

I also tried removing the USB flash drive but the iMac wouldn't even load up then and it just said to contact Apple Support so I plugged it back in, but I'm at the same problem of those four options only and every time I try installing the OS Sonoma reverse back to the same options

I also tried holding command, option and are on preop in hope to restore the hard drive back to factory settings, and I also tried just with command and all, but I didn't work and just loaded those four options again


– Apologise for any typing errors, I have to use voice dictation as I cannot type

 

[Sven G]

Well, Parallels Desktop has always been faster than VMware Fusion for Windows guests; and it also has better support for macOS guests (for which it even supports Coherence, the equivalent of Unity view); while for Linux guests there’s a caveat: as it doesn’t use the Open VM Tools, the Parallels Tools install sometimes can fail for new distributions, for which support hasn’t been added yet.

Anyway, there’s a 14-day trial period available, so one can test it and see if it works:

Free 14-day trial of Parallels Desktop for Mac | Apple M1, M2, M-series compatible

Get our latest version with over 20 powerful new features to boost performance and your productivity. Optimized for Apple M series chips and the latest Mac release.

www.parallels.com

You could try it first, maybe…?

BTW, there’s also a Mac App Store edition, but with some limitations (it’s sandboxed):

KB Parallels: What is the difference between Parallels Desktop App Store Edition and Standard Edition?

®

kb.parallels.com

 

[MacinMan]

Well, Parallels Desktop has always been faster than VMware Fusion for Windows guests; and it also has better support for macOS guests (for which it even supports Coherence, the equivalent of Unity view); while for Linux guests there’s a caveat: as it doesn’t use the Open VM Tools, the Parallels Tools install sometimes can fail for new distributions, for which support hasn’t been added yet.

Anyway, there’s a 14-day trial period available, so one can test it and see if it works:

Free 14-day trial of Parallels Desktop for Mac | Apple M1, M2, M-series compatible

Get our latest version with over 20 powerful new features to boost performance and your productivity. Optimized for Apple M series chips and the latest Mac release.

www.parallels.com

You could try it first, maybe…?

BTW, there’s also a Mac App Store edition, but with some limitations (it’s sandboxed):

KB Parallels: What is the difference between Parallels Desktop App Store Edition and Standard Edition?

®

kb.parallels.com

Thanks, yes, was aware of the trial was just mainly asking about accelerated graphics and patched systems. I could test it on a separate install and thanks for the heads up about Linux. Linux is also important to me. I'll consider giving the trial a run to see how it does.

 

[Sven G]

Accelerated graphics in Windows and Linux guests works well on my machine with both Parallels and Fusion, but it might be different on yours: that’s why it’s important to test with the trial version. BTW, yesterday I tried the new KDE Neon release with KDE Plasma 6: being too new, Parallels Tools failed to install; but in Fusion it worked flawlessly (with the usual open-vm-tools-desktop package). Both have pros and cons: Parallels probably is better for Windows and macOS guests, while Fusion might be better for testing new Linux distros. Only a personal opinion, of course…

 

[rbart]

@Sven G As @rbart mentioned Parallels is claimed to work better on patched Macs vs VMWare. Have you tried it to see if this is the case? I don't want to pay for a license if it's not going to make a difference.

You can use trial version

 

[wp591]

I wasn't sure where else to ask this question, but I recently watched a video on YouTube on upgrading my unsupported. iMac late 2015, to the latest Sonoma using oclp:

And was hoping someone had knowledge of how to get out of this loop I'm stuck in


So I followed the YouTube video, which all seem to recommend the same route, I downloaded the Sonoma os installer on a 16 GB flash. USB then followed the oc video


But after following installing the OS it's now in some form of loop, where it installs the Sonoma, restart back to the 4 option menu, which has the four options,

Restore from Time Machine

Install Mac OS X, OS

Safari

Disc utility

After googling, I tried holding the option key after restarting the Mac, which I didn't do when following that initial video at the beginning.

but once the boot picker, options appear, they quickly disappear after a 2 seconds and reload the initial boot up page

so I can't select my hard drive



Would my best option be to go to utility and wipe the fusion drive clear but then how would I be able to boot up again and install the original Monterey OS because the USB is already set as the boot Drive and when I remove the USB I just get error and to contact Apple Support With no options


Thank you for any advice as I can't see any help on YouTube for this or even on Google

– I can't upload the screenshot as it says the file is too big, but it is just that recovery menu of four options: ^^

 

[MacinMan]

Thanks for the suggestions, will certainly keep them in mind. I also may stick with Monterey as host for a while and do another Sonoma VM as most of my compatibility needs will also work that way. I noticed on Ventura and Sonoma, that Audacity reports incompatible plugins while on Monterey it does not, so I'm not sure what's up with that. I'm thankful that the issues I have are few and easy to work with. Just wanting to find the best all around solution.

 

[eminemmm]

Installed on MacBookPro 8,1 ( early 2011).
Patched with OCLP 1.2.0-n
Everything works well.

How does it feel with fast fan all the time and slow processor

 

[houser]

Both have pros and cons: Parallels probably is better for Windows and macOS guests, while Fusion might be better for testing new Linux distros. Only a personal opinion, of course…

I do not have very sophisticated needs these days, but I run VirtualBox for dev stuff on Win 10-11 and various Linux distros regularly with no issues at all. .... and VB is of course free
I assume that degrees of acceleration is key for other types of serious use.
Ah well. This is on a rMBP 10,1 mid 2012 with latest stable Sonoma and OCLP. 1.3.0 YMMV

 

[macpro_mid2014]

I recently watched a video on YouTube on upgrading my unsupported. iMac late 2015, to the latest Sonoma using open core legacy patcher

And was hoping someone had knowledge of how to get out of this loop I'm stuck in

So I followed the YouTube video, which all seem to recommend the same route, I downloaded the Sonoma iOS installer on a 16 GB flash. USB then followed the software

Which OCLP version are you using?

But after installing the OS now in some form of loop, where it installs the Sonoma iOS, then restart back to Butta, which has the four options, see screenshot attached

Did you remove the USB stick after installing Sonoma?

Hoping someone knew the way I can wipe my hard drive clean (one terabyte fusion drive) and start the whole process over again. Something has clearly gone wrong in the set up.

Restore from time machine
Install Mac iOS Sonoma
Safari
Disc utility

You can wipe the drive clean by using Disk Utility in the above menu!

I also tried removing the USB flash drive but the iMac wouldn't even load up then and it just said to contact Apple Support so I plugged it back in, but I'm at the same problem of those four options only and every time I try installing the OS Sonoma reverse back to the same options

After Sonoma installation, the first boot menu with Alt pressed should show EFI Boot (OpenCore) and your Sonoma disk. Choose EFI Boot and then, in the second menu, your Sonoma disk.

 

[MacinMan]

I do not have very sophisticated needs these days, but I run VirtualBox for dev stuff on Win 10-11 and various Linux distros regularly with no issues at all. .... and VB is of course free
I assume that degrees of acceleration is key for other types of serious use.
Ah well. This is on a rMBP 10,1 mid 2012 with latest stable Sonoma and OCLP. 1.3.0 YMMV

My needs / wants change from basic to specific and that's why it's harder for me to adapt to the open core drawbacks as a whole. I'm also following the Linux on Mac macrumors thread so i might start inquiring more over there going forward about my needs.

 

[Dummymac]

Which OCLP version are you using?

Did you remove the USB stick after installing Sonoma?

You can wipe the drive clean by using Disk Utility in the above menu!

After Sonoma installation, the first boot menu with Alt pressed should show EFI Boot (OpenCore) and your Sonoma disk. Choose EFI Boot and then, in the second menu, your Sonoma disk.

I have the same problems as WP591 in installing Sonoma in my late-2014 iMac. When taking the second option “Install macOS Sonoma” , the screen shows only the USB flash drive which has just 170.4 MB available, in which I have already installed OCLP EFI Boot. Command “Continue “ greys out. No more proceeds.
If I wipe the 1 TB Fusion Drive with Disk Utility, can I get all the documents back from the iCloud drive? Currently I got problem in connecting Timemachinebackup in WDMycloud as well!

 

[mikelets456]

FYI---
I have a 11,4 with OCLP 1.3.0 and was on 13.2.1....all was good for about 4-5 weeks then I kept getting random freezes and shut downs. Updated tp 13.3.1 and all is good:

--- Since updating to Ventura from the original Monterrey OS, I never had an option for "battery conditioning" so I have been using Al Dente. For some reason (I can't verify 100%) I believe that Al Dente was causing conflicts with my laptop. Ever since disabling Al Dente this machine flies and reacts amazingly quick. It could be 13.3.1 but it hasn't been this snappy since originally having Monterrey.

---Also, when I disabled live wallpapers a few months back that helped quite a bit.

 

[SPJones]

Running Sonoma 14.3 on Late 2013 iMac, and most of the time it's pretty good.

But when the Mac sleeps, there are often missing Menu Bar icons and sometimes programs crash, both native Mac apps like Pages and others like FF.

Any tips to rectify the above, or is Sonoma just maybe one release too far for this lovely old machine?

 

[MacinMan]

Running Sonoma 14.3 on Late 2013 iMac, and most of the time it's pretty good.

But when the Mac sleeps, there are often missing Menu Bar icons and sometimes programs crash, both native Mac apps like Pages and others like FF.

Any tips to rectify the above, or is Sonoma just maybe one release too far for this lovely old machine?

I would start by recommending against sleeping a desktop. Just let the display turn off while idle but let the computer idle / run, or shut down and turn it completely off. A desktop computer doesn't need the sleep function like a portable does.

 

[houser]

>> But when the Mac sleeps, there are often missing Menu Bar icons and sometimes programs crash, both native Mac apps like Pages and others like FF.

Known issue. I see it too. Hopefully will be fixed at some point please or so.

 

[olad]

FYI---
I have a 11,4 with OCLP 1.3.0 and was on 13.2.1....all was good for about 4-5 weeks then I kept getting random freezes and shut downs. Updated tp 13.3.1 and all is good:

--- Since updating to Ventura from the original Monterrey OS, I never had an option for "battery conditioning" so I have been using Al Dente. For some reason (I can't verify 100%) I believe that Al Dente was causing conflicts with my laptop. Ever since disabling Al Dente this machine flies and reacts amazingly quick. It could be 13.3.1 but it hasn't been this snappy since originally having Monterrey.

---Also, when I disabled live wallpapers a few months back that helped quite a bit.

I had problems with AlDente on my 11,4 also. There were various conflicts, and if I did not unplug the charger, the battery charge would climb to 100%. I installed Charge Limiter https://github.com/godly-devotion/charge-limiter/releases and have had no problems since. Charge stays at 75% (my setting) whether the laptop is plugged itno power or not. A real case of 'set it and forget it'.

 

[olad]

I do not have very sophisticated needs these days, but I run VirtualBox for dev stuff on Win 10-11 and various Linux distros regularly with no issues at all. .... and VB is of course free
I assume that degrees of acceleration is key for other types of serious use.
Ah well. This is on a rMBP 10,1 mid 2012 with latest stable Sonoma and OCLP. 1.3.0 YMMV

Virtualbox had limitations on the amount of memory allocated to graphics (that may have changed). Parallels is arguably the best of the VM software, but Fusion runs a close second; both are way better than VirtualBox in my opinion. Fusion has the advantage of having a free version that has no baggage the way Parallels supposed free version has. For me, VMWare Fusion is the VM to use.

 

[mikelets456]

Delete

 

[K two]

macOS 14.4RC1 is now available OTA.

 

[K two]

macOS 14.4RC1 installed OTA atop b5, OCLP v1.4.0n, runs same as b5 and as expected.
👋