macOS 15 Sequoia on Unsupported Macs Thread

[houser]

After many attempts I am coming to believe nothing is going to work, and that the Imac is bricked

Unlikely IMHO.
Do you have access to another Mac?
Have you tried creating a USB Mac installer with OCLP and boot from that EFI and see if you can get to the recovery? Use the same OS that you have on your main drive.

If that boots, use the OCLP EFI on the USB to try to boot your regular OS installation. If not you can try running disk utility from the USB.
Unless you have really valuable stuff on the drive that you want to try to recover. Then do not touch the drive until a specialist has had a look. Good luck.

 

[PropClear]

Newest nightly is named 2.0.2 from today and solved some smaler issues on some of my macs - fyi

 

[ronton3]

Unlikely IMHO.
Do you have access to another Mac?
Have you tried creating a USB Mac installer with OCLP and boot from that EFI and see if you can get to the recovery? Use the same OS that you have on your main drive.

If that boots, use the OCLP EFI on the USB to try to boot your regular OS installation. If not you can try running disk utility from the USB.
Unless you have really valuable stuff on the drive that you want to try to recover. Then do not touch the drive until a specialist has had a look. Good luck.

I have a Catalina usb but not from OCLP, that I have tried and still froze.

i cant believe what just happened, just before I started responding to this post I tried again for safe mode and here it is. Asking for my password and the mouse and keyboard are not working, i will try to find a plugin board.
it is still the same odd screen that i earlier.
i don’t have another Mac.

 

[nekton1]

It seems that 2.0.2 does NOT solve the iMessages icloud hanging problem on the MBP 13,3. Clicking System Settings - iCloud - Messages - Sync Now seems to sync after some time showing a Status message Synced at (time and date), but launching iMessages app results in an immediate hang and App not responding. This time I left it in that state for a few minutes and now a Sign in to iMessages with your Apple Account window has popped-up. I have signed-in and the spinner is spinning endlessly. I'll leave it and see if it ever manages to sign. No, now it is showing An unknown error occurred in red at the same sign-in window. I'll try again. Still spinning. No same failure with same red error message. iMessages still broken on this MBP 13,3.
Just FYI, Notes is not working either, although iCloud - Notes shows 32.5 MB of data. Access iCloud Data on the Web is set to on. Private Relay is off and Advanced Data Protection is off. Will try signing out of iCloud and then in again.
There is also a message showing in System settings saying Some iCloud Data isn't Syncing.
After signing out of iCloud, Messages changed from the hung App not responding state back to the Sign in to iMessages with your Apple Account window. Will try to sign-in again. This time I got the 2FA six-digit code almost instantly and the sign-in succeeded.
Messages is now showing a list of messages with the latest entry on Tuesday. Will see if I can read other Messages without it hanging. Nope, it immediately beachballs and a right click on the Messages app in the Dock shows Application Not Responding. Force quit the iMessages app and launched it and it went straight back to Application Not Responding again
Some sort of sync and sign-in issue.
As an addendum. Just tried to sign-in to iCloud through normal System Settings - Apple account and that is pooched too with endless spinner. This is completely f***ed. First, it asked me for my iPhone login and then it said it failed to sign-in and now it's showing I am signed-in!
Maybe Sequoia is a "Bridge Too Far" for this MBP 13,3 and I think I'm going back to Sonoma at the W/E because it had none of these issues.

 

[Kevo]

It seems that 2.0.2 does NOT solve the iMessages icloud hanging problem on the MBP 13,3.

I haven't tried moving to Sequoia yet, but since there aren't a bunch of others reporting iCloud issues I would say it could be something with the local iCloud cache or user account. If it were me I would consider logging out and setting up a new local computer user from scratch and then trying to log in to iCloud with that account.

I have had issues with iCloud in Ventura and Sonoma on my mid 2012 MBP when updating and I did have to futz around with cache and logging in and out at some point on both of those OS. Luckily I didn't lose many messages on my Mac. I don't sync my iMessages through iCloud though. Only locally which has always worked quite well for me. I do sync a few other things with iCloud and those have been fine with losses when futzing around with upgrade issues.

 

[nekton1]

I haven't tried moving to Sequoia yet, but since there aren't a bunch of others reporting iCloud issues I would say it could be something with the local iCloud cache or user account. If it were me I would consider logging out and setting up a new local computer user from scratch and then trying to log in to iCloud with that account.

I have had issues with iCloud in Ventura and Sonoma on my mid 2012 MBP when updating and I did have to futz around with cache and logging in and out at some point on both of those OS. Luckily I didn't lose many messages on my Mac. I don't sync my iMessages through iCloud though. Only locally which has always worked quite well for me. I do sync a few other things with iCloud and those have been fine with losses when futzing around with upgrade issues.

Thanks for the suggestion Kevo. I'll try that at the W/E. There are two other people on this forum who have both had Messages issues with the MBP 13,3 but one reported that OCLP 2.0.1 solved it and s/he has not reported again. I do have a 12" MacBook 9,1 that is on Sequoia 15.0 and does not have these issues.

 

[grillp]

There are two other people on this forum who have both had Messages issues with the MBP 13,3

I also had this issue with OCLP 2.0.1 on a 14,3 MBP. I have only tried upgrading from a OCLPed Ventura install, so not a clean install.
I have not tried logging out of iCloud yet, but can try that next. I know that if I try an disable iMessage in the iCloud settings it beachballs. I decided not to log out as @nekton1 reported he could not log back in again.

I have not tried the nightly OCLP versions as I don't know where to downloar them from. Can someone point me in the right direction? I will give it a go.

I now did a fresh second OCLPed Ventura install on the same drive, but if I tried to restore from a TimeMachine backup it would boot loop, so had to do a clean install of that. In that one iMessages works, but for some reason and non-iMessage SMS text message no longer shows up. only true iMessage messages. I wonder if that has something to do with me already having upgraded to Sequoia, (although it beach balls) and some setting being change in iCloud to now indicate RCS support, which means they no longer come in my venture?

 

[internetzel]

I have a Catalina usb but not from OCLP, that I have tried and still froze.

i cant believe what just happened, just before I started responding to this post I tried again for safe mode and here it is. Asking for my password and the mouse and keyboard are not working, i will try to find a plugin board.
it is still the same odd screen that i earlier.
i don’t have another Mac.

Well, like I've told you before - if neither NVRAM reset not SMC reset helps, then it probably is a hardware issue with the GPU on the mainboard.
You might try running AHT, by keeping the 'D' key or option-D pressed while powering on - that might tell you whether there are problems with the GPU.

You could still try to remove RAM modules, to see whether one if them is faulty. But the problems seem to point more in the direction of the GPU and its own memory.

 

[nekton1]

I also had this issue with OCLP 2.0.1 on a 14,3 MBP. I have only tried upgrading from a OCLPed Ventura install, so not a clean install.
I have not tried logging out of iCloud yet, but can try that next. I know that if I try an disable iMessage in the iCloud settings it beachballs. I decided not to log out as @nekton1 reported he could not log back in again.

I have not tried the nightly OCLP versions as I don't know where to downloar them from. Can someone point me in the right direction? I will give it a go.

I now did a fresh second OCLPed Ventura install on the same drive, but if I tried to restore from a TimeMachine backup it would boot loop, so had to do a clean install of that. In that one iMessages works, but for some reason and non-iMessage SMS text message no longer shows up. only true iMessage messages. I wonder if that has something to do with me already having upgraded to Sequoia, (although it beach balls) and some setting being change in iCloud to now indicate RCS support, which means they no longer come in my venture?

In the end, I formatted the 13,3 disk and did a clean USB install of 14.7.1. and all the problems are gone. Towards the end of the Sequoia testing I also noticed that screen sharing by pushing the mouse from another M2 Mac through the screen edge to the MBP 13,3 screen was non-functional and I could not get the 13,3 MBP screen to appear either as an extended desktop on the M2 MM or as a screen with linked keyboard and mouse. Also there was some issue with disks and folder icons on the 13,3 desktop appearing about 2 cm to the left of the normal position at the left edge.
Sadly, it seems OCLP has a bit of work still to do for the MBP 13,3 to be fully functional but good first attempt. This model with T1 chip was difficult to support in early Sonoma versions but I am sure it will get there soon.

 

[ronton3]

Well, like I've told you before - if neither NVRAM reset not SMC reset helps, then it probably is a hardware issue with the GPU on the mainboard.
You might try running AHT, by keeping the 'D' key or option-D pressed while powering on - that might tell you whether there are problems with the GPU.

You could still try to remove RAM modules, to see whether one if them is faulty. But the problems seem to point more in the direction of the GPU and its own memory.

When I hold down D and optionedD I get the same message error x80000000003, cannot load EFI/Drivers/TestSupport.efi. Status 0x000000003
Please tell me what that means.

 

[roysterdoyster]

The new Terminal command

sudo xprotect update

delivers the message "no update needed, already up to date"
although SilentKnight lists "XProtect 5273 should be 5275"

Does anyone know what's going on here?

 

[Oleg_L]

Keynote crashes on iMac15,1 Sequoia +OCLP 2.0.1. It crashes immediately on drawing a straight line.

Same on MBP 8.1 (early 2011). MS office apps (word, excel, powerpoint) are working fine.

 

[grillp]

@nekton1 , can you point me to where i can download the nightlies for OCLP?

 

[internetzel]

When I hold down D and optionedD I get the same message error x80000000003, cannot load EFI/Drivers/TestSupport.efi. Status 0x000000003
Please tell me what that means.

According to what I could find online, this means that the AHT won't work anymore on your machine because Apple broke that with some firmware update.
Nothing you could do to fix that unfortunately.

 

[johnrak]

I installed 15.0 on my 2011 iMac (specs in signature) using OCLP 2.0.1 on a new disk.

During the installation I got an error and restarted manually the iMac to continue.
I named the disk "Macintosh" but after the installation the System was renamed to "Macintosh - Data" and the Data partition was named "Macintosh - Data - Data". I don't know if it's an issue or not.

The computer froze one time and I hold its button to turn it off. Maybe it had to do with Safari which uses too much resources. Most of the apps work fine.

Working: brightness control, live text
Not working: Dynamic wallpaper
Here is the list of post install patches.

I will continue to test it but I don't think I could stick with it. Orcaslicer is using too much CPU and it's an app I cannot replace for now. Is it something that could be fixed?

 

[Ready-for-Apple]

but after the installation the System was renamed to "Macintosh - Data" and the Data partition was named "Macintosh - Data - Data".

This usually happens if you have not deleted your data partition beforehand. So there must be something wrong if you say you used a new hard disk. Have you also formatted it?

However, this is only an optical error. I have already written about this:

Secure downgrade without losing Data
[tested on macOS 14 Sonoma – no responsibility]

Since the question of downgrading while retaining your own data is often asked, I have summarized my procedure for you over an hour.

As always, back up data and settings beforehand, preferably in two different ways. Programs such as TimerMachine, Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper could be useful for this.

👉🏻 Before you start, please read these instructions carefully.

1. Starting macOS from the "macOS Installer" USB stick
2. Start the macOS installer
3. Start the disk utility
4. In the menu bar, click on "Display" then on "Show all devices"
5. Now delete ONLY the actual volume where the system is installed, usually "Macintosh HD" (named "macOS SSD MB14" in my photo)
   ❗️ DO NOT DELETE the entire volume group or the volume that ends with "Data"!
6. Exit Disk Utility now (❗️ ONLY Disk Utility)
7. Now install the desired macOS
8. After everything is installed, open Disk Utility - either in Recovery mode or again with the USB stick "macOS Installer"
9. Now you will surely see the system volume as "Macintosh HD - Data" and the data volume as ""Macintosh HD - Data - Data".
   Simply change this as follows:
   1. Right-click on "Macintosh HD - Data" and then on "Rename". Now change the name to "Macintosh HD" or whatever you like; in any case WITHOUT "-Data" in the name. Click "enter".
   2. Then also right-click on "Macintosh HD - Data -Data" and then on "Rename". Now change the name to "Macintosh HD - Data" or whatever you like; in any case WITH "-Data" in the name. Click "enter".
   3. Check again that the name changes are correct:
      1. Macintosh HD
      2. Macintosh HD - Data
10. Now exit the recovery program/macOS installation
11. Reboot

I used this to downgrade from an early version of Sonoma to Ventura - and also within Sonoma from a newer to an older version.


Hope this helps! 👍🏻

 

[Ready-for-Apple]

Need your help/ideas:
Whenever I have two macOS versions installed on my unsupported MacBook Pro with OCLP, I always have the problem that iCloud displays a issue when I switch from one system to the other and I have to log in to iCloud again each time.
This happens every time I switch from one macOS version to another. I've had this problem at least since macOS Sonoma.

I currently have macOS 14.7 installed on the internal SSD and macOS 15.0 installed on the external SSD (Samsung T7) the day before yesterday.

👉🏻 Do others have this problem who use a different macOS on the internal hard disk than on an external hard disk (or an internal partition) - e.g. macOS Sonoma internally and macOS Sequoia externally?
Is there a solution to this?

On OCLP Settings -> SMBIOS, try to do a Serial Spoofing. I never tried it but it might be enough to trick Apple's iCloud. Also, use a different name for the hostname.
You could have two EFI's each one with one serial (use a USB stick for the second EFI and reset NVRAM every time you switch)...

Thank you! That worked out well. 👍🏻
Only the apps where I only have the license for a limited installation no longer work. Which is logical, as the app thinks I'm using a different Mac.🤷‍♂️ And the app-specific passwords used for some apps, e.g. Spark, must also be renewed.


How to:

1. Open OpenCore-Patcher
2. Klick on "Settings"
3. Klick on "SMBIOS" tab
4. Klick on "Generate S/N: xxx"
5. "Return"
6. "Build and Install OpenCore" again to you EFI disk and reboot

 

[mikezang]

I have a internal HDD with original El Capitan 10.11, but I can't boot it even if I Build and Isntall OpenCore on that HDD, how can I select and boot that Internal HDD with red border?

 

[Ready-for-Apple]

Hi there! I've noticed that some of you have been having a bit of trouble installing OCLP, so I've put together this little guide to help you out. I really hope it makes your life a little easier!


OCLP 👉 how to Upgrade / Update your macOS
READ and understand this infos from OCLP developers BEFORE installation

• macOS 14 Sonoma – https://dortania.github.io/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher/SONOMA-DROP.html#macos-sonoma-support
• macOS 15 Sequoia – https://dortania.github.io/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher/SEQUOIA-DROP.html#macos-sequoia-support

Pre-tip
❗️Better NEVER use Memoji as User Pic / iCloud User Pic with OCLP
👉🏻 ATTENTION: iOS 17.1+ your Contact Photo in adress book sync to iCloud and so to your Login pic. 😱
So DON'T use Memoji there either❗️


Here we go!!!😊

1. BACKUP❗️ BACKUP❗️ your data
2. ❗️ Read the release notes from OCLP Devs BEFORE installation to check compatibility / issues etc.: https://github.com/dortania/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher/releases
3. UPGRADE [i.e. macOS 14 ➡️ macOS 15]
   1. Installation of OCLP 👉 ALWAYS❗️ "Create macOS Installer"(see OCLP menu)
   2. Install navigates you through the whole process including "Build and Install Opencore" to your start disk and install "Post-Install Root Patch" – ❗️ Don’t migrate your data from a backup (i.e. Time Machine, CCC, SD etc.) during this process
   3. ❗️ If you want to migrate data from a backup
      1. first revert the root patches with OCLP
      2. then migrate your data [https://dortania.github.io/OpenCore...ALL.html#applying-post-install-volume-patches] – Howto
      3. ❗️ Install the root patches again – in "secure boot mode" always best
4. UPDATE current macOS
   1. Wanna update your current macOS i.e. macOS 15.0 to 15.1 then ALWAYS❗️ check first if there's a NEW version of OCLP and install this INCLUDING new "Build and Install Opencore" to you start disk + check/install "Post-Install Root Patch"
   2. Now you could use the system updater to get the latest macOS UPDATE – ❗️ not Upgrade. But better is to wait till OCLP developers push out a new OCLP patcher version that includes the corresponding macOS update.😉
   3. ❗️ Install the root patches – in "secure boot mode" always best
5. Increased CPU load / no smooth macOS? 👉 disable dynamic wallpaper +screensaver

Hope this helps! 👍🏻
Greetings from Germany

PS:
Troubleshooting – https://dortania.github.io/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher/TROUBLESHOOTING.html



Further infos:
Please follow EXACTLY the corresponding step-by-step tutorial for macOS (video length approx. 30-60 min), which "Mr. Macintosh" explains on Youtube.
It is also worth watching the other videos on his channel - especially the latest videos!
https://www.youtube.com/@Mr.Macintosh/videos


JessiesFlying videos are also very helpful - especially when it comes to special cases and bugs.
https://www.youtube.com/@JessiesFlying/videos


You should also search for a solution in this macrumors-thread 👍🏻:

• macOS 13 Ventura https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/macos-13-ventura-on-unsupported-macs-thread.2346881/
• macOS 14 Sonoma: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/macos-14-sonoma-on-unsupported-macs-thread.2391630/
• macOS 15 Sequoia https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/macos-15-sequoia-on-unsupported-macs-thread.2428654/

 

[amaze1499]

EFI/boot tried and freezes as usual, there is something different now besides the two partitions, EFIboot and the usb installer there is an icon labeled “windows”. This is recent, and Windows has never been near this IMac 13.2. Very strange.

Things have changed.********I couldn’t help restarting, holding the option key then selecting the “Windows Icon”. Instantly the screen I have described was gone, it is now black with some seemingly random large white bars, and a huge message at the top saying.

Missing operating system
No bootable delete insert boot disk and press any key. That is repeated and under is a flashing dash.

I inserted the usb and hit keys but nothing happens and now the fan is running. Not sure what to do next, except to shut down because it’s getting hot.

What now guys?

I went through your previous posts but could not find an answer to the following questions:

What machine is it?
Are you trying to boot from an internal or external volume?
Do you have a good known system, like a patched USB installer or that CatalinaOS on an external SSD you can boot from?
What happens when all volumes are being physically removed/disconnected from any connection USB/SATA? I would expect the Folder ? popping up.

 

[amaze1499]

It seems that 2.0.2 does NOT solve the iMessages icloud hanging problem on the MBP 13,3. Clicking System Settings - iCloud - Messages - Sync Now seems to sync after some time showing a Status message Synced at (time and date), but launching iMessages app results in an immediate hang and App not responding. This time I left it in that state for a few minutes and now a Sign in to iMessages with your Apple Account window has popped-up. I have signed-in and the spinner is spinning endlessly. I'll leave it and see if it ever manages to sign. No, now it is showing An unknown error occurred in red at the same sign-in window. I'll try again. Still spinning. No same failure with same red error message. iMessages still broken on this MBP 13,3.
Just FYI, Notes is not working either, although iCloud - Notes shows 32.5 MB of data. Access iCloud Data on the Web is set to on. Private Relay is off and Advanced Data Protection is off. Will try signing out of iCloud and then in again.
There is also a message showing in System settings saying Some iCloud Data isn't Syncing.
After signing out of iCloud, Messages changed from the hung App not responding state back to the Sign in to iMessages with your Apple Account window. Will try to sign-in again. This time I got the 2FA six-digit code almost instantly and the sign-in succeeded.
Messages is now showing a list of messages with the latest entry on Tuesday. Will see if I can read other Messages without it hanging. Nope, it immediately beachballs and a right click on the Messages app in the Dock shows Application Not Responding. Force quit the iMessages app and launched it and it went straight back to Application Not Responding again
Some sort of sync and sign-in issue.
As an addendum. Just tried to sign-in to iCloud through normal System Settings - Apple account and that is pooched too with endless spinner. This is completely f***ed. First, it asked me for my iPhone login and then it said it failed to sign-in and now it's showing I am signed-in!
Maybe Sequoia is a "Bridge Too Far" for this MBP 13,3 and I think I'm going back to Sonoma at the W/E because it had none of these issues.

Did you ever try to run Messages in a new user?

 

[likegadgets]

OTA update on a 2012 MacBook Pro retina 10.1 went flawlessly, albeit slow, and post patches applied without issue. I was on Sonoma 14.5 and the only update showing was Sonoma 14.7 - after applying 14.7 the Sequoia 15 became an option. Updated to Open Core 2.01 prior to the OS updates. It is amazing how well and fast Sequoia performs on a 12+ years old Mac. Thanks to the developers for their brilliant work.

 

[ronton3]

I went through your previous posts but could not find an answer to the following questions:

What machine is it?
Are you trying to boot from an internal or external volume?
Do you have a good known system, like a patched USB installer or that CatalinaOS on an external SSD you can boot from?
What happens when all volumes are being physically removed/disconnected from any connection USB/SATA? I would expect the Folder ? popping up.

It is a 27 inch 13.2 IMac, late 2012. Internal, 2 partitions, Catalina, Sequioa. I have a usb Catalina, and a Oclp derived Sequoia usb. I don’t understand the last question, I can’t get past the login screen, everything freezes.

 

[PropClear]

The new Terminal command

sudo xprotect update

delivers the message "no update needed, already up to date"
although SilentKnight lists "XProtect 5273 should be 5275"

Does anyone know what's going on here?

Simply try to update via silent knight again and then back to commandline command needed some tries in my case and finally worked!

 

[PropClear]

@nekton1 , can you point me to where i can download the nightlies for OCLP?

Search for OCLP source.md and read carefully you‘ll find no direct links to nightlies for reasons!