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Resolved MacPro 4,1 to 5,1 flash fails

jbarley

jbarley

macrumors 601
Original poster
Jul 1, 2006
4,023
1,896
Vancouver Island
First off let it be known I would like assistance using the netkas flash method only.
System is a nice clean 2009 Macpro 2.66 quad with a GT120 GPU and 8 MB memory.
I was using the info from the iFixit web site as found here...
https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/How+to+Upgrade+the+Firmware+of+a+2009+Mac+Pro+41/98985

Downloaded the EFI.dmg file and the netkas update tool. Followed the very simple instructions, but each time the update starts normally, I get a brief update bar on the screen then the system fails and does a reboot back to the desktop.
Tried a different GT120, changed video cables and swapped monitors, all to no avail.
Am I missing something here, this is an upgrade that has been done successfully by many - hundreds of users on 2009 MacPros.
Surely mine's not destined to be the first to not work.
 
I know it's in the guide, but If El Capitan or newer make sure you disable SIP.

If that's not it, what firmware are you currently on? You need to update to the latest 4,1 firmware
 
jbarley said:
First off let it be known I would like assistance using the netkas flash method only.
System is a nice clean 2009 Macpro 2.66 quad with a GT120 GPU and 8 MB memory.
I was using the info from the iFixit web site as found here...
https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/How+to+Upgrade+the+Firmware+of+a+2009+Mac+Pro+41/98985

Downloaded the EFI.dmg file and the netkas update tool. Followed the very simple instructions, but each time the update starts normally, I get a brief update bar on the screen then the system fails and does a reboot back to the desktop.
Tried a different GT120, changed video cables and swapped monitors, all to no avail.
Am I missing something here, this is an upgrade that has been done successfully by many - hundreds of users on 2009 MacPros.
Surely mine's not destined to be the first to not work.
Click to expand...

What's our current BootROM version?
 
This what you need?
Screen Shot 2019-02-15 at 9.25.26 PM.png
 
jbarley said:
First off let it be known I would like assistance using the netkas flash method only.
System is a nice clean 2009 Macpro 2.66 quad with a GT120 GPU and 8 MB memory.
I was using the info from the iFixit web site as found here...
https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/How+to+Upgrade+the+Firmware+of+a+2009+Mac+Pro+41/98985
Click to expand...

First Off, I highly discourage this method. Much more information is now known about the firmware process than when this method was originally devised. You may not notice the negative effects immediately but I assure you they are present.

I’m not going to go into a long detail about this, as it’s well documented in the MR forums already. If you have done your due diligence and are aware of improper checksums and information that will be incorrectly altered, but choose to proceed anyway, then have at it.

Otherwise, please do your research and reach out to people who can make this work without adversely affecting your machine. In the end, this will yield a better result, with very little effort.

Just a reccomendation, I wish you good luck. :)
 
Last edited:
crjackson2134 said:
First Off, I highly discourage this method. Much more information is now known about the firmware process than when this method was originally devised. You may not notice the negative effects immediately but I assure you they are present.

I’m not going to go into a long detail about this, as it’s well documented in forums already. If you have done your due diligence and are aware of improper checksums and unrecoverable information that will be altered incorrectly, and permanently, but choose to proceed anyway, then have at it.

Otherwise, please do your research and reach out to people who can make this work without adversely affecting your machine. In the end, the extra effort will yield a better result, with very little effort.

Just a reccomendation, I wish you good luck. :)
Click to expand...
I'm aware of the alternatives, reconstruction etc, which was why I asked for info on the standard netkas flash method.
So thank you for your opinion, albeit it was not what I was hoping for.
 
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jbarley said:
I'm aware of the alternatives, reconstruction etc, which was why I asked for info on the standard netkas flash method.
So thank you for your opinion, albeit it was not what I was hoping for.
Click to expand...

Very good, as long as you are aware then. Please understand, it’s not an opinion. I just wanted you to have the facts at hand before you start.

Good Luck to you :)
 
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