there must be some mad things happening:
Just installed Yosemite for some tests on a MP5,1:
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
MP 1,1-5,1 MacPro5,1: BootROM thread | 144.0.0.0.0
- Thread starter tsialex
- WikiPost WikiPost
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
- Status
there must be some mad things happening:
Just installed Yosemite for some tests on a MP5,1:
I don't think so, for the classic Mac Pros, here is a supported MBP11,1 running the latest supported OS, seems something in the Apple Databases is stuck.
I was just being spirited, even had a
.For us that like to run with unpatched systems, the death blow from Apple was last year the moment that the GPU drivers started to require AVX 2.0 with Ventura.
I'll have to do a clean install of Catalina with my mid-2012 MBP this week and probably also gonna do a clean install with my early-2013 rMBP after replacing the battery in the next few days, arrived today after more than a month waiting. So, more datapoints.
Anyway, still works for the MacPro6,1, I did this install AFTER I've noticed the issues with the model year with the MacPro5,1 and this discrepancy was what I got thinking.
yes, but decoding the hwc to the model string is something what Apple does for ages if the machine is online.
As said, what I posted is a totally vanilla machine, running the supported OS. Never had seen OpenCore or alike.
But it's missing the model string.
Here's another one: Mac mini 2014 running Mojave missing the model string:
As said, what I posted is a totally vanilla machine, running the supported OS. Never had seen OpenCore or alike.
But it's missing the model string.
Here's another one: Mac mini 2014 running Mojave missing the model string:
Hi Everyone,
so I'm experience what seems like a windows/opencore related bootROM catastrophe on my Mac Pro 5,1. I can get into the details of how the situation happened if thats helpful, but for now I'll try to keep things brief and just describe the symptoms condition.
– My main Monterey boot drive (NVME) stopped appearing on the OC bootpicker. My old Catalina drive was still bootable, so I booted that to troubleshoot.
– After a few unsuccessful attempts to get the Monterey drive to boot, now I can no longer get to the OC bootpicker, my computer boots straight into windows (very bad for the bootrom I know.)
– If I remove the Windows drive, the computer will not boot ANY other mac OS, nor can I get recovery mode to start. The computer just powers on for a moment, the fan revs up, then powers off a few seconds later.
From what I understand this is indicitive of a corrupted BootROM. Strangely enough though I can still get into windows, so the computer isn't completely bricked, for now.
Looking for some advice as to what I should do. I did back up my BootROM at some point ( I think when I upgraded the firmware to allow NVME booting), however I don't really know how to proceed fixing this since I can't seem to access any of the MacOS side of the machine, not even recovery mode.
Sorry if this isn't the right thread for this, I figured maybe it would be a good place to start since it seems very likely related to bad BootROM. (I can confirm that the DIAG button won't throw an "EFI_DONE" light, so there is that).
so I'm experience what seems like a windows/opencore related bootROM catastrophe on my Mac Pro 5,1. I can get into the details of how the situation happened if thats helpful, but for now I'll try to keep things brief and just describe the symptoms condition.
– My main Monterey boot drive (NVME) stopped appearing on the OC bootpicker. My old Catalina drive was still bootable, so I booted that to troubleshoot.
– After a few unsuccessful attempts to get the Monterey drive to boot, now I can no longer get to the OC bootpicker, my computer boots straight into windows (very bad for the bootrom I know.)
– If I remove the Windows drive, the computer will not boot ANY other mac OS, nor can I get recovery mode to start. The computer just powers on for a moment, the fan revs up, then powers off a few seconds later.
From what I understand this is indicitive of a corrupted BootROM. Strangely enough though I can still get into windows, so the computer isn't completely bricked, for now.
Looking for some advice as to what I should do. I did back up my BootROM at some point ( I think when I upgraded the firmware to allow NVME booting), however I don't really know how to proceed fixing this since I can't seem to access any of the MacOS side of the machine, not even recovery mode.
Sorry if this isn't the right thread for this, I figured maybe it would be a good place to start since it seems very likely related to bad BootROM. (I can confirm that the DIAG button won't throw an "EFI_DONE" light, so there is that).
Did you tried to remove all drives but a supported macOS install (Catalina is not supportted) and power up to a deep NVRAM reset?
If you still can't make the very possible corrupted BootROM to work enough to accomplish that successfully, you will probably need to replace the SPI/install a MATT card.
Well @tsialex it seems like I will need to go the MATT card route, can you PM me regarding the bootROM reconstruction service you offer?
Am I correctly understanding that if I get the reconstructed rom, flash it to a MATT card with a CH341A usb programmer, then plug the newly flashed MATT card into the board, my drives will boot again? or what are the steps beyond that?
Sure.
No need to do that, since MATT cards are flashed from factory with a mid-2010 BootROM image, you can get it working a lot easier than what you imagined.
It's a clone of another Mac Pro, but you can boot from it and then immediately flash your own reconstructed BootROM image and shutdown.
If you want to do this way, sure, it will work
Supported macOS releases will work immediately, OpenCore installed drives will need to be correctly blessed and etc.
I have now two Mac pro 5,1, one for my daily use, Catalina, of course, and the other one just for testing Sonoma, no personal information in it. Both of them have recosnstructed ROMs by @tsialex . And I have also two MATT cards, flashed with the same reconstructed ROMs. The procedure is so easy.
MacPro6,1 had it's BootROM upgraded today to 478.0.0.0.0 with Monterey 12.7.1 (21G920):
Weirdly, EFICheck AllowListAll package wasn't updated today and Apple still seeds the same 143 release from last month even on the seed channel.
Code:
Hardware Overview:
Model Name: Mac Pro
Model Identifier: MacPro6,1
Processor Name: 6-Core Intel Xeon E5
Processor Speed: 3,5 GHz
Number of Processors: 1
Total Number of Cores: 6
L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB
L3 Cache: 12 MB
Hyper-Threading Technology: Enabled
Memory: 64 GB
System Firmware Version: 478.0.0.0.0
OS Loader Version: 540.120.3~37
SMC Version (system): 2.20f18
Panel Illumination Version: 1.4a6Weirdly, EFICheck AllowListAll package wasn't updated today and Apple still seeds the same 143 release from last month even on the seed channel.
@tsialex as as you predicted with my second MP 5,1. the motherboard ROM has failed. Fortunately I had a mattcard also flashed with your reconstructed ROM. Worked like a charm. So , thanks thanks again for your great work.
In a few days I will take the motherboard to a friend who can solder a new rom and will refllash again
Thank you my friend
P.D. : NOT another brick in the wall, that would say Pink Floyd.
In a few days I will take the motherboard to a friend who can solder a new rom and will refllash again
Thank you my friend
P.D. : NOT another brick in the wall, that would say Pink Floyd.
Yep, while some fail early and some will fail later on, all will surely fail. Glad that you got it working again in no time, a SPI replacement board is a tool that anyone with multiple MacPro5,1s should have.
Hello, I have a problem. There is no free space in the VSS store, if you can help in reconstructing the Rom I will be grateful.
Wersja Boot ROM: MP41.0081.B08
From the screenshot, seems you had run UEFI installed Windows, no?
I've sent you a PM about the BootROM reconstruction service. Btw, once cleaned up, fully upgraded and reconstructed the BootROM version will be 144.0.0.0.0, instead of the factory installed MP41.0081.B08 of the refurbished early-2009s.
Last edited:
Is having a MATT card on hand also good insurance in case the process of flashing a reconstructed BootROM fails?
(Alex - still interested... but my previous attempt to take a photo of the MLB label was nowhere near successful)
(Alex - still interested... but my previous attempt to take a photo of the MLB label was nowhere near successful)
It's always safer having a MATT card on hand, but flashing the never booted reconstructed BootROM image to the backplane is pretty safe. If you are flashing from a supported macOS release and your Mac Pro is not Kernel Panicking from overheating/defective DIMMs, you won't have problems.
Send me everything else, I prefer to have the MLB label to validate the BootBlock, but if the checksum is still valid and is not an early-2009 I can workaround it. I'll send you the current instructions.
Done.
If a reconstructed BootROM is flashed onto a MATT card, does that overcome the issue with iCloud / Facetime / iMessage not functioning?
If a reconstructed BootROM is flashed onto a MATT card, does that overcome the issue with iCloud / Facetime / iMessage not functioning?
It's a paid service. You send the required files, the BootROM is validated, cleaned, upgraded to mid-2012
0x0d standard and reconstructed with 144.0.0.0.0 EFI, then it's tested. After that, you can flash it to your Mac Pro whenever you'll need.
I've sent you a PM (top right corner of the page, letter icon) with the instructions, service fee and turnaround time.