MP 1,1-5,1 MacPro5,1: What you have to do to upgrade to Mojave (10.13/10.14 BootROM upgrades instructions thread)

[siegeleric]

UPDATE:
Today I tried the following with Sapphire card tests in-between ...
1. Removed all extensions that were not-from-Apple or an Identified Developer. Result: BLACK SCREEN
2. Removed all staged extensions. Result: BLACK SCREEN
3. Removed all user-installed fonts. Result: BLACK SCREEN
4. Turned off-screen sharing. Result: BLACK SCREEN
5. Tested both my NVidia Quadro K5000 Mac and the Sapphire Nitro+ RX580 using the Mac Pro's diagnostic LEDs with some interesting results (photo attached). With the NVidia card installed both the "EFI (is done loading)" AND the "GPU (EFI has configured the graphics card)" LEDs lit up. With the Sapphire card installed ONLY the EFL LED lit, NEVER the GPU LED. This was true in both normal and Safe Mode, although the RX580 does work in Safe Mode.
6. Re-checked power connections to the card ... 2x COMeap Mini 6 Pin to 6 Pin to a GutsParker Premium Braided Dual 6-Pin Female to 8-Pin Male Cable.

I am open to ANY thoughts on why this card will not produce video under Mojave.

View attachment 792066

UPDATE: SOLVED - SOLVED - SOLVED Sapphire Nitro+ RX580 now working perfectly.

SOLUTION: The issue was caused by two extensions by (Identified Developer) Avatron Software which made a product called AirDisplay that I once used to allow my my iPad to be used as a second screen. I removed AVVideoCard.kext and AVFrameBuffer.kext and the problem disappeared instantly. I have notified the developer.

By the way, the "GPU OK" LED still does not light but that may be normal (?).

 

[jimithing1]

UPDATE: SOLVED - SOLVED - SOLVED Sapphire Nitro+ RX580 now working perfectly.

SOLUTION: The issue was caused by two extensions by (Identified Developer) Avatron Software which made a product called AirDisplay that I once used to allow my my iPad to be used as a second screen. I removed AVVideoCard.kext and AVFrameBuffer.kext and the problem disappeared instantly. I have notified the developer.

By the way, the "GPU OK" LED still does not light but that may be normal (?).

I'm wondering if this is the problem I was experiencing upgrading to Mojave. I too only got a black screen on my RX580 after installing Mojave. I had AirDisplay installed at one point as well. What directory did you find these two .kext files in?

 

[siegeleric]

I'm wondering if this is the problem I was experiencing upgrading to Mojave. I too only got a black screen on my RX580 after installing Mojave. I had AirDisplay installed at one point as well. What directory did you find these two .kext files in?

Look for them in either SYSTEM>LIBRARY>EXTENSIONS or LIBRARY>EXTENSIONS

 

[h9826790]

UPDATE: SOLVED - SOLVED - SOLVED Sapphire Nitro+ RX580 now working perfectly.

SOLUTION: The issue was caused by two extensions by (Identified Developer) Avatron Software which made a product called AirDisplay that I once used to allow my my iPad to be used as a second screen. I removed AVVideoCard.kext and AVFrameBuffer.kext and the problem disappeared instantly. I have notified the developer.

By the way, the "GPU OK" LED still does not light but that may be normal (?).

I never do that LED with the RX580 and firmware 139.0.0.0.0. May be this LED only means the Mac EFI UGA is detected, but not really detecting if a GPU is working.

 

[h9826790]

Mojave only will install if you have upgraded your BootROM and your Mac Pro have a Metal capable GPU. If you are trying to install Mojave on a Mac Pro 5,1 (2009 updated to 5,1 firmware, 2010 and 2012), you have first to upgrade your BootROM to version MP51.0089.B00 and to High Sierra 10.13.6, then you can install a Metal capable GPU and install Mojave.

You can read the Apple Support article here: Install macOS 10.14 Mojave on Mac Pro (Mid 2010) and Mac Pro (Mid 2012).

Remember: Apple Mojave recommend RX-560/580 cards do not have Mac EFI, so you need to install your original EFI GPU to upgrade your BootROM to MP51.0089.B00 using the Mac App Store 10.13.6 full installer. After that, Mojave installer can upgrade your firmware without the need of a Mac EFI GPU and requires that you only have Metal supported cards installed on your Mac Pro.

The Apple third-party graphics cards list identifies specific cards that are compatible:

• MSI Gaming Radeon RX 560 128-bit 4GB GDRR5
• SAPPHIRE Radeon PULSE RX 580 8GB GDDR5
• SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 7950 Mac Edition
• NVIDIA Quadro K5000 for Mac
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 Mac Edition

The three cards listed in bold above have Mac EFI.
The list also identifies cards that might be compatible, none of which have Mac EFI:

• AMD Radeon RX 560
• AMD Radeon RX 570
• AMD Radeon RX 580
• AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100
• AMD Radeon RX Vega 56
• AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
• AMD Radeon Pro WX 9100
• AMD Radeon Frontier Edition

If you have a earlier than MP51.0089.B00 BootROM version, these are the steps to upgrade your BootROM to have Mojave support:

1. Disconnect any 4K or DP1.2 display. MP5,1 efiflasher don't support 4K screens or DP1.2. You can't update to MP51.0089.B00 with a 4K/DP1.2 screen connected to your Mac EFI card. It's a old bug that Apple corrected with MP6,1 and "forgot" to correct with the 5.1.
2. Disable FileVault2 if enabled as FV2 isn't supported on Mac Pro 5,1.
   
3. Install a Mac EFI64 card. Any original Apple card from 2008 to 2012 (HD 2600XT, 8800GT, Quadro FX 5600, GT120, HD 4870/5770/5870) plus the Sapphire HD 7950 Mac Edition, eVGA GTX 680 Mac Edition, NVIDIA Quadro 4000/K5000 or self-flashed/MVC flashed cards.
4. Download the full Mac App Store Installer for 10.13.6 (even if you already are on 10.13.6)
5. Open the installer, do the firmware upgrade as asked.
6. After the firmware upgrade, 10.13.6 installer will open again, you can close it.
7. Now you check if your Mac Pro BootROM is MP51.0089.B00, if yes you can shutdown and install your Metal capable GPU (any AMD equal or newer than HD 7xxx, Nvidia GTX 680 Mac Edition, Quadro K5000 and other Nvidia Kepler cards/newer). [If you have a Nvidia card that need the web driver, Maxwell and Pascal ones, wait for Nvidia release it for Mojave]
8. Download the full Mac App Store installer for Mojave.
9. Open the installer, do the firmware upgrade as asked.
10. After the reboot, open System Information and check if you have BootROM 138.0.0.0.0, if yes, you can do a createinstallmedia USB clean install (read NVIDIA GTX 680 note) or upgrade your previous High Sierra install.

Note, some people are getting black screens with Mojave when using RX-560/580 GPUs, if you are having it, do a clean install or debug your kexts, seems a problem with incompatible kexts (probable something related with AirDisplay).

NVIDIA GTX 680 note:

If you have a NVIDIA GTX 680 Mac Edition card, or GTX 680 flashed with the Mac Edition firmware, you can't do a USB clean install with it at the moment. The USB installer don't detect that GTX 680 is a EFI supported card and don't continue the install.

To do a clean install, do from macOS with two drives - just select your empty one when doing the install.

May be you can update the post. I can't get to the High Sierra download page via your link. But can do with this one

macappstores://itunes.apple.com/app/id1246284741

 

[lowendlinux]

I'm getting an "install resources aren't available" error

I'm on 10.13.6 and 138.0.0.0.0

I'm trying to install on to PCI drives do these drives need to be on the native SATA ports?

 

[h9826790]

I upgraded from HS to Mojave on my MX500 which is mounted on a Tempo SSD card. So, native SATA connection is not required.

I also tried to run the Mojave installer on my MX500, and point that to a native SATA connected HDD as destination, can work.

And I also tried run the Mojave installer on the HDD, and point that back to the MX500. It also work.

 

[tsialex]

May be you can update the post. I can't get to the High Sierra download page via your link. But can do with this one

macappstores://itunes.apple.com/app/id1246284741

Seems MacRumors is changing the link dynamically and sometimes it just don't work. I'll remove the direct link and change to the support article.

 

[siegeleric]

I'm wondering if this is the problem I was experiencing upgrading to Mojave. I too only got a black screen on my RX580 after installing Mojave. I had AirDisplay installed at one point as well. What directory did you find these two .kext files in?

This additional information from Avatron ...

"You can uninstall the final remnants of the Air Display Host software completely by running the Uninstall Air Display app in your Applications > Utilities folder. But if you've already removed that app, you can find any remaining pieces manually, with these instructions:
Find and remove each of the following:
(NOTE: These folders may be hidden, the easiest way to access them is to use the Finder > Go > Go to Folder, and type the path.)

• Go to /Library/Extensions and remove AVVideoCard.kext and AVFrameBuffer.kext
• Go to /System/Library/Extensions and look for AVVideoCard.kext and AVFrameBuffer.kext. If they are present, remove them.
• Go to /Applications and remove the Air Display Host app
• Go to /Applications/Utilities and remove the Uninstall Air Display app
• Go to ~/Library/Preferences and remove all of the preference files that start with com.avatron"

 

[tsialex]

With native NVMe support on the most recent BootROM, read MP5,1: Mojave 10.14.1 DP3 BootROM 140.0.0.0.0 has NVMe support!!!, Mojave 10.14.1 BootROM will be attractive to people even on 10.13.6.

No more injection on the BootROM needed to boot from NVMe drives.

 

[MaxTorque]

Mojave only will install if you have upgraded your BootROM and your Mac Pro have a Metal capable GPU. If you are trying to install Mojave on a Mac Pro 5,1 (2009 updated to 5,1 firmware, 2010 and 2012), you have first to upgrade your BootROM to version MP51.0089.B00 and to High Sierra 10.13.6, then you can install a Metal capable GPU and install Mojave.

• SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 7950 Mac Edition

1. Download the full Mac App Store Installer for 10.13.6 (even if you already are on 10.13.6)
2. Open the installer, do the firmware upgrade as asked.

I do have the necessary GPU and am running 10.13.6 with BootROM MP51.0085.B00. I read your full procedure to update to BootROM MP51.0089.B00; however, I cannot find the OSX 10.13.6 disk image file on Apple Store -- it appears to be gone. Any suggestions where to find a copy?
Thanks

 

[tsialex]

I do have the necessary GPU and am running 10.13.6 with BootROM MP51.0085.B00. I read your full procedure to update to BootROM MP51.0089.B00; however, I cannot find the OSX 10.13.6 disk image file on Apple Store -- it appears to be gone. Any suggestions where to find a copy?
Thanks

Item 4: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208969

 

[MaxTorque]

Item 4: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208969

View attachment 793502

Thank you for the link; I was able to download 10.13.6. When I ran the firmware updater, the MacPro shutdown completely after just a few seconds of the screen going black. When I rebooted the MacPro, it powered up and then down and then up again; the old firmware was still present, v85. I was careful to follow the instructions including using an old Samsung SyncMaster monitor (non-DP1.2). I could not locate my old Graphics card, so I left the AMD Radeon HD 7950 for Mac installed.
I have attached the system info FYI.
What could cause this Boot ROM update failure?

 

[bookemdano]

Thank you for the link; I was able to download 10.13.6. When I ran the firmware updater, the MacPro shutdown completely after just a few seconds of the screen going black. When I rebooted the MacPro, it powered up and then down and then up again; the old firmware was still present, v85. I was careful to follow the instructions including using an old Samsung SyncMaster monitor (non-DP1.2). I could not locate my old Graphics card, so I left the AMD Radeon HD 7950 for Mac installed.
I have attached the system info FYI.
What could cause this Boot ROM update failure?

Did it shut down while you were holding the power button? When doing the firmware update you should be holding the power button down until you hear the speaker make a beep tone (and the power light flashes). Maybe give it another try.

 

[crjackson2134]

When I rebooted the MacPro

Did you put your machine into programming mode by holding the power button in continuously until you got a flashing led power indicator, followed by a long beep?
[doublepost=1539112452][/doublepost]

Did it shut down while you were holding the power button? When doing the firmware update you should be holding the power button down until you hear the speaker make a beep tone (and the power light flashes). Maybe give it another try.

You beat me to it...

 

[MaxTorque]

Did you put your machine into programming mode by holding the power button in continuously until you got a flashing led power indicator, followed by a long beep?
[doublepost=1539112452][/doublepost]

You beat me to it...

Thank you both. I was not holding the power button long enough. It updated perfectly when I did that.
Cheers

 

[cinealta]

If you are trying to install Mojave on a Mac Pro 5,1 (2009 updated to 5,1 firmware, 2010 and 2012), you have first to upgrade your BootROM to version MP51.0089.B00 and to High Sierra 10.13.6...

***EDIT: SOLVED*** Although the initial firmware upgrade attempt did not complete, I was subsequently not offered the firmware upgrade again from the App Store High Sierra 10.13.6 installer because somehow the App Store installer found a long forgotten 10.13.3 installer, on a backup drive attached to my Mac, and tried to install using that instead of re-downloading the full 10.13.6 installer. Once I deleted that old High Sierra installer the full App Store installer (10.13.6) again offered me the firmware update. After completing that I now have BootROM MP51.0089.B00 and High Sierra 10.13.6 functioning.
_______________________________________________________________________________

I have a 2012 MP 5,1 with original ATI Radeon 5770. I don't have any 4K screens attached nor Filevault enabled.

I've read your first post and am unable to upgrade my BootROM to MP51.0089.B00.

When I first went to the App Store to download High Sierra, using the full App Store installer, I was offered a firmware update. I followed the instructions to update the firmware, got a gray screen with progress bar, my Super Drive door opened and closed, but before the progress bar completed, my Mac restarted and booted High Sierra. However, I verified that I was still on BootROM MP51.0084.B00 and not MP51.0089.B00.

Now when I go back to the App Store full High Sierra installer, it doesn't offer me the firmware upgrade anymore despite my Mac still being on MP51.0084.B00. Any other way to get the MP51.0089.B00 firmware installer?

Tried resetting PRAM and SMC but it didn't help.

Please advise. Thank you!

 

[bookemdano]

I have a 2012 MP 5,1 with original ATI Radeon 5770. I don't have any 4K screens attached nor Filevault enabled.

I've read your first post and am unable to upgrade my BootROM to MP51.0089.B00. When I first went to the App Store to download High Sierra, using the full 10.13.6 installer, I was offered a firmware update. I followed the instructions to update the firmware, got a gray screen with progress bar, my Super Drive door opened and closed, but before the progress bar completed, my Mac restarted and booted High Sierra. However, I verified that I was still on BootROM MP51.0084.B00 and not MP51.0089.B00.

Further, none of my internal SATA HDD (HFS+) drives mounted with the High Sierra boot SSD (APFS).

Now when I go back to the App Store full High Sierra installer, it doesn't offer me the firmware upgrade anymore despite my Mac still being on MP51.0084.B00. Any other way to get the MP51.0089.B00 firmware installer? Please advise. Thank you!

Try a PRAM and SMC reset. That's stock advice, as I've never heard of your particular issue before, but it's almost always worth a try.

And to be clear, you were holding down the power button the entire time, correct? Only release it once you see the power light flash and the speaker make a beep tone.

 

[cinealta]

And to be clear, you were holding down the power button the entire time, correct? Only release it once you see the power light flash and the speaker make a beep tone.

Yes, held down power button until power light began rapidly flashing and there was a loud beep. AFAIK the firmware upgrade began because it launched a different and larger progress bar than the usual OS boot progress bar and Super Drive door opened and closed.

Will try PRAM and SMC reset next. Thanks!

 

[bookemdano]

OK. If that doesn't help maybe ping tsialex and see if he'd be willing to examine a dump of your current ROM.

 

[cinealta]

OK. If that doesn't help maybe ping tsialex and see if he'd be willing to examine a dump of your current ROM.

Try a PRAM and SMC reset.

I solved the problem. See my above post. Thanks for your help.

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

With native NVMe support on the most recent BootROM, read MP5,1: Mojave 10.14.1 DP3 BootROM 140.0.0.0.0 has NVMe support!!!, Mojave 10.14.1 BootROM will be attractive to people even on 10.13.6.

No more injection on the BootROM needed to boot from NVMe drives.

Hooray. Is there a list somewhere of known/compatible PCI cards that are bootable with the new BootROM?

I was hoping to find a card where I could cram in enough NVME sticks to get 4 or maybe 8TB. Maybe dreaming...

 

[tsialex]

Hooray. Is there a list somewhere of known/compatible PCI cards that are bootable with the new BootROM?

Read the topic: Blade SSDs - NVMe & AHCI

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

Read the topic: Blade SSDs - NVMe & AHCI

Thank you!

 

[woodenbrain]

I'm getting an "install resources aren't available" error

I'm on 10.13.6 and 138.0.0.0.0

I'm trying to install on to PCI drives do these drives need to be on the native SATA ports?

Had the same problem. On correct firmware. MP 2009. Trying to install to internal SSD drive. Haven't resolved it so far. Attempted twice, installer left a mess behind in /MacOS Install (or similar). Check your root folder. If you have that and want to clear it you have to disable csrutil in recovery mode to use rm -rf, then of course re-enable it. Please post back if you give a solution. (Q: Did you make any copy of the Mojave installer elsewhere? I did and suspect a connection.)