MP 1,1-5,1 Manually Configured OpenCore on the Mac Pro

[Cyberdeth]

This is actually a well-known issue. Hot plugging USB 1.x devices into a Mac Pro 5,1 is broken in Big Sur. The workaround is to connect devices through a USB hub. USB 2.0 devices work fine.

This is probably due to some device. Wake from sleep should work fine even without that kext.

Note that macOS 11.3 and higher is not recommended at all on the Mac Pro 5,1. You will eventually run into booting issues if you haven't already and perhaps even corrupt your macOS disk as well as other disks connected to your machine.

@cdf Thank you very much for your help. Your advice was spot on. I got a powered USB 3 hub and now all my USB devices works from the hub.

 

[overshoot]

Does iCloud "Desktop and Documents" synchronisation works with OpenCore?

I have a MacPro 5.1 running Opencore REL-069-2021-05-02 and BigSur 11.12.3 and I can't seem to get iCloud to sync my files.
Everytime I try to check the box to enable "Desktop and Documents Folders" sync, it seems to do it and when I'm back in the menu, it's unchecked again.

I thought that since I am using an NVMe drive (Samsung 980) as my boot drive and it's been seen as an external drive, that could have been the reason why.
So I've attempted the opencore patch which is mentioned in the first page of this post but the system still see the drive as an external drive so I guess I failed at it.

Here is what I've done in my opencore config file:

<key>DeviceProperties</key>
        <dict>
                <key>Add</key>
                <dict>
                        <key>PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x7,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)</key>
                        <dict>
                                <key>built-in</key>
                                <data>AA==</data>
                        </dict>
                </dict>
                <key>Delete</key>
                <dict/>
        </dict>

Gfxutil result for my NVMe drive:

06:00.0 144d:a809 /PCI0@0/IOU1@7/PXS2@0 = PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x7,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)

And here is the drive showing up in System Profiler:

Any idea what I've been doing wrong and if iCloud sync is possible?

 

[timjph]

Look for an adapter with the ASM2824 chip (like Lycom DT-130). I get 3200 read and 3000 write speed with the 970 Evo Plus.
Dieter

Did you have two 970 Evo Plus M.2 disks fitted to the two slot DT-130 or just one? On my machine a single 970 Evo Plus in a DT-130 adaptor consistently crashes the machine, but in a DT-120 it works just fine (Mojave, latest firmware, 2009 5,1)

 

[Vvglyy Wzxit]

Anyone know how to make our own background for the bootpicker?
Can't find a proper icns converter for a big file like a 1920*1200 pic.
I manage to make an ico, or a png but not icns.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Echan42]

I have a MacBook pro 13" 2015 and I want to try

OpenCore not to expand the usefull life of my legacy device but because I want to change my UUID on demand.​

Is opencore the solution I'm looking for?

 

[joevt]

Anyone know how to make our own background for the bootpicker?
Can't find a proper icns converter for a big file like a 1920*1200 pic.
I manage to make an ico, or a png but not icns.

Doesn't OpenCore support png? RefindPlus has code for icns, jpeg, bmp, and png. Actually, an icon in an icns can contain jpeg or png data but I don't think RefindPlus can handle those. It can handle it32, ih32, il32, and is32.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Icon_Image_format
it32 is required for the MacPro 2008 Startup Manager so I make sure all my icons are at least compatible with that in case I want to bypass OpenCore or RefindPlus.
Looking at the OpenCore code, it appears to be similar but it can do png icons (ic07 and ic13). It doesn't seem to support ih32, il32, is32.
The OpenCore code has a strange comment:

  // We do not need to support 'it32' 128x128 icon format,
  // because Finder automatically converts the icons to PNG-based
  // when assigning volume icon.

It's strange because it's only true for recent versions of macOS. If you have an older Mac like the MacPro3,1 with old versions of macOS, then you want to use it32 icons so all macOS versions can understand the icon.

Looking at the OpenCanopy code, it seems it won't load a png unless it's an ic07 or ic13 in an icns file. That's inconvenient. ic13 has a max size of 256x256 which isn't good enough for a background image. Actually, looking at the examples at https://github.com/blackosx/OpenCanopyIcons/tree/master/Set3LE/OrangeGlow/Backgrounds_AORUS
and https://github.com/blackosx/OpenCanopyIconPacks/tree/master/BOCIP_3_LE_RedGlow_MSI_GAMING
it appears you can make the icon any size you want since the png data for the icon includes the dimensions. ic07 is for the normal image. ic13 is for the retina image.
You might try taking one of the example background icons and pasting your png into it using Preview.app.

 

[juliovg]

Hello guys, first sorry about this question, but i don't know what is wrong.

recently (the last week) I follow this tutorial and i got my mac pro 5.1 works, all is working, but now that i'm trying to use VMWare Fusion 11, 11.5 and 12, i have some errors (images loaded)

Can somebody give me a hand?

Regards

 

[hwojtek]

VMWare dropped support for Mac Pro 5.1 CPUs after Fusion 11.5.6 in Big Sur.
Try changing the hypervisor in your 11.5 or switch to Parallels.

Also, this has NOTHING to do with OpenCore, why wouldn't you create a proper separate topic?

 

[PeterHolbrook]

@juliovg
I'll answer in Spanish: VMware Fusion 12.x ya no soporta Big Sur en un Mac Pro clásico. Usa Parallels Desktop, que sí lo soporta. Tendrás que importar tus máquinas virtuales de Fusion a Parallels. No da problemas.

 

[sfalatko]

Hello guys, first sorry about this question, but i don't know what is wrong.

recently (the last week) I follow this tutorial and i got my mac pro 5.1 works, all is working, but now that i'm trying to use VMWare Fusion 11, 11.5 and 12, i have some errors (images loaded)

Can somebody give me a hand?

Regards

Read this thread - vmware-fusion-no-more-on-macpro5-1.2261362

Short answer is that VMWare will not run on macOS Big Sur or later on our mac pro 5,1s.

 

[cybercylon]

The last thing I am getting to work is installing Linux (Ubuntu via the link provided in the first post). I can't get the install USB stick that one makes to appear as a choice in the boot picker. I've rechecked the config file to make sure that ext4_x64.efi is entered correctly as one of the drivers, and the driver itself is in the correct path. If I load the USB installer under Linux in a virtual machine, it looks like install media to me.

Anyone else run into an issue? Otherwise, I have Catalina good to go for actual work, Windows 10, and BigSur 11.2.3 good to go if I ever run into something that requires BigSur.

 

[cdf]

I can't get the install USB stick that one makes to appear as a choice in the boot picker. I've rechecked the config file to make sure that ext4_x64.efi is entered correctly as one of the drivers, and the driver itself is in the correct path. If I load the USB installer under Linux in a virtual machine, it looks like install media to me.

The Ext4 driver is just for booting the kernel from the Linux disk. For the installer, the iso file needs to be converted and copied to the USB drive. If the steps in the guide are not working for you, then you might want to try Ubuntu's official instructions for creating the USB installer in macOS:

Create a bootable USB stick on macOS | Ubuntu

Ubuntu is an open source software operating system that runs from the desktop, to the cloud, to all your internet connected things.

ubuntu.com

You might also want to try another USB drive.

Note that the guide is still considered a draft, and l've made several simplifications since the current version; I just haven't had the chance to write them up. These simplifications include not needing the Ext4 driver or having to go through Open Shell.

 

[Chrisl33]

Hi, I need some help with Catalina Install.
Have installed OC successfully and working OK.
I have followed the video to upgrade to Catalina, changed the relevant lines in config.plist and have the Catalina installer.
When I try to install everything seems to be going well until the restart.
When it restarts it simply starts back in Mojave.
One other thing is I don’t seem to have hardware acceleration according to VideoProc
Any ideas what I am doing wrong?
I have also tried removing all other drives but still no success.
2010 5.1 - 2 x 3.46, 96GB, Radeon RX 580 8G Running 10.14.6

 

[cybercylon]

Hi, I need some help with Catalina Install.
Have installed OC successfully and working OK.
I have followed the video to upgrade to Catalina, changed the relevant lines in config.plist and have the Catalina installer.
When I try to install everything seems to be going well until the restart.
When it restarts it simply starts back in Mojave.
One other thing is I don’t seem to have hardware acceleration according to VideoProc
Any ideas what I am doing wrong?
I have also tried removing all other drives but still no success.
2010 5.1 - 2 x 3.46, 96GB, Radeon RX 580 8G Running 10.14.6

I wonder if the EFI partition that you placed OC on is not blessed somehow. Do you even get a boot picker screen? If you placed OC on the EFI partition of a USB stick, did you pull the stick? (No, I never made that mistake )

 

[0134168]

I wonder if the EFI partition that you placed OC on is not blessed somehow. Do you even get a boot picker screen? If you placed OC on the EFI partition of a USB stick, did you pull the stick? (No, I never made that mistake )

Try pressing Alt and choose the OC efi.

 

[Chrisl33]

I wonder if the EFI partition that you placed OC on is not blessed somehow. Do you even get a boot picker screen? If you placed OC on the EFI partition of a USB stick, did you pull the stick? (No, I never made that mistake )

I used Martin Lo's package and all seem to be OK, I do get the boot picker screen and the EFI partition is on an SSD drive.

 

[hargas]

Hi!
What can I use Open Core for Mojave?
Thanks

 

[sfalatko]

Hi!
What can I use Open Core for Mojave?
Thanks

You can but I'm not sure of the benefits since Mojave is fully supported on our cmp 5,1s though it does allow a boot picker for non EFI GPUs.....

 

[Stez]

Has anyone tried installing Windows 11 on the Mac Pro with OpenCore? Slightly off-topic but will the Mac Pro be able to run Windows 11 without the TPM chip?

 

[tsialex]

Has anyone tried installing Windows 11 on the Mac Pro with OpenCore? Slightly off-topic but will the Mac Pro be able to run Windows 11 without the TPM chip?

It's possible to install the beta. The point is not even the 2019 Mac Pro will run the final one, Microsoft is hell bent on 8th gen Core CPUs/2nd gen Zen, this is from yesterday:

Update on Windows 11 minimum system requirements

Windows Insiders, Today we’re releasing our first Insider build for Windows 11, and we’re looking forward to the insight that comes from you installing and using on a variety of your PCs. Last week’s

blogs.windows.com

 

[axrst]

Hi guys,

I need your advice. The procedure of updating in the 1st post is quite complex. Recently I saw a video in youtube on how to update unsupported macs in big sur even without metal gpus (OpenCore Legacy Patcher -

) I've tried it to my macbook pro 15 mid2010, and works great (apart from some minor graphic issues as results of the beta gpu drivers).

My question has to do with this: Is the above method (OpenCore Legacy Patcher) someway compatible with mac pro 5,1? Should I try it? Or the mac pro is a more complicated machine and we must follow the strict instructions of the first post? Especially if we have pci nvme drives?

Sorry if some answers are in the previous posts, but English is not my native language and I've lost in the plethora of informations on 335+ pages.

 

[cybercylon]

Hi guys,

I need your advice. The procedure of updating in the 1st post is quite complex. Recently I saw a video in youtube on how to update unsupported macs in big sur even without metal gpus (OpenCore Legacy Patcher -

) I've tried it to my macbook pro 15 mid2010, and works great (apart from some minor graphic issues as results of the beta gpu drivers).

My question has to do with this: Is the above method (OpenCore Legacy Patcher) someway compatible with mac pro 5,1? Should I try it? Or the mac pro is a more complicated machine and we must follow the strict instructions of the first post? Especially if we have pci nvme drives?

Sorry if some answers are in the previous posts, but English is not my native language and I've lost in the plethora of informations on 335+ pages.

I have used the OpenCore Legacy Patcher in the past to install BigSur 11.2.3 on a MacPro 5 1 without any major issues.

However, since then, I've gone back to Catalina since BigSur (and Monterey) are dead ends for this model at the moment, so I have gone back to Martin's package.

Having said all of that, my Mac Pro has a metal compatible GPU, so if you are using it with the stock card, I am not sure how well it will work.

 

[claudiop]

Hi, newbie here

I've got a MacPro5,1 (Mid 2012) with Radeon RX580 and flashed BootROM 144.0.0.0. NB: this model doesn't have the boot-Option key to disk startup manger.

I've downloaded all the macOS for this model and created bootable USB installs using "createinstallmedia" command.

I'm running Mojave and wanting to upgrade to Catalina and Big Sur but having issues:
• I installed OC 0.7.0 and an SSD EFI. When I reboot to Mojave and check confirmation of the OC installation I get errors:
nvram 4D1FDA02-38C7-4A6A-9CC6-4BCCA8B30102pencore-version
nvram: Error getting variable - '4D1FDA02-38C7-4A6A-9CC6-4BCCA8B30102pencore-version': (iokit/common) data was not found

• in Recovery I've turned off SIP and set NVRAM boot-args -no_compat_check and, as per Martin Lo's setup, set config.plist VMM flag ON and Update SMBIOS to false

• From Mojave Finder window, bootable USB "Install macOS Catalina.app" to a SSD formatted GUID/APFS. Run Catalina Installer and get to selecting disks but are greyed out and message saying "This version of macOS 10.15.7 cannot be installed on this computer."

Booted to Mojave, I've tried booting to Recovery, resetting NVRAM, selecting the USB "Install macOS Catalina" disk in System Prefs>Startup but no good.

any ideas appreciated, cheers

 

[axrst]

Having said all of that, my Mac Pro has a metal compatible GPU, so if you are using it with the stock card, I am not sure how well it will work.

Thanks for your answer.

I have of course a metal gpu (RX580) since I'm running Mojave.

Did you install bigSur in a standard sata drive (ssd or not) or maybe you have a pci nvme as many of us? My biggest concern is if this process is compatible with these type of storage.

 

[benmuetsch]

Hi everyone!

I'm very new to the OpenCore game and just installed the MartinLO OC 0.7.0 package.

My setup:

2010 Mac Pro 5,1 with 144.0.0.0 BootROM
Single CPU X5690
Mojave on NVMe SSD in PCIe Slot 4
Two additional 2TB spinning HDs
OEM Medion / MSI Nvidia GTX 660 (GK 104 processor) with UEFI support

Installation went flawless, bootpicker is there and NVMe shows internal now. Installed OC on SATA spinning HD, so the whole boot process is even faster.

What happens is: no USB install media is recognized in the OC bootpicker, tried High Sierra, Mojave and Catalina USB thumb drives with unpatched installers. What am I missing? Not that I want to reinstall or update now.. was just for testing purposes. I thought I could also do a clean USB install of Mojave or Catalina via Opencore.
Tried with the two described combinations of:

- Normal system usage: VMM flag disabled, UpdateSMBIOS enabled

and also

- "Update mode" with VMM flag enabled and UpdateSMBIOS disabled

Is this behaviour to be expected or am I doing something wrong? I have a Sonnet PCIe USB3 card in Slot 3 but used of course the internal USB2 connectors... I know the Sonnet isn't bootable.

Thanks in advance!

Ben


Edit: I would also like to have a Yosemite or El Capitan Install on a seperate HD / SSD for compatibility to some legacy software.. is this possible with Opencore?