MP 1,1-5,1 Mojave Security Update 2020-003 Bricking MacPro5,1 ?

[e^2]

Just installed my Mac Pro with the latest security update, and it isn't coming back up at all. Anyone experienced this before? I just tried resetting NVRAM and PRAM and it didn't help.

Before I start tearing down the Mac Pro to the minimal config w/ EFI video card, wondering if anyone's seen this today? Of note is that I have a non-EFI graphics card (Sapphire PULSE Radeon) and NVMe Samsung PRO SSD.

 

[tsialex]

Brick term don't apply here at all. Security Updates can't upgrade MP5,1 BootROM.

 

[e^2]

? anyway, I got it booted again.

 

[Macschrauber]

Happened with a 5.1 and nvme/hdd Fusion drive yesterday.

incompatible system sign, seeable with bootscreen GPU.

Stored apfs snapshot back.

No, its not the Fusion Drive at all, other 5.1 with sata SSD/HDD survived 2020-003.

Sadly I had no time to check what gone wrong, was a customer machine what needs to get shipped.

 

[ErikCarlson]

? anyway, I got it booted again.

I would really love to know what you did. I just applied the 2020-003 update on my mac pro 5,1 and I am stuck on a white screen, no apple logo, no bong. I need to use it for work tomorrow so any help really appreciated.

Thanks
Erik

 

[MIKX]

I would really love to know what you did. I just applied the 2020-003 update on my mac pro 5,1 and I am stuck on a white screen, no apple logo, no bong. I need to use it for work tomorrow so any help really appreciated.

Thanks
Erik

Shut down first & remove Mac Pro power cable for 5 minutes.

 

[ErikCarlson]

Shut down first & remove Mac Pro power cable for 5 minutes.
View attachment 921339

Hi There, thanks for the reply. I tried PRAM & SMC but it doesn't help. I'd really love to know what the original poster did to resolve his issue.
Thanks
Erik

 

[ErikCarlson]

So, after very little sleep I'm now working again & it makes very little sense. I went through the usual steps simplifying the system and in the end it was disconnecting my 4K monitor ( I normally have 1 x 4K and 2 x HD) that allowed boot to a flashing question mark which was progress (1st no drives & no extra cards). So I put back just the boot volume on its PCIe card. The update then took about 20 mins to apply with no intervention (not even a keyboard connected). I booted a few times to prove to myself it's not fluke. I re-blessed the boot volume for good luck, booted again all good, so I have now put all my gubbins back (includng the 4K monitor) and it's running innocently as if nothing happened. It makes very little sense to me. None of the hardware is new, I usually allow security updates to apply (and tell others to do the same). I still don't have my startup chimes, but I don't know when I may have lost them as I normally sleep the Mac rather than switching it off. Very relieved to be able to work today, thanks to all who have commented. So the lesson is if you have a 4K monitor and esoteric troubles with updates, try a different monitor. Bonkers!

 

[Kubat]

Just installed the security update and Mac Pro 5.1 is bricked. I force restarted it - nothing blank screen. Tried pram reset. Just a chime and black screen. After second go at PRam reset it did double chime (?!) and screen displayed noise and then a “installing on Macintosh Hd” message (progress!) with estimated time 36min! First time I had such problems with a security update.

Update: afterwards I got message that little snitch is blocked during startup

 

[MIKX]

I installed build G185033 on my Carbon Copy Clone ( APFS Mojave 10.14.6 ) last week, I had no issues at all.

Now I have Mojave 10.14.6 G185033 installed on my Samsung 970 EVO Plus HFS+ formatted boot drive - I Cloned it from the above APFS backup drive.

As always, I did a TRIPLE CHIME NVRAM re-set on first cold boot of the HFS+ drive.

Everything working without any problems.

 

[MarkC426]

This installed on my Mojave drive without issue also.

 

[fatespawn]

Anybody else have any problems with this update. I'm a little concerned to press 'update' with the above reports.

 

[MIKX]

This installed on my Mojave drive without issue also.

You could C.C.C. CLONE your current boot drive to a spare APFS formatted hdd/ssd - apply the Security Update to this drive.

Boot from this drive and then let it run sometaks for a while.

Easy ?

 

[MarkC426]

My update when fine......
Where you answering fatespawn's post?

 

[dochoc]

Also no problems here.

 

[franzmichaelheinrich]

Im experiencing something similar...
CMP 4,1 -> 5,1 12 Core 3,1 Ghz.
After delaying th update for ages I gave in, and boom: Last thing I saw was the installer bar filling. Then a black screen for hours. Finally turned it off, and now there is no chime and the screen stays black. Tried PRAM, but I got tired of holding keys, not knowing wether or not the machine is even responding to that.
Ive changed my GPU back to the original Saphire. No change... (VEGA VII installed unsually)
Taken out the RAM one by one and shuffled their pos. No change...
SMC Reset. No change...

It sounds and looks to me like a normal startup except for the missing chime and screen. Hard drives are spinnning. LEDs as they sould be. Fans spinning.

Im taking it of the power for a night and trying again tomorrow. If it doesn't work, i guess ill have to tear it down to a minimum system diagnostic.

Anyone got some more ideas on the subject? It seems some people resolved similar issues?

 

[Macschrauber]

Press the diag button on the backplane and check if efi done is lit.

 

[tsialex]

Since this thread came back, a Mac Pro 5,1 Software Update or Security Update don't have any firmware updates differently from modern Macs, so a Software/Security update can't brick a Mac flashing the firmware, but a SPI flash memory on it's last legs can die with the quantity of modifications inside the NVRAM volume when the update needs to change the mount point multiple times with efi-boot-device/efi-boot-device-data/efi-backup-boot-device/efi-backup-boot-device-data-data, store the completion logs and etc.

The SPI flash memories used on early-2009 to mid-2012 Mac Pros are manufacture rated to just 100K cycles of erase/write and it's a 4Kb sector flash memory - this means that when you change a bit inside the NVRAM volume, you have to erase and then re-write a full sector. Most heavily used Mac Pros are on the last legs of the erase/write cycles of the SPI flash 10+ years later and most days I got inquires about backplanes that don't have EFI DONE LED lit when you press the DAIG button, a sign of BootROM failure. I'm probably biased toward this, but one thing is sure, SPI flash failure it's a lot more common than people think.

 

[fatespawn]

Alex,

Any method to check the cycles on the NVRAM?

Admittedly, I'm running a decade+ old computer on hardware and software it was not designed to support. This may be the end of the line for me. I have no need or desire to upgrade my machine based on my workflows. I'm leaning towards not applying this update and further pondering my future needs.

 

[tsialex]

Any method to check the cycles on the NVRAM?

Unlike SSDs, SPI flash memories don't have management or any way to show the useful life.

Admittedly, I'm running a decade+ old computer on hardware and software it was not designed to support. This may be the end of the line for me. I have no need or desire to upgrade my machine based on my workflows. I'm leaning towards not applying this update and further pondering my future needs.

While I can understand your sentiment, this won't change the useful life of the SPI flash. You can postpone the demise but will come someday in the future, the SPI flash has a rated useful life. It's better to be pro-active and keep a copy of your BootROM dump safely stored and when the SPI flash fails, you replace it. It's a less than two dollar component easily replaced with cheap tools. There are very accessible entry level hot-air stations on AliExpress for less than $45. For people more comfortable with a solder iron, there is ChipQuik and other similar low melt solder alloys for removal of SMD components.

Programming the replacement SPI can be done by ch341-a kits from Amazon/eBay/AliExpress for around $12. Solder it back can be done by a simple solder iron, no need to make a beautiful factory like job.

 

[franzmichaelheinrich]

Thanks for your quick replies!

After a night without power, I was able to preform a PRAM reset, chime came back! It now seems to be working like a charm again.

EFI Done was lit (Just to answer the question in case someone else runs into similar issues)

My guess would be, that I did not disconnect the power for long enough to preform a SMC reset, and that fixed it... But to be honest, I've never experienced issues like this before, and they seem quite random.
Let's hope it does not come to having to replace the SPI flash, because I believe it might just exceed my technical capabilities.

 

[MIKX]

For the cMPs we don't call it " PRAM " . . . it is called " NVRAM re-set ".

 

[aliennerd]

Can anything be done to minimise writes to the NVRAM?

 

[sergeregina]

Just installed my Mac Pro with the latest security update, and it isn't coming back up at all. Anyone experienced this before? I just tried resetting NVRAM and PRAM and it didn't help.

Before I start tearing down the Mac Pro to the minimal config w/ EFI video card, wondering if anyone's seen this today? Of note is that I have a non-EFI graphics card (Sapphire PULSE Radeon) and NVMe Samsung PRO SSD.

Same problem, same config. BAsically it takes 15 Minutes to boot. Installed back 10.14.6 "clean" and will stay with this until they fix their security updates problems. ROM 144.0.0.0.0 (up to date).

 

[sergeregina]

I would really love to know what you did. I just applied the 2020-003 update on my mac pro 5,1 and I am stuck on a white screen, no apple logo, no bong. I need to use it for work tomorrow so any help really appreciated.

Thanks
Erik

Mine finally starts after 15 minutes or so.