MP51.0084.B00 Rom Dump Request

[GuiPol]

Well after reading the thread i was wondering one thing :

Do we have to replace the graphic card, before the flash of the updated rom, with a stock apple graphic card like a HD 5770 ? In general one have to use a stock graphic card to flash so i was wondering ...
What do you think?

 

[h9826790]

Well after reading the thread i was wondering one thing :

Do we have to replace the graphic card, before the flash of the updated rom, with a stock apple graphic card like a HD 5770 ? In general one have to use a stock graphic card to flash so i was wondering ...
What do you think?

Any Mac EFI graphic card can do the job, not necessary stock card, flashed card is fine.

 

[GuiPol]

ok i've flashed following Handheld games with all attached files in his tuto. It's a no go with my mac pro 5 and an NVME samsung evo 960. Firmware is .84.

What i did before :

-Cloned my SSD under HS 10.13.4 on my Samsung Evo 960 NVME with SUPERDUPER.
-i've kept the 2600XT *official mac card* and removed the GTX 970 *non flashed* before attempting the procedure.

Followed the tuto by the book :

After i've put the mac pro in a flashable state (with flashing light and long tone) it booted under HS.
Dumped the rom successfully with romtool
Injected the NVME driver (link in hand held tuto) inside the original rom with DXInject
Flashed back with romtool. No error. Very smooth.

Rebooted to a blue screen. hangs then boot loop.

Pram reset and SMC reset : still a no go.

To boot under HS i had to press alt and choose the original SSD. If i put the NVME as a boot disk inside pref panel : blue screen. *important precision : when i press alt to choose the boot disk the NVME drive does NOT appear.*

Did i do something wrong ? Maybe i'll try the NVME driver from a mac pro 6,1....(if someone as a link for it i can't find it again)

EDIT: ps: when i look at the 2 rom (original and modified one) they have the exact same size... would the modified one be a little bit bigger ?

 

[HaypurTiryading]

That IS half speed per slot. The AVERAGE performance for each slot will be half--on average.

If you want to use slots 3 and 4 for high bandwidth cards, you probably should think about the fact they SHARE bandwidth. With two PCIe SSD drives, you would expect 3000 MB/s combined. You will only get 1500 MB/sec. The math there suggests HALF the expected data rate.
[doublepost=1530285014][/doublepost]
You can get 5GT/s instead of 2.5GT/s.

I've attached an imperfect, but close, document about using pciutils from the command line. You can change the PCIe rate on the fly. With this, you can put PCIe v2 cards in any slot in a cMP and change the speed from v1 to v2. It is useful on an Xserve, too.

Are these commands can turn into automated program? Also are these commands can work in windows? 5GT/s is important for non efi gpu's in windows.

@dosdude1 can you check?

edit> can't we embed these lines into the firmware?

 

[expede]

Hi!
Are your NVMe formared to HFS+ or APFS? Did you change the UUID, all over? Some of them, I think, is hidden, are they not?

/Per

ok i've flashed following Handheld games with all attached files in his tuto. It's a no go with my mac pro 5 and an NVME samsung evo 960. Firmware is .84.

What i did before :

-Cloned my SSD under HS 10.13.4 on my Samsung Evo 960 NVME with SUPERDUPER.
-i've kept the 2600XT *official mac card* and removed the GTX 970 *non flashed* before attempting the procedure.

Followed the tuto by the book :

After i've put the mac pro in a flashable state (with flashing light and long tone) it booted under HS.
Dumped the rom successfully with romtool
Injected the NVME driver (link in hand held tuto) inside the original rom with DXInject
Flashed back with romtool. No error. Very smooth.

Rebooted to a blue screen. hangs then boot loop.

Pram reset and SMC reset : still a no go.

To boot under HS i had to press alt and choose the original SSD. If i put the NVME as a boot disk inside pref panel : blue screen. *important precision : when i press alt to choose the boot disk the NVME drive does NOT appear.*

Did i do something wrong ? Maybe i'll try the NVME driver from a mac pro 6,1....(if someone as a link for it i can't find it again)

EDIT: ps: when i look at the 2 rom (original and modified one) they have the exact same size... would the modified one be a little bit bigger ?

 

[GuiPol]

Hi!
Are your NVMe formared to HFS+ or APFS? Did you change the UUID, all over? Some of them, I think, is hidden, are they not?

/Per

Hello Expede!
I've formatted the NVME drive in APFS. I did not change the UUID (don't know how to do it anyway). I've only duplicate my SSD onto my NVME with super duper.

 

[expede]

So.
1. When formares to APFS, can you see it?
2 Do then a clean install.

/Per

 

[GuiPol]

yes, i even installed a clone of my ssd on it.

After a fresh install of HS 10.13.5 firmwareless.. Same thing : bluescreen at startup. :/

 

[expede]

I should do a reinject, from my orginally saved bootrom. Swap the new bootrom and then reformat the NVMe disk. Then do the firmware fresh install USB-stick.

 

[GuiPol]

Next update :

success !! (well sort of).

Swapped the video card with original HD5770 as per @gilles_polysoft advice.

Did a full flash again.
flash was wayyyyy longer to achieve (first time it was VERY quick).
Rebooted to NVME : SUCCESS.
---
Resintalled the 2600ST mac edition + GTX 970 (pc rom)
Did a reset pram and SMC : blue screen.

Press "alt" on reboot : nvme drive "finally" appeared. Boot on it is a success.

it seems i can't "cold boot" on it with the cards installed right now (2600xt and GTX 970). i have to press "alt" and select it for this to work but otherwise it roxx.

So my experience on this:
-safer to use original video card for the flash (even if a success has been achieved with another member using a non stock video card)
-Once the other cards were reinstalled : Can't cold boot on it directly, have to select it from bootscreen.

 

[Earl Urley]

So I've got one 2009 flashed to 5,1 running 10.13.4, and ROM 0084. Will the step-by-step guide help me any?

Last time I looked I didn't see what ROMs were covered, but since people have had success with (as far as I can tell)

0087,

How about a 5,1 running latest Sierra with ROM 007F? Wonder if the Security Update 2018-004 beta will get me to 0085 or 0087?

How do I get ROM 0085? Run the combo or delta update to 10.13.5 on HS?

 

[expede]

Yeah!

The guide will apply to your 84´. I currently running HS on a 5.1 with boot-version 84´ and I cold boot from my NVMe M.2 and a BootChamp to Win 10 to an SSD and back with reboot (disabled SIP). The security update did not give me 85´ through Appstore.

/Per

So I've got one 2009 flashed to 5,1 running 10.13.4, and ROM 0084. Will the step-by-step guide help me any?

Last time I looked I didn't see what ROMs were covered, but since people have had success with (as far as I can tell)

0087,

How about a 5,1 running latest Sierra with ROM 007F? Wonder if the Security Update 2018-004 beta will get me to 0085 or 0087?

How do I get ROM 0085? Run the combo or delta update to 10.13.5 on HS?

 

[handheldgames]

Next update :

success !! (well sort of).

Swapped the video card with original HD5770 as per @gilles_polysoft advice.

Did a full flash again.
flash was wayyyyy longer to achieve (first time it was VERY quick).
Rebooted to NVME : SUCCESS.
---
Resintalled the 2600ST mac edition + GTX 970 (pc rom)
Did a reset pram and SMC : blue screen.

Press "alt" on reboot : nvme drive "finally" appeared. Boot on it is a success.

it seems i can't "cold boot" on it with the cards installed right now (2600xt and GTX 970). i have to press "alt" and select it for this to work but otherwise it roxx.

So my experience on this:
-safer to use original video card for the flash (even if a success has been achieved with another member using a non stock video card)
-Once the other cards were reinstalled : Can't cold boot on it directly, have to select it from bootscreen.

Thanks for the details about boot issues running video cards from different manufacturers. It’s great to hear you were able to work through the compatibility issue. I’ll add details in the upgrade preface.

I’ve flashed back and forth between the original and modified ROM multiple times using a rx480, efi modded 7950 and a nvs 510. Always make sure you have booted into Flash mode with the 5+ second start button press followed by a long chime before attempting any flash.

One note of exhibited behavior, booting between NVMe and an AHCI PCIe ssd the Mac Pro chimes 2x in the reboot process. At the point of polling for available storage devices prior to the login screen appearing.

Once past the double chime Restarting or cold booting with NVMe or AHCI results in one chime.

 

[Earl Urley]

Thanks, handheldgames, this method seems to even work under Mojave Public Beta, just patched BootROM 0087 with it, but waiting for a NVMe drive and a Lycom DT-120 to arrive to see if it worked or not.

I was only nagged to put in my admin password twice and it wasn't blocked by Gatekeeper.. wonder why?

 

[BelgianBoy]

handheldgames,
I run a cMP 5.1 on Sierra 10.12.6 with bootrom MP51.007F.B03 and and 2 nVidia-videocards. One is GT 120, one Geforce GTX 970 (pc). I use my mac professionally. What happens if a bootrom flash fails? How do you recover from that?

Also, in my systemprofile under "hardware" is a "NVMExpress" mention. Was this originally in Sierra?

 

[expede]

Hi, BelgianBoy!

That was everyone is talking about. Brickin' your Mac (to make you cMP into a Brick). There is no recovery, sorry! Ohh, yeah now I remember... soldering off your rom and flash it and the soldering it back.

/Per

How do you recover from that?

 

[handheldgames]

handheldgames,
I run a cMP 5.1 on Sierra 10.12.6 with bootrom MP51.007F.B03 and and 2 nVidia-videocards. One is GT 120, one Geforce GTX 970 (pc). I use my mac professionally. What happens if a bootrom flash fails? How do you recover from that?

Also, in my systemprofile under "hardware" is a "NVMExpress" mention. Was this originally in Sierra?

What happens if a bootrom flash fails? How do you recover from that?
It sounds like flashing a Mac/PC firmware is new territory and I understand your concern. While there is a risk, it is minimal. If you can, print a copy of the document and check off your steps as you go through them.

Now, part of of the upgrade process involves backing up your existing firmware. This can be copied to a USB drive for a recovery emergency. If for some unforeseen event happens and your mac firmware gets bungled, there are plenty of local macbook vendors who can flash the backed up firmware to your MacPro or to a plug-in EFI board.

If all else fails, it's $125-$150 for a replacement logic board from ebay.

Also, in my systemprofile under "hardware" is a "NVMExpress" mention. Was this originally in Sierra?
I think this has been there since sierra. It's been a there for some time.

 

[BelgianBoy]

Now, part of of the upgrade process involves backing up your existing firmware. This can be copied to a USB drive for a recovery emergency. If for some unforeseen event happens and your mac firmware gets bungled, there are plenty of local macbook vendors who can flash the backed up firmware to your MacPro or to a plug-in EFI board.

Could i recover a bricked MP in target mode with another MP (2008 3.1) ?

 

[tsialex]

Could i recover a bricked MP in target mode with another MP (2008 3.1) ?

Target mode only permit access to the disks on a Mac, not to the SPI flash (MP4,1/5,1) or the parallel flash (MP3,1) that store the BootROM.

 

[BelgianBoy]

there are plenty of local macbook vendors who can flash the backed up firmware to your MacPro

Who do you mean by that and how would they do it?

 

[gilles_polysoft]

Who do you mean by that and how would they do it?

Hi,
I am in france and I offer you to reprogram back the BootRom your Mac Pro logic board (backplane, ref. 661-4996) if ever you fail the BootRom flash.
Do a backup, and if things go wrong, you can send me the board and I'll get it reprogrammed for free (just shipping fees).

 

[BelgianBoy]

C'est super gentil ça!

 

[DearthnVader]

There isn't too much danger of bricking your Mac Pro, unless the power goes out while you are flashing it. In the case Apple offers a Firmware recovery CD that will restore the firmware.

If the firmware file you are flashing is good, then there shouldn't be trouble, but if it's not edited proper, you could end up with a system that isn't in a unusable state, partially loading the firmware, but not enough to boot. In that case the firmware recovery CD would not work, and you'd have to resort to a hardware solution for fixing it.

 

[BelgianBoy]

If the firmware file you are flashing is good, then there shouldn't be trouble

I would follow this manual and its downloadlinks religiously: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WNkM9LuGPq1sArO9EedWBHYq14NU7m-mDBLAWWJipyM/edit

 

[Earl Urley]

Arrrgh, finally got ROMTool working. For some reason, it didn't work in 10.12.6, didn't work in 10.13.5, but it worked fine when I transferred the Mojave Beta drive installed in a 2009 updated to 2010 to my 2012. WTF? Luckily I had used this previously to add the DXE driver to the previous machine.

ROMTool wouldn't work from a clean install on a USB Drive with HS and Sierra on it, as I tried booting from the USB drive but ran into the same 'DirectHW.kext could not install error.' I had already disabled SIP and was booting in firmware flash mode every time.

Wonder if it had to do with the fact I was trying to install on a hard drive without Apple firmware, as in a generic drive taken from an old PC. The drive the Mojave beta was on was an OEM Apple 1 TB WD drive..

Wasn't able to apply the DXE to BootROM 007F because of the above situation, had already done the HS upgrade.

Now running with a Samsung 970 Pro in a Lycom DT-120, boots are quick and launching apps is super fast. Outlook only very briefly rainbow wheels, evidently it is very file hungry.

AJA System Test Lite reports a read speed of 1502 MB/sec read, 1444 MB/sec write. Veeerry nice!

Moved it to slot 3 because in slot 2 it only managed 740 MB/sec read, 705 MB/sec write there; better than the Samsung 840 in the Velocity Solo which topped out at about 540 MB/sec read, 510 MB/sec write.

Guess if I wanted more speed, I'd have to spring for that HighPoint 7170A..