Resolved OS X Yosemite on Unsupported Macs [Guide]

[fanfzero]

I mainly want to reduce brightness to save energy when the macbook is in battery mode. Shady seems to not reduce the display backlight, only to make the screen look like dark. If the macbook display is in standby mode after 5 mins of no usage, the screen will go dark, but the backlight light stays on.

But thank you for the information that it isn't my mistake...

I have one more issue: Although i installed the nosleep.kext, the MacBook goes to standby if i close it. I can't wake it up from sleep anymore, i need to switch it off and start it again...

For unsupported macbooks, brightness adjust died in Mountain Lion. Ironically, it still works on Windows 10 after installing the Bootcamp support software

 

[b251]

Oh, thats really frustrating, but i can live with it.

Now, i habe one more problem: Sometimes my MacBook freezes, curiously i can move my mouse, but i can't click anywhere and also the clock in the upper right corner freezes. I have to turn off the machine holding the power button down for a few seconds and restart it. What's the reason for the freezes and is there probably a solution?

 

[alasdairszombiemac]

@b251 I have the same issue. Investigating a bit I think that it is due to bugs in the beta kexts that were never fixed. Unfortunately I have not found a solution.... Occasionally the mac fixes itself after a minute or two but more normally you have to turn it on and off again like you say. I have installed smcFanController to always put my macbook fan on full power so everything is running cooler. My perception is that this makes the crashes rarer than they were before but that might be placebo effect. I have kept my mountain lion partition which is rock solid for any time that I need to work on something crucial that I can't afford a crash on.

 

[Gpl]

H

Updated August 1, 2015


SUCCESS!!!

iMac 2006 joins Yosemite's foray..

If you have been following me on this thread, you would know that I, as countless others, stuck with ancient iMacs, were mostly left out of the Yosemite Party. No More!
So after 3 months of struggle holding the "Never Give Up" motto, I am glad to say that I have done it, and here I share with you what I have discovered.

First of all, the great news is, that literally any intel core 2 duo Mac can get Yosemite running, and yes, this includes the ancient first intel Mac that appeared, namely iMac 4,1 born early 2006 (with upgraded processor).
Even better news is, that even if your end of the line was Mountain Lion, thanks to the great people beyond mlpostfactor, but you have tried installing Mavericks and yet were disappointed with the performance, you should be pleasantly surprised to know that Yosemite runs better than Mavericks! (Possibly El-Capitan will be even better!).
Apple really sold us, old Macs' owners, short!

Second, the great gurus beyond Macpostfactor and OSX Extractor are truly amazing people. Hard to believe that they give us all these softs for free and hardly even ask for mere donation. Kudos!

So..

RAM-O-RAMA

If you followed the instruction on posts 1 and 2 and got the install going to the point where you get that apple logo at booting, but then got:

1) Stuck at the apple logo screen forever, or
2) An empty progress bar appears under the apple logo but it never fills up, or
3) After the apple logo you are bumped back to your original working partition (ML or Lion), or
4) You got a kernel panics, the grey screen of death or a black screen

And you have probably tried to, no avail, booting Command-s (single mode) and got stuck with an empty black screen showing one blinking dash ( - ); And you have probably tried booting with shift key (safe mode) with no luck either; And you booted with command-v (verbose mode) and got stuck at "Waiting for root device" or some other cryptic messagess.
You probably have tried booting from Recovery too countless times and got nothing or nothing more than an OS X HACKERS screen followed by nothing..

In other words you have tried EVERYTHING and NOTHING worked..

Now we all heard stories about old repairmen pounding on appliances and the appliances magically start working!
So if you got so frustrated as I did, got a hammer and started pounding on your Mac and all of sudden that empty progress bar finally moved, filled up, and your installation proceeded and succeeded you would be as astonished as myself!

To be honest I didn't do that, but nevertheless this could have been the solution!
Kidding aside, allow me to explain..

I have run several test on my mac using tech tool and Apple Hardware Test, but could't detect anything striking, EXCEPT for an occasional small error (stuck memory) but only on repeated tests.
So on a hunch I removed one ram from the memory slot and rebooted..

BOOM!!!! SUCCESS!!!!!!!

Booting, filling the progress bar, installation, all went through like melting butter!!!

Now mind you that I never had problems with my Mac memory..
Originally my iMac came with factory 2GB memory (1+1), but I have upgraded it, long time ago, to 4GB (2+2) and I never seemed to have any problems with it, and accordingly system profiler detected it correctly as 4GB.
Just to be sure, I have tried all thousand combinations of swapping rams in slots, along with trying different rams, and here is the strange thing that I have discovered:

ANY RAM combination (1+1), (1+2), (2,0) or (2+2), regardless of order placements in slots, would work FINE for booting and running Mountain lion, BUT NOT MAVERICKS OR YOSEMITE!!!

The ONLY combinations that would work for Yosemite are (1+1), (2,0) or (0,2).
In other words anything above 2GB prevented Yosemite from booting!!!
What's worse, is that every attempt to boot a partition with the "wrong" ram combination resulted in a damage to said partition beyond repair! (Not even DiskWarrior could fix it!).
Worse yet, Kernel Panic continued when booting from different partitions (with the correct Ram combination) as long as the earlier damaged partition was still connected or not erased!
So keep in mind that any connected backup clones (such as SuperDuper!) can end up be damaged too.
So keep extra backups AWAY (not connected) to the Mac you are woking on.

Obviously this can be blamed on a faulty ram memory, but again, tests ran OK, and ML never complained, not even once!

So now you understand why banging your Mac with hammer could have magically fixed it (by simply dislodging one of the rams!)

Now Macs has always been fussy with Rams, and you have to be almost a Ram expert to buy the correct upgrade or buy it expensively from Apple.
The ram I have got is from crucial.com (very reputable), but I have tried Rams from other manufacturers too and ran extensive tests (including Apple Hardware Test) and none showed any problems with the Rams I got.
But after exhaustive googling, I did find complaints by some who claim their Macs stopped booting Yosemite after upgrading Rams! Or that an upgrade to Yosemite bricked their Macs!
And if you visit Hackintosh forums you will see they are riddled with Yosemite specific Ram problems! Very interesting!
They suggest things such as booting Yosemite with boot-args like maxmem=2024 and/ or GraphicEnabler=No. It does work, but it's a poor-man patch and troubles waiting to happen (as noted above).

Older people of course remember the days when building PCs frequently caused compatibility problems that were always very hard to diagnose and solve.
Similarly, if you made some changes to your Mac (Processor upgrade, Ram upgrade, SSD drive, Optibay..etc) then you are wandering into the shadow lands of the unknown.
But to make you feel a little better, I found few complaints with new genuine unmodified Macs that ran into kernel panics upon upgrade to Yosemite.
So my guess this issue is not specific to Ram, SSD, Macpostfactor, kextcache, Pike's boot.efi or even Yosemite, but rather some unknown combinations of the above where Yosemite is the common factor. And were for some unknown reason this can be solved as noted above. Alas with running less Ram..


Bottom line..

If your boot/ installation not going through, check/ decrease (remove) some of your Rams all the way down to 2 GB.
Like I said, even if you Mac is booting and running Mountain Lion fine, it might not do so with Yosemite.


I hope this helped someone, it took darn too long to type!

Hello, thanks for this share, the problem is present also with maverick, with 2Gb it works but not with 4Gb (iMac 4.1 upgraded to 5.1)

 

[nampramos]

Hi guys,

A simple question to check if I am getting this right:

Yosemite will work on an iMac 6,1 only if it is running 1 + 1 GB RAM or 2GB in a single dimm?

Mine comes with the upgraded 2 + 1 GB.

Is there no way around this still? Or would this problem be fixed if I would go with something above Yosemite (recommend for an iMac 6,1 though?). Mine comes even with the upgraded 7600GT.

Could I even install the OSX directly into an HDD connected by cable to my 2014 MBP running Sierra and only then install it back on the iMac?

Many thanks and kudos for everyone on this project, such great work!

 

[ArrowFC]

It seems that there's a file missing or cannot be loaded because of the wrong version. The Kext files (Kernel Extensions) have dependencies to each other (similiar to Linux Kernel modules). This means if one Kext isn't loaded, other Kexts maybe are also not loaded.

You can check the Kext dependencies via the Terminal command 'kextlibs', e.g. 'kextlibs /Volumes/Lion/System/Library/Extensions/GeForce7xxx.kext'.

The GeForce7xxx.kext for instance uses also the 'IOGraphicsFamily.kext', 'IONDRVSupport.kext' and 'IOPCIFamily.kext'.

For the GeForce 7300GT/7600GT you could try to add / replace these files with the version from 10.7.5 Lion:

GeForce7xxx.kext
GeForce7xxxGA.plugin
GeForce7xxxGLDriver.bundle
GeForce7xxxVADriver.bundle
NVDANV40HalG7xxx.kext
NVDAResman.kext
NVDAResmanG7xxx.kext
IONDRVSupport.kext

Maybe additional files are necessary - I cannot test it, because I haven't a iMac6,1. Try it step-by-step and watch the log-files in verbose boot mode as well as in Console. The same by the way for the also not loaded Bluetooth files.

Hi did you find a fix for this kexts issue ? I have iMac 6.1 with 7300GT and i can only use mlpostfactor 0.3
Sorry for my bad english.

 

[skytribe99]

Trying to get installed onto a mini mac 2.1 which is running mavericks. However running into some problems. Using latest SFOTT and install of 10.10.5 of Yosemite got the SFOTT to create a OS X yosemite USB. However when it starts booting up I see the black screen with the apple logo - progress bar appears and very quickly I generate the following panic boot failure.

Anonymous UUID: F5ED2E66-3A27-6FF9-7E5E-05DD24122857

Sun Jan 15 16:51:40 2017
panic(cpu 1 caller 0xffffff800261e80a): Kernel trap at 0x0000000000000000, type 14=page fault, registers:
CR0: 0x0000000080010033, CR2: 0x0000000000000000, CR3: 0x000000007b1e4000, CR4: 0x0000000000002660
RAX: 0xffffff800900e6d0, RBX: 0xffffff7f82ca97e8, RCX: 0xffffffffffffffff, RDX: 0x0000000000000000
RSP: 0xffffff806359bf08, RBP: 0xffffff806359bf50, RSI: 0xffffff800901b440, RDI: 0xffffff800900e6d0
R8: 0x0000000000000004, R9: 0xffffff800901b480, R10: 0x0000000000000000, R11: 0xffffff7f82ca3b35
R12: 0x0000000000000000, R13: 0xffffff800901b440, R14: 0xffffff800a1a3338, R15: 0xffffff800a693b00
RFL: 0x0000000000010246, RIP: 0x0000000000000000, CS: 0x0000000000000008, SS: 0x0000000000000010
Fault CR2: 0x0000000000000000, Error code: 0x0000000000000010, Fault CPU: 0x1

Backtrace (CPU 1), Frame : Return Address
0xffffff806359bbb0 : 0xffffff800253a811
0xffffff806359bc30 : 0xffffff800261e80a
0xffffff806359bdf0 : 0xffffff800263a443
0xffffff806359be10 : 0x0
0xffffff806359bf50 : 0xffffff8002a4dcb2
0xffffff806359bfb0 : 0xffffff800263ac46

BSD process name corresponding to current thread: launchd

Mac OS version:
14F27

Kernel version:
Darwin Kernel Version 14.0.0: Tue Sep 23 23:01:41 PDT 2014; root:xnu-2782.1.97~6/RELEASE_X86_64
Kernel UUID: 5385C81A-218D-36E7-94EF-C01A5FAA3A8C
Kernel slide: 0x0000000002200000
Kernel text base: 0xffffff8002400000
__HIB text base: 0xffffff8002300000
System model name: Macmini2,1 (Mac-F4208EC8)

System uptime in nanoseconds: 6452532688
last loaded kext at 4910236900: com.apple.driver.AppleIRController 327.5 (addr 0xffffff7f833a6000, size 24576)
loaded kexts:
com.apple.driver.AppleIRController 327.5
com.apple.driver.CSRHIDTransitionDriver 4.3.6f3
com.apple.iokit.SCSITaskUserClient 3.7.5
com.apple.driver.XsanFilter 404
com.apple.driver.AppleFileSystemDriver 3.0.1
com.apple.iokit.IOAHCIBlockStorage 2.7.1
com.apple.iokit.IOAHCIPassThrough 1.0.3
com.apple.iokit.AppleYukon2 3.2.3b1
com.apple.BootCache 36
com.apple.AppleFSCompression.AppleFSCompressionTypeZlib 1.0.0
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBHub 705.4.2
com.apple.driver.AppleAHCIPort 3.1.2
com.apple.driver.AppleIntelPIIXATA 2.5.1
com.apple.AppleFSCompression.AppleFSCompressionTypeDataless 1.0.0d1
com.apple.driver.AirPort.Atheros40 700.74.5
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBEHCI 705.4.14
com.apple.driver.AppleFWOHCI 5.5.2
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBUHCI 656.4.1
com.apple.driver.AppleRTC 2.0
com.apple.driver.AppleHPET 1.8
com.apple.driver.AppleACPIButtons 3.1
com.apple.driver.AppleSMBIOS 2.1
com.apple.driver.AppleACPIEC 3.1
com.apple.driver.AppleAPIC 1.7
com.apple.driver.AppleIntelCPUPowerManagementClient 218.0.0
com.apple.security.TMSafetyNet 8
com.apple.security.quarantine 3
com.apple.nke.applicationfirewall 161
com.apple.driver.AppleIntelCPUPowerManagement 218.0.0
com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIBlockCommandsDevice 3.7.5
com.apple.iokit.IOUSBHIDDriver 705.4.0
com.apple.iokit.IOUSBMassStorageClass 3.7.2
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBComposite 705.4.9
com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIMultimediaCommandsDevice 3.7.5
com.apple.iokit.IOBDStorageFamily 1.7
com.apple.iokit.IODVDStorageFamily 1.7.1
com.apple.iokit.IOCDStorageFamily 1.7.1
com.apple.iokit.IOATAPIProtocolTransport 3.5.0
com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIArchitectureModelFamily 3.7.5
com.apple.iokit.IOAHCIFamily 2.7.5
com.apple.iokit.IOATAFamily 2.5.3
com.apple.iokit.IO80211Family 730.60
com.apple.iokit.IONetworkingFamily 3.2
com.apple.iokit.IOFireWireFamily 4.5.8
com.apple.iokit.IOUSBFamily 720.4.4
com.apple.driver.AppleEFINVRAM 2.0
com.apple.driver.AppleEFIRuntime 2.0
com.apple.iokit.IOHIDFamily 2.0.0
com.apple.iokit.IOSMBusFamily 1.1
com.apple.security.sandbox 300.0
com.apple.kext.AppleMatch 1.0.0d1
com.apple.iokit.IOReportFamily 31
com.apple.driver.DiskImages 398
com.apple.iokit.IOStorageFamily 2.0
com.apple.driver.AppleKeyStore 2
com.apple.driver.AppleMobileFileIntegrity 1.0.5
com.apple.driver.AppleFDEKeyStore 28.30
com.apple.driver.AppleCredentialManager 1.0
com.apple.driver.AppleACPIPlatform 3.1
com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily 2.9
com.apple.iokit.IOACPIFamily 1.4
com.apple.kec.pthread 1
com.apple.kec.corecrypto 1.0
Model: Macmini2,1, BootROM MM21.009A.B00, 2 processors, Intel Core 2 Duo, 2 GHz, 2 GB, SMC 1.3f4
Graphics: Display, Built-In, 7 MB
Memory Module: BANK 0/DIMM0, 1 GB, DDR2 SDRAM, 667 MHz, 0xCE00000000000000, 0x4D342037305432383634445A332D43453620
Memory Module: BANK 1/DIMM1, 1 GB, DDR2 SDRAM, 667 MHz, 0xAD00000000000000, 0x48594D503531325336344250382D59352020
Bluetooth: Version 5.2.7f4 15858, 3 services, 22 devices, 1 incoming serial ports
Network Service: Ethernet, Ethernet, en0
Serial ATA Device: FUJITSU MHV2060BHPL, 60.01 GB
Parallel ATA Device: MATSHITACD-RW CW-8124
USB Device: Hub
USB Device: Natural® Ergonomic Keyboard 4000
USB Device: Bluetooth USB Host Controller
USB Device: IR Receiver
USB Device: Comfort Mouse 3000
Thunderbolt Bus:


This doesn't mean much to me and Im no nearer to finding a resolution so any assistance would be great. Just trying to get this up and running so I can use Xamarin and utilize build agent from a PC to build iPhone applications.

 

[Gpl]

Hi guys,

A simple question to check if I am getting this right:

Yosemite will work on an iMac 6,1 only if it is running 1 + 1 GB RAM or 2GB in a single dimm?

Mine comes with the upgraded 2 + 1 GB.

Is there no way around this still? Or would this problem be fixed if I would go with something above Yosemite (recommend for an iMac 6,1 though?). Mine comes even with the upgraded 7600GT.

Could I even install the OSX directly into an HDD connected by cable to my 2014 MBP running Sierra and only then install it back on the iMac?

Many thanks and kudos for everyone on this project, such great work!

In my case imac 4.1 to 5.1 it works with 1x2Gb

 

[todesto]

I got Yosemite installed on my iMac6,1. After installation, I can go thru setup and get to desktop but no QE/CI so it' buffering a lot. So I run Nvidia Kext from Yosemite patch file, reboot, then it will hang after entering my log in password. Tried it twice and failed.

My system is 7600GT. Which kext do I edit to have Yosemite recognize 7600GT?

Thanks in advance.

 

[gianniblaze]

Hello, I have Installed OSX Yosemite on my 4.1 Black Macbook!, Im now Writing with it this Post!
It works fine.

The Graphikcard works with the Kext from here and the commend from this thread to0, but i have the Problem i dont became the Sound fixed!

I have installed a lot of kext vor the sound but dosent worked!

Can Any one Help me?

Sory for my Bad enlglisch

 

[todesto]

When I tried to load nvidia kext, my console shows it failed to load. I have kext-dev-mode and log shows it tries to load but fail. Any idea?

 

[Dudefoxlive]

i somehow fixed the problem with the weird graphics gliches on my macbook wirh yosemite installed. i updated to 10.10 5 and everything seems to work fine now.

 

[rolofhof]

In Terminal run the command: sudo nvram boot-args="kext-dev-mode=1" .

In /System/Library/Extensions/ disable AMDFramebuffer.kext as well as AMDSupport.kext by renaming.

Insert via Kext Utility the following Graphics Kexts:

ATI1600Controller.kext
ATIFramebuffer.kext
ATIRadeonX1000.kext
ATIRadeonX1000GA.plugin
ATIRadeonX1000GLDriver.bundle
ATIRadeonX1000VADriver.bundle
ATISupport.kext

You can take these files also from 10.7.5 Lion or the 10.7.5 Combo Update.

After a reboot Yosemite should now display 128 MB graphics memory and there should also be much less graphics artifacts. For fully graphics acceleration you need appropriate patched OpenCL/GL Frameworks.

i have an Imac 4.1 early 2006. i have the same problem with only 5mb on the ATI radeon x1600.
maybe someone can share the kexts?

 

[Radio-Radio]

i have an Imac 4.1 early 2006. i have the same problem with only 5mb on the ATI radeon x1600.
maybe someone can share the kexts?

I have installed on a few iMac 4.1 (2006), and a couple MacBook Pro 2.1 (2006). It is important how you update the graphics ktexts (they are probably there aready if you did it right).
1 - Install Kext for your specific graphics card if necessary.
2 - Boot your computer holding: Command ⌘+S
Then type in terminal:
sudo nvram boot-args="kext-dev-mode=1"
Then:reboot
3 - Install the Audio Kext if necessary.
This is from a previous post
"If you have a Yosemite installer you can use MacPostFactor to create a usb drive that will allow you to install Yosemite on that mac and it should have most of the drivers. If you go this route and find that the graphics kext are not installed after the install then you will need to find some and install them using KextBeast. You have Lion and Yosemite each on a partition. If you have installed Yosemite more than once on this prepared partition, when you want to install it again you have to delete entire old Yosemite partition and make a fresh partition again. Don't know why installation on previously used partition is messing up but i had similar problems and what helped me was to delete (not erase, DELETE) Yosemite partition entirely and then make a new one. Worked like a charm
sounds like the 10.10.5 update has overwritten the custom boot.efi file needed for Yosemite to run on unsupported macs.
Here is a link, read through this thread, I'm sure you'll find what you need here.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/2006-2007-mac-pro-1-1-2-1-and-os-x-yosemite.1740775/"

 

[rolofhof]

Allright. so i managed to succesfully install my mac including the graphics card. However i ran into a lack on RAM memory so i went on a used -items market and found myself an imac 6.1 ''24 with a 7600gt but now i have the same problems and this is macpostfactor doesn't solve the issue. i will try the command but i feel like that that is not going to work ether.

ive tried the command now, no succes,
excuting kext utill to repair no succes.
trying the sfott installer now
funny, if i do ''kextstat" i get not a single 'nvidia' kext....

 

[kolin5355]

Spoiler: TMRJIJ, post: 19435880, member: 878094

Depending on the computer used and the procedure employed the RESOLVED in the title might be a bit too optimistic...or just too early judging by all the following posts, with all the credits very well deserved by the creators of these wonderful tools! Thank you very much TMRJIJ!!!!!​

***************************************************
Good to remember if you use a tool like MCPF to install an "unsupported" newer OSX.
Keep a bootable clone of the original "supported" OSX of that computer with its original unhacked Recovery Partition, for instance in a USB key or an external drive. The "special" Recovery Partition ("OSX Hackers") created by the hacking tool in Mavericks can be used for rehacking (if needed) or for doing again a "clean install' of the newer hacked system. However it doesn't give you access to a Time Machine recovery as found in a normal Recovery Partition.
(Sometimes Time Machine refuses to start and work normally from inside the hacked new OSX).
The original kept "old" Recovery Partition will allow you to boot from it and restore the newer system (if needed) from a Time Machine back up of it.
************************************************
A remark for people trying without success to install Yosemite through MCPF 1.0.1
I tried it for several months without success. Mavericks worked in my MB 4.1, early 2008, Yosemite not.
Then one day I run this tool choosing Yosemite and directing it to an external USB stick as installer, and afterwards repeated the Yosemite choice but this time pointing to the inner drive of my MB 4.1, leaving the USB stick installer plugged in. A double procedure with MCPF 1.0.1.
For unknown reasons to me, a reboot allowed me suddently to begin to install Yosemite.
I don't know if it might work for others users or for other unsupported macs but in dispair maybe you give this double procedure a try.
I later succeeded to upgrade to the last version of Yosemite 10.10.5 and to install a security update.
However I had to use each time the AppleHDA kext of the OSX Hackers kext package to have again recognized the built-in microphone and speakers, "disappeared" after any update.
I don't have unfortunately the patched special Hackers recovery partition in case I need to rehack it, as I had with Mavericks, so I keep bootable clones for safety.
****************************************************
A suggestion: MPEG Streamclip, a free, non further updated application, plays some"avi" movies in an hacked Yosemite, while VLC and other players only give the sound track. If this suggested player doesn't work with a certain "avi", the HD player, part of the P2P application "Vuze" always does in my experience.
************************************************


Last Update: October 31, 2016 by TMRJIJ - macOS Extractor 1.4.1 will change steps in tutorial.
Last Update: July 24, 2016 by TMRJIJ - MacPostFactor 2.0.1 and OS X Extractor 1.34 releases
Last Update: June 15, 2016 by TMRJIJ - Improvements



Warning: MacPostFactor 2.0.1 doesn't support macOS 10.12 yet.

OS X Yosemite on Unsupported Macs
OS X Hackers

OS X Extracter and MacPostFactor are apps that guide you through patching and installing OS X El Capitan (10.11), Yosemite (10.10), Mavericks(10.9), or Mountain Lion (10.8) on your older Mac. This thread focuses on OS X Yosemite.

MacPostFactor works for Mountain Lion, Mavericks, and Yosemite (certain Models).
Please note that older GPU (GMA 950, X3100, X1600, X1300, X1900, 7300gt, etc.) Graphics Acceleration on Mavericks and Yosemite is not supported yet but this thread consists of many graphical workarounds.
Installing on these models may cause them to have graphical issues as stated in these pages. Kexts are provided to help a little bit.
OS X Extractor is somewhat for more advanced users and should only be used as an alternative to MacPostFactor. This thread consists of members prominent in these patches that can help you solve your issues. Please do not hesitate to post if you have questions.

Apple History

OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard was the first OS X version with optional support for a 64-bit kernel, allowing booting either with a 32-bit or 64-bit kernel. However, Apple did not support booting the 64-bit kernel in Macs that shipped with EFI32 firmware, even if they had 64-bit processors capable of running the 64-bit kernel. When Apple dropped the 32-bit kernel entirely from OS X, starting with OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, EFI32 Macs no longer had an Apple-supported mechanism to boot newer OS X versions.

Fortunately, we have found a work around for these version of OS X. Here we provide guides in Post 1 and 2 and support for Installing OS X Yosemite on your Unsupported Mac.

This first post is usually updated with recent summarized information, updates, and more solutions.

For those who have 2006/2007 Mac Pros, you may be best suited to using Mr. Zarniwoop's Thread here. The MCPF and OSXE projects are not affiliated with them. We will not contact them either. Confrontation has occurred both publicly and privately in MacRumors, the site, and other forms of communications and we don't want anything to do with them and their Mac Models. It simple don't ask Mac Pro questions to people who don't have Mac Pros . Your post will be requested to be moved to their thread.
Mac Pro (1,1/2,1) Yosemite Guide: Hennesie2000's Guide here.

Prerequisites
Tested Macs listed below. Here are the minimum requirements:
- Running 10.7 Lion
- At least 2GB of RAM.
- A copy of Yosemite in Applications Folder (Recommended from the Mac App Store)
- 15 GB of free space from USB or HDD Partition to serve as your Installation Drive.

-MacBook2,x
-MacBook3,x
-MacBook4,x
-MacBookPro2,x
-MacBookAir1,1
-MacMini1,x (C2D upgraded)
-MacMini2,x
-iMac4,x (C2D can be upgraded)
-iMac5,x (post #846 might help)

We DON'T assist with Hackintosh. All private messages/emails involving installing OS X on non-Apple hardware will be redirected to another support team.

Guide to Installing OS X Yosemite on Unsupported Macs

Method 1 - OS X Extractor​

ANY HARM OR DAMAGE CAUSED BY THIS GUIDE HAPPENED UNDER YOUR OWN RESPONSIBILITY!
IF YOU HAVE ANY REGRETS ABOUT DOING THIS TO YOUR MAC, YOU PROBABLY SHOULDN'T DO IT. IF YOU ARE QUESTIONING WHETHER IT IS WORTH IT, YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY NOT TRY THIS.
PLEASE READ THIS GUIDE BEFORE ASKING QUESTIONS? WE HAVE TOO MANY EMAILS AND SKYPE MESSAGES TO ANSWER AND CAN'T BABY YOU THROUGH THIS ONE STEP AT A TIME. IF YOU CAN'T FIGURE YOUR WAY AROUND OS X, YOU SHOULDN'T BE DOING THIS.

Be sure to have root privileges (administrator password) as OS X will prompt you for this on some stage.


A: Preparing The Installation Drive

1. Make a BACKUP of your system if you can.
2. OS X Extractor has generally everything you need to patch OS X (There are also numerous other sources that can help).
3. Get an OS X Yosemite Installer app (Recommended from the Mac App Store)
4. Make sure your Mac meets the Requirements above

B: Start Patching

1. Install OS X Extractor.
2. After you install, there should be a Hidden Toggle in your System Preferences
3. Right click on the OS X Yosemite Installer app and click show package contents.
4. There should be a new drive appearing on your Desktop called 'OS X Install ESD'
5. Go to Applications/OS X Hackers Patch Files and run the AutoPatch package.
6. Select the disk or partition (Installation Drive) that you want as the installer. WARNING: DO NOT SELECT YOUR CURRENT PARTITION (i.e Macintosh HD)
7. (for non 64 bit Macs) Unlock and Replace the boot.efi files located in /System/Library/CoreServices and /usr/standalone/i386 with the copy provided in /Applications/OS X Hackers Patch Files/Boot EFI/ or from here . To Unlock it, use the Terminal app in Applications/Utilities/ and enter the command:
 


8. sudo chflags nouchg /Volumes/OS\ X\ Base\ System/System/Library/CoreServices/boot.efi


   (If you receive an error, go the that directory and find the boot.efi. Then in the Terminal, enter 'sudo chflags nouchg ' and drag the old boot.efi in the window. Press Enter)
9. Now lock the new boot.efi file
10. (for non 64 bit Macs) lock the new boot.efi with this command:



11. sudo chflags uchg /Volumes/OS\ X\ Base\ System/System/Library/CoreServices/boot.efi


C: Installation

1. reboot your Mac holding option (alt) key.
2. If the installation drive boot you back to the main partition, try blessing the drive from your terminal app:
   

   sudo bless --folder /Volumes/OS\ X\ Base\ System --file /Volumes/OS\ X\ Base\ System/System/Library/CoreServices/boot.efi --setBoot

3. select the Installation drive "OS X Base System" (and press enter)
4. when booted click install/continue until you reach the disk selection menu, select you main drive (probably Macintosh HD) if you are sure about it, else select another empty drive (at least 15GB for testing/bigger if it should be a secondary system)

D: If Reboot Fails

(If the Mac does not reboot to the Yosemite desktop boot to the install-drive again and perform the following.
Boot back into the Yosemite Install Partition
open the terminal at the top menu bar or boot into single user mode (Hold Command -S immediately afterturning on)
enter:

sudo rm /Volumes/[Main Drive Name]/System/Library/CoreServices/PlatformSupport.plist

E: Install these 64 bit Kexts from the Kexts folder from OS X Extractor
(These will better the graphics by a little but you will not have Graphics Acceleration. Still in beta so they may not work well)

1. Navigate in your Finder and go to the 'OS X Hackers Patch Files' folder in your Applications Folder
2. Open the 'Kexts' Folder
3. Choose your Graphics Card Kext Installer and launch it.
4. Select the Partition or Hard Drive that you are currently using the patched OS X. Install it. (Admin privileges required)
5. Restart your Mac

IF your Macbook can't wake up from sleep:

Because of lack of working Graphics Acceleration. Your Macbook may not be able to wake from a display sleep. The Kext Installer includes a NoSleep Extension and Brightness App.



CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Method 2 - MacPostFactor

View attachment 564216
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IMPORTANT NOTES

Install MacPostFactor at your own risk. We are not liable if your computer explode, fail to wake you up for work, lose important files, pictures, porn or simply ceased to work. Always backup your existing installation before installing MacPostFactor or install in a second partition.

We are not aware of remaining bugs...

Although its been thoroughly tested by us and our group of private beta testers, you might still find bugs in it, and if you do find one, feel free to contact us on Twitter @MLforAll & @IsiahJohnson15 or simply email me at voolfy@me.com (@MLforAll's mail) or support.osxhackers.tk.

Yosemite Install is EXPERIMENTAL. Try this on a secondary partition.

Supplementary Informations for Yosemite

Yosemite can be installed on all computer but ONLY Mac Pros WITH AN UPGRADED GRAPHICS CARD can use graphics acceleration as of now !

Requirements for MacPostFactor to work
◆ A Mac with Core 2 Duo or Xeon Processor.
◆ OS X 10.7 or later
◆ 2GB RAM at least
◆ At least 15GB of HDD space (8GB for USB)
◆ Install OS X Yosemite.app 10.10.0 or later in your Application Folder
◆ Read our instructions on MacRumors at least twice

Friendly reminder.
We're not responsible if you screw up your system. Technically, that won't happen as you can always go back to Lion, Mountain Lion or Mavericks

Instructions — Installing directly on this computer
1 Make sure you have Install OS X Yosemite.app in your Application Folder
2 Select "On this computer" on the main MCPF window. Then, choose the partition you want to install Yosemite on.
3 Click install and prompt your password.
4 Click reboot. Your computer should reboot with the OSXHackers logo.
5 Once booted, Click Continue, Agree and choose the only partition showed.
6 Click reboot when you see "Installation succeeded !".
7 Enjoy!

Instructions — Installing via USB
1 Make sure you have Install OS X Yosemite.app in your Application Folder
2 Select "On an external drive" on the main MCPF window. Then, choose the disk you want to install the Yosemite installer on.
3 Click install and prompt your password.
4 Click exit. Boot the computer you want to install Yosemite on with 'alt' held and select your USB drive.
5 Once booted, Click Continue, Agree and choose the partition you want to install on.
6 Click reboot when you see "Installation succeeded !".
7 Enjoy!



Bugs (from multiple Mac Models)

1. Maps does not view the maps
2. Launchpad is somewhat delayed and choppy
3. Video don’t play in iTunes, Safari, VLC nor DVD Player (best use Quicktime, the HD player of Vuze and Google Chrome)
4. Notification Center is sometimes a mess.
5. Only one Screen Resolution available
6. Some Apps will have artifacts if primary using Graphics Card.
7. iMessage/FaceTime note: Most users cannot initially login to iMessage or FaceTime using their Apple ID from their Macs after installing Yosemite as a security precaution. When trying to login, they receive an iMessage Registration validation code. The solution is to contact Apple support, provide the Mac's serial number, explain that Yosemite was installed using our guide and that iMessage isn't working and provide the validation code. Apple then unblocks the Mac, allowing iMessage and FaceTime login immediately and in the future OS updates. They really don't care.

Support

Feel free to post your questions, concerns, or success stories in this thread. If you can’t post us back because your only usable device is bricked, Skype at TMRJIJ, MLforAll, or email us at Support@OSXHackers.net. We'll try to respond within 3-4 days.
There should be some great support Applications that we will use to help you.

Be sure to thank our awesome developers who have contributed greatly.

Support Documentation (Construction)

Docs for OS X Extractor:

• No Sound Fix
• Installation Failed
• Updating OS X Extractor
• Disabling Animations (Mavericks and Yosemite)
• Enabling AirDrop
• OS X Software Updates
• Recovery Patch

Docs for MacPostFactor:

• Error Code References
• Error Code 3 - Partition Issue
• Graphics Lag
• Re-patching
• Enabling AirDrop
  
• Disabling Animations (Mavericks and Yosemite)

Downloads/Files for Patching

Files Needed for OS X Yosemite Patch only:
Download Link

The OS X Extractor v1.4.1 with all Patch files for Mountain Lion, Mavericks, Yosemite, and El Capitan [October 31, 2016]:
Download Link

MacPostFactor 2.0.1 [July 18, 2016]:
Download Link

OS X Hackers are is not affiliated with Apple Inc. Mac OS Ten (X), Mac, iOS, iPhone, iPad, and all other Apple product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of Apple Inc. All other company and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

MacPostFactor was made by Wayne Wong (@Wayne_819) and Kelian Dumarais (@MLforAll)

Guide and OSXH site/app designed by Isiah Johnson (@TMRJIJ) and Robby Sharpero and is provided by Johnson Network.

Developers/Contributors:

Liem Mai, Birtha Åbel, Wayne Wong, Kelian Dumarais, Nolen Johnson, Mr. Zarniwoop, Tiamo, Pike R. Alpha, oem, atvusr, Jesse Samluk, Mike Hennessie, Andy Vandijck, 666sheep
​

View attachment 600955

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Terms and Conditions
OS X Hackers Site
Facebook Page
Donate

Successful?​

Support us by sharing our guide to others. Let everyone know that their older Macs are not obsolete yet. Thank the developers who helped make this possible. Some Developers also appreciate donations to help make this site/app better.​

Other Threads:

Spoiler: Other Threads

macOS Sierra (10.12)
MacOS 10.12 Sierra Unsupported Macs Thread - redheeler
2006/2007 Mac Pro (1,1/2,1) and macOS Sierra - Mr, Zarniwoop
OS X El Capitan (10.11)
OS X El Capitan on Unsupported Macs - TMRJIJ
2006/2007 Mac Pro (1,1/2,1) and El Capitan - Mr, Zarniwoop

OS X Yosemite (10.10)
2006/2007 Mac Pro (1,1/2,1) and OS X Yosemite - Mr. Zarniwoop

OS X Mavericks (10.9)
[Guide] Installing 10.9 Mavericks on older Macs. - HackerWayne
Mac Pro 2,1 and OS X Mavericks -5050

OS X Mountain Lion (10.8)
Success! Install 10.8 on old unsupported Mac - HackerWayne

More Advanced Guide Below
​

May i ask a question , it might sound stupid . But i hope someone can answer me .

Is MacBook Late 2007 with X3100 GPU driver available for Yosemite , or the GPU already support after i install Yosemite in to old MacBook ?

Thank everyone

 

[kolin5355]

Dear all , i don't even can download Yosemite ... I need help on this

Screen shoots of the error show on app store . As my macbook so old , i don't think app store will still allow me to direct download a copy of yosemite in to my APP folder .

http://imgur.com/a/bdXnM

My macbook specs and current OS X version
https://postimg.org/gallery/lljv97ls/

My current MCPF not working because it cannot find any installer / yosemite.app in my APP folder . Can refer to image below:-

https://ibb.co/hjNBJv

i need help to allow me download yosemite from app store , or any other link for me to download yosemite from 3rd parties that able to detect by MCPF .

Thanks everyone .

 

[Radio-Radio]

I downloaded the installer on a different computer and brought it over then used it with the latest MCPF and no problem (But i have early 2006 iMacs and mid 2006 MacBook Pro's)

 

[kolin5355]

I downloaded the installer on a different computer and brought it over then used it with the latest MCPF and no problem (But i have early 2006 iMacs and mid 2006 MacBook Pro's)

hi Radio , thank you for the info~

 

[TMRJIJ]

Hi,

I would like to remind everyone to not share any sort of unofficial download links to any of Apple's Software publicly in this thread. That is a violation of MacRumors Forum Rules and we are privileged enough to be allowed to discuss methods of installing macOS on older Mac computers here.

Isiah Johnson

 

[Radio-Radio]

Hi,

I would like to remind everyone to not share any sort of unofficial download links to any of Apple's Software publicly in this thread. That is a violation of MacRumors Forum Rules and we are privileged enough to be allowed to discuss methods of installing macOS on older Mac computers here.

Isiah Johnson

It was from the App Store from an update I had done on a 2012 MacBook Pro that I use for recording (hence the user name)

 

[kolin5355]

It was from the App Store from an update I had done on a 2012 MacBook Pro that I use for recording (hence the user name)

currently i stuck at the skip ad section. really cannot go over it .

Bellow is the image ~

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10211344058012517&l=0b25e8e0cb

Anyone can guide me about this?

 

[chogcuba]

I've successfully installed Yosemite on my Mac Pro 1.1. And everything runs smoothly. I have not detected any failures in the system. But I'm worried if I can install OS X updates from the Apple Store. Any advice or comment on this?

 

[TranquilityYT]

Im trying to install 10.11 on my Macbook 3,1 but I keep getting error 1 whenever I try to even install on an external drive... any help on this?

 

[jbarley]

I've successfully installed Yosemite on my Mac Pro 1.1. And everything runs smoothly. I have not detected any failures in the system. But I'm worried if I can install OS X updates from the Apple Store. Any advice or comment on this?

There are scripts available to protect your system during updates, one of the more common ones is called "PikeYoseFix"