MP 1,1-5,1 Stuck trying to upgrade 5.1 via OCLP — can’t boot into recovery

[LG1816]

Hi,

I’m trying to upgrade my 5.1 Mac Pro from Maojave to Sonoma via OCLP, but have hit an issue regarding recovery mode.

I can see that you need to boot into recovery to disable SIP during the OCLP process, but I don’t have my GT 120 anymore (it got damaged) so I have no way of booting into recovery. I have the GTX 760 I’ve been using and the new RX 480 for use with the newer OS, but neither of these cards allow recovery mode.

I found that There is apparently a way around this by using the Enable GOP app, which allows you to use any GPU to get into recovery, but when I get to the part where you have the option of backing up your rom, I get the messaged attached in the file below. So it seems I need to boot into recovery to use the app that enables me to boot into recovery…

What should I do? Thanks!

 

[Macschrauber]

You can achieve running without sip with OpenCore Legacy Patcher alone.

Check allow untrusted kexts with the OCLP gui and native model. And run your OS thru OC.

If you are comfortable with editing the OpenCore plist, you can also add -no_compat_check to boot-args.

See the first post of the OpenCore sticky thread, how to do this.

 

[LG1816]

You can achieve running without sip with OpenCore Legacy Patcher alone.

Check allow untrusted kexts with the OCLP gui and native model. And run your OS thru OC.

If you are comfortable with editing the OpenCore plist, you can also add -no_compat_check to boot-args.

See the first post of the OpenCore sticky thread, how to do this.

So I’ve allowed untreated kexts, but what do you mean by running my OS through open core? I’ve checked the guide but am still confused. Thanks!

 

[Macschrauber]

So I’ve allowed untreated kexts, but what do you mean by running my OS through open core? I’ve checked the guide but am still confused. Thanks!

Well, you can set up everything in OCLP, but if you don't start your machine and run it thru OpenCore, it would have no effect.

To double check you can use the show csr-active-policy tool from the Dumper package, to display detailed sip settings.

 

[LG1816]

Well, you can set up everything in OCLP, but if you don't start your machine and run it thru OpenCore, it would have no effect.

To double check you can use the show csr-active-policy tool from the Dumper package, to display detailed sip settings.

View attachment 2473589

Ok, just checked and the current crs policy app said there was nothing set, which I guess is to be expected considering what you said above.

How do I go about running the os through OCLP? I don’t see anything in the gui. Thanks.

 

[Macschrauber]

Let

Ok, just checked and the current crs policy app said there was nothing set, which I guess is to be expected considering what you said above.

How do I go about running the os through OCLP? I don’t see anything in the gui. Thanks.

Pull all disks but the one where you installed the OpenCore bootloader on. All disks, including PCIe and data disks.

Remember, set the target Model to Mac Pro 5,1 in OCLP, if not you may lock you out.

Make a deep NVRAM reset by holding alt-cmd-p-r altogether until you hear 4 chimes. Hold all keys without releasing, could take 2 or 3 minutes.

After that, the firmware boots the first ESP it finds, as there is only the disk with OpenCore in, it is OpenCore.

You will see the OpenCore boot menu, if your GPU has a valid GOP. If that disk has an OS, you can boot now your OS thru the OC bootloader. And sip is disabled.

If that disk has no OS, you shut down the machine and insert your OS disk. OC has blessed itself after running that way, for details refer to the term LauncherOption: full.

For using OC to install newer OS you need to setup it again, but here is the goal to set you up to dump and flash the firmware.

 

[LG1816]

Let
Pull all disks but the one where you installed the OpenCore bootloader on. All disks, including PCIe and data disks.

Remember, set the target Model to Mac Pro 5,1 in OCLP, if not you may lock you out.

Make a deep NVRAM reset by holding alt-cmd-p-r altogether until you hear 4 chimes. Hold all keys without releasing, could take 2 or 3 minutes.

After that, the firmware boots the first ESP it finds, as there is only the disk with OpenCore in, it is OpenCore.

You will see the OpenCore boot menu, if your GPU has a valid GOP. If that disk has an OS, you can boot now your OS thru the OC bootloader. And sip is disabled.

If that disk has no OS, you shut down the machine and insert your OS disk. OC has blessed itself after running that way, for details refer to the term LauncherOption: full.

For using OC to install newer OS you need to setup it again, but here is the goal to set you up to dump and flash the firmware.

Thanks for the reply but I don’t think the commands are working. I can’t boot into a different disk using option at start up, and the NVRAM reset didn’t do anything either (no multiple boot chimes, just brought me back into the regular start up). Is this because I’m using an unsupported GPU (GTX 760)? As in I’m just running into the same issue was is with trying to boot into recovery?

 

[Macschrauber]

If no multiple boot chimes, your keyboard is not fully compatible with the Mac firmware.

Try other wired old keyboards, hooked directly to the stock USB ports. Best choice would be the Alu keyboard from 2010.

To get the OC boot menu use your AMD GPU. Dont mix both, just install one GPU.

 

[Macschrauber]

You may also try, if your keyboard does not work with the preboot firmware keys:

sudo nvram "recovery-boot-mode=unused" && sudo reboot recovery

 

[Dayo]

Make a deep NVRAM reset ... SIP is disabled after booting via OpenCore.

SIP settings are removed after clearing the nvRAM and when booted into Mac OS without any SIP option set, the default status of "Active" is used. That is, nvRAM reset means setting SIP to "Fully Active".

Only way to disable SIP is to specifically do this by setting the nvRAM flags. Would be a big security hole otherwise.
Needs to be done in a "Before Boot" stage via appropriate tools (Mac Recovery or third-party boot loaders/managers).
Basically needs the command to reboot into Recovery that you subsequently gave.

Can also be done from OpenCore etc ... I suppose after ending in OpenCore, this will disable SIP if set to do so.
Can therefore also run this to reset and end up in OpenCore if keyboard option does not work:

sudo nvram ResetNVRam=1 && sudo reboot

 

[LG1816]

If no multiple boot chimes, your keyboard is not fully compatible with the Mac firmware.

Try other wired old keyboards, hooked directly to the stock USB ports. Best choice would be the Alu keyboard from 2010.

To get the OC boot menu use your AMD GPU. Dont mix both, just install one GPU.

Thanks a lot! All of that worked. I’ve used enable GOP and now have a boot screen with the RX 580.

I’ve gotten all the way to the OS install, but when I try to install I can’t install Sonoma to my Samsung 970 Evo NVMe drive. It just doesn’t show up as an option to install to.

My system firmware is correct and I’m currently on Mojave. I found you can switch NVMe support on via the settings in OCLP, but unfortunately that didn’t seem to work either.

Do you have any ideas?

Edit: do I need to install open core onto the NVMe? Or does it only need to be installed on the flash drive?


Edit 2: fixed it, turns out it was in the incorrect format. OS is installing now so hopefully that’s it.

 

[Macschrauber]

The Dumper read 144.0.0.0.0 ?
You formatted the drive in GUID / APFS ?
Does the NVMe appear in the System Profiler ?

 

[LG1816]

Thanks, it was the format. Got confused about the differences between GUID and APFS and hadn’t formatted the drive properly.

Once I’d sorted that, I got most of the way through the installer but was then greeted by the error in the attached screenshot.

I’ve tried the install twice and the same thing happened both times.