Cannot install high Sierra (Firmware-related error messages)

[MacAddict4Life]

I've tried to install High Sierra two different ways. One via the Install macOS High Sierra application, and the other after booting to a High Sierra USB drive (which I created as per the instructions in Sierra Desktop Guides). I faced a similar error each time.

Both installers reach the point where they restart the computer, successfully reboot to the installer, tell me 41 minutes remaining, and then within a minute or two switch to the error. The screenshot is from the install USB, which gives an error message that says, "An error occurred while updating firmware. Quit the installer to restart your computer and try again." The error when using the Install macOS High Sierra application is similar, saying something more like it could not validate the firmware.

I'm not sure what to try here. The only possible lead I've seen is a discussion of disabling SIP. As far as I know, my SIP is enabled, but it was in Sierra and Sierra ran fine.

Any insight? Do we now have to disable SIP? Is that new for High Sierra? If so, can it be reenabled once you have High Sierra installed? Or is something else at play?

Thanks!

 

[MacAddict4Life]

Nobody with any ideas?

 

[aol]

There are multiple threads on this forum about the firmware issue. The problem is that the installer is looking at the SMC version your hackintosh is telling it it's on and deciding it's too old of a firmware. You can look in the boot.log to see. The bottom line is the latest clover (4200+) should be injecting the right up-to-date firmware _unless_ you're doing something in your config to override it.

So: make sure you're on the latest clover, make sure you're not doing something to override clover SMC version injection (you can have values set for BiosVersion and BiosReleaseDate and Version). Also you want to disconnect windows disks temporarily during install. I don't know where the config.plist you are using for the installer came from but if it's your Sierra config you may be overriding something or using a SMBIOS that is more flaky. For the USB install I'd use the vanilla clover config.plist or use iMac14,2 then change it on your real booted system later and deal with iMessage.

 

[MacAddict4Life]

I'm running the latest clover. In fact, just updated last night, both on my Sierra install drive and on my High Sierra USB drive.

In an attempt to fix the problem, I updated my config with newer firmware information. First I used iMac 17,1 firmware numbers dated 08/08/2017 (as automatically generated for me by Clover Configurator). I then also tried numbers dated sometimes in May that were listed as working on another site discussing this issue. Both resulted in no change.

I tried to load clover from my High Sierra USB last night (with one of the sample config.plist files), but when I use BIOS to select my USB drive as my boot drive, but my system kept getting stuck halfway through boot whether trying to boot to my USB drive or the macOS installer completion boot drive. I'm not sure why.

 

[aol]

The config you boot with should have SMBIOS in there, for sure. I would go with iMac14,2 for now, then once you get things sorted you can deal with moving to the SMBIOS you really want. I guess I should back up and say it's been so long that I looked at a vanilla config that I forget what it looks like. But I thought it had more stuff down in the SMBIOS section assuming you opened it with clover configurator, chose a SMBIOS and "rolled the dice" a few times to generate a SN and so on.

Your two best sources for a config are probably (a) a vanilla config: install clover, then launch clover configurator, mount your EFI, open the config, choose a SMBIOS, roll the dice a few times, save and quit; or (b) find a config from someone with your board in one of the success forums (preferably Sierra or High Sierra, but maybe El Cap).

Are you still at the firmware error screen of the installer?

 

[aol]

Almost surely it's something in your config, yes. You don't have any cruft in your EFI. The only thing that's not essentially vanilla is the config.

But if you download the sample config from the post you linked, and compare that to the config in your EFI, they are wildly different. Yours has tons of stuff with hash marks/pound signs/comments whatever you want to call them. This shows up in a text editor but apparently not in clover configurator since I just opened your config and I don't see any of that. Weird. Maybe clover configurator ignores settings with hash marks? Does CLOVER ignore stuff with hash marks? I don't know.

What happens if you literally use the sample config from the post?

I don't think small overclocks or XMP should make a difference. I think it's the config.

You don't have to worry about serial numbers until you want to worry about imessage/facetime. For now you're just trying to freaking boot.

 

[P1LGRIM]

I rebuilt the USB installer from scratch and am still getting the firmware error screen.

Your config.plist lacks the required firmware information :

Open it in Clover Configurator and select another system definition, then choose iMac14,2 again and all of the information will be updated :

 

[naveedahmad]

hi Macadict4Life

you solve your problem or not?

or not try with my advice

 

[claustin]

I'd love to know too. I'm facing this exact problem, but I have all the correct info as far as I can tell.

 

[zawarahmed]

I am facing the same problem while updating Sierra to High Sierra, tried every method/ Its not working. same firmware update error. Need a solution