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How to Install OS X Mavericks using Clover

tonymacx86

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cloverbeast.png

How to Install OS X Mavericks using Clover

Clover is a new and exciting open source EFI bootloader. Developed over the past 2 years by a group of developers at Project OS X led by Slice, Clover aims to solve problems inherent in existing OS X installation methods and legacy bootloaders:

  • Boots troublesome desktop and laptop BIOS/UEFI
  • Uses native OS X installation media
  • Ability to patch DSDT/kernel/kexts at boot time
  • Creates OS X Recovery partition
  • No boot0 error with 4K Advanced Format drives
  • Solves multi-boot issues with Linux and Windows 7/8
  • Solves traditional bootloader NVRAM issues related to iMessage/FaceTime
Clover has a completely different system of configuration with a decidedly steep learning curve. It can be confusing for those who have only ever used the more traditional Chameleon or Chimera.

Clover is also in beta stage, and is not guaranteed to work well for all systems. Development has been fast and furious, with many major changes appearing in the code all the time. Clover can be a moving target, difficult to pin down- almost, it seems, by design. Recent changes, however, have stabilized things enough to be a reliable alternative for those adventurous enough to learn something new.

Overview
1. Download the OS X Mavericks Application from the Mac App Store
2. Prepare a Installer USB flash drive
3. Install OS X Mavericks
4. Install the bootloader and drivers to system drive


STEP 1: Download OS X MavericksbuyOSX.png
The full operating system is a free download for anyone who has purchased Mac OS X Snow Leopard, Lion, or Mountain Lion. Download the Application from the Mac App Store using your Apple ID on any Mac or functional computer running Mac OS X 10.6.8 or later.

1. Open Mac App Store
2. Log in with your Apple ID
3. Download OS X Mavericks

The Application Install OS X Mavericks will appear in /Applications.


STEP 2: Prepare Bootable USB Drive
This step extracts the OS X Installer contents, then installs Clover bootloader to the USB stick.

1. Insert the USB drive
2. Open /Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility
3. Highlight the USB drive in left column
Screen Shot 2013-10-11 at 8.27.02 PM.png
4. Click on the Partition tab
5. Click Current and choose 1 Partition
6. Click Options...
7. Choose GUID Partition Table
8. Under Name: type USB (You can rename it later)
9. Under Format: choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
10. Click Apply then Partition
11. Open /Applications/Utilities/Terminal
12. Type the following, enter password and hit enter. This command completely erases the USB, then creates native OS X installer media from the Install OS X Mavericks Application.

Code:
sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Mavericks.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/USB --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Mavericks.app --no interaction

Upon completion, the USB will be renamed Install OS X Mavericks.
Screen Shot 2014-03-08 at 7.46.07 AM.png
13. Download the latest version of Clover from sourceforge
14. Open Clover package installer
15. Hit Continue, Continue, Change Install Location...
16. Choose the USB, now called Install OS X Mavericks
17. Hit Customize and install Clover to the same USB with the following Custom Install settings:
Screen Shot 2014-02-25 at 7.42.02 AM.jpg
Legacy-USB.jpg
(Legacy Mode)

UEFI.jpg
(UEFI Boot Mode)

NOTE: There are a few different ways to setup Clover on the USB. Using Legacy Mode is the simplest and most reliable for 5, 6, 7, and 8 series Gigabyte motherboards with standard default BIOS or UEFI settings. For all other UEFI-based systems such as Asus 7 and 8 series motherboards, use UEFI Boot Mode to install to the EFI partition of the USB for UEFI booting only.

A few more changes need to be made to the default Clover installation:

20. Navigate to /EFI/CLOVER/ and replace default config.plist with attached config.plist*
21. Navigate to /EFI/CLOVER/kexts/10.9/ and add FakeSMC.kext
22. Navigate to /EFI/CLOVER/kexts/10.9/ and add your ethernet kext
23. Navigate to /EFI/CLOVER/kexts/10.9/ and add NullCPUPowerManagement.kext
24. Navigate to /EFI/CLOVER/drivers64UEFI/ remove VBoxHfs-64.efi and add HFSPlus.efi
25. (Optional) Navigate to /EFI/CLOVER/ACPI/patched/ and add DSDT.aml and SSDT.aml

*See attached config.plist for a working minimal configuration.


mavslogo.jpgSTEP 3: Install OS X Mavericks
Unlike UniBeast, this is a 3 part installation process. The system will reboot twice in order to finish the installation and the recovery partition.

1. Turn on the computer
2. Press the hotkey to choose boot device
3. Choose USB

If using a USB 3.0 port, the boot manager screen may appear, at which point proceed with steps a-b.

a. Choose Boot Manager
b. Choose EFI USB Device

4. When Clover boot screen is visible, choose Boot OS X Install from OS X Install OS X Mavericks
5. The system will then boot into OS X Installer
6. For a new installation of OS X, you MUST erase and format the destination drive according to the following steps before continuing. If you are upgrading from Snow Leopard, Lion, or Mountain Lion and you want to keep your files and apps, skip steps a-j.

a. Choose Disk Utility
b. Highlight your target hard drive for the Mavericks installation in left column.
c. Click Partition tab
d. Click Current and choose 1 Partition
e. Click Options...
f. Choose GUID Partition Table
g. Under Name: type Mavericks (You can rename it later)
h. Under Format: choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
i. Click Apply then Partition
j. Close Disk Utility

7. When the installer asks you where to install, choose Mavericks, or your existing install.
8. Upon completion, system will restart a 1st time
9. Press the hotkey to choose boot device
10. Choose USB
11. When Clover boot screen is visible, choose Boot OS X Install from OS X Install OS X Mavericks

The system will boot into the new drive, create the recovery partition, and complete the installation. Upon completion, system will restart a 2nd time.

12. Press the hotkey to choose boot device
13. When Clover boot screen is visible, choose Mavericks
14. The system will launch OS X Setup


STEP 4: Post-Installation
At this point, the easiest way to proceed is to install the bootloader, grab backups from the root of your USB drive, and copy the files that worked directly to the system drive's EFI partition. However, getting post-installation 100% right for your system is something that needs to be done on a case by case basis. No single Clover setup will work perfectly for every system.

1. Download the latest version of Clover from sourceforge
2. Install Clover to Mavericks with the following Custom settings:
Screen Shot 2014-02-25 at 7.41.25 AM.jpg
UEFI-2.jpg
(Custom Install: UEFI-Capable Systems)

BIOS-2.jpg
(Custom Install: BIOS-Only Systems)

These settings will install the bootloader to the system drive's EFI partition automatically as part of the scripting. After completion, the system drive's EFI partition will automatically mount.

A few more changes need to be made to the default Clover installation:

3. Navigate to /Volumes/EFI/EFI/CLOVER/ and edit config.plist
4. Navigate to /Volumes/EFI/EFI/CLOVER/kexts/10.9/ and add FakeSMC.kext
5. Navigate to /Volumes/EFI/EFI/CLOVER/kexts/10.9/ and add your ethernet kext
6. (Optional) Navigate to /Volumes/EFI/EFI/CLOVER/ACPI/patched/ and add DSDT.aml and SSDT.aml

See attached config.plist for a working minimal configuration. For more details and documentation navigate to /EFI/CLOVER/doc. To help navigate the config.plist and add a system definition, check out Clover Configurator. For a GUI to mount/unmount EFI partition, see EFI Mounter v2.

You've reached the end of the universal setup guide. If you have issues, please create a support thread in the Desktop Support or Laptop Support forums. Special thanks to toleda and Going Bald for their testing and comments during the making of this guide. Good luck!

mavs mb.jpg

Clover Developers:
Slice, with help of Kabyl, usr-sse2, jadran, Blackosx, dmazar, STLVNUB, pcj, apianti, JrCs, pene, FrodoKenny, skoczy, ycr.ru, Oscar09, xsmile, SoThOr…

Source code credits:
Intel, Apple, Oracle, Chameleon, rEFIt and Xom.

Official Clover Links:
Sourceforge: Clover
Project OS X
Clover Wiki

Related:
tonymacx86 Clover Theme
Test Drive: How to Create a Clover USB

This guide was tested on the following systems:
Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD7-TH - i7 4770K - GeForce GTX 770
Gigabyte GA-Z87MX-D3H - i7 4770K - HD 4600
Gigabyte GA-H87N-WIFI - i3 4340 - HD 4600
Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UP5-TH - i7 3770 - Radeon HD 7970
Gigabyte GA-H67N-USB3-B3 - i3 2105 - HD 3000
Gigabyte GA-P55M-UD2 - i5 750 - GeForce 9400 GT
Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD7 - i7-920 - Radeon HD 5770
Asus Z87I Deluxe - i7-4770K - HD 4600/Radeon HD 7750
Asus P8Z77-I Deluxe - i7-3770K - HD 4000/GeForce GTX 570
Asus P8H67-I Deluxe - i5-2605S - HD3000/GT 640

Sample config.plists:
 

Attachments

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  • config.plist-GE=Yes-NVIDIA.zip
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  • config.plist-Intel-HD4600-desktop-fixed.zip
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Last edited by a moderator:
Great article!

A few notes that might be worth mentioning based on my experience. I hope it helps.


- Clover Configurator (http://www.osx86.net/files/file/49-clover-configurator/) is a really neat tool to help configuring Clover, as well as offering quick ways to see the boot (bdmesg) messages.

- I remember that DropOem was required to load SSDT.aml. If that changed, sorry for bringing it up.

- XMPDetection is required to have RAM running at anything faster than 1333MHz

- "Log" is a VERY tricky option. I had it turned on and Clover was logging every boot but was NOT removing old entries even though I had Log Every Boot option and Log Line Count set. This can make the boot process slower, not to mention the consumption of space in the EFI partition which is not recommended. Turning it OFF will still allow you to access the boot log information through tools, such as Clover Configurator.

- Although the "-v" boot option might seem interesting, you can just press "spacebar" on top of any boot entry at the menu and choose "verbose boot", which will also allow you to see Clover boot messages.

- Toleda has information on how to patch "AppleHDA" kext for your particular mobo through Clover. For example:
Code:
        <key>KextsToPatch</key>
        <array>
            <dict>
                <key>Name</key>
                <string>AppleHDA</string>
                <key>Find</key>
                <data>
                ixnUEQ==
                </data>
                <key>Replace</key>
                <data>
                kgjsEA==
                </data>
                <key>Comment</key>
                <string>ALC892 Codec</string>
            </dict>
        </array>

- Also, you can patch "Trim Enabler" through it:
Code:
        <key>KextsToPatch</key>
        <array>
            <dict>
                <key>Name</key>
                <string>IOAHCIBlockStorage</string>
                <key>Find</key>
                <data>
                QVBQTEUgU1NE
                </data>
                <key>Replace</key>
                <data>
                AAAAAAAAAAAA
                </data>
                <key>Comment</key>
                <string>Trim Enabler</string>
            </dict>
        </array>

- InjectKexts with "detect" or "ifnofakesmc" might lead to kext issues if you install FakeSMC directly on your /S/L/E since it will not inject other kexts anymore. As long as folks know about it, that is fine.

- ATI Injection is not the same as Chameleon / Chimera. In my particular case, while Chameleon / Chimera correctly uses the "Aji" framebuffer, Clover freaks out and uses "Futo" or "Fuko" something else which doesn't work. Might be useful to take some screenshots from DPCIManager to compare.

- Clover has no issues booting with some ATI cards as Chameleon / Chimera have.

- Clover log offers a quick and easy way to find out which GUID number each partition of your HDs have. Just check the log out or the boot message (bdmesg, or through Clover Configurator).


=)
 
Tony,

In your guide, at the end of step 16, there should be another "Click Continue" and attachment # 84572 should be under step 16. In the Clover installation application, the "Customize" button does not appear until after destination screen is completed. Also, steps 18 and 19 are not listed. Maybe 18 could be "Click Install, Enter password". Then step 19 could be , "Click Install Software". These steps are obvious to most people but could cause confusion. See quote:

16. Choose the USB, now called Install OS X Mavericks. Then click Continue.


17. Hit Customize and install Clover to the same USB with the following Custom Install settings:

NOTE: There are a few different ways to setup Clover on the USB. Using Legacy Mode is the simplest and most reliable for 5, 6, 7, and 8 series Gigabyte motherboards with standard default BIOS or UEFI settings. For all other UEFI-based systems such as Asus 7 and 8 series motherboards, use UEFI Boot Mode to install to the EFI partition of the USB for UEFI booting only.

(Legacy Mode)

View attachment 85982

(UEFI Boot Mode)

View attachment 86375

18. Click Install, Enter password.

19. Click Install Software

A few more changes need to be made to the default Clover installation:

20. Navigate to /EFI/CLOVER/ and replace default config.plist with attached config.plist*

No big deal, but for noobs such as myself it could be confusing. :p
 
clover boot loader doesn't work for me its rubbish on all of my machines chameleon works the best clover causes anything but issues for me
 
Have anyone tried it with ga x79 up4 board?
 
Another fantastic guide! I'm excited to see what happens with PCs migration to UEFI systems.

Tony, does clover's boot method fix the haswell HDCP bug? Do protected HD movies purchased through iTunes work with this boot method?
 
My specks is: GA H87M HD3, Intel Core i3 4330 and GTX 650 Ti, I should using the Nvidia Attachment? It recommend using UEFI mode on Clover install? Thanks guys :D
 
Thanks for the comments so far- I'm having fun learning about this new method. :thumbup:

Great article!

A few notes that might be worth mentioning based on my experience. I hope it helps.

Very nice- thank you for the extra info.


Tony,

In your guide, at the end of step 16, there should be another "Click Continue" and attachment # 84572 should be under step 16. In the Clover installation application, the "Customize" button does not appear until after destination screen is completed. Also, steps 18 and 19 are not listed. Maybe 18 could be "Click Install, Enter password". Then step 19 could be , "Click Install Software". These steps are obvious to most people but could cause confusion. See quote:
No big deal, but for noobs such as myself it could be confusing.

Thank you for your edits- I'm going to keep them in mind for revisions after a bit of time goes by.


clover boot loader doesn't work for me its rubbish on all of my machines chameleon works the best clover causes anything but issues for me

I hear you- Clover takes more individual configuration per system than the established tried and true methods.


Tony, does clover's boot method fix the haswell HDCP bug? Do protected HD movies purchased through iTunes work with this boot method?

Not sure, as I have yet to test iTunes downloaded HD content. Please let me know if Clover magically solves this. I don't think it will.


My specks is: GA H87M HD3, Intel Core i3 4330 and GTX 650 Ti, I should using the Nvidia Attachment? It recommend using UEFI mode on Clover install? Thanks guys :D

Good question. Since your card is Kepler based (6xx/7xx), you don't need injection. The AMD/NVIDIA sample plists is only for users who currently use GraphicsEnabler=Yes to enable their cards.

For examples see here: http://www.tonymacx86.com/basics/116220-do-i-need-graphicsenabler-injection-not.html


I just want to reiterate, that I likely won't be able to answer everyone's questions here. If you have questions, please create a support thread in the Desktop Support or Laptop Support forums.
 
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