Advice direct update from Sierra(10.12.6) to Big Sur/Catalina

[eisenhornet]

My edited EFI below.
Yes I did respect your SMBIOS suggestion but since you said this data is not required at the time of installationa and one can do it postinstall I left it the section so. Meanwhile your reply cam, I had already updated it with new values generated using iMac17,1.

With all these changes
Booted form OC USB--> OC Picker Install catalina-->Choose SSD at installation screen --> 4 -5 min installtion bar --> some Log reboot --> boot again from OC USB --> OC Picker EFI --> I land at this screen always.

Selecting the highlighted option just starts everything again!! Using F3 I see some more boot options eg. Boot from UEFI Internal (which I thought was my SSD) but just black screen and nothing happens.

 

[eisenhornet]

sounds like a bad idea

setup an opencore usb installer correctly, boot from that, install macOS, keep booting from your opencore usb installer until you get to the desktop

mount efi from hard drive, remove any contents

copy efi folder from efi partition from usb to hard drive efi partition

setup an opencore usb installer correctly: hopefully done correct this time
boot from that: Done
install macOS : Started Installation screen/progress bar. After 4 to 5 minutes it rebooted.
keep booting from your opencore usb installer until you get to the desktop: Just a question here. yes I did boot again from USB installer, but I suppose after first reboot I need to select my SSD EFI rather than again "Install OS catalina" at picker right?else it will simply loop me in that 5min installation prep?
so i need to keep doing(choose SSD EFI at picker) after every installation reboot until i get to desktop right?

why are you doing this for? what part of any guide tells you to do this?

Sorry I was confused reading a lot of threads. Some Clover to OC conversion without OS update talked something similar about just replacing the Clover EFI folders with OC EFI (also suggested by you too but as a post-installtion step)

My thought was that after first Installation try (5min + 30 min) something did happen but did not complete. So i thought I could now swap the EFI folder.

Attaching my Clover EFI for debugging.

 

[eisenhornet]

Can it be that my Clover EFI setup is no where near ready for either Open Core or anything higher than Sierra? Maybe I need to get that fixed before attempting anything OC or update OSX??

What changes might be required in CLOVER?

Should I populate the CLOVER/drivers* /kext/other & APCI Folders just like the current OC installer EFI contents? Any required changes in config.plist for these changes?

 

[Feartech]

My edited EFI below.
Yes I did respect your SMBIOS suggestion but since you said this data is not required at the time of installationa and one can do it postinstall I left it the section so. Meanwhile your reply cam, I had already updated it with new values generated using iMac17,1.

With all these changes
Booted form OC USB--> OC Picker Install catalina-->Choose SSD at installation screen --> 4 -5 min installtion bar --> some Log reboot --> boot again from OC USB --> OC Picker EFI --> I land at this screen always.

Selecting the highlighted option just starts everything again!! Using F3 I see some more boot options eg. Boot from UEFI Internal (which I thought was my SSD) but just black screen and nothing happens.

not sure why you have a clover menu when you should be booting from your opencore usb installer

Just a question here. yes I did boot again from USB installer, but I suppose after first reboot I need to select my SSD EFI rather than again "Install OS catalina" at picker right?else it will simply loop me in that 5min installation prep?
so i need to keep doing(choose SSD EFI at picker) after every installation reboot until i get to desktop right?

no, you should be selecting Install OS catalina

Can it be that my Clover EFI setup is no where near ready for either Open Core or anything higher than Sierra? Maybe I need to get that fixed before attempting anything OC or update OSX??

What changes might be required in CLOVER?

Should I populate the CLOVER/drivers* /kext/other & APCI Folders just like the current OC installer EFI contents? Any required changes in config.plist for these changes?

i gave up on clover, also : "Can it be that my Clover EFI setup is no where near ready for either Open Core or anything higher than Sierra?"

doesn't make any sense

 

[eisenhornet]

not sure why you have a clover menu when you should be booting from your opencore usb installer

I have 3 options offered in that black screen shell OC picker when I boot from USB installer. EFI/Windows/Install OS Catalina. This Clover Style boot menu comes only when I choose EFI option at the OC picker.

no, you should be selecting Install OS catalina

When I select this option at OC picker after 1 reboot during Catalina Installation I always land again here

which is nothing but the same screen where i started with installation. I expected instead a apple logo with progress bar saying installtion will take another 30 minutes or so..

i gave up on clover, also : "Can it be that my Clover EFI setup is no where near ready for either Open Core or anything higher than Sierra?"

doesn't make any sense

What do you mean by "i gave up on clover, also"? do you mean my Clover EFI is too bad for any support?
IF I look at the following guide and look at the Clover EFI folder the users are attemting (using similar motherboard/chipset??). it sounds like that
https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/...3p-i7-6700k-sapphire-pulse-rx-580-8gb.285356/


I have a strong feeling I am so noob, maybe the only thing left is to thrash my OSX SSD and start fresh.

Still thanks a lot for your hints and support @Feartech

 

[Feartech]

I have 3 options offered in that black screen shell OC picker when I boot from USB installer. EFI/Windows/Install OS Catalina. This Clover Style boot menu comes only when I choose EFI option at the OC picker.

When I select this option at OC picker after 1 reboot during Catalina Installation I always land again here View attachment 542281 which is nothing but the same screen where i started with installation. I expected instead a apple logo with progress bar saying installtion will take another 30 minutes or so..


What do you mean by "i gave up on clover, also"? do you mean my Clover EFI is too bad for any support?
IF I look at the following guide and look at the Clover EFI folder the users are attemting (using similar motherboard/chipset??). it sounds like that
https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/...3p-i7-6700k-sapphire-pulse-rx-580-8gb.285356/


I have a strong feeling I am so noob, maybe the only thing left is to thrash my OSX SSD and start fresh.

Still thanks a lot for your hints and support @Feartech

i gave up on clover and now use opencore instead for the past year or so

may be best to read up on:

Desktop Skylake | OpenCore Install Guide

use only the aml files they mentioned and the needed settings

also make sure your bios settings are correct

also remove any other hard drives, only have the one hard drive you are going to be installing macOS on

 

[eisenhornet]

@Feartech I got mad after loosing so many days, I just erased and formated my whole OSX SSD to APFS to start a fresh catalina OC install.

Since you meantioned keep only SSDT aml mentioned in guide. I deleted all my SSDTTime generated ones and just downloaded SSDT-EC-USBX-DESKTOP.aml and SSDT-PLUG.aml and put them in. Remanins config.plist settings are manitained.


Booted OC USB--> chose "Install OS Catalina" at picker after a lot of Logs I land at Picutre 01. After choosing the freshly APFS formatted SSD parition OSX_SSD, the installation started. The progress bar said "5 minute remaning" and was progressing just like the installation in my previosly mentioned problematics threads(03). It continues and then comes that same 1st reboot with a Log (04). On reboot with OC USB there is only "Install OS Catalina" in OC picker & no sign of my OSX_SSD or EFI . Choosing that option in picker lands me again at Screen (01).

I am attaching my current USB OC EFI. What is going wrong again? Is my USB installer corrupt? ocvalidate says config.plist is okay.

What does Mac OS Base System and InstallESD paritions in Disk utility mean?

In the OpenCore Log i see some Err(0x findings? Do i have a hardware issue?
SSD (Crucial MX300 750GB) or RAM (Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 8GB x 2)

Thanks again.

 

[Feartech]

@Feartech I got mad after loosing so many days, I just erased and formated my whole OSX SSD to APFS to start a fresh catalina OC install.

Since you meantioned keep only SSDT aml mentioned in guide. I deleted all my SSDTTime generated ones and just downloaded SSDT-EC-USBX-DESKTOP.aml and SSDT-PLUG.aml and put them in. Remanins config.plist settings are manitained.


Booted OC USB--> chose "Install OS Catalina" at picker after a lot of Logs I land at Picutre 01. After choosing the freshly APFS formatted SSD parition OSX_SSD, the installation started. The progress bar said "5 minute remaning" and was progressing just like the installation in my previosly mentioned problematics threads(03). It continues and then comes that same 1st reboot with a Log (04). On reboot with OC USB there is only "Install OS Catalina" in OC picker & no sign of my OSX_SSD or EFI . Choosing that option in picker lands me again at Screen (01).

I am attaching my current USB OC EFI. What is going wrong again? Is my USB installer corrupt? ocvalidate says config.plist is okay.

What does Mac OS Base System and InstallESD paritions in Disk utility mean?

In the OpenCore Log i see some Err(0x findings? Do i have a hardware issue?
SSD (Crucial MX300 750GB) or RAM (Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 8GB x 2)

Thanks again.

no need for:

<key>framebuffer-patch-enable</key>
                <data>AQAAAA==</data>
                <key>framebuffer-stolenmem</key>
                <data>AAAwAQ==</data>
                <key>framebuffer-fbmem</key>
                <data>AACQAA==</data>

if you can set DVMT to 64MB or 128MB in your bios

lilu kext should be first in your list in your config.plist

to be on the safe side, set these to -1:

<key>MinDate</key>
            <integer>0</integer>
            <key>MinVersion</key>
            <integer>0</integer>

make sure of your BIOS settings:

Disable:
Fast Boot
Secure Boot
Serial/COM Port
Parallel Port
VT-d (can be enabled if you set DisableIoMapper to YES)
CSM
Thunderbolt(For initial install, as Thunderbolt can cause issues if not setup correctly)
Intel SGX
Intel Platform Trust
CFG Lock (MSR 0xE2 write protection)(This must be off, if you can't find the option then enable AppleXcpmCfgLock under Kernel -> Quirks. Your hack will not boot with CFG-Lock enabled)

Enable:
VT-x
Above 4G decoding
Hyper-Threading
Execute Disable Bit
EHCI/XHCI Hand-off
OS type: Windows 8.1/10 UEFI Mode
DVMT Pre-Allocated(iGPU Memory): 64MB or 128MB
SATA Mode: AHCI

 

[eisenhornet]

no need for:

<key>framebuffer-patch-enable</key>
                <data>AQAAAA==</data>
                <key>framebuffer-stolenmem</key>
                <data>AAAwAQ==</data>
                <key>framebuffer-fbmem</key>
                <data>AACQAA==</data>

if you can set DVMT to 64MB or 128MB in your bios

lilu kext should be first in your list in your config.plist

to be on the safe side, set these to -1:

<key>MinDate</key>
            <integer>0</integer>
            <key>MinVersion</key>
            <integer>0</integer>

make sure of your BIOS settings:

Disable:
Fast Boot
Secure Boot
Serial/COM Port
Parallel Port
VT-d (can be enabled if you set DisableIoMapper to YES)
CSM
Thunderbolt(For initial install, as Thunderbolt can cause issues if not setup correctly)
Intel SGX
Intel Platform Trust
CFG Lock (MSR 0xE2 write protection)(This must be off, if you can't find the option then enable AppleXcpmCfgLock under Kernel -> Quirks. Your hack will not boot with CFG-Lock enabled)

Enable:
VT-x
Above 4G decoding
Hyper-Threading
Execute Disable Bit
EHCI/XHCI Hand-off
OS type: Windows 8.1/10 UEFI Mode
DVMT Pre-Allocated(iGPU Memory): 64MB or 128MB
SATA Mode: AHCI

My Current BIOS version is: V3805 Date: 16 May 2018. Mabe therefore some settings are not available/cant find/hidden under other names.

Disable:
Fast Boot -> Disabled
Secure Boot -> Disabled
Serial/COM Port-> Option not available/ Can't find
Parallel Port -> Option not available/ Can't find
VT-d (can be enabled if you set DisableIoMapper to YES)-> Disabled
CSM-> Disabled
Thunderbolt(For initial install, as Thunderbolt can cause issues if not setup correctly) ->Option not available / Can't find
Intel SGX -> Disabled (SW Guard Extensions (SGX)??)
Intel Platform Trust-> Option not available / Can't find (is this TPM Device Selection???)
CFG Lock (MSR 0xE2 write protection)(This must be off, if you can't find the option then enable AppleXcpmCfgLock under Kernel -> Quirks. Your hack will not boot with CFG-Lock enabled) -> Disabled

Enable:
VT-x -> Enabled (Intel Virtualization Technology???)
Above 4G decoding-> Enabled
Hyper-Threading-> Enabled
Execute Disable Bit-> Option not available / Can't find
EHCI/XHCI Hand-off -> Advanced\USB Configuration shows 2 XHCI but no Hand-off option. Legacy support=Auto??
OS type: Windows 8.1/10 UEFI Mode-> Windows UEFI mode
DVMT Pre-Allocated(iGPU Memory): 64MB or 128MB -> 64MB
SATA Mode: AHCI -> AHCI

These are my current BIOS settings. The violet coloured are ones that I had to correct, else all settings as shown were active since begining of my thread.

Config.plist corrected as you suggested. I will try now installing again. Thanks a lot for debugging.

 

[Feartech]

My Current BIOS version is: V3805 Date: 16 May 2018. Mabe therefore some settings are not available/cant find/hidden under other names.

Disable:
Fast Boot -> Disabled
Secure Boot -> Disabled
Serial/COM Port-> Option not available/ Can't find
Parallel Port -> Option not available/ Can't find
VT-d (can be enabled if you set DisableIoMapper to YES)-> Disabled
CSM-> Disabled
Thunderbolt(For initial install, as Thunderbolt can cause issues if not setup correctly) ->Option not available / Can't find
Intel SGX -> Disabled (SW Guard Extensions (SGX)??)
Intel Platform Trust-> Option not available / Can't find (is this TPM Device Selection???)
CFG Lock (MSR 0xE2 write protection)(This must be off, if you can't find the option then enable AppleXcpmCfgLock under Kernel -> Quirks. Your hack will not boot with CFG-Lock enabled) -> Disabled

Enable:
VT-x -> Enabled (Intel Virtualization Technology???)
Above 4G decoding-> Enabled
Hyper-Threading-> Enabled
Execute Disable Bit-> Option not available / Can't find
EHCI/XHCI Hand-off -> Advanced\USB Configuration shows 2 XHCI but no Hand-off option. Legacy support=Auto??
OS type: Windows 8.1/10 UEFI Mode-> Windows UEFI mode
DVMT Pre-Allocated(iGPU Memory): 64MB or 128MB -> 64MB
SATA Mode: AHCI -> AHCI

These are my current BIOS settings. The violet coloured are ones that I had to correct, else all settings as shown were active since begining of my thread.

Config.plist corrected as you suggested. I will try now installing again. Thanks a lot for debugging.

don't forget to reset nvram when you make any bios or efi changes