Dell Optiplex 7010 - Upgrading 10.6.3

[Grizz]

Rebuilding Caches and Repairing Permissions is only needed if you install a kext, not if you change a SysDef.

Is it possible that the USB drive I am using is the problem? Ever heard of UniBeast only working with SPECIFIC BRANDS of USB? The drive is a KINGSTON DATATRAVELER 2.0 USB drive.

I did format it as GUID >> HPSF+ Journaled before running UniBeast.

 

[trs96]

You could try the MBR partition scheme with MacOS Ext. Journaled formating and see if it makes a difference.
Try a few different USB drives too, sometimes certain ones just won't work.

 

[Grizz]

Okay Team... UPDATE.

I went digging last night, as I knew I had a download for 10.8 Installation APP - as I had at one time tried to update my T61 and it blew up big time.

I grabbed an OLD EXT HDD - that I thought only had my movie files on it as backup to the Home Theatre PC - and low and behold...were the downloads I had used for installing MountainLion on there. The WORD document I was using I had gotten from OSx86 InsanelyMac web site, and the installation APP file. I was sure I had deleted that years ago.

Well I hooked that EXT HDD to my Windows PC - copied the file to a share folder and then copied it the SL I was working with. Downloaded UNIBEAST for ML, and low and behold. It worked. It created the EXTERNAL USB (to the same drive I had been using for the HS I was trying to build). So now I know it was not the USB drive.

I left it running all night, and got back to it when I got home.

So here is where I am. I can boot with it, it shows the kewl little Cartoon Apple from TonyMac, and the choice of itself and the SL_HDD drive. I said, what the hell. Let's see if SL_HDD will boot with it. I tried. NO GO. Got TRAP ERROR. Booted again with the -v. NO TRAP, just a white screen with spinning rainbow pointer.

I said... OK. Lets boot, create NEW PARTITION and INSTALL.

I did this, and it installed with no problems. Booted again with the USB, chose the new partition. Boots to the same WHITE SCREEN with Spinning Pointer. Never goes any further.

Rebooted with -v. NO GO there either.

So now I am clueless. I know the ML APP is good, as I had used it before with the T61 - the ML just did not like the hardware there at all.

I seek advice - why would it create the USB, and then not work?

 

[trs96]

I seek advice - why would it create the USB, and then not work?

Can you connect up a different clean HDD and try installing Mt. Lion to that ? One without any other OS on it ? Mt. Lion should be supported on your Ivy Bridge Q77 chipset hardware. You've got HD4000 which is fully supported. Once installed you need to boot from the USB installer until you've got Chimera bootloader installed to the HDD. You could also try booting the installer verbose and in safe mode (-x) no parentheses. See if that gets you to the Mt. Lion desktop post install.
One more thing to consider. Make sure the Unibeast installer is in a USB 2.0 port, preferably on the back panel. USB 3.0 ports have SS in front of the USB symbol right next to each port.

 

[Grizz]

Can you connect up a different clean HDD and try installing Mt. Lion to that ? One without any other OS on it ? Mt. Lion should be supported on your Ivy Bridge Q77 chipset hardware. You've got HD4000 which is fully supported. Once installed you need to boot from the USB installer until you've got Chimera bootloader installed to the HDD. You could also try booting the installer verbose and in safe mode (-x) no parentheses. See if that gets you to the Mt. Lion desktop post install.
One more thing to consider. Make sure the Unibeast installer is in a USB 2.0 port, preferably on the back panel. USB 3.0 ports have SS in front of the USB symbol right next to each port.

I will try that. But does not make any sense to me. As I never did anything with MultiBeast which would have touched the EFI partition (the hidden one you cannot see).

I have another 300GB HDD I can use.

I am using the USB 2.0 ports on the back. I actually put electrical tape of the USB 3.0 ports on the back as a discouragment (lol).

I am thinking that the HIGH SIERRA.APP file is corrupted. So I used the MAC at the office to re-download it 5.3GB - will take it home with me tonight.

 

[Grizz]

UPDATE

I went home last night - DETERMINED to get this thing working. Here is where I stand now. Spent 3+ hours on this. I know these messages are long - but like to include all the details.

I re-downloaded Install macOS LION.app from the purchase I made 14 days ago on the MAC at the office. Seems that is the only place I can get the APP STORE to work (at the moment). I could never get the MOUNTAIN LION to boot without the -x and -v options, it always said SAFE MODE at the top - and probably why nothing worked.

I put it on my GOOGLE drive so that I could download on the 10.6.8 Optiplex 7010 (thinking that putting on a Windows USB (FAT32) drive was somehow corrupting it.

I was able to get UNIBEAST to run with the newly downloaded file (was shocked as hell that no errors). I was not sure which options to choose LAPTOP OR LEGACY - then discovered I could choose BOTH. That is that I did.

I then Disconnected the 250GB HDD in the machine and installed the 300GB HDD that I used GPARTED to make sure nothing was on there. Completely clean - no partitions.

Booted with the LION UNIBEAST USB --- GUESS WHAT. NO COMMANDS needed to be passed. It took a while - but booted to the INSTALLER. I got LION installed. I was jumping for joy (albeit short lived).

So - now was the test.... Go to TONYMAC and get MULTIBEAST (again) for LION. It would not connect to TONYMAC. Kept giving me a security issue. Now the frustration came back. Why would TONYMAC not connect. Not even a login page - just the UNABLE TO CONNECT error. Went to the Windows PC and downloaded MULTIBEAST LION and shared it in a folder...able to get it to the MAC. Ran it, and chose EASY BEAST, and the option for the OSX 10.7.5 (forget what it is called) and the one for the CORE i5 CPU and Descriptor iMac 11,2. NOTHING ELSE. Installed, and machine was rebooted. The machine was swifter to boot, and I noticed I had DISPLAY OPTIONS - I could change the resolution - as it came up in 1080p resolution, and there were about 10 other choices. Still had no sound. As a test, I plugged in my KINGSTON BT Adapter, and it was detected...and I had a new BlueTooth Network adapter and the BT logo in the top bar. I was like. WOW. It is almost 100%. Just need to get SOUND. Also the ABOUT THIS MAC was showing the iMac 11,2 option and a serial number. Also all 8GB RAM were showing.

I ran the INSTALL UPDATES after going through the APPLE SETUP. I was back to Video at 1024x768, and no sound. There were 8. I chose them ALL. The machine rebooted, and the graphics were all JACKED UP. Like I had eaten some of those Alice In Wonderland Mushrooms. I screamed. So I rebooted with UNIBEAST USB -- Same results. I was furious. I booted again from the HDD, and added GraphicsEnabler=No to the command and it booted fine to the desktop - but now DISPLAY was back to 1024x768 and no other choices in the SYS PREFS. BT was still working, however.

Bound and determined to get the (colorful expletive) thing working, but it was time for bed. I will pursue this again tonight - now that I appear to have a 90% working machine.

So here are my questions:

1) What happened after the updates from APPLE which broke graphics?

2) Did I build the LION UNIBEAST correctly by choosing LAPTOP and LEGACY? I noticed the the ML UNIBEAST asked the same questions (well it is the same UNIBEAST).

3) Do you think that I will be able to go from LION to HIGH SIERRA without a UNIBEAST USB? The APP STORE came up and it was showing at the top.

4) Are there any advantages to MOJAVE over HIGH SIERRA given this machine?

5) Will I be able to install a BluRay player in the machine and get it to work for PLAYING (and/or) BURNING? In all other builds I have done on this machine the DVD player would not play.

EVERYONE... I TRULY CANNOT EXPRESS ENOUGH how much I appreciate all the help. I would buy you all a coffee and a pastry. This has been an adventure, which I think is almost at an end....and DAMN STRAIGHT when I get it all working - I am gonna make 2 TIME MACHINE BACKUPS. -- and maybe burn a DVD of it as well.

 

[trs96]

If you're on Lion you can download El Capitan but not High Sierra as that requires 10.8 Mt. Lion.

You don't want to select Laptop support for a desktop USB installer. Would probably be best to make a UEFI El Capitan installer and clean install that. Then run Multibeast for El Cap to get Clover installed. Chimera bootloader you've got installled now will not work with El Cap. Don't forget to set your BIOS for UEFI booting when installing El Capitan.

Download El Capitan from MAS: https://itunes.apple.com/app/os-x-el-capitan/id1147835434?mt=12

 

[Grizz]

Does anyone know - or have they used anything which would allow me to build the BEST DSDT for this machine?

I was suggested MaciASL (I think that is what it is called) - but I could never get it to run.

Also will the CHAMELEON CONFIGURATION TOOL do me any good? I see that it allows for SERIAL NUMBER change, DESCRIPTOR update, and many other things.

I do plan on replacing the HDD in the device with a SSD at some point. Is it hard to (in the Windows world called "GHOST" the HDD over to SSD) CLONE without breaking everything?

 

[Grizz]

If you're on Lion you can download El Capitan but not High Sierra as that requires 10.8 Mt. Lion.

You don't want to select Laptop support for a desktop USB installer. Would probably be best to make a UEFI El Capitan installer and clean install that. Then run Multibeast for El Cap to get Clover installed. Chimera bootloader you've got installled now will not work with El Cap. Don't forget to set your BIOS for UEFI booting when installing El Capitan.

Download El Capitan from MAS: https://itunes.apple.com/app/os-x-el-capitan/id1147835434?mt=12

THANK YOU. Will try that....but that link is not going to work (me thinks) - but I will try it. It appears that the only WEB PAGES which open on this LION box are the APPLE pages. I cannot even get GOOGLE to come up. As I cannot bring these messages up on the MAC. Cannot connect to TONYMAC.

 

[trs96]

THANK YOU. Will try that....but that link is not going to work (me thinks) - but I will try it. It appears that the only WEB PAGES which open on this LION box are the APPLE pages. I cannot even get GOOGLE to come up. As I cannot bring these messages up on the MAC. Cannot connect to TONYMAC.

Try installing the Intel LAN kext with multibeast and see if that helps.