<< Solved >> EFI Copied from USB to SSD - Still no SSD in Clover

[rocco_77]

Hardware profile is correct, however, only using IGPU (HD3000 - Sandy Bridge) for now since I could only boot with -x with RX580 installed. I have another thread for that issue.

I installed a vanilla Mojave on a new SSD using UniBeast.
I can boot to desktop using USB, no issue.

Change boot disk to SSD in BIOS during post, and I get to Clover screen but NO SSD to boot from. (no bootable options actually)

Reboot with USB as boot drive in BIOS (F12 menu) and select APFS Mojave (SSD) at Clover boot screen, boots fine.

Used Clover Configurator to mount EFI on USB and on SSD.

Deleted EFI folder on SSD and copied USB/EFI to SSD/EFI.
I DID NOT copy the "boot" file on the root of EFI from USB to SSD. Not sure if I should have, so I left that alone.

Reboot, change boot drive to SSD. Get to Clover Boot Screen.... Nothing. I'm completely stuck.

I'm using Legacy BIOS F10. In

EFI/Clover/drivers/BIOS the ApfsDriverLoader.efi is there. There isn't a UEFI folder.

Why oh why is my SSD not showing up in Clover boot screen.
It seems copying the EFI from USB to SSD has helped many get around this, but alas, not me.

I'm going nuts trying to figure this out.

Is there any screen shots, files, logs anyone may need to help me? Please let me know and I will post them quickly. Thank you very much.

 

[Nodarkthings]

You might want to compare the boot file between USB and SSD, if you've installed the same version on both it should be identical and, indeed, no need to copy it.
I'd say: boot with your USB key and then apply Clover installer, Tonymac's standalone or even the one at https://github.com/CloverHackyColor/CloverBootloader/releases (I've tested r5103 and r5106 ok, but had issues with the more recent ones).

 

[rocco_77]

You might want to compare the boot file between USB and SSD, if you've installed the same version on both it should be identical and, indeed, no need to copy it.
I'd say: boot with your USB key and then apply Clover installer, Tonymac's standalone or even the one at https://github.com/CloverHackyColor/CloverBootloader/releases (I've tested r5103 and r5106 ok, but had issues with the more recent ones).

i will check the creation/modification date of the boot file on the SSD. I should mention that multibeast installed a slightly older version of clover to the SSD than what Unibeast installed to the USB. So I did update Clover on SSD to the same version as the USB via Clover Configutator. I deleted the clover on the SSD EFI prior to installing the Clover version hats on the USB. R5102 for reference.

So the boot file may be different than the USB one.

How do I compare them? Is there an app to view those files?

Thank yo so much for replying. I saw your reply in you thread too, and Stork also replied with a request for files. I will post them to that thread and see if you guys can help. I appreciate it very much.

 

[Nodarkthings]

Hi! Size comparison is more relevant than date: Finder's Info is a good start. For bit to bit comparison, I use the freeware https://ridiculousfish.com/hexfiend/ — or if you use Toast, it has a compare function that will tell you if they are different.
There's a hiccup, here: The system considers all mounted EFI partitions as the same and only one (they all have the same UUID), so you have to first move one of the files you want to compare to the desktop or anywhere outside the EFI — it's the same issue with Clover Configurator if you have more than one EFI mounted.
Note that you can also simply use Clover Configurator and generate Boot.log, on the fifth line you'll see the version used for last boot, I think it should be the one of the "boot" file in Legacy mode.

 

[rocco_77]

There's a hiccup, here: The system considers all mounted EFI partitions as the same and only one (they all have the same UUID), so you have to first move one of the files you want to compare to the desktop or anywhere outside the EFI — it's the same issue with Clover Configurator if you have more than one EFI mounted.

This is very interesting, important, and something I did not know.
When I copied the EFI folder from the USB to the SSD I believe, not sure, but believe I had both EFi partitions mounted at the same time.

So riddle me this... if I simply right clicked on the EFi folder on the USB, deleted the EFI folder on the SSD and then right clicked in the EFI folder of the SSD and pasted EFI folder from USB that potentially I didn't REALLY copy it at all? (Having both EFI partitions mounted at the same time)

BUT, if I paste the EFi folder to the desktop first, then unmount USB EFi then mount SSD efi, delete the EFi folder on SSD, then drag the copied efi from USB to SSD that it makes the difference in the system recognizing the copy to the correct EFI partition?

Size comparison is more relevant than date: Finder's Info is a good start. For bit to bit comparison, I use the freeware https://ridiculousfish.com/hexfiend/ — or if you use Toast, it has a compare function that will tell you if they are different.

On to this comment... so again to compare the boot files I need to mount each EFi separately, then copy the USB boot file to say a folder on desktop. Then unmount USB EFi and mount EFi on SSD and do the same thing with its boot file but copy it to a different folder since the files have the same name. Correct? After that I can use finder get info to see if they are different sizes.

Now if they are different sizes, am I assuming at this point I SHOUlD also copy the boot file from USB to SSD? Or do I need to view the files and see how they are different? If that's the case, what would I be looking for?

Thank you for this... im gonna wait to see what Stork says on your thread as I posted a bunch of problem reporting files there for him, or you to review and see if I need to adjust anything.

 

[Nodarkthings]

I didn't want to add more confusion, but indeed, you must be careful when managing your EFIs.
My trick to be sure not messing up things is that I add a file to each EFI partition saying "EFI of the SSD", "EFI of the HD", "EFI of the USB" (can be a text file, a folder or a clipping).
Here's my sidebar with the two EFI partitions:

When I click on the first or the second, there's no issue, the Finder shows them distinctively, the problems arise only when using an app such as BBEdit, Clover Configurator, etc. They will see them as the same because of their identical UUID (see that thread: https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/all-my-efi-partitions-have-the-same-uid.267522/)
But if you have one EFI on the left window and the other on the right and copy something from one to the other, it works as intended, it's just that you have to be sure you selected the good one.
So I must amend what I wrote when I wrote "The system considers all mounted EFI partitions as the same", the Finder has no problem with them, just third party apps.
Say you want to compare /Volumes/EFI/EFI/CLOVER/config.plist for both EFIs, you double click the first, it opens ok in BBEdit (for example), then you double click the other one, it won't open because BBEdit sees it as residing on the same partition.

Clover installers or Multibeast don't have that issue because they consider the drives where the EFI is, so no confusion for them.
As for the boot file, I wouldn't bother copying it, but instead I'd install the same Clover on USB key and SSD over the existing ones, just to be sure: the standalone version is ok but Multibeast too, they should both respect what's already in your EFI folder, including your config.plist.
I hope that clarified.

 

[rocco_77]

Ok that does clarify, thank you.

So I did indeed copy the USB EFI folder to the SSD already and that did not solve the issue unfortunately. I tried that days ago. I'm going to try it again, but only after I hear back from anyone that can look at the problem reporting files I posted. And I will not copy the boot file. I also added my bios screen shots there.

I tried that HexFiend. I copied both EFI Partition contents to respective folders. I opened both boot files in HexFiend and used the compare function. They are identical.

 

[Nodarkthings]

For the time being, I'd suggest you modify your BIOS settings so that your first drive is your SSD.

If it doesn't work, edit your config file on the usb key and set default drive to the name of your SSD, then in your BIOS set your first drive as USB. That way, you boot clover from the usb then MacOS boots from SSD.
It will let you some time to figure out what's wrong.

 

[rocco_77]

For the time being, I'd suggest you modify your BIOS settings so that your first drive is your SSD.

If it doesn't work, edit your config file on the usb key and set default drive to the name of your SSD, then in your BIOS set your first drive as USB. That way, you boot clover from the usb then MacOS boots from SSD.
It will let you some time to figure out what's wrong.

Currently booting from the USB and selecting my SSD already works, so unfortunately I don't think your suggestion here will change anything. The issue is when I boot into Clover from the SSD and the SSD OR the USB do not show up in the clover screen. I get no bootable drives in clover boot screen when booting into Clover from the SSD (setting SSD as boot disk in BIOS)

 

[rocco_77]

[UPDATE]

So I decided to try and boot the system by removing the USB. And for whatever reason it worked. Once so far. I haven't tried to restart yet.

One thing posted in the other thread, that I kind of hijacked, was that my config file only has System Definition as 14,2 in SMBIOS, but nothing else. Do I need to put information in my config file under SMBIOS beyond the System Definition? I don't remember ever doing that manually in other installs.

Now in Clover Configurator I look at RTVariables and select "from system" and there is information there. But selecting from SMBIOS the window obviously shows nothing because there's no info in the config file.

I'm going to try a restart and see if I successfully boot again from SSD without the USB inserted.

I've attached the boot file from the last boot from SSD.

[UPDATE 2]

Just restarted and it booted up just fine from SSD. I'm super happy and relieved.

I would like to try and understand why simply removing the USB installer from the machine and booting worked, but booting to SSD with USB in shows no bootable drives in Clover boot screen.

I really like learning about Hackintoshing, and I've enjoyed building this machine. Looking forward to afford to build a new one as I have an old G5 PPC that I would love to convert to a new Hack.