[Guide] Intel NUC7/NUC8 using Clover UEFI (NUC7i7Bxx,NUC8i7Bxx,etc)

[mike4tm86]

Everything was running good on my NUC8i5BEH with Catalina and OC6.4. However, when I decided to update to Big Sur, everything went south. Luckily, I cloned a USB ssd external drive to experiment with. After I booted to the external clone, I downloaded Big Sur from App store and started the install. However, the install seemed to hang after a few hours on the Apple Logo. After just letting it sit like that for a couple of more hours, I forced a reboot. Could be I just didn't wait long enough since the documentation says it could take a while. I should have just let it go overnight. Unfortunately, after that the external clone was hosed. The cloned APFS OS partition was gone and there was an Update partition. At that point I just decided to erase the external disk and start over. The funny thing was that DiskUtility wouldn't let me erase the disk, even after I dismounted everything. The last couple lines in the install log on the update partition said MSU: successfully prepared update, successfully installed, but it wasn't installed since the APFS OS partition was gone. Anybody have any ideas what could have caused it to hang or what caused DiskUtility not to be able to erase the external drive?

 

[Baikinman]

So I have been AWOL for a long time. I got my system up and running back in January and it has been rock solid since then but I have been avoiding updating as one attempt stalled out and I thought i was toast until the system restored itself. I am on Mojave now but want to update to the latest and greatest but I worry that there are kexts etc... that I have set that are not completely compatible. Any pointers on making sure that I have the latest and greatest settings? Is there a folder from @Leesureone or someone similar that I should be copying?

 

[markfultonncl]

Wondering if this is just me.. has anyone else noticed weird page loading issues on Safari happen intermittently on Big Sur?
Sometimes if I open a new tab and enter a URL and hit return, nothing happens and the page never loads (status bar just stays on the first stage of loading).
If I try the same URL in Chrome, it loads just fine. Even sometimes opening a new Safari window and pasting the same URL in, it will load.
I'm using ethernet, not wifi.

 

[Leesureone]

Everything was running good on my NUC8i5BEH with Catalina and OC6.4. However, when I decided to update to Big Sur, everything went south. Luckily, I cloned a USB ssd external drive to experiment with. After I booted to the external clone, I downloaded Big Sur from App store and started the install. However, the install seemed to hang after a few hours on the Apple Logo. After just letting it sit like that for a couple of more hours, I forced a reboot. Could be I just didn't wait long enough since the documentation says it could take a while. I should have just let it go overnight. Unfortunately, after that the external clone was hosed. The cloned APFS OS partition was gone and there was an Update partition. At that point I just decided to erase the external disk and start over. The funny thing was that DiskUtility wouldn't let me erase the disk, even after I dismounted everything. The last couple lines in the install log on the update partition said MSU: successfully prepared update, successfully installed, but it wasn't installed since the APFS OS partition was gone. Anybody have any ideas what could have caused it to hang or what caused DiskUtility not to be able to erase the external drive?

Bet you lost USB connectivity at some point, update takes maybe 30 to 45 minutes. If you have Windows you can clear the formatting on the drive a few ways. I like to use the DISKPART command in terminal to CLEAN the drive, takes it back to zero partitions. Do a web search if interested or try another partitioning utility.

 

[Leesureone]

So I have been AWOL for a long time. I got my system up and running back in January and it has been rock solid since then but I have been avoiding updating as one attempt stalled out and I thought i was toast until the system restored itself. I am on Mojave now but want to update to the latest and greatest but I worry that there are kexts etc... that I have set that are not completely compatible. Any pointers on making sure that I have the latest and greatest settings? Is there a folder from @Leesureone or someone similar that I should be copying?

Page 90 here. I recommend using the latest version that is also Big Sur compatible

 

[Leesureone]

Wondering if this is just me.. has anyone else noticed weird page loading issues on Safari happen intermittently on Big Sur?
Sometimes if I open a new tab and enter a URL and hit return, nothing happens and the page never loads (status bar just stays on the first stage of loading).
If I try the same URL in Chrome, it loads just fine. Even sometimes opening a new Safari window and pasting the same URL in, it will load.
I'm using ethernet, not wifi.

Its never been reported here, how are your internet connection speeds? Everything else seem fine?

 

[markfultonncl]

Its never been reported here, how are your internet connection speeds? Everything else seem fine?

Yeah it's definitely related to Big Sur. No other issues on any other devices or even other browsers.

A quick Google shows other users with the same type of symptoms: https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/666529

So it's probably not hackintosh specific, which was one of my first suspicions and why I wanted to check in here to see if anyone else had seen Safari not loading new tabs intermittently.
Here's hoping Apple can patch this soon.

 

[NicoLeOca]

Hi @Leesureone

My current Nuc8i5 hack was initially designed with Rehabman work and then updated thanks to yours using now Clover v5108. It has been rock solid since then and I thank you for that.

I would like to update using your updated EFI, now based on OC as I see.
A few questions before proceeding hoping you have a few minutes for me.

• Can I use your EFI designed for Nuc8i7 on my Nuc8i5? Should I expect differences. forget it I found most answers by reading back
• A few weeks ago, I read the last 50-ish pages of this topic, and I remember reading that I should copy/paste a file from my current setup to the new one in order to have all the usb ports working. Sorry, I lost track of where I saw that precisely. Can you please clarify that part to me? Can I use someone else USBPorts.kext having a Nuc8i5?
• Last, should I use my current UUID and Serial number into the new config.plist? lines 1220 and 1222
• Is there any other more personal info that I should copy and use in the config?

Your help is much appreciated
Thanks

NicoLeOca

 

[Leesureone]

Hi @Leesureone

My current Nuc8i5 hack was initially designed with Rehabman work and then updated thanks to yours using now Clover v5108. It has been rock solid since then and I thank you for that.

I would like to update using your updated EFI, now based on OC as I see.
A few questions before proceeding hoping you have a few minutes for me.

• Can I use your EFI designed for Nuc8i7 on my Nuc8i5? Should I expect differences. You can with no issues, both CPUs have the same graphics processor.. The one issue could be your USB ports configuration maybe different than an i7, all you would have to do is create your own version of the USBPort.kext. This kind of answers both question 1 and 2. Yes you can use another i5 users kext.
• A few weeks ago, I read the last 50-ish pages of this topic, and I remember reading that I should copy/paste a file from my current setup to the new one in order to have all the usb ports working. Sorry, I lost track of where I saw that precisely. Can you please clarify that part to me?
• Last, should I use my current UUID and Serial number into the new config.plist? lines 1220 and 1222 If you want to maintain your current information/ system then yes. You would want to copy those entires over using a plist editor. You can also add your MAC address which you can get by opening system preferences/Network/Ethernet/Advanced button. Copy the address into the appropriate spot in the platform info and then remove the colons.

Your help is much appreciated
Thanks

NicoLeOca

• Can I use your EFI designed for Nuc8i7 on my Nuc8i5? Should I expect differences. You can with no issues, both CPUs have the same graphics processor.. The one issue could be your USB ports configuration maybe different than an i7, all you would have to do is create your own version of the USBPort.kext. This kind of answers both question 1 and 2. Yes you can use another i5 users kext.
• A few weeks ago, I read the last 50-ish pages of this topic, and I remember reading that I should copy/paste a file from my current setup to the new one in order to have all the usb ports working. Sorry, I lost track of where I saw that precisely. Can you please clarify that part to me?
• Last, should I use my current UUID and Serial number into the new config.plist? lines 1220 and 1222 If you want to maintain your current information/ system then yes. You would want to copy those entires over using a plist editor. You can also add your MAC address which you can get by opening system preferences/Network/Ethernet/Advanced button. Copy the address into the appropriate spot in the platform info and then remove the colons.

 

[mike4tm86]

Bet you lost USB connectivity at some point, update takes maybe 30 to 45 minutes. If you have Windows you can clear the formatting on the drive a few ways. I like to use the DISKPART command in terminal to CLEAN the drive, takes it back to zero partitions. Do a web search if interested or try another partitioning utility.

guess you were correct, because I took the SSD off the USB adapter and plugged it in internally in the NUC, and that seemed to work. Thanks for your help again. Is that something that the USB ports on the NUC do occasionally?
I also noticed after the Big Sur install that the EFI partition got replaced with some kind of Apple Update EFI. Is that normal for Apple's Installers. I used a USB thumbdrive installer to install Catalina last time and then built a fresh EFI for it and didn't remember what was there before I loaded my own EFI.