How to clean up, remove and reinstall Clover

[SimonT]

I've been having serious problems with my system, which was running fine, but then became completely unbootable. After much research and countless reboots, I've decided the problem was, and is, a corruption (or something) of Clover.

I've now got back to the stage where I can boot the system from a freshly made Sierra Unibeast USB stick. I could now try to reinstall the OS, or do a clean install onto my SSD. However, I'm certain that I need to delete the existing Clover installation, remove it completely and do a fresh install.

That sounds like it should be easy: mount the EFI partition, delete the relevant folder, and then maybe replace it with one that you know works. The thing is, I already tried that once and not only did it send me back into a spiral of an unbootable system, it also messed up my working Unibeast stick (hence the need for a fresh one).

Is there a correct way of removing Clover from an SSD / hard drive and doing a clean install of Clover?

And does that require a clean install of the OS as well? Or might I get away with a reinstall of the OS?

Sorry if this isn't the correct forum, but I couldn't find where else to raise this question.

background: I think the reason for the problems with Clover has been my attempts to duplicate a working config file and then rename it. To me, that should work. But it seems to create chaos and confusion within the whole boot regime.

 

[CrashMidnick]

When you put your USB stick as primary boot, clover and its config.plist will be used, not the one one from your HDD.
If it does not boot, you have bad bios settings or corrupted usb stick.

If you delete the clover folder from your HDD, it is like you never installed it. I you run again the clover's installer and select the right options it will overwrite existing files.

Maybe you installed bad kext or something...

Boot in verbose mode and post picture.

 

[cmn699]

I've been having serious problems with my system, which was running fine, but then became completely unbootable. After much research and countless reboots, I've decided the problem was, and is, a corruption (or something) of Clover.

I've now got back to the stage where I can boot the system from a freshly made Sierra Unibeast USB stick. I could now try to reinstall the OS, or do a clean install onto my SSD. However, I'm certain that I need to delete the existing Clover installation, remove it completely and do a fresh install.

That sounds like it should be easy: mount the EFI partition, delete the relevant folder, and then maybe replace it with one that you know works. The thing is, I already tried that once and not only did it send me back into a spiral of an unbootable system, it also messed up my working Unibeast stick (hence the need for a fresh one).

Is there a correct way of removing Clover from an SSD / hard drive and doing a clean install of Clover?

And does that require a clean install of the OS as well? Or might I get away with a reinstall of the OS?

Sorry if this isn't the correct forum, but I couldn't find where else to raise this question.

background: I think the reason for the problems with Clover has been my attempts to duplicate a working config file and then rename it. To me, that should work. But it seems to create chaos and confusion within the whole boot regime.
've now got back to the stage where I can boot the system from a freshly made Sierra Unibeast USB stick. I could now try to reinstall the OS, or do a clean install onto my SSD. However, I'm certain that I need to delete the existing Clover installation, remove it completely and do a fresh install.

I've now got back to the stage where I can boot the system from a freshly made Sierra Unibeast USB stick. I could now try to reinstall the OS, or do a clean install onto my SSD. However, I'm certain that I need to delete the existing Clover installation, remove it completely and do a fresh install.

In your original post you had previously indicated you were unable to boot even with the Sierra UEFI USB Installer disk.

Are you now able to Boot your System with the USB Installer all the way to the Disk Utility screen and can see your SSD containing previously installed System which you think has a corrupt EFI Folder?

Can't you delete the CLOVER folder in the SSD using Disk Utility in your Real Mac?

 

[SimonT]

When you put your USB stick as primary boot, clover and its config.plist will be used, not the one one from your HDD.
If it does not boot, you have bad bios settings or corrupted usb stick.

If you delete the clover folder from your HDD, it is like you never installed it. I you run again the clover's installer and select the right options it will overwrite existing files.

Maybe you installed bad kext or something...

Boot in verbose mode and post picture.

I have tried deleting the Clover folder on the SSD's EFI partition and then reinstalling Clover. But on reboot (without the USB stick) the OS wouldn't load. It gets most of the way and then hangs. Not much to see, just a progress bar that stops moving. That has happened a lot during the many, many reboots I've done over previous days. I tried it in verbose mode and the relevant end info is shown in the attached.

The thing, even though I've deleted that Cover folder and done a clean install, I know for certain it is remembering something of the old preferences. Because when I boot using the SSD, I get a Clover theme that I picked at random when I first installed Clover about a year ago. It's different to the theme in the USB stick, and quite distinctive. So if it remembers the theme, what else does it remember?

That's why I'm asking: how do you completely purge Clover?

 

[P1LGRIM]

The thing, even though I've deleted that Cover folder and done a clean install, I know for certain it is remembering something of the old preferences. Because when I boot using the SSD, I get a Clover theme that I picked at random when I first installed Clover about a year ago. It's different to the theme in the USB stick, and quite distinctive. So if it remembers the theme, what else does it remember?

Have you perhaps installed Clover in both Legacy and UEFI modes ?

When you install in Legacy mode Clover is located in the /EFI folder of your system disk.
When you install in UEFI mode Clover is located in the /EFI folder on the EFI partition.


BTW - Your image shows an active Serial port which should be disabled in your BIOS settings.

 

[vulgo]

That's why I'm asking: how do you completely purge Clover?

Deleting the /efi/clover folder is all you do

BTW - Your image shows an active Serial port which should be disabled in your BIOS settings.

This

 

[SimonT]

Could you clarify please? You are obviously able to see something here that I can't. Can you tell me what part or line of that message refers to the serial port, and how I should disable it in BIOS? If anyone can help I would be very grateful.

 

[P1LGRIM]

Can you tell me what part or line of that message refers to the serial port,

You really cannot tell from looking at your image ?

how I should disable it in BIOS?

Read your motherboard manual. If you do not have a manual you may download one from the manufacturer's website.
The Serial port (sometimes called SuperIO) is usually on the Peripherals tab of your BIOS settings. YMMV