Install post-reboot stuck at 50%

[sharky9]

Hi all,

I've been messing around with this Catalina installation all day to day and can't get any further. I'm stuck at a black screen with apple logo and a status bar that never passes 50%. No way to get any verbose output to see what is going. I even edited a setting in the config file that references 'PollHot Keys' or something to that affect, but Ctrl-V or any other keys give me any kind of monitoring. Viewing the opencore logs on the USB boot device are all identical in size, 16384 lines of nothing but 0's.

Last night this 50% stuck was happening on the 'initial' install setup, so I wasn't getting to any kind of GUI.
- After multiple NVRAM resets this morning, it finally went past the 50% mark and I got the install GUI.
- Installed to the volume Macintosh-HD as normal, waited for it to copy files for 10 mins or so....then it rebooted.
- Now after the reboot, there is another UEFI selection (macOS Installer), and when you choose that, then it slowly boots USB again, but never passes the 50% stuck point. I've left it there for over 30 minutes, reset NVRAM number of times.

I can't get any errors to display so I have no idea what is wrong here. This OC appears to be everyone's best friend these days from what I read - but it's definitely not a friend of mine at this point. At least Clover gave you text on the screen, sigh.

Any clues where I can get some information from the system that is holding this install up? I bet I'm not but a couple of minutes from reaching the final GUI to personalize the installation

Thanks,
-L

Alienware 17R3
Skylake Setup
El Capitan and High Sierra previously ran on this hardware before....past hard drives of course.

 

[sharky9]

Ok, many hours later I have a half-ass working solution (config3 attached, not many changes though, lol). Gosh I love OpenCore, NOT!

I completed the install, and after hours of testing different restarts, shutdowns, and power-up scenarios. The following order is the ONLY way this OpenCore Mac will boot into a functioning Catalina desktop. Assuming you are already into your Mac Desktop at this point:

01) Restart, or power-off and power back on.
02) MUST reset NVRAM.
03) MUST Boot into default Windows selection (no exceptions here).
04) Once in Windows, restart computer.
05) At OC picker, choose Macintosh-HD.
06) Boot will complete and launch a desktop.

If these steps are not followed exactly, I will get a kernel panic with weird left-half dark display lighting and right-half normal light on the display with the panic garbage. I will attempt to load a picture but it won't be great quality because of the weird lighting unfortunately.

Serious contemplating going back to High Sierra with Clover. At least that combo provided a solution that you could boot into every single time with the same result.

 

[sharky9]

Screen capture....

 

[pastrychef]

Screen capture....

The kernel panic says something is wrong with your IGPU configuration. Possibly backlight related.

 

[sharky9]

Yup, then booting Windows blesses the configuration and gives me another 'one-run' startup, it's aggravating for sure.

 

[pastrychef]

Yup, then booting Windows blesses the configuration and gives me another 'one-run' startup, it's aggravating for sure.

Look in to the quirks related to NVRAM.
Set DVMT alloc in BIOS rather than rely on "stolenmem" and "fbmem".

 

[sharky9]

Okay, thanks for the input....unfortunately I do not have any DVMT settings in my BIOS, a lot of manufacturers don't give us that. Anyway, I played around with the fbmem and fbstolenmem numbers from lots of different google searches of what worked for other people. I'm almost there! I need some help from a frame buffer guru and I will be fixed.

Here's what had in the previous 'config3.plist' that is not stable of course, but lets you get a desktop after resetting NVRAM and then booting Windows before the Mac boot, the "One-Run" desktop before the next reboot panic attack:

<key>PciRoot（0x0）/ Pci（0x2,0x0）</key>
<dict>
<key>AAPL,ig-platform-id</key>
<data>AAAWGQ==</data>
<key>framebuffer-patch-enable</key>
<data>AQAAAA==</data>
<key>framebuffer-stolenmem</key>
<data>AAAwAQ==</data>
<key>framebuffer-fbmem</key>
<data>AACQAA==</data>
</dict>

***********************************************

Here's my most recent edit, it's constant, meaning you can restart over and over with the same result - NO desktop though! The machine thinks he's good with a desktop, everything is up and running, you can ssh into the machine and reboot over and over. "-v" in the boot args will have it at the 'IOConsoleUser.....' text which I seen many years ago, or taking the "-v" off will have you stuck at the black screen and white apple logo with a 60% status bar. This attachment will be 'config5.plist':

<key>PciRoot(0)/Pci(0x02,0)</key>
<dict>
<key>AAPL,ig-platform-id</key>
<data>
AAAbGQ==
</data>
<key>device-id</key>
<data>
GxkAAA==
</data>
<key>framebuffer-fbmem</key>
<data>
AACQAA==
</data>
<key>framebuffer-patch-enable</key>
<integer>1</integer>
<key>framebuffer-stolenmem</key>
<data>
AAAwAQ==
</data>
<key>model</key>
<string>Intel HD Graphics 530</string>
</dict>

*******************************************

Help, I'm almost there......I just have no idea what to do from here, but this is definitely the section that needs tweaked If it helps, I have the Alienware 17R3 model that has the 4K-UHD display, which I read might need 96MB or 128MB numbers????

Thanks,
-L

 

[pastrychef]

Okay, thanks for the input....unfortunately I do not have any DVMT settings in my BIOS, a lot of manufacturers don't give us that. Anyway, I played around with the fbmem and fbstolenmem numbers from lots of different google searches of what worked for other people. I'm almost there! I need some help from a frame buffer guru and I will be fixed.

Here's what had in the previous 'config3.plist' that is not stable of course, but lets you get a desktop after resetting NVRAM and then booting Windows before the Mac boot, the "One-Run" desktop before the next reboot panic attack:

<key>PciRoot（0x0）/ Pci（0x2,0x0）</key>
<dict>
<key>AAPL,ig-platform-id</key>
<data>AAAWGQ==</data>
<key>framebuffer-patch-enable</key>
<data>AQAAAA==</data>
<key>framebuffer-stolenmem</key>
<data>AAAwAQ==</data>
<key>framebuffer-fbmem</key>
<data>AACQAA==</data>
</dict>

***********************************************

Here's my most recent edit, it's constant, meaning you can restart over and over with the same result - NO desktop though! The machine thinks he's good with a desktop, everything is up and running, you can ssh into the machine and reboot over and over. "-v" in the boot args will have it at the 'IOConsoleUser.....' text which I seen many years ago, or taking the "-v" off will have you stuck at the black screen and white apple logo with a 60% status bar. This attachment will be 'config5.plist':

<key>PciRoot(0)/Pci(0x02,0)</key>
<dict>
<key>AAPL,ig-platform-id</key>
<data>
AAAbGQ==
</data>
<key>device-id</key>
<data>
GxkAAA==
</data>
<key>framebuffer-fbmem</key>
<data>
AACQAA==
</data>
<key>framebuffer-patch-enable</key>
<integer>1</integer>
<key>framebuffer-stolenmem</key>
<data>
AAAwAQ==
</data>
<key>model</key>
<string>Intel HD Graphics 530</string>
</dict>

*******************************************

Help, I'm almost there......I just have no idea what to do from here, but this is definitely the section that needs tweaked If it helps, I have the Alienware 17R3 model that has the 4K-UHD display, which I read might need 96MB or 128MB numbers????

Thanks,
-L

Are you sure nothing is on the screen? Maybe it's just the backlight that's off?

Try checking the whatevergreen GitHub page and look for the boot-arg that helps enable backlight.

 

[sharky9]

Are you sure nothing is on the screen? Maybe it's just the backlight that's off?

Try checking the whatevergreen GitHub page and look for the boot-arg that helps enable backlight.

It's not backlighting, definitely a problem with frame buffer numbers.....it's a good solid graphics screen with the apple logo or a good solid black text screen if booting with -v.

The phone camera is brightening the graphic display of the logo, but it's a solid black consistent color.

While either of these displays are showing (-v or no -v), I can ssh into the machine from my phone or other workstation and reboot the machine.

 

[pastrychef]

It's not backlighting, definitely a problem with frame buffer numbers.....it's a good solid graphics screen with the apple logo or a good solid black text screen if booting with -v.

The phone camera is brightening the graphic display of the logo, but it's a solid black consistent color.

While either of these displays are showing (-v or no -v), I can ssh into the machine from my phone or other workstation and reboot the machine.

There's no kernel panic in the boot log. That's good. Are you able to connect to an external monitor or TV to see if that works?

There's a chance that your laptop may need connector patches:

[GUIDE] General Framebuffer Patching Guide (HDMI Black Screen Problem)

General Framebuffer Patching Guide using Hackintool Please do not quote this guide in its entirety. Post a link instead. 15 Jan 2019: Intel FB-Patcher has been renamed to Hackintool. 19 Jan 2019: Guide overhauled. Please be aware of possible HDMI hot-plug issues. After boot you may have to...

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