Installs fine, afterwards *weird* issues.

[AnttiV]

Hi. I have a "nice" problem for you all

I have a Lenovo ThinkCentre M19p Desktop (not tower) model. With i5-2500 CPU, 16Gb 1333MHz DDR3 RAM.

I had 10.10 running "perfectly" (well, you know. As far as) on this machine for almost a year. Then I got a SSD from my brother and decided that I'll upgrade to 10.11.5 at the same time.

And as we all know, it wasn't as easily said as done...

First - I took a CCC backup to an external disk (because).
I do have Time Machine constantly running so I'm up-to-date with backups anyway, but.

I removed the old HDD, replaced it with the SSD and proceeded to install 10.11. Everything went silk smoothly. (Except I have an nVidia card so I need to enter nv_disable=1 each bootup with the USB disk until I install web drivers).

I chose to restore from the Time Machine backup, with everything selected. It went smoothly enough, although with the Time Machine disk being a USB2.0 one, it took it's sweet time.

After I rebooted it entered an infinite reboot loop right at the start (after the CPU states at the beginning; S1 S2.. etc. ).

I was a bit dumbfounded since it worked well enough from the USB stick. why should it now just not-work?

I though, well, maybe some config from the old didn't agree with the new, proceeded to Erase the disk and re-install. This time just installing without restoring. Once I was installed everything worked fine. Run MultiBeast and installed WebDrivers and rebooted a few times to make sure everything worked. It did. (oh, and also run trimforce).

Then I went to Migration Assistant and restored from the backup, but this time only selecting Apps & Documents (+ User), not "Computer & Network Settings", since I figured something there might've clashed. I was correct, after the lengthy restore operation, everything worked well. I used it for a day or so installing/upgrading software as I went. I noticed that I was missing Logitech's Gaming Software (LGS). Of course since it's a "computer setting" to make it run at startup that didn't copy over. Searched for it and run. It run smoothly and I had my key configs and Game display back (G13 & G19).

But just a couple of hours ago I noticed that for some reason the LGS didn't recognize my mouse (G700) at all. I figured that it needed a newer version since the last one was from 10.10. Well no, the version from Logitech's site was the same as installed. Oh well, maybe reinstall...?

Boy that was a Big Mistake(tm). After it almost completed, my computer rebooted. I though I missed the reboot prompt and it just rebooted, buuuut no. Nope. Now I'm back at infinite reboot loop at the start (after the CPU states again). No amount of tinkering with safe mode/ verbose mode/ kexts or caches will do anything. It just reboots over and over again.

So.. what the hell? How can LGS install make that happen? And is there a way I can "reverse" the damage (short of doing a complete re-install and restoring from the backup AGAIN?) Have any of you other have experienced problems with LGS? (I haven't before, and I'm not sure even this time if that's the ultimate culprit or does it just trigger something else.)

BAsically, what the eff can I do now, short of completely starting from scratch with the update process?

 

[AnttiV]

Saga continues. I've been battling with this for hours now, and I can't really figure out what the EFF is happening to my installation, UNLESS (point 1). See later.

However first:

I reinstalled again, re-applied 10.11.5 update (I'm installing with 10.11.4 USB stick, because that's the only thing I have for now). And installed latest nVidia WebDrivers, trimforce and MultiBeast. Restored from backup (just data + apps). -> *kaboom* (= reboot loop at start).

I reinstalled YET again. Run the 10.11.5 installer (always via Apple Store, because I'm dumb and can't seem to save it.. thank goodness from unlimited data...), nVidia drivers and MultiBeast. Didn't restore anything and booted. BAM. Reboot loop. What?

Decided to do this "the correct way."

- Re-installed. AGAIN.
* boot (via USB stick). Works.

- installed nVidia WebDrivers, this time for 10.11.4.
* boot (via USB stick). Works.

- run MultiBeast.
* boot. Works. (YAY!)

- trimforce enable
* boot. Works. (hooray.)

- boot, boot, boot. works every time.

Now in process of restoring from backup (data + apps, no settings) AGAIN. Depending on how it goes now I might be either finding out something (point 1) or then I'll be even more baffled than ever before.


Point 1: See, this is what I forgot in the midst of "combat". - I was updating to 10.11.5 each time I reinstalled.. maybe it is the 10.11.5 update that doesn't work (or 10.11.5 nV drivers) and hence the USB always works - because it's still in 10.11.4! If it now works after restore, I'm fairly certain the culprit is 10.11.5, not El Capitan as a whole nor the restored content. I can live with that, since then it just means I'll stay with 10.11.4 and not update to 10.11.5 until some time in the future (or go straight to Sierra).

If it bootloops AGAIN after the restore I can't promise I won't rip out my hair. Since I can't figure out what/how a data+document restore can affect the boot procedure from such an early state.

I'll update this post if/when I figure out something more.

 

[AnttiV]

Well, crap.

Restored Time Machine backup... and I'm reboot looping again. I don't understand this at all. What the actual F--- is going on?
WHAT can the TM backup (note: I'm NOT restoring computer settings, just application + user data) contain that affects the computer boot process SO early? I mean WHAT? I can't brain anymore. This is soo exhausting and I'm starting to get too pissed off at life right about now.

I don't want to start ALL over without any backups and just start installing/configuring EVERYTHING from scratch.

Does anyone have *ANY* idea even how is this possible? I though the restore process only restored /Applications and /Home and stuff like that. Nothing that should have ANY effect, whatsoever, to the boot process...

 

[P1LGRIM]

Clone your CCC backup to your SSD.
Install 10.11.4/5 to your SSD but do not format it during the installation process.
That will leave all of your data intact with the new operating system.
Install the Clover boot loader and edit your config.plist.

 

[AnttiV]

Clone your CCC backup to your SSD.
Install 10.11.4/5 to your SSD but do not format it during the installation process.
That will leave all of your data intact with the new operating system.

Hm.. brainfart, I didn't event think about that. Thanks. I think I'll first try just re-installing on top of the now-defunct system and see if that "wakes it up". If not, it's the CCC route. That's just a bit more trouble than I'd like, since I can't physically fit two disks at the same time to this computer. I'd need to boot from the CCC clone in the first place, which takes a looooong time since it's on an External USB disk...

What I don't understand (and I really, REALLY would like to) is how can that backup procedure change the system in such a way, that afterwards I can't boot from the partition even via the USB installer stick. It just reboots.

ps. Apparently I can't even boot into whatever the Recovery option from the Clover boot menu is. It boots, but then beachballs infinitely once it reaches "the gray screen". But it doesn't reboot-loop. I don't understand.

 

[P1LGRIM]

Apparently I can't even boot into whatever the Recovery option from the Clover boot menu is. It boots, but then beachballs infinitely once it reaches "the gray screen". But it doesn't reboot-loop. I don't understand.

To boot from the recovery partition you should copy FakeSMC.kext to /EFI/CLOVER/kexts/Other

 

[AnttiV]

To boot from the recovery partition you should copy FakeSMC.kext to /EFI/CLOVER/kexts/Other

Ah, thanks, again. Wish me luck, but apparently installing again over the existing system seems to have worked... so far, after a hickup. (At first boot it bootlooped again, then I verbose-booted and noticed it panicked on EvOReboot, so I deleted that, booted without caches and then it booted. Re-applied MultiBeast and now it seems to be working...)

 

[P1LGRIM]

Ah, thanks, again. Wish me luck, but apparently installing again over the existing system seems to have worked... so far, after a hickup. (At first boot it bootlooped again, then I verbose-booted and noticed it panicked on EvOReboot, so I deleted that, booted without caches and then it booted. Re-applied MultiBeast and now it seems to be working...)

Yes, Ev0reboot.kext is incompatible with El Capitan.

Good to see it worked out for you