No graphics acceleration

[Edhawk]

If you obtain a fresh download from the App Store, you will have the latest version of Catalina 10.15.7, which includes the Supplemental update. Apple have wrapped the update in to the latest release.

 

[7thgradeteacher]

There is no version of Catalina visible on the App Store.
I created the Install Catalina USB using your method. On the USB there is only the icon Install macOS Catalina and nothing else. I tried to use it to boot the Hackintosh but nothing. Is there anything else I need to put on the USB such as Clover?

 

[Edhawk]

You need to search for the Catalina installer, as Apple will have pushed Big Sur to the fore.

Here is an Apple Support page with a number download links for older versions of macOS - https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT211683, selecting one of the links should open the download option in the App Store.

With regards the macOS installer you created, yes you need to add a boot loader to the EFI Partition on the USB. You should use either Clover_r5119 or OpenCore 0.6.3.

CLOVER Installation to USB:
When installing Clover to the USB, follow these screenshot steps below: Although these screenshots were captured using Clover_r5103 the steps should be the same for r5119. Link for Clover_r5119 - https://github.com/CloverHackyColor/CloverBootloader/releases/tag/5119

Open Clover installer

Select Continue

Select Continue

Select Continue

Select Change Install Location

Select your macOS USB drive, & continue

Select Customise button

Select these two options only, then install

Enter your password when requested

Close Clover installer when complete.


You should now have two Partitions on your desktop> similar to the image below, but for Catalina installer

Open the EFI Folder


You should have an EFI Folder within the EFI Partition, open the folder EFI

The EFI Folder will contain these three items.

If you have a working Clover folder for Catalina then you can simply replace the CLOVER folder in the EFI Folder above with your folder. Copy and paste.

IF you don't have a CLOVER folder for macOS Catalina, and there are some additional requirements compared to Mojave and High Sierra, then you can try the one I have attached below. It is a CLOVER folder from a Gigabyte H97-D3H system that runs Catalina, with an i7-4790K. I removed the CPU specific options so it should work with your i5-4690K.

OpenCore Bootloader:
I have attached an OpenCore EFI Folder from a Z97X-UD5H system that should work with your H97-D3H system. It has been edited with the same kexts, SSDT's, SMBIOS and other compatible OC settings as are present in the CLOVER folder. It is based on OpenCore 0.6.3.

To use this OC EFI folder all you need do is rename it to EFI and copy it to the EFI Partition. It should work with the OpenCore GUI, not the Picker list. The OC config.plist passes the Sanity Checker test with flying colours.

Graphics Selection:
Both the Clover and OC EFI Folder are set for you to use your Haswell HD 4600 IGPU as the main graphics card. If that is not the case then you need to edited the folder you use, to reflect your choice of discrete graphics card.

 

[7thgradeteacher]

At github, there are 5 Clover downloads:

Clover-51190X64.iso.7z 2.36 MB

Clover.app_v1.23.pkg 6.18 MB

CloverV2-5119.zip 9.2 MB

CLOVERX64.efi.zip 468 KB

Clover_r5119.pkg 8.03 MB

Which should I download? Should I download it to the iMac or the USB drive?

It says to Install on “Clover” showing an icon of an external drive named Clover. I do not have a disk named Clover.

After closing Clover Installer there are supposed to be two Partitions on the desktop. Meaning my iMac desktop or the USB drive. The USB drive I created with Terminal is named “Install macOS Catalina”. I am confused by the drive “Clover”

Once I get this figured out, I can proceed with the rest of your suggestions.

Looking at the Apple App Store using your reference, I see that 10.15.7 is from a month ago, and its size is 4.9 GB. The Installer 10.15.7 that I downloaded last month is 8.27 GB.

 

[Edhawk]

The image was an example, you would need to install it to your USB installer! Clover was the name of the USB drive I used when creating the screenshots.

You need to download the CloverV2-5119.zip 9.2 MB package to your iMac.

The if the package doesn't unzip automatically, unzip the package.

The run the Clover installer, pointing the installation to your macOS USB Installation drive.

There will be two partitions from the USB, the macOS Catalina installer partition and the EFI partition, both from the USB.

No idea why the App Store is showing the difference in the download file size.

Not interested in trying the OpenCore EFI folder.
I can confirm that it is pre-configured for a Haswell system, all you need to do is copy the OpenCore EFI folder to the EFI partition on the macOS Catalina installer USB and boot your system with the USB. I even changed the SMBIOS Serial number etc. so it would work with iMessage, iCloud etc.

 

[7thgradeteacher]

I had to download the 8.03 file from github to get the Clover package. I then installed the Clover folder that you sent me. Now it is ready to try.

Before I did all this, the other day I was able to install El Capitan on one hard drive and then I installed Sierra on another hard drive. The broken computer now will boot into El Capitan and Sierra with full graphics acceleration. It is working so well that I am going to delay trying to install Catalina. I thank you very much for your help.

I have another situation that I have been delaying to fix. I bought a new Dell laptop over a year ago that had Windows 10 factory installed. I created a USB install backup as per the instructions on the computer. The computer worked fine until a Microsoft update broke it. The Install backup that I made did not work to restore the computer. I know I can download a copy of Windows 10 from Microsoft legally to fix the lappy, but I am not real comfortable with Windows repair. Do you know how to do it?

 

[Edhawk]

Do this to fix the Dell Laptop:

1. Download the Windows ISO from Microsoft, Download Windows 10 (microsoft.com)
   1. Select 'Download Tool Now' button,​
   2. Do not select the 'Update Now' button.​
   3. Select the type of installer you wish to create, i.e. 64bit or 32bit.​
2. While the ISO download occurs, go to this site Rufus - The Official Website (Download, New Releases), download the latest version of Rufus.
3. Once the download finishes, open Rufus, by default the app should be on your desktop, or wherever you chose to install it.
4. To restore/install the ISO you need a spare USB, 4GB or larger, it will be wiped as part of the installation so make sure it doesn't contain anything you want to keep.
5. In Rufus (latest version 3.13.1730) do the following:
   1. Select GPT partition scheme​
   2. Select Target System - UEFI (non CSM)​
   3. Select the ISO you downloaded​
   4. Leave the rest as it is and select Start.​
   5. This will create a USB installer for Windows suitable for reinstalling Windows.​
6. Use the Windows 10 USB installer on your Dell to reinstall Windows.
7. You need to select Custom installation when it is offered during the Windows install, so you can delete the existing partitions and undertake a clean install.

 

[7thgradeteacher]

Would it be better to use Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 to download the ISO & do I download it to the computer desktop? I am sure I should not use Mac OS, correct?

 

[Edhawk]

Yes, use a Windows machine, matters not which version you use. Desktop or Downloads folder, again to your preference.

 

[7thgradeteacher]

Previously when I tried to use the USB backup drive to reinstall Windows 10, it did not work because I chose the option to save files. Today I used that same USB but chose the option to erase the HD and Install Windows and it worked. The computer works good for now. And I have your method to use in the future if I have a problem. Thank you for your kind advice.