The New Beginner's Guide to USB Port Configuration

[Edhawk]

Clover bootloader:
It should be installed to your /CLOVER/kexts/Other folder, if you are using Clover to boot the system.

You also need to use the Clover Rename patches for the EHC1, EHC2 and XHCI controllers in the ACPI section, plus have the two Catalina Raise USB Port Limit patches in the Kernel and Kext section of your Clover config.plist.

OpenCore bootloader:
It should be installed to your /OC/Kexts folder and an entry added to your config.plist, if you are using OpenCore to boot your system.

You also need to have the USB port Limit quirk (XhciPortLimit) set as True in OpenCore config.plist.

 

[RDPRDP]

Hi there.

Check your BIOS settings for EHCI hand-off = Enabled.

Also check you do not have FakePCIID_XHCIMux.kext installed. If so remove and rebuild caches.

If that makes no difference then run IORegistryExplorer v2.1 and export an *ioreg file. Upload it so we can check it.

Dear sir!

BIOS checked, and its enabled. No kext of that name in my OC config.plist, and neither a file in the OC kext folder or in L/E, or S/L/E.

Therefore please find attached the ioreg file.


thanks!
RDP

 

[UtterDisbelief]

Dear sir!

BIOS checked, and its enabled. No kext of that name in my OC config.plist, and neither a file in the OC kext folder or in L/E, or S/L/E.

Therefore please find attached the ioreg file.


thanks!
RDP

Okay

Annoyingly Asus doesn't have the specs page for your motherboard available on their web-site, but looking through the ioreg I can see a few pointers so far ...

1) The XHC stack features just 4x USB3 ports, which have USB2 equivalents.

2) Despite appearances you do have devices attached to the EHCI ports - for example I can see a Dell USB Laser Mouse, probably attached through an ASMedia chipset. There's also an Edirol UA-1D audio capture device. Also some mass storage.

3) The ASMedia USB chipset in the mix is adding USB3 functionality or it's an add-on hub you are using.

4) The Intel *77 series chipsets does seem to be a strange one. the Q77M lacks XHC completely but still features USB3 ports. This is a new one on me and I'm still trying to get more details together.

So it looks as though EHC is working to some degree... I'll come back later if I learn more. Please let me know of any developments.

 

[RDPRDP]

Okay

Annoyingly Asus doesn't have the specs page for your motherboard available on their web-site, but looking through the ioreg I can see a few pointers so far ...

1) The XHC stack features just 4x USB3 ports, which have USB2 equivalents.

2) Despite appearances you do have devices attached to the EHCI ports - for example I can see a Dell USB Laser Mouse, probably attached through an ASMedia chipset. There's also an Edirol UA-1D audio capture device. Also some mass storage.

3) The ASMedia USB chipset in the mix is adding USB3 functionality or it's an add-on hub you are using.

4) The Intel *77 series chipsets does seem to be a strange one. the Q77M lacks XHC completely but still features USB3 ports. This is a new one on me and I'm still trying to get more details together.

So it looks as though EHC is working to some degree... I'll come back later if I learn more. Please let me know of any developments.

I don't have any developments as this has been a long outstanding issue for me, but since you are kind enough to take a look at the issue I can at least sum up the current situation:

• Under Clover you helped me with my setup in this thread between posts #814 https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/...to-usb-port-configuration.286553/post-2140878 and ending around #830. In the end, I think we were as happy as we could be. I propose your findings then about my system would still accurately apply now.
• My current issues started when I migrated to OC.
• My current issues (not seemingly cosmetic, such as Hackintool not showing the ports) are:
  • Slow boot (not sure why, maybe HDA related, but as long as USB is unresolved, it might be impacting).
  • Wake from sleep: All USB drives complain of "not disconnected properly", so a USB or power management issue?
  • After wake from sleep my NIC does not operate, I need to reboot to get back to the internet.
  • Graphics corruption at the login screen when at 60hz (not always, but a lot of the time) https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/graphics-corruption-60hz-on-dp.304330/

I added a screenshot from the manual specifications page for the USB portion. From what I can tell the ASMedia ports are independent of the Z77 chipset for this setup (I could be wrong!!!!):

• 2 USB 3.0 ports ASMedia controller
• 2 USB 3.0 ports ASMedia controller
• 4 USB 3.0 ports & 10 USB 2.0 ports Z77 Chipset controler

I have also attached a screenshot of the USB device tree taken from usbview in Windows.

I figure if I can resolve or confirm there is are no USB issues, then my troubleshooting on the remaining issues above can focus in on different areas.


thanks,
RDP

 

[Westsurf]

Could anyone advise whether a successful USB port mapping created for a Clover Mojave build could be simply transferred over to an Opencore Big Sur build?

 

[Feartech]

Could anyone advise whether a successful USB port mapping created for a Clover Mojave build could be simply transferred over to an Opencore Big Sur build?

yep, should work fine

 

[Westsurf]

yep, should work fine

Sorry to question but would it not be reliant on the SMBIOS in effect when the kext was created?

 

[Feartech]

Sorry to question but would it not be reliant on the SMBIOS in effect when the kext was created?

if you happen to change your smbios information then make sure it is the same in your usbports.kext

 

[Westsurf]

if you happen to change your smbios information then make sure it is the same in your usbports.kext

Oh ... something new to learn Thanks for the info.

As I'm BS the SMBIOS to get around Big Sur restrictions that's vital info.

 

[Westsurf]

@Feartech previous developed .kext didn't work. I'm assuming due to failing to do appropriate EHC to EH renames. Maybe it was never working?

Using Opencore 0.6.7

1. Renamed EHC1 and 2 to EH01 and 2 with appropriate patches.
2. uSBInjectall.kext in OC/Kexts.
3. Appropriate changes for kext and XHCI port limit in config.plist
4. I removed "FakePCIID_XHCIMux.kext" and FakePCIID.kext. rebuild kext cache and permissions (led to now OSX error notifications about Dropbox and Paragon NTFS kexts. Issue for another time).
5. Reboot
6. Started and completed USB mapping as below using Hackintool. I only utilised the Opencore designated software and Ioreg to try to understand the internal hubs.

Could anyone please review the attached and check if there is anything blatantly wrong? The use of hubs on the GA-Z77X-UPH TH MB makes mapping a bit of a nightmare as others have found.

EDIT - when going to check USB kext as produced as I have been using a USB "Opencore test drive" for any changes until confirmed working. Now find myself unable to see the USB at BIOS "choose drive" at boot. Have checked multiple USB boot drives. None are seen.

Have realised that now all USB ports on front of case are not available pre boot. Booted off test USB and have 23 USB ports showing in Hackintool

Can boot to all my OS drives. All Opencore 0.6.7 - Mavericks, Catalina and Big Sur and W10. Just not a USB drive.

Didn’t make any BIOS changes ... RESET BIOS and reloaded past working BIOS setting. No change to USB ports front case pre boot.

I realise this is a beginners guide and am happy to move post if required but after 2 hours of not being able to boot off the USB drive I’m losing hair and going grey.

I hope someone can help me understand how USB changes attempted in an OS have effected USB ports pre boot.

Time to walk away (again) for a while

Arghhh ... post USBports.kext @UtterDisbelief would you have any advice?