Summary of some problems and how to solve them
I got my High Sierra running, thanks to several hints in many posts and after reading 67 pages of this thread ...
The update was from El Capitan to High Sierra
It was NOT flawless.
I want to contribute a small summary about the issues I faced and how they were solved:
Preparation:
------------
- Using Clover 4297 and Clover Configurator
- Setting SIP to 0x67 and Booter Config to 0x28
means in the config.plist:
<key>RtVariables</key>
<dict>
<key>CsrActiveConfig</key>
<string>0x3</string>
<key>BooterConfig</key>
<string>0x28</string>
</dict>
Guide used:
"Update Directly to macOS High Sierra"
https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/update-directly-to-macos-high-sierra.232707/
Followed the part for APFS: "Guide: Update Directly to macOS High Sierra (APFS)"
First installer ran, then reboot, using Clover to select "Boot macOS Install" onthe target SSD
Problem 1:
------------
Now the problem : "MACH reboot" kernel panic appeared, as reported by several earlier in the thread.
Solution:
Add the drop tables option for MATS and DMAR
How: in Clover configurator, chose the ACPI screen, left side list with title "Drop Tables"
select MATS in the signature column, use + to ad another one, select DMAR, save your config.plist
The config.plist entry for this will look like this afterwards:
<key>APCI</key>
....
<key>DropTables</key>
<array>
<dict>
<key>Signature</key>
<string>MATS</string>
</dict>
<dict>
<key>Signature</key>
<string>DMAR</string>
</dict>
</array>
...
Now the "Boot macOS Install" choice at Clover bootscreen went on without the MACH reload.
The window with the progress bar appeared and after a while the message ...
Problem 2:
------------
"macOS could not be installed on your computer.
The path /System/Installation/Packages/OSInstall.mpkg appears to be missing or damaged"
Solution:
I found it in this post:
https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/update-directly-to-macos-high-sierra.232707/page-64#post-1611797
Most probably it has to do with the fact, that I ran the installer from my SSD1, but updating SSD2.
To be sure, I re-ran everything from the target SSD.
Whatever, what really solved it, is explained in the post by johnf718:
"I copied the Packages folder from InstallESD.dmg to my OSX drive
/System/Installation/Packages
Read it somewhere on the net.
Not sure why it wasn’t mounting the InstallESD.dmg"
Took me a bit to figure out where this dmg is:
It is in the MacOS installer app (e.g. use Pacifist to extract it), but it was also in a folder on the root level of my drive, already extracted. This folder was obviously created by the installer app.
(sorry to be unprecise, seems it was cleaned away finally after the installer finished successfully. It was either the root folder of my SSD or the home folder of my user folder.)
My System folder did not have the "Installation" folder, so I created it, mounted the dmg and copied the packages folder over.
Now the installer ran through !!
Cleanup, post-installation setup:
-----------------------------------
Ran the script "audio_cloverALC-130_v0.3.command" from Toledo, had to be run as root
For infos, see here:
https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/before-you-install-audio-desktop-realtek-applehda-guide.219810/
Download is from sourceforge (
https://github.com/toleda/audio_CloverALC)
Now my High Sierra is running with APFS, Audio working
Thanks to all moderators, contributors and those replying to others, incredible work.
(Side note, but not to be discussed here, just for completeness: due to the installation, my boot screen resolution problem is back.
I have a 3440x1440 monitor connected with DisplayPort. After a clear Clover theme, the apple with the progress bar appear distorted, as well as the login options.
I always have to login, guess where the control panels are, open Monitors and switch the resolution back and forth. Then it stays until the next boot.
But this is most probably not related to the High Sierra, had it with Yosemite and El Capitan too and why it went away in Yosemite is one of the riddles of mankind)
What I left away as problems is below, I hope I can safe some from this experience:
lost my original SSD content for a very strange reason after booting from a USB stick with CloneZilla on it,
don´t know anymore how often I rebooted, pressed the F12 key to select the boot device, unplugged disks,
through this messed up and fixed the boot sequence in the BIOS; did even a reset of the BIOS NVRAM when being stuck at the BIOS screen and nothing happening anymore etc. etc.)
. config.plist is the same as before.