USB Ports Mapping, USB 3.0 Asus P9X79pro Help

[Nehedar]

OK, IOPCIFamily.kext is a good start, but not quite correct.

What we need is for the ASMedia controllers to attach to IOUSBHostFamily.kext > PlugIns > AppleUSBXHCIPCI.kext. This kext contains the following IOKitPersonality which should enable your ASMedia USB ports.

View attachment 552855

You need to add a helper kext to make this happen. That is add a kext with just an Info.plist, no executable, that points the ASMedia USB controllers to the right plugin/kext.

Try adding the ASMedia-1042.kext attached below to your /EFI/OC/Kexts folder and a companion entry in your config.plist.

The ASMedia Vendor ID 0x1B21 in the helper kext should match and be identified with the IOPCIPrimaryMatch in the plugin kext.

See if this helps.

Thank you. I added the attached kext as and its entry in config.plist as you indicated, rebooted but nothing has changed. Hackintool PCIe still reveal the same kext as did before.
I wonder if the order of the entry in config.plist makes any difference. I added the ASMedia-1042 entry as the last one.

The ASMedia Vendor ID 0x1B21 in the helper kext should match and be identified with the IOPCIPrimaryMatch in the plugin kext.

I don't know which is the “plugin kext”.
Did you mean to edit any line in the info.plist of the kext ?
Another question: Should I also edit the config.plis adding the lines depicted in your last screenshot ?
Thanks

 

[Edhawk]

No you don't need to edit anything in the kext. It has already been edited.

Adding the kext to the config.plist is the important part, doesn't matter if it is last in the list.

OK I need to think about this some more, as the ASMedia.kext is not usually required, unless you are having issues. The USB controller is normally found and activated out of the box.

I am wondering if it is necessary to add the device Properties for the ASMedia USB controllers to your config.plist, so they are recognised as 'Built-in' peripherals by macOS, in place of using the kext.

Open Hackintool, navigate to the PCIe tab. Use the Export icon to generate a number of files on your desktop. Compress and attach a copy of the pcidevices.plist file.

Also attach a copy of your revised EFI. With the Serial Number etc. removed/redacted.

 

[Nehedar]

No you don't need to edit anything in the kext. It has already been edited.

Adding the kext to the config.plist is the important part, doesn't matter if it is last in the list.

OK I need to think about this some more, as the ASMedia.kext is not usually required, unless you are having issues. The USB controller is normally found and activated out of the box.

I am wondering if it is necessary to add the device Properties for the ASMedia USB controllers to your config.plist, so they are recognised as 'Built-in' peripherals by macOS, in place of using the kext.

Open Hackintool, navigate to the PCIe tab. Use the Export icon to generate a number of files on your desktop. Compress and attach a copy of the pcidevices.plist file.

Also attach a copy of your revised EFI. With the Serial Number etc. removed/redacted.

Thank you. Here they are.
From the EFI, I removed the folder “Resources” that contains sounds and images for the Graphic UI, used in the boot picker that I still did not enable, to make a lighter attachment.

 

[UtterDisbelief]

Well this is a hard nut to crack. And I can see you two have been digging deep. So I'll just try to cast an eye over what I can see so far, if it helps...

A BIG problem for the 4x ASMedia back-panel ports will be that they are through a VIA-brand "hub". However ...

The two ASMedia front-panel ports should work with no configuration. Clearly they don't! The fact they don't show in Hackintool is no real worry.

XhciPortLimit quirk, in theory, will never work with this motherboard.

The ASMedia kext you are trying to use, is a bit out of place. It has the Device-ID for the 1024 chipset but is labelled internally as AsMedia 2142. These are two different chipsets, the 2142 usually used on external PCIe add-on cards and may be what the kext was intended to activate originally. This may confuse the system.

I don't think the X79 chipset should ever show any UK** USB ports. I've seen this a lot recently but it didn't use to happen. They were always HP and PR-hubs. So I think it is an error caused by the bootloader or some other factor. The chipset is obviously USB2.0 - only.

So what to do?

Remove/disable the ASM-1042.kext

Re-do the USBPorts.kext to activate all 14x EHCI USB2.0 ports, not just the 7x so far. This is because the ASMedia ports will be piggy-backing on the USB2.0 ports and if those are not active neither will the USB3 ports. Remember the ASM ports do not count in your 15-limit.

If that doesn't work ... More thought needed.

 

[Nehedar]

Well this is a hard nut to crack. And I can see you two have been digging deep. So I'll just try to cast an eye over what I can see so far, if it helps...

A BIG problem for the 4x ASMedia back-panel ports will be that they are through a VIA-brand "hub". However ...

The two ASMedia front-panel ports should work with no configuration. Clearly they don't! The fact they don't show in Hackintool is no real worry.

XhciPortLimit quirk, in theory, will never work with this motherboard.

The ASMedia kext you are trying to use, is a bit out of place. It has the Device-ID for the 1024 chipset but is labelled internally as AsMedia 2142. These are two different chipsets, the 2142 usually used on external PCIe add-on cards and may be what the kext was intended to activate originally. This may confuse the system.

I don't think the X79 chipset should ever show any UK** USB ports. I've seen this a lot recently but it didn't use to happen. They were always HP and PR-hubs. So I think it is an error caused by the bootloader or some other factor. The chipset is obviously USB2.0 - only.

So what to do?

Remove/disable the ASM-1042.kext

Re-do the USBPorts.kext to activate all 14x EHCI USB2.0 ports, not just the 7x so far. This is because the ASMedia ports will be piggy-backing on the USB2.0 ports and if those are not active neither will the USB3 ports. Remember the ASM ports do not count in your 15-limit.

If that doesn't work ... More thought needed.

Thank you for your contribution!
Should I switch XhciPortLimit quirk to “false” ?
Thnx

 

[UtterDisbelief]

Thank you for your contribution!
Should I switch XhciPortLimit quirk to “false” ?
Thnx

I would. It will do no harm. EHCI controllers only have 14x ports, so it is not an issue. ASM do not count.

 

[Nehedar]

I would. It will do no harm. EHCI controllers only have 14x ports, so it is not an issue. ASM do not count.

I removed those ASMedia-1042 and USBPorts kext, switched XhciPortLimit to false.
Opened Hackintool USB clicked the “inject” icon and this time there were no UKxx ports

Then I deleted some not active ports, left 14, exported and added a new USBPorts.kext to EFI/OC/kexts/
rebooted and now the Bluetooth is showing in HP23 as it was before
But plugged in the front panel different USB pentdrives and not detected, neither on the back
Hackintool PCIe still shows the same kext as before IOPCIFamily.kext

 

[UtterDisbelief]

I removed those ASMedia-1042 and USBPorts kext, switched XhciPortLimit to false.
Opened Hackintool USB clicked the “inject” icon and this time there were no UKxx ports
View attachment 552880

Then I deleted some not active ports, left 14, exported and added a new USBPorts.kext to EFI/OC/kexts/
rebooted and now the Bluetooth is showing in HP23 as it was before
But plugged in the front panel different USB pentdrives and not detected, neither on the back
Hackintool PCIe still shows the same kext as before IOPCIFamily.kext







View attachment 552881

Well that is good news.

The problem now is to activate the ASM1042 within Big Sur. As IORegistryExplorer seems to show the hardware is not being picked-up, it looks as though Apple does not supply an ASM1042 driver in macOS BS.

There is one called GenericUSBXHCI.kext and others by CalDigital BUT they were last updated in 2015 so might not work at all in Big Sur.

If you wish to test them, GenericUSBXHCI is available from @RehabMan 's repo, or our MultiBeast app.

The CalDigital drivers were posted here in this post.

 

[Nehedar]

Well that is good news.

The problem now is to activate the ASM1042 within Big Sur. As IORegistryExplorer seems to show the hardware is not being picked-up, it looks as though Apple does not supply an ASM1042 driver in macOS BS.

There is one called GenericUSBXHCI.kext and others by CalDigital BUT they were last updated in 2015 so might not work at all in Big Sur.

If you wish to test them, GenericUSBXHCI is available from @RehabMan 's repo, or our MultiBeast app.

The CalDigital drivers were posted here in this post.

Thank you. So those CalDigital drivers kext should be placed on EFI/OC/Kexts folder and their entries on config.plist ?

 

[UtterDisbelief]

Thank you. So those CalDigital drivers kext should be placed on EFI/OC/Kexts folder and their entries on config.plist ?

If you want to try them, then yes.

(Probably a good idea to create a bootable USB stick with your EFI on it so that you can test with that etc.)