XHCI / USB3 Hub unavailable in DELL M4700

[ij78]

Hi

I have a nearly almost working Catalina 10.15.7 - Clover 5122 install on my Dell Precision M4700 (IvyBridge) laptop. The only problem I have is that I can't get the USB3 / XHCI ports to register as USB3. They are working as USB2 but slowly.

I've tried multiple things over the course of a week or so with different configurations and followed UtterDisbelief's guide on creating a Custom USB SSDT, but that expects the XHCI ports to be shown which they aren't on my install. Currently using USBInjectAll. The M4700 is confirmed as having Intel USB 3.0 eXtensible Host Controller inside.

I've tried various kexts from reading various other USB support comments including FakePCIID, GenericUSBHXCI etc but resorted back to basic in order to hopefully do it correctly. Here's my current configuration attached (I followed guide so hope it is correct)

If there's anything else I need to supply or anything immediately obvious with problem, please let me know

Thanks in advance

 

[UtterDisbelief]

Hi

I have a nearly almost working Catalina 10.15.7 - Clover 5122 install on my Dell Precision M4700 (IvyBridge) laptop. The only problem I have is that I can't get the USB3 / XHCI ports to register as USB3. They are working as USB2 but slowly.

I've tried multiple things over the course of a week or so with different configurations and followed UtterDisbelief's guide on creating a Custom USB SSDT, but that expects the XHCI ports to be shown which they aren't on my install. Currently using USBInjectAll. The M4700 is confirmed as having Intel USB 3.0 eXtensible Host Controller inside.

I've tried various kexts from reading various other USB support comments including FakePCIID, GenericUSBHXCI etc but resorted back to basic in order to hopefully do it correctly. Here's my current configuration attached (I followed guide so hope it is correct)

If there's anything else I need to supply or anything immediately obvious with problem, please let me know

Thanks in advance

Hi there.

Thanks for uploading all the relevant info - that really helps.

Problems aplenty though and on first glance I'd check for a BIOS setting to do with XHCI Handoff ...

The background: The QM77 chipset has 4x USB3 ports and 10x USB2 ports, so in theory 18x possible configurations. Hackintool is strangely seeing UHCI controllers which were the previous generation to EHCI. UHCI has 4x controller hubs while EHCI has 2x.

Your IOReg shows no XHCI or even UHCI controllers so either something is turned-off in BIOS or Hackintool has stumbled over something it doesn't understand.

So what to do?

Personally I would temporarily remove USBInjectAll.kext and disable the port-limit removal patches and then reboot the system, run Hackintool again and see what shows up.

Being a laptop there's no way you are going to have anywhere near the full compliment of 18x ports, I'm guessing 4x, and what you should do is plug-in a USB memory stick into each port and see where these light-up in Hackintool. That way you know which physical ports are available. There will be a couple of others used for web-cam and maybe some other device, but still way less that the 15x limit Apple imposes.

 

[ij78]

Thanks for this. I did look for an XHCI-Handoff setting in BIOS previously but there's no setting for that on the laptop (have settings for USB power, external port which are both enabled). I've removed the port patches and USBInjectAll and got the attached in Hackintool. I've plugged in devices into each USB port - the blue marked ones are supposed to be USB3, and the yellow ones are both USB2.

One thing I've noticed previously in Hackintool is the USB controller 'Series' name can change depending on which USB options I tinkered with in Clover. For example, sometimes it can be displayed as I7 ( I seem to remember) but as you can see currently in the screenshot it is displayed as 'Unknown'. Not sure whether that is related to this, but it still doesn't identify as XHCI either way.

 

[UtterDisbelief]

Thanks for this. I did look for an XHCI-Handoff setting in BIOS previously but there's no setting for that on the laptop (have settings for USB power, external port which are both enabled). I've removed the port patches and USBInjectAll and got the attached in Hackintool. I've plugged in devices into each USB port - the blue marked ones are supposed to be USB3, and the yellow ones are both USB2.

One thing I've noticed previously in Hackintool is the USB controller 'Series' name can change depending on which USB options I tinkered with in Clover. For example, sometimes it can be displayed as I7 ( I seem to remember) but as you can see currently in the screenshot it is displayed as 'Unknown'. Not sure whether that is related to this, but it still doesn't identify as XHCI either way.

Okay. You need to clear the Hackintool cache. Click on the broom icon, bottom row, and then the circular arrows icon. This should update the list.

 

[ij78]

Apologies, here's the updated screenshot. There are no devices showing now?

 

[ij78]

Just to add alongside my previous comment above. If I disable FixUSB in Clover - then you can see in screenshot that I now get a Series 7/C210 displayed in Hackintool

 

[Feartech]

Just to add alongside my previous comment above. If I disable FixUSB in Clover - then you can see in screenshot that I now get a Series 7/C210 displayed in Hackintool

these are the only fixes that needs to be enabled:

<key>Fixes</key>
            <dict>
                <key>Comment-IRQ Fix</key>
                <string>The following fixes may be needed for onboard audio/USB/etc</string>
                <key>FixTMR</key>
                <true/>
                <key>FixRTC</key>
                <true/>
                <key>FixIPIC</key>
                <true/>
                <key>FixHPET</key>
                <true/>
            </dict>

 

[ij78]

these are the only fixes that needs to be enabled:

Thanks. After making those changes, this is the latest USB output when booting

 

[UtterDisbelief]

Thanks. After making those changes, this is the latest USB output when booting

Well the top panel of Hackintool looks healthier now

I've been reading the Intel tech docs for the QM77 Express chipset and nowhere do they mention XHCI, only EHCI controllers. Yet they also state USB 3 ports and speeds.

So perhaps this is some Intel trickery I'm not familiar with (we learn all the time hereabouts).

Now normally EHCI controllers have 2x hubs PR11 & PR21 with 4x and 6x ports hanging from them. We could see some of that in the earlier IOReg export, but you now need to re-check. Search EHCI in the top right field of IORegExplorer.app, this will show you the hubs. Any ports will have a data speed rating, and power delivery setting ... if there are still no ports ...

The only hackintosh things which wreck the USB sub-system are a kext or an SSDT/DSDT.