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Boot Manager: A Boot Screen Alternative in the status bar of your Mac.

abdyfranco

abdyfranco

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 4, 2017
127
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Due to the requirement to have a Metal compatible graphics card to install Mojave, many users upgraded their graphics cards to PC cards that do not have EFI firmware and therefore cannot display the Startup Manager (also known as Boot Screen).

Many Mac Pro users usually install Windows in dual boot using Boot Camp or in EFI mode, and even some install even Linux. Due to the lack of boot screen, it is very difficult to switch between operating systems, although there is the possibility of using "Startup Disk" from "System Preferences", but does not always work well (usually does not work with Windows installed in EFI mode) or does not detect all operating systems correctly (as is usually the case with Linux).

There are other options and alternatives to the "Startup Disk" option, such as BootChamp and QuickBoot, however both applications are discontinued, without support, updates and hardly work in new versions of macOS.

Boot Manager is an alternative to all the options described above, is completely free, is open source and works with the latest versions of macOS. Boot Manager is an application based on QuickBoot, with updated code to run on recent versions of macOS and with major improvements over its predecessor, including support for Windows, macOS and Linux in both BIOS (Legacy) and EFI mode.

You can download the latest version of Boot Manager at the following link: http://abdyfran.co/software/boot-manager

Any suggestion, recommendation, feedback or bug report are welcome, you can write me a personal message or post it in this thread.

Installing Boot Manager
1. First of all, Before installing Boot Manager you must disable the System Integrity Protection (a.k.a. SIP).
To disable the System Integrity Protection, you must restart on the recovery partition (Recovery HD) and access the terminal in the Utilities menu and then execute the following command:
Code: 
csrutil disable

2. Then go to the website and click on the Download button, and select the latest installation package, and install it normally by double-clicking on it.

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I haven't gotten around to installing Windows 10 yet on my cMP but hope to do so in the next couple of weeks. I will definitely give Boot Manager a try.

Thanks so much for providing this to the cMP community!

Edit: Does this in any way help with the problem of being unable to get back to macOS once booted into Windows due to APFS?

Edit2: Ah yes, I see that it does. From your site "It will also not permanently change your startup disk so once you reboot again, it’ll boot back to your standard OS."

Nice!
 
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bookemdano said:
I haven't gotten around to installing Windows 10 yet on my cMP but hope to do so in the next couple of weeks. I will definitely give Boot Manager a try.

Thanks so much for providing this to the cMP community!

Edit: Does this in any way help with the problem of being unable to get back to macOS once booted into Windows due to APFS?
Click to expand...
No, However you can use Next Loader to fix the APFS on Boot Camp issue. Next Loader will appear as OS X in Boot Camp and will do a redirect to the APFS macOS Installation. http://abdyfran.co/projects/next-loader
 
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One other point of clarification - must SIP remain disabled for QuickBoot to work? I suspect that it does, based on the other solutions I've seen posted for the Boot Camp APFS problem.

What about the option to disable SIP for just the NVRAM? That's a bit safer of a configuration for running full-time.
[doublepost=1538610728][/doublepost]
abdyfranco said:
No, However you can use Next Loader to fix the APFS on Boot Camp issue. Next Loader will appear as OS X in Boot Camp and will do a redirect to the APFS macOS Installation. http://abdyfran.co/projects/next-loader
Click to expand...

Hmm, well if Boot Manager never permanently changes your startup disk then won't it always boot back to macOS? Perhaps I misunderstood.
 
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bookemdano said:
One other point of clarification - must SIP remain disabled for QuickBoot to work? I suspect that it does, based on the other solutions I've seen posted for the Boot Camp APFS problem.

What about the option to disable SIP for just the NVRAM? That's a bit safer of a configuration for running full-time.
[doublepost=1538610728][/doublepost]

Hmm, well if Boot Manager never permanently changes your startup disk then won't it always boot back to macOS? Perhaps I misunderstood.
Click to expand...
Just NVRAM works fine, but the built-in SATA driver will not work, so you will not be able to use PCIe SATA SSDs for Boot Camp, Like the Sonnet Tempo SSD.

Yes, If you boot Windows using Boot Manager, the next time that you restart your Mac Pro will boot right on to macOS, However if you use the "Restart in OS X" option of the Boot Camp Panel, macOS Will boot in verbose mode. (But works fine, it's only a cosmetically issue).
 
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I presume you need to leave SIP disabled to use these?
Is Nextloader easy to remove?

Nextloader really needs some explanations and instructions. It looks like it needs its own small partition.

Never mind, I see this now in the Wiki, duh... RTFM.

Does the Nextloader handle miniDP V1.2?
 
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Windows 10: installed through DVD in separate ssd (sata 2)
Boot Manager: installed in High Sierra 10.13.6 with SIP disabled, check "Use legacy mode" in preferences of Boot Manager
GPU: non-efi GTX 750ti

Everything works perfectly!!!
GREAT JOB.. Thanks!

I will try Next Loader when I receive my GTX 680 which I will flash and a new NVMe!
 
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I found a problem ... I think!!
When Boot Manager installs, it disables TRIM and when trying to re-enable it, though the process from the terminal (sudo trimforce enable) is successful, after reboot in "System Report" I get "TRIM Support: No"

EDIT: I found the problem. It's the "AHCI3rdPartySATA.kext" installed in /Library/Extensions. When removed TRIM works!
 
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agejon said:
I found a problem ... I think!!
When Boot Manager installs, it disables TRIM and when trying to re-enable it, though the process from the terminal (sudo trimforce enable) is successful, after reboot in "System Report" I get "TRIM Support: No"

EDIT: I found the problem. It's the "AHCI3rdPartySATA.kext" installed in /Library/Extensions. When removed TRIM works!
Click to expand...
AHCI3rdPartySATA.kext is only required if you want to install Windows on a PCI-e Sata SSD, like the Sonnet Tempo SSD, if you don't need that, you can safely remove it.
 
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agejon said:
I found a problem ... I think!!
When Boot Manager installs, it disables TRIM and when trying to re-enable it, though the process from the terminal (sudo trimforce enable) is successful, after reboot in "System Report" I get "TRIM Support: No"

EDIT: I found the problem. It's the "AHCI3rdPartySATA.kext" installed in /Library/Extensions. When removed TRIM works!
Click to expand...

I don't have issues re-enabling TRIM after a reboot with the third-party AHCI kext installed.
 
Hi!

I got a problem. I tried to install Boot Manager and it worked fine, untill I tried to reboot back to OSX. Then I got stuck in "Limbo land". It seems like my cMP does not know that I have a OSX installed on a "blade". I just got around installing Win 10 in EFI mode on an SSD in bay 1. Got a new Sapphire RX 580 so no bootscreen anymore. Can this be fixed?

/Per
 
expede said:
Hi!

I got a problem. I tried to install Boot Manager and it worked fine, untill I tried to reboot back to OSX. Then I got stuck in "Limbo land". It seems like my cMP does not know that I have a OSX installed on a "blade". I just got around installing Win 10 in EFI mode on an SSD in bay 1. Got a new Sapphire RX 580 so no bootscreen anymore. Can this be fixed?

/Per
Click to expand...
Did you tried zap-PRAM? If you tired and can't boot OSX, remove all other disks, keep just the macOS one and do it again.
 
expede said:
Hi!

I got a problem. I tried to install Boot Manager and it worked fine, untill I tried to reboot back to OSX. Then I got stuck in "Limbo land". It seems like my cMP does not know that I have a OSX installed on a "blade". I just got around installing Win 10 in EFI mode on an SSD in bay 1. Got a new Sapphire RX 580 so no bootscreen anymore. Can this be fixed?

/Per
Click to expand...
As tsialex suggested, Try resetting the NVRAM/PRAM.

Your macOS it's installed on an PCIe AHCI SSD or an NVMe drive?
 
Hi, there!

Thanks for the reply. My "blade" is an Samsung EVO 960 NVMe. And I did a NVRAM set back but my cMP 5.1 just hangs i Limbo-land and then after a minute i shuts off. I try a PRAM set back when I come home. Last resort will be to reinstall my Sapphire 7950 Mac Edition and Bootscreen back.

/Per
 
abdyfranco said:
AHCI3rdPartySATA.kext is only required if you want to install Windows on a PCI-e Sata SSD, like the Sonnet Tempo SSD, if you don't need that, you can safely remove it.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the time spent on this app! I had the same issues as the prior poster and resolved TRIM not enabling by deleted that kext. Thanks! (I have 10.14 and Windows 10 installed on the same SSD via a PCI-E to SATA adapter)
 
No it did not work. I did first a PRAM and then a NVRAM. But no luck at all. I try with my Sapphire Radeon 7950 Mac Edition and report back.

Ok I am back on OSX. But I can not boot back on Win 10 EFI. This is very strange.

/Per
 
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Hi!

So I BootScreen myself back to OSX and during bootscreen I found that, despite pulling all disks out except the blade, I still got one EFI installed. This is impossible, where is the other one? I only got one Samsung EVP 960 NvMe M2 disk in slot 3. And if I boot into the EFI Boot I get a blue screen saying my disk needs to be repaired? What?

How do I kill that EFI?

ag9j2i44.png


/Per
 
expede said:
Hi!

So I BootScreen myself back to OSX and during bootscreen I found that, despite pulling all disks out except the blade, I still got one EFI installed. This is impossible, where is the other one? I only got one Samsung EVP 960 NvMe M2 disk in slot 3. And if I boot into the EFI Boot I get a blue screen saying my disk needs to be repaired? What?

How do I kill that EFI?

ag9j2i44.png


/Per
Click to expand...
When you install Windows on a partition the installer installs the Recovery on the main EFI partition. I Recommend to install Windows on UEFI mode on a separate disk.
 
Hi!

You were absolut right. Thanks. I had to reinstall both Mojave and Windows EFI.

@tsialex, abdyfranco : Yes I did a NVRAM reset and the cMP found my "Blade" thanks!

Now I have to try your Bootloader. Cross my fingers.

/Per

abdyfranco said:
When you install Windows on a partition the installer installs the Recovery on the main EFI partition. I Recommend to install Windows on UEFI mode on a separate disk.
Click to expand...
[doublepost=1539286956][/doublepost]Nope did not work. I can boot to Windows EFI but not back. I´m stuck in Windows 10 loop. And when I return to my old Legacy Win 10 I get a blue screen saying that I have to repair my Windows 10 or contact administrator(even checkin' the "legacy box"). But if I use another Win loader (BootChamp) it works fine with Legacy mode. Sorry but this is not working for me. Thanks anyway for your time and effort. Very nice, thanks.

Best regards

/Per
 
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expede said:
Hi!

You were absolut right. Thanks. I had to reinstall both Mojave and Windows EFI.

@tsialex, abdyfranco : Yes I did a NVRAM reset and the cMP found my "Blade" thanks!

Now I have to try your Bootloader. Cross my fingers.

/Per


[doublepost=1539286956][/doublepost]Nope did not work. I can boot to Windows EFI but not back. I´m stuck in Windows 10 loop. And when I return to my old Legacy Win 10 I get a blue screen saying that I have to repair my Windows 10 or contact administrator(even checkin' the "legacy box"). But if I use another Win loader (BootChamp) it works fine with Legacy mode. Sorry but this is not working for me. Thanks anyway for your time and effort. Very nice, thanks.

Best regards

/Per
Click to expand...
Please, can you send me a PM with the output of the command "diskutil list"? I started to work today on the next update, and I have two reports of the same issue that you have.
 
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