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MP 1,1-5,1 Installing Sonoma

H

Hamid92

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Hi All,
I have a Mac Pro 4.1 flashed to 5.1. CPU 2x2.26, 32 GB of RAM, Rx 580 graphics card, running MacOS High Sierra HD and Mojave SSD. I wanted to install Sonoma on an SSD via OCLP 2.4.1, the latest version. Create the MacOS Sonoma plus OpenCore installer on an external drive. Once the external drive was ready, I restarted the Mac as recommended by OCLP to boot from the external drive by pressing the Alt key. However, when I restart and press the Alt key, I get a black screen that prevents me from continuing with the installation.

Could someone please help me?
 
You need pre-boot configuration suport, no pre-boot configuration support equals no native BootPicker. Without native BootPicker you can't select the OCLP Sonoma installer.

You won't have native BootPicker support with a PC GPU, your RX 580 will only work after macOS/Windows/Linux loads the GPU drivers.

To overcome this limitation you'll need to inject EnableGop EFI module to the MacPro firmware or to the GPU firmware to have pre boot configuration support with your UEFI GOP supported GPU.

This is the reference thread about EnableGop, do not forget that any error will brick your Mac Pro and that the GPU is required to be with the factory firmware, no mining or any other mods.

forums.macrumors.com

EnableGop: Pre-OpenCore GOP support for EFI-era iMacs and Mac Pros

You wait ten years for a driver to enable pre-boot graphics on unsupported GPUs in EFI era Macs, and then two come along at once... This post is to announce a firmware driver to enable the native Apple boot picker and early macOS boot progress bar (plus other parts of the firmware UI: target...
forums.macrumors.com forums.macrumors.com

Btw, the search box is your friend, no need to open another thread for things answered multiple times in the past.
 
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Reactions: bmoraski
After several attempts to install Monterey, Sonoma, and Sequoia on my Mac Pro flashed to 5,1 with Boot ROM 144.0.0.0.0, and still not having multi-boot nor a boot screen, I tried to enable EnableGOP from Mojave with a Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 580 4 GB installed.
The activation completed successfully, but after rebooting and pressing the ALT (Option) key, I still do not get any boot screen.
What can I do?
 
I tried to restore the original firmware of the RX 580. The Etcher program for macOS x64 as well as arm64 does not run on High Sierra or Mojave, as it requires macOS 11 or newer. I downloaded the RX 580 VBIOS (“SKU# 11265-09-20G”, “PN 299-4E353”), and since the software would not run, I connected an 8 GB USB flash drive that I formatted as FAT32. I copied the VBIOS to the USB flash drive and wrote it using the Terminal command:
sudo dd if=/users/hmsr/Desktop/vbios/bios1.rom of=/dev/rdisk1 bs=1m
The BIOS was successfully written to the USB drive (so the USB drive was ready to flash the Mac Pro). I rebooted in “BIOS Flash” mode, but unfortunately the USB drive did not appear at startup. Instead, the system booted directly into the High Sierra desktop, with the following message: “The disk you inserted was not readable by this computer.” I clicked “Ignore”.

I thought it did not work because the Mac Pro 5,1 already has the 5,1 firmware. I then launched OCLP 2.4.1, built and installed OpenCore on the High Sierra disk, and rebooted. Since then, I only get a black screen. I reset the NVRAM and then the SMC, but nothing changed. I removed the RX 580 GPU and replaced it with a GT 120. With the GT 120, it is still impossible to boot High Sierra, but I am able to boot into Mojave.

Can you help please ?
 
Hamid92 said:
I tried to restore the original firmware of the RX 580. The Etcher program for macOS x64 as well as arm64 does not run on High Sierra or Mojave, as it requires macOS 11 or newer. I downloaded the RX 580 VBIOS (“SKU# 11265-09-20G”, “PN 299-4E353”), and since the software would not run, I connected an 8 GB USB flash drive that I formatted as FAT32. I copied the VBIOS to the USB flash drive and wrote it using the Terminal command:
sudo dd if=/users/hmsr/Desktop/vbios/bios1.rom of=/dev/rdisk1 bs=1m
The BIOS was successfully written to the USB drive (so the USB drive was ready to flash the Mac Pro). I rebooted in “BIOS Flash” mode, but unfortunately the USB drive did not appear at startup. Instead, the system booted directly into the High Sierra desktop, with the following message: “The disk you inserted was not readable by this computer.” I clicked “Ignore”.
Click to expand...

This does not make any sense, instead of trying to find an older Etcher version that runs with Mojave and download the past version from github or even make the Linux boot disk any other way, your solution was to make a boot disk of the GPU firmware via dd and tried to boot it like a MacPro EFI firmware upgrade?!?

You can't make a Mac or a PC to boot a GPU firmware… 🤪

Hamid92 said:
I thought it did not work because the Mac Pro 5,1 already has the 5,1 firmware.
Click to expand...

What it have to do with anything?

You can't boot the GPU firmware or use the MacPro EFI firmware upgrade procedure to flash a GPU firmware.

I do not believe that you tried to this… 🤪

Hamid92 said:
I then launched OCLP 2.4.1, built and installed OpenCore on the High Sierra disk, and rebooted.
Click to expand...

OCLP does not support macOS versions before BigSur.

Hamid92 said:
Since then, I only get a black screen. I reset the NVRAM and then the SMC, but nothing changed. I removed the RX 580 GPU and replaced it with a GT 120. With the GT 120, it is still impossible to boot High Sierra,
Click to expand...

OCLP spoofs 2019 Mac Pro/MacPro7,1 to make unsupported macOS releases to boot with the MacPro5,1, the earliest macOS that supports MacPro7,1 is 10.15.2.

So, you can't make OCLP to boot a MacPro5,1 supported macOS release unless you modify the OCLP config.plist and add no_compat_check to the boot args or alternatively add directly to the NVRAM with sudo nvram boot-args="-no_compat_check".

Use the search and learn how to do it.

Hamid92 said:
but I am able to boot into Mojave.

Can you help please ?
Click to expand...

You can always re-flash the GPU with a PC or search for a different GPU flashing method via Windows like this excellent tutorial below:

www.techpowerup.com

AMD/ATi Flash Command Line (CMD) Syntax Mini Guide (WINDOWS)

This is a Guide Thread Only, not an asking for help thread. If you need help, start a new thread, do not post in here as it will be reported and possibly deleted. This is a Mini Guide to using AMDVBFLASH/ATi Flash. Disclaimer: I am no longer giving advice on RX 590s or older as there are...
www.techpowerup.com
 
Mac Pro 4,1 → 5,1 | RX 580 flashed – boot loop with colored screens

I successfully flashed my RX 580 using amdvbflash (under Ubuntu).
The flash process completed without errors and amdvbflash reported flash successful.

After that, I:
  • Shut down the Mac Pro
  • Removed the GT 120
  • Connected the display directly to the RX 580 (Apple Cinema Display via DisplayPort
At boot:
  • I briefly get a pink screen, then blue, then black
  • The RX 580 fans spin up, then slow down, then the card seems to reset
  • The system appears to boot-loop with the same sequence repeating
  • No boot screen, no macOS loading screen
System details:
  • Mac Pro 4,1 flashed to 5,1
  • Boot ROM: 144.0.0.0.0
  • RX 580 (PC version, now flashed)
  • Apple Cinema Display (DisplayPort)
  • Previously working with GT 120 installed
At this point, the GPU seems to initialize partially but fails to maintain video output.
Any insight on whether this is:
  • an incompatible ROM,
  • GOP / boot screen issue,
  • display handshake problem,
  • or a bad flash despite amdvbflash reporting success would be greatly appreciated.
  • would be greatly appreciated.
 
Hamid92 said:
  • an incompatible ROM
Click to expand...

Seems the most probable.

Also, are you sure that your mDP (assuming that you have one with mDP since older Cinema were DVI) to DP is one that works correctly? Did you tested another display? Another output?
 
no i did not; i have juste apple dispaly.
if i send you a copy of my ROM oldrom and newron can you explain to me what is wrong. Can i enableGop again because the fist it does not work.
Thx
 

Attachments

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    OldROM.png
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  • NewROM.png
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Hamid92 said:
it's not a GPU firmxare it's i done it with macschauber Tool. I want to enableGop
Click to expand...

If you want it professionally done, cross-flashing issues solved and fully upgraded to mid-2012 standard and with EnableGop EFI module injected, I've already sent you the instructions, files required and service fee.
 
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