MP 1,1-5,1 Mac Pro 5,1 not booting any OCLP USB anymore — stuck booting Mojave

[_LiveSorcerer_]

Hi everyone,


I’m experiencing a serious issue with my Mac Pro 5,1 (Mid 2012) and I’ve run out of ideas. Here’s my setup:

• CPU: Xeon Six Core 3.3GHz
• RAM: 64GB DDR3 1333MHz
• Storage:
  • 1x 4TB Seagate IronWolf HDD
  • 1x 500GB Samsung HDD
  • 1x 240GB Sandisk SSD (macOS Mojave)
  • 1x 500GB Samsung 860 QVO SSD (Windows 11 Pro)
  • 1x WD Black SN850 1TB NVMe on OWC Accelsior 1M2 PCIe Adapter
• GPU: Sapphire RX 580 Nitro (previous), now RX 580 Red Dragon
• PCIe Add-Ons:
  • Titan Ridge Thunderbolt 3 Card
  • USB 3.2 Expansion Card (2x USB-A, 3x USB-C)

The problem:​

I had been using macOS Ventura through OCLP without any major issues. Later, I tried updating OCLP to support newer versions of macOS, and that’s when the problems started.


I’ve tested OCLP versions from 1.0.1 to the latest 2.3.2, attempting clean installs of macOS Monterey, Ventura, Sonoma, and even the latest Sequoia beta — but none of the installations complete. They either hang or fail before finishing.


After multiple attempts, the situation got worse: my Mac stopped booting from any USB drive entirely. No matter what version of macOS or which USB port I use — even the USB 3.2 ports — it always boots straight into Mojave on the internal SATA SSD.


Here’s what I’ve tried:

• Using several macOS versions and matching OCLP EFI setups on different USB drives,
• Testing all USB ports (front/back, USB 2.0, 3.2, A and C),
• Placing OCLP EFI folders directly on internal SSDs/HDDs to bypass USB entirely,
• Swapping the drives between SATA ports,
• Resetting NVRAM/PRAM (Option + Command + P + R — only get one chime, no restart or second chime),
• Resetting SMC,
• Replacing the GPU (from RX 580 Nitro to Red Dragon, thinking GPU issues were freezing Mojave).

Nothing works. I can no longer install or boot into any version of macOS beyond Mojave. I’m completely locked out of upgrades, even with known good OCLP setups.


Any help, advice, or ideas from the community would be greatly appreciated!


Thanks in advance!

 

[basslik]

As you see on my signature I have Monterey, Sonoma & Sequoia on the same NVMe Drive.

Was simple. First get back to Mojave and Option + Command + P + R. ( THEY TAKE REALLY LONG TO CHIME )

Especially mine, because the more ram the longer it takes to clear the PRAM VRAM.

Install OCLP in the drive and not on the USB.

That way, when you go to upgrade, to Sonoma, or Sequoia, all you have to do is create another container, and when you upgrade to a newer OS, just upgrade to the new container.

I have three containers, Monterey, Sonoma & Sequoia.

You might have to start over with Mojave then make the OCLP move.

Make sure you have a USB2 hard wired keyboard and mouse. Also make sure to are hard wired to the internet, but I'm sure you already knew that, since you made to Ventura.

 

[tsialex]

Your Mac Pro can only boot from the native USB 2.0 ports, complete waste of time trying any 3rd party USB cards - not bootable.

Samsung 870 EVO is a SATA 3 drive that not compatible with Mac Pro SATA 2.0 controller, only works ""correctly"" if installed to the ODD bay SATA connector, anywhere else will have issues.

Did you check the RTC battery voltage with a voltmeter/multimeter? The voltage of the BR2032 RTC battery is the first thing to check. Second thing is to try to boot a SATA SSD with ASD or AHT installed and run it.

One thing that is common with a corrupt BootROM/read-only NVRAM is not to being able to reset the NVRAM - there is a way to repair it, but is a very complex procedure that needs booting into Mavericks while into NVRAM bypass mode and dumping the BootROM to reconstruct it, so check everything else before.

 

[reader50]

Also

Your Mac Pro can only boot from the native USB 2.0 ports, complete waste of time trying any 3rd party USB cards - not bootable.

An addendum - OCLP can enable booting from USB3 cards, after OC itself boots.

OCLP app -> Settings (button) -> Build (tab) -> [x] XHCI Booting.

I've booted and done macOS installs from a Sonnet USB3 card, and Sonnet McFiver USB3 ports.

Of course, OpenCore has to boot first, from a natively-bootable location. Like a SATA bay or built-in USB2 port.

 

[tsialex]

Also
An addendum - OCLP can enable booting from USB3 cards, after OC itself boots.

OCLP app -> Settings (button) -> Build (tab) -> [x] XHCI Booting.

I've booted and done macOS installs from a Sonnet USB3 card, and Sonnet McFiver USB3 ports.

Of course, OpenCore has to boot first, from a natively-bootable location. Like a SATA bay or built-in USB2 port.

While is true that you can enable boot from 3rd party USB cards via OC/OCLP chain loading, this is not applicable to the OP intent.

The Mac Pro firmware itself can only USB boot from the native ports, 3rd party USB cards are only bootable when doing chain loading and chain loading to install unsupported macOS releases via OCLP does not work.

 

[_LiveSorcerer_]

As you see on my signature I have Monterey, Sonoma & Sequoia on the same NVMe Drive.

Was simple. First get back to Mojave and Option + Command + P + R. ( THEY TAKE REALLY LONG TO CHIME )

Especially mine, because the more ram the longer it takes to clear the PRAM VRAM.

Install OCLP in the drive and not on the USB.

That way, when you go to upgrade, to Sonoma, or Sequoia, all you have to do is create another container, and when you upgrade to a newer OS, just upgrade to the new container.

I have three containers, Monterey, Sonoma & Sequoia.

You might have to start over with Mojave then make the OCLP move.

Make sure you have a USB2 hard wired keyboard and mouse. Also make sure to are hard wired to the internet, but I'm sure you already knew that, since you made to Ventura.

About the Option + Command + P + R:
Yes, I’ve tried that several times. I know it can take a while, especially with a lot of RAM (I have 64GB), but on my machine I only hear one chime, and then it boots straight into Mojave — it never does the second chime or restarts automatically.
I’m using the original Apple wired keyboard and mouse, both connected via USB 2.0 ports directly on the Mac Pro 5,1.


Regarding "Install OCLP in the drive and not on the USB":
I’ve done that as well — I’ve installed OCLP not only on the USB but also directly in the EFI partition of:

• the NVMe SSD (WD Black SN850 on PCIe adapter),
• a clean SATA SSD, and
• even a spare SATA HDD — just to test if it would boot.

In all cases, the machine still skips them and boots directly into Mojave. It simply won’t recognize any OCLP EFI anymore, regardless of where it's installed.


As for network and input setup:
I’ve always used a wired internet connection, and again, original Apple wired USB keyboard and mouse via USB 2.0 ports — so that shouldn't be the issue either.


At this point I’m thinking maybe there’s something deeper going wrong at the firmware or board level, but I’m open to any suggestions you or others might have.

 

[_LiveSorcerer_]

Your Mac Pro can only boot from the native USB 2.0 ports, complete waste of time trying any 3rd party USB cards - not bootable.

Samsung 870 EVO is a SATA 3 drive that not compatible with Mac Pro SATA 2.0 controller, only works ""correctly"" if installed to the ODD bay SATA connector, anywhere else will have issues.

Did you check the RTC battery voltage with a voltmeter/multimeter? The voltage of the BR2032 RTC battery is the first thing to check. Second thing is to try to boot a SATA SSD with ASD or AHT installed and run it.

One thing that is common with a corrupt BootROM/read-only NVRAM is not to being able to reset the NVRAM - there is a way to repair it, but is a very complex procedure that needs booting into Mavericks while into NVRAM bypass mode and dumping the BootROM to reconstruct it, so check everything else before.

“Your Mac Pro can only boot from the native USB 2.0 ports…”
Yes — I’m fully aware of that and only use the native USB 2.0 ports on the back of the Mac Pro 5,1 when trying to boot from USB. I do have a PCIe USB 3.2 card (2x USB-A, 3x USB-C), but I know it’s not bootable, and I’m not using it for this purpose.

“Samsung 870 EVO... only works correctly if installed to the ODD bay SATA connector…”
That’s exactly how I’m using it — the 870 EVO is installed in the ODD Bay, and it was working fine with Windows 11 Pro when OCLP was still able to boot properly. Back then, it booted normally without any issues.

“Did you check the RTC battery voltage…?”
Yes — I checked the BR2032 battery with a multimeter and the voltage is normal.

“…try to boot a SATA SSD with ASD or AHT installed…”
I haven’t tried that yet — I’ll research how to get ASD or AHT installed on a drive and run the diagnostics. That’s now on my checklist, thank you for the suggestion!

“Corrupt BootROM/read-only NVRAM...”
Honestly, I’m starting to suspect this might be the case. I’ve been unable to reset NVRAM (just one chime, no reboot), even after multiple attempts with correct key combos and original Apple USB wired keyboard on USB 2.0 ports.
I understand the BootROM recovery process (Mavericks + NVRAM bypass + dump/rebuild) is complicated, but if nothing else works, I may be forced to go down that route.

 

[basslik]

i WAS IN THAT SITUATION BEFORE.

I booted Mojave and wiped the NVMe drives, & my PCIe SSD's.

Then I pulled all the drives out, and only the Mojove Drive in bay 1, whether a spinner, or an SSD.

Reset SMC and the **three chimes should work at that time**. Make sure OCLP is not installed on the Mojave drive. I think there's a removal tool or instructions to make sure it's not on the Mojave.

After that I was given the option to upgrade the OS after I ran OCLP off the USB.

I then shutdown and installed my NVMe and updated, but installed the upgrade from Mojave to Monterey onto my NVMe. I also installed OCLP on the NMVe as well.

Then pulled out my Mojave drive in bay 1, and naturally booted in Monterey.

From there over time I created a container for when Sonoma and OCLP was ready, and the same for when Sequoia and OCLP was qualified.

If not, you'll need Alex to reconstruct your bootrom. Best decision I made before I even started doing upgrades to ensure plenty of room and no gremlins.👍

I keep the Mojave SSD for a backup just in case for the future.

 

[_LiveSorcerer_]

Thanks a lot for your detailed input — it gives me hope that I might still bring my Mac Pro back to life! 😅

"I booted Mojave and wiped the NVMe drives, & my PCIe SSDs. Then I pulled all the drives out, and only the Mojave Drive in bay 1..."

I think that’s a great idea — I’ll give that a try. Makes total sense to isolate the Mojave install and work from a clean setup.

"Reset SMC and the three chimes should work at that time. Make sure OCLP is not installed on the Mojave drive..."

Just to clarify, I never touched the EFI of the Mojave SSD — I always keep that one clean, exactly to preserve it as a backup and known-good fallback. All testing and OCLP patches are done on separate SSDs or HDDs.


Also, regarding Mojave and OCLP: I was under the impression that OCLP doesn’t support booting Mojave, which is why I found it strange when you mentioned running Mojave and then OCLP from USB.
In my case, when OCLP was active (installed on another SSD), trying to boot Mojave from my clean SSD backup wouldn’t work, while Ventura and Windows booted just fine.

"From there over time I created a container for Sonoma, then Sequoia..."

Would you mind elaborating a bit more on how you set up those additional containers on the same drive? Did you use Disk Utility from macOS Recovery to create multiple APFS containers? Any tips to avoid conflicts with OCLP patches across different macOS versions on the same NVMe?

 

[tsialex]

OCLP does not officially support anything earlier than Big Sur, but it more or less "works".

MacPro5.1 with OCLP can't boot Mojave not because OCLP does not support it, the reason is that since OCLP spoofs MacPro7,1 and a MacPro7,1 is only supported with 10.15.2, Mojave won't work.

So, you have to spoof iMacPro1,1 instead, but spoofing will very probably be limited to one display only since iMac Pro only have one. Not going to work for people with multiple displays.

Anyway, you can always bypass OCLP and boot Mojave directly via native BootPicker.

 

[_LiveSorcerer_]

OCLP does not officially support anything earlier than Big Sur, but it more or less "works".

MacPro5.1 with OCLP can't boot Mojave not because OCLP does not support it, the reason is that since OCLP spoofs MacPro7,1 and a MacPro7,1 is only supported with 10.15.2, Mojave won't work.

So, you have to spoof iMacPro1,1 instead, but spoofing will very probably be limited to one display only since iMac Pro only have one. Not going to work for people with multiple displays.

Anyway, you can always bypass OCLP and boot Mojave directly via native BootPicker.

Thanks for the clarification — that makes total sense now. I didn’t realize that Mojave fails under OCLP not because of OCLP itself, but due to the spoofed MacPro7,1 requiring at least 10.15.2.


The iMacPro1,1 spoofing workaround is very interesting, though the limitation to one display is definitely a concern.
In my Hackintosh setup, I actually use iMacPro1,1 SMBIOS with five displays: four connected to an AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT and one via a Dell dock. It works perfectly there — but I guess that’s because the spoofing and GPU setup behave differently outside a real Mac Pro environment.


Anyway, the tip about bypassing OCLP and using native BootPicker to boot Mojave directly is really helpful

 

[reader50]

...
I’m using the original Apple wired keyboard and mouse, both connected via USB 2.0 ports directly on the Mac Pro 5,1.

... and again, original Apple wired USB keyboard and mouse via USB 2.0 ports — so that shouldn't be the issue either.

Direct USB device connection is good for booting earlier macOS versions, and booting late macOS versions after they're installed & patched.

During the installation of recent macOS versions, you need to use an external USB 2 or USB 3 hub, so your older Mac does not directly "see" your (USB 1) keyboard or mouse. Recent macOS versions no longer come with driver support for USB-1 devices.

OCLP will add the missing USB-1 drivers back in during the root patching stage. Inserting an external hub causes macOS to see keyboard & mouse as USB 2 devices, which gets the install process through the gap until OCLP finishes all patching.

 

[tsialex]

Direct USB device connection is good for booting earlier macOS versions, and booting late macOS versions after they're installed & patched.

During the installation of recent macOS versions, you need to use an external USB 2 or USB 3 hub, so your older Mac does not directly "see" your (USB 1) keyboard or mouse. Recent macOS versions no longer come with driver support for USB-1 devices.

OCLP will add the missing USB-1 drivers back in during the root patching stage. Inserting an external hub causes macOS to see keyboard & mouse as USB 2 devices, which gets the install process through the gap until OCLP finishes all patching.

Apple wired keyboards since 2007 already have a USB2.0 hub, even the small one without numeric keypad…

 

[basslik]

Would you mind elaborating a bit more on how you set up those additional containers on the same drive? Did you use Disk Utility from macOS Recovery to create multiple APFS containers? Any tips to avoid conflicts with OCLP patches across different macOS versions on the same NVMe?

Simple, and actually simpler for you.

Once you have Monterey installed, you simply create two new APFS containers, one for Sonoma, and Sequoia, even three containers if you also wanted Ventura. I skipped Ventura for known issues.

Anyhow you simply run the latest OCLP 2.3.2 and install it to the NMVe partition and when you are ready to upgrade from Monterey, do the usual upgrade, and when it does it's thing, of course it will ask which drive you want to install Sonoma, ETC. Just pick one of the empty containers, which I named beforehand. when you have Sonoma installed and booted into, you do the same thing and with the other empty container you install Sequoia.

 

[reader50]

Apple wired keyboards since 2007 already have a USB2.0 hub, even the small one without numeric keypad…

Perhaps it's just me, but I have a decades-long habit of plugging mouse and keyboard into different ports. Not daisy-chaining them. The idea being to keep within the 500 mA port limit, especially when something else gets plugged into the keyboard.

Of course, that exposes the (presumably USB-1) mouse directly to the Mac Pro. I formed this habit (and switched to a powered hub) long before USB-1 became a macOS installation issue.

 

[reader50]

_LiveSorcerer_, I just noticed you have a MacPro 6,1 in your sig. By any chance, did you create your OCLP Monterey USB installer on the 6,1 ? If so, the target model would default to a 6,1 instead of your desired 5,1. Monterey installation could fail, or have weird bugs.

If the above is what happened, the solution would be to re-create your Monterey USB installer, either on the 5,1 or by resetting the target model.