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macOS 10.12 Sierra Unsupported Macs Thread

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The first post of this thread is a WikiPost and can be edited by anyone with the appropiate permissions. Your edits will be public.
Just wanted to thank everybody who was involved in making Sierra run on unsupported Macs here, in particular of course @dosdude1. I installed (updated, no clean install) Sierra yesterday on my iMac 9,1 (i.e. early 2009, 20") with no hassle or effort whatsoever. Everything "just worked".
The iMac is still in use because I mostly do light-weight tasks only apart from some RAW photo editing with Aperture or Apple Photos, and the machine is perfectly sufficient for that. I have upgraded to a 512 GB SSD some time ago of course.
 
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So there's no future hope for the Mac Pro 2,1? Does anybody know the technical reason behind this? Would Sierra require more than an EFI swap like we did with El Capitan?
 
fischersd said:
found the link: https://support.apple.com/HT206886
Click to expand...

Actually the link is https://itunes.apple.com/app/os-x-el-capitan/id1147835434?mt=12 which is in that support article. This link will open a page on the mac app store for a version of El Capitan with version number 10.11.6 supposedly released on September 20, 2016, same release day as Sierra. But 10.11.6 was first released as a full installer on July 16, 2016. I'm pretty sure the new one is a different build because it is behaving quite differently to the one which was released on July 16. I'll report back when I find the build number later.

But I found it a bit hard to download.

At first I just clicked the Download button which gave an error message that it could not be installed on my computer which I found a bit odd since I had El Capitan already.

So I thought maybe it is a lower build than the one on my computer which is also odd because this new version was released after the one I have already installed. I don't think that's right.

So I tried to get it on a partition which I knew would definitely be a lower build, actually a 10.11.5 version. Same error occured.

Then I tried to get it on a mavericks virtual machine. Surely that would let me get it, right? ...... WRONG. Same error message.

Finally I was able to download it through my snow leopard server virtual machine.

But it appeared separately in my purchases tab under a new category of "Other Purchases". This was separate to my usual OS X El Capitan which is also showing in my purchases tab under "Purchased".

So it seems that apple may be restricting this download to those with snow leopard, or machines that can run El Capitan but not Sierra.

That is not very clear in the article. But if you happen to have a snow leopard server virtual machine you should not have any trouble downloading this. Did they say that in the article? No. Of course they didn't. Typical apple clear-as-mud communication.

But anyway, there it is. How to download? Through a snow leopard server virtual machine. And will apple make it easy for you to get such a virtual machine? No of course they won't!
 
I own a MacBook Pro 15" late 2008 and running OS X 10.11.6
How I could download from AppStore and install macOS 10.12 Sierra?

From Systeminformation:
Modellname: MacBook Pro
Modell-Identifizierung: MacBookPro5,1
Prozessortyp: Intel Core 2 Duo
Prozessorgeschwindigkeit: 2,4 GHz
Anzahl der Prozessoren: 1
Gesamtanzahl der Kerne: 2
L2-Cache: 3 MB
Speicher: 8 GB
Busgeschwindigkeit: 1,07 GHz
Boot-ROM-Version: MBP51.007E.B06
SMC-Version (System): 1.41f2

Systemversion: OS X 10.11.6 (15G1004)
Kernel-Version: Darwin 15.6.0

Chipsatz-Modell: NVIDIA GeForce 9400M
Chipsatz-Modell: NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT

Harddisk:
WDC WD10JPVX-22JC3T0
Kapazität: 1 TB (1.000.204.886.016 Byte)
Modell: WDC WD10JPVX-22JC3T0
 
tywebb13 said:
Actually the link is ...

But anyway, there it is. How to download? Through a snow leopard server virtual machine. And will apple make it easy for you to get such a virtual machine? No of course they won't!
Click to expand...
Heh. I know...annoying. I had to take the MB5,2 back to snow leopard, install the combo update, then the app store update, then it would finally use the link (also found an annoying glitch...my primary Apple ID is on a family of one of my friends, so I get apple music for free - in order to download El Capitan - a Free upgrade - it wanted the CVV from the family organizer's credit card!) Heh. For a free upgrade. wtf?! :)
Just switched to my other Apple ID and it downloaded fine.

The build of 10.11.6 that I have on the MB5,2 now is 15G1010.
When I do a Get Info on the El Cap installer, it says it was created Sept 17.
Info.plist says it was built on a system running build 15G1009 - time stamps are Sept 17, 12:05pm.
[doublepost=1475154960][/doublepost]
FredericS said:
I own a MacBook Pro 15" late 2008 and running OS X 10.11.6
How I could download from AppStore and install macOS 10.12 Sierra?

From Systeminformation:
Modellname: MacBook Pro
Modell-Identifizierung: MacBookPro5,1
Prozessortyp: Intel Core 2 Duo
Prozessorgeschwindigkeit: 2,4 GHz
Anzahl der Prozessoren: 1
Gesamtanzahl der Kerne: 2
L2-Cache: 3 MB
Speicher: 8 GB
Busgeschwindigkeit: 1,07 GHz
Boot-ROM-Version: MBP51.007E.B06
SMC-Version (System): 1.41f2

Systemversion: OS X 10.11.6 (15G1004)
Kernel-Version: Darwin 15.6.0

Chipsatz-Modell: NVIDIA GeForce 9400M
Chipsatz-Modell: NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT

Harddisk:
WDC WD10JPVX-22JC3T0
Kapazität: 1 TB (1.000.204.886.016 Byte)
Modell: WDC WD10JPVX-22JC3T0
Click to expand...
You really should go to the first post of this thread and read.
 
I done it now, but a lot of information - my native language are not english its german ;)
Have anyone installed the released version of sierra on a MBP late 2008 15" (MacBookPro5,1) and could say if its works well with this hardware?
 
Wow! Here's a fun one! If you put a MB5,2 between Apple's wireless keyboard and magic trackpad and your mac mini, the bluetooth radio in the MB5,2 is dirty enough that it causes interference (keyboard drops, really messes up the trackpad tracking). Disable BT on the MB, boom, no more interference. Heh.
 
fischersd said:
Wow! Here's a fun one! If you put a MB5,2 between Apple's wireless keyboard and magic trackpad and your mac mini, the bluetooth radio in the MB5,2 is dirty enough that it causes interference (keyboard drops, really messes up the trackpad tracking). Disable BT on the MB, boom, no more interference. Heh.
Click to expand...

I had this issue once, but with my mac mini, wireless keyboard, mighty mouse and magic trackpad interfering all in the connection of my iPod touch 4th gen to a cheap blueetooth audio receiver.
 
harlleysathler said:
I had this issue once, but with my mac mini, wireless keyboard, mighty mouse and magic trackpad interfering all in the connection of my iPod touch 4th gen to a cheap blueetooth audio receiver.
Click to expand...
It's funny, because there's RF standards set by the FCC & CRTC that dictate how much "noise" your device can give off. Obviously, the standards were pretty lax for these devices.
 
FredericS said:
I done it now, but a lot of information - my native language are not english its german ;)
Have anyone installed the released version of sierra on a MBP late 2008 15" (MacBookPro5,1) and could say if its works well with this hardware?
Click to expand...

Me. Works perfect. Just use dosdude1's tool and isntructions on page 1. Really easy.
 
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Installed and set up the early 2009 24" iMac with Sierra earlier in under an hour following dosdude1's instructions! Works brilliant just like the late 2008 MacBook. Job done! Thank you!

Is it worth downloading the Sierra update patch or the AUS update for updating the GM?
 
plentyoftimeto69 said:
So there's no future hope for the Mac Pro 2,1? Does anybody know the technical reason behind this? Would Sierra require more than an EFI swap like we did with El Capitan?
Click to expand...

It suffers from the same issue as all the 2007 Macs, the CPUs lack SSE4 support and can't run some of the necessary binaries in Sierra.
 
Brainzyy said:
What about the early 2008 macbook4.1, IIRC it has SSE4 support.
Click to expand...
The GPU and chipset aren't supported, and haven't been since OS X 10.7. (You can run 10.8 with full GPU acceleration, but not 10.9 or newer). Even if you could get it running, it would run like absolute garbage and wouldn't be worth it--Which is why I will not support that machine with my tool.
 
fischersd said:
The build of 10.11.6 that I have on the MB5,2 now is 15G1010.
Click to expand...

Yeah. Originally 10.11.6 public release was build 15G31. Then after Security Update 2016-001 (10.11.6) it increased the build to 15G1004.

The special build 15G1010 doesn't seem to be a required update for machines already running El Capitan and I reckon the next security update will have a build number higher than 15G1010.

So I made a bootable USB for 15G1010 but haven't installed it. I'll wait for the next security update which will probably come out the same day as 10.12.1 is publicly released, which should be soon anyway.

My main gripe though is the fact apple makes it so hard to download 15G1010.

They have a "Download" button in the mac app store, not a "Download in a snow leopard server virtual machine" button. Very deceptive and makes it seem like anyone can get it. Of course they can - provided they run the mac app store in a snow leopard server virtual machine!
 
Last edited:
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Hi All,

I'm abit confuse here...am on 10.12 on my MacBook pro ( unsupported) . I have download and use foxlet AUS tool and I go to the apps store, seems like there's no update available. can someone confirm with me is there any update?
 
tywebb13 said:
Yeah. Originally 10.11.6 public release was build 15G31. Then after Security Update 2016-001 (10.11.6) it increased the build to 15G1004.

The special build 15G1010 doesn't seem to be a required update for machines already running El Capitan and I reckon the next security update will have a build number higher than 15G1010.

So I made a bootable USB for 15G1010 but haven't installed it. I'll wait for the next security update which will probably come out the same day as 10.12.1 is publicly released, which should be soon anyway.

My main gripe though is the fact apple makes it so hard to download 15G1010.

They have a "Download" button in the mac app store, not a "Download in a snow leopard server virtual machine" button. Very deceptive and makes it seem like anyone can get it. Of course they can - provided they run the mac app store in a snow leopard server virtual machine!
Click to expand...
Well, no VM required. They need to be running a pre-El Cap release. Either with a VM or native should be sufficient to pull the installer.
I do think that's BS though - they should leave these installers in our purchases and let us d/l them when we need for our various systems. I was pestered for a credit card CVV when I tried to download this from Snow Leopard yesterday - despite it being a free upgrade.

Methinks they're restricting use because they know what we're up to. How many people here do you think are on Cupertino's payroll? :)
 
fischersd said:
Well, no VM required. They need to be running a pre-El Cap release. Either with a VM or native should be sufficient to pull the installer.
I do think that's BS though - they should leave these installers in our purchases and let us d/l them when we need for our various systems. I was pestered for a credit card CVV when I tried to download this from Snow Leopard yesterday - despite it being a free upgrade.

Methinks they're restricting use because they know what we're up to. How many people here do you think are on Cupertino's payroll? :)
Click to expand...

Yes. I know you could download it on a real machine running snow leopard, and I do have a mac capable of running snow leopard natively. But I didn't want to downgrade a computer just so that I could download this particular build of El Capitan. So I chose to use a virtual machine instead.

I don't think you can use any pre-El Cap version though. I tried mavericks for example and it didn't work.

Only snow leopard or snow leopard server works - and in the case of virtual machines, your only choice will be snow leopard server.
 
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