Bad thing this is not something incredibly irrelevant on iOS, or else Apple would release an update right away in the weekend.
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Mojave DB 2 damaged the firmware on my iMac
- Thread starter Ricktracer
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If it's a bluetooth keyboard, make sure the keyboard is physically plugged in. Once I did that, I was able to option-press and get the boot selector.
I took my Mac to the local Apple store, where the technicians zeroed the disk, and were pretty much dumbfounded by the issue. I kept telling them to reflash the firmware (thinking they had access to it being Apple Certified), but they politely ignored me.
The thing that really gets to me about the whole ordeal, is that I have an external USB 3.1 1TB SSD with Windows to Go and a full compliment of software installed in it. I had a plan to use it as a fall back option in case the Beta had some bug I could not handle, never thinking the bug ended up being a firmware one that prevented me from using that option on the first place!!
I hope this time I really learned never to install Betas.
They don't have access to the firmware - unfortunately.
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It's really not the issue.
I'm having the same problem after upgrading my test machine to 10.12 db2. I can't boot anything but OS X. In fact, I've just spent 2 hours debugging it before finding this thread, and realising it's a firmware issue.
If you option-press, you can see other bootloaders. Whatever you select, however, will not execute. Instead, it throws you back to the default OS X install (or a blinking folder icon if you don't have OS X installed).
I'm very surprised this has shipped, even in a DP build. This isn't a software glitch, it's a hardware-based firmware error. And, given developers often test on multiple operating systems, this is a real humdinger of a bug.
Checking the builds - this issue is present in the Public Beta - so they've released this to the public. Massive wtf.
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OK, I've managed to extract the *correct* firmware. Newer firmwares seem to be in a different format to older ones which I've previously installed. There's an efi file, but I figure it's useless unless the directory tree is in the right place. Need to do some digging as to how to install this.
To get the firmware files run these commands. I'll include them all separately, as this is finicky.
1. Download the HighSierra installer from the App Store (I'm assuming you're running High Sierra here).
Makes sense to dump this to a separate folder (here, ~/Downloads/HSFirmware)
Firmware will be located in ~/Downloads/HSFirmware/Tools/EFIPayloads - efi file is in ~/Downloads/HSFirmware/Tools/MultiUpdater
To get the firmware files run these commands. I'll include them all separately, as this is finicky.
1. Download the HighSierra installer from the App Store (I'm assuming you're running High Sierra here
).Makes sense to dump this to a separate folder (here, ~/Downloads/HSFirmware)
Code:
sudo hdiutil attach /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app/Contents/SharedSupport/InstallESD.dmg
mkdir ~/Downloads/HSFirmware
xar -xf /Volumes/InstallESD/Packages/FirmwareUpdate.pkg -C ~/Downloads/HSFirmware/
tar -zxf ~/Downloads/HSFirmware/Scripts -C ~/Downloads/HSFirmware/Firmware will be located in ~/Downloads/HSFirmware/Tools/EFIPayloads - efi file is in ~/Downloads/HSFirmware/Tools/MultiUpdater
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OK, I've managed to extract the *correct* firmware. Newer firmwares seem to be in a different format to older ones which I've previously installed. There's an efi file, but I figure it's useless unless the directory tree is in the right place. Need to do some digging as to how to install this.
To get the firmware files run these commands. I'll include them all separately, as this is finicky.
1. Download the HighSierra installer from the App Store (I'm assuming you're running High Sierra here
Makes sense to dump this to a separate folder (here, ~/Downloads/HSFirmware)
Code:sudo hdiutil attach /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app/Contents/SharedSupport/InstallESD.dmg mkdir ~/Downloads/HSFirmware xar -xf /Volumes/InstallESD/Packages/FirmwareUpdate.pkg -C ~/Downloads/HSFirmware/ tar -zxf ~/Downloads/HSFirmware/Scripts -C ~/Downloads/HSFirmware/
Firmware will be located in ~/Downloads/HSFirmware/Tools/EFIPayloads - efi file is in ~/Downloads/HSFirmware/Tools/MultiUpdater
This is really interesting, and if that´s indeed the right firmware, I have several comments related to what you just did.
1. You said you managed to extract the correct firmware. The correct firmware for your specific system? I imagine that the firmware for an iMac, is different for the one for MacBooks and so on. So how do I know if following your steps will yield the correct firmware for my system? Is it automatically and correctly extracted based on what system I use to extract the firmware?
2. I imagine that the method of injecting the firmware is normally tied to the installation of Mac OS, or specific point updates like the one released to patch the recent Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities. Outside of those you would have to find a way, maybe through SUDO to do this. Knowing Apple, I don´t expect it to be easily accessible.
3. One of the most basic safeguards any modern firmware would have, is ensuring or at least making difficult for an older firmware to overwrite a newer one. This is why people affected with this bug can´t simply reinstall an older version of MacOS to fix their problems. The install software would detect a newer firmware (Mojave DB2) in place, voiding the installation of an older one (HS). Is this something that can be overcome?
As you could probably imagine by now, I am no engineer or computer sciences person. Right now as it stands, I rather wait for DB3 to be released most likely next Tuesday, and hope for the best, and not risking bricking my system attempting to do something I am ill equipped for.
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I had a big issue with DB2. Its the first OS beta where I’ve had to wipe the MacBook and reinstall a fresh copy of high Sierra.
After the install of the Mojave, the machine kept getting stuck on the boot screen. Getting it into recovery mode was a nightmare too. Took me over a day to get it resolved
After the install of the Mojave, the machine kept getting stuck on the boot screen. Getting it into recovery mode was a nightmare too. Took me over a day to get it resolved
Ver smart, you don't want to fiddle with Firmware, too risky and a big chance it won't boot later on.
I have a 2012 MM and MBP, they have more or less the same hardware, Install of Mojave went well on the MBP but not the MacMini.
Reason, the MM has an extra HD installed with Windows on it, and no it isn't a bootcamp, I partitioned it myself, on top of that the SSD had Filevault 2 on, this was most likely the problem since it wasn't on on the MBP and it has only one SSD.
Sadly, I had the same issue when installing H.Sierra on it last year, I forgot about it.
As for the issue at hand, I do NOT have the problems the OP has, I can use my option key and I can run Windows, I also have another bootloader installed so that might be the reason it does work.
Don't ask me which boot loader, I am in the middle of moving to a different house and the MM is not available right now, might be a week.
Have you tried manually flashing the firmware yourself? There are a couple of ways, but I wouldn't proceed unless you are sure you can restore the original firmware.
EDIT: I re-read the thread, and can see you aren't comfortable doing that. Please ignore this post!
EDIT: I re-read the thread, and can see you aren't comfortable doing that. Please ignore this post!
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Oh in the unlikely event this never gets fixed or its taking months, I would certainly be interested in following any advice you have to give. However, this bug has been reported by several people so I fully expect it to be In Apple´s radar.
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Ver smart, you don't want to fiddle with Firmware, too risky and a big chance it won't boot later on.
I have a 2012 MM and MBP, they have more or less the same hardware, Install of Mojave went well on the MBP but not the MacMini.
Reason, the MM has an extra HD installed with Windows on it, and no it isn't a bootcamp, I partitioned it myself, on top of that the SSD had Filevault 2 on, this was most likely the problem since it wasn't on on the MBP and it has only one SSD.
Sadly, I had the same issue when installing H.Sierra on it last year, I forgot about it.
As for the issue at hand, I do NOT have the problems the OP has, I can use my option key and I can run Windows, I also have another bootloader installed so that might be the reason it does work.
Don't ask me which boot loader, I am in the middle of moving to a different house and the MM is not available right now, might be a week.
You may not have the issue because you are running DB2/PB1 on a Mac mini. So far I have seen this issue reported on iMacs and MacBooks.
OK! Check out the Mac Pro sub-forum for crash course on editing the Mac firmware. They guys there are using it to add new boot features to the old classic Mac Pros. It's not for the faint of heart, though!
Same problem (I think) for me.
I have an iMac 5K late 2015, I have installe Mojave on an external SSD (USB3) and now I can't start anymore my bootcamp Windows on an external TB SSD.
This bootcamp SSD works on a MBA in High Sierra that has never been upgraded to Mojave.
I have spent the week end to try to make it work again on my iMac ... Then I have discovered this topic.
I also think something has changed in the Mac firmware (EFI, SMC ?) and I don't know how to force firmware downgrade
I have an iMac 5K late 2015, I have installe Mojave on an external SSD (USB3) and now I can't start anymore my bootcamp Windows on an external TB SSD.
This bootcamp SSD works on a MBA in High Sierra that has never been upgraded to Mojave.
I have spent the week end to try to make it work again on my iMac ... Then I have discovered this topic.
I also think something has changed in the Mac firmware (EFI, SMC ?) and I don't know how to force firmware downgrade
Answer me this if you can please. Did u install Developer´s Beta 2 or Public Beta 1? I know they have to be the same build, but they have one small difference (Developer’s Beta 2 (18A314h) / Public Beta (18A314k)). They were released one week apart, and I want to know if there's one case directly related to installing Public Beta 1 on a system that had any previous Mac OS (Excluding Mojave Developer´s Beta 2).
The new 10.13.6 beta released today fixed the issue in that release, I expect the next Mojave beta (probably tomorrow) will also include this fix.
Did Mojave come with the startup security application in the recovery partition? It's supposed to be only available for the iMac Pro with that iBridge device that preboots the system, but perhaps they tried to make an Apple-built Secure Boot in the current EFI models as well. In any case, if you can check the Mojave Recovery Partition for that security thing in the Utilities menu, that might have been updated as well. If it only shows that firmware password thing, it's only a bug and not a feature I guess...
I can confirm that even after installing Mojave DB2, the issue was fixed by going back to High Sierra, and THEN installing the newest 10.3.6 Beta 5. If you want to remain testing Mojave then simply wait until tomorrow for DB3. So relieved!
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Installing either 10.3.6 Beta 5 or Mojave's Developer's Beta 3 (To be released tomorrow) solves the issue. You can tell is working because the instalation takes longer than usual.
Does it fix the issue right after installing DP3 or does DP3 fix the issue but requiring you to clean install windows? Thanks.