Summary: install Mountain Lion on unsupported Mac - working as of 2.2017

[Luminary Crush]

This procedure works perfectly as of this date - I've upgraded two MacBook 3,1 laptops this way. Use MLPostFactor, not MacPostFactor, which no longer works for Mountain Lion (as of 2.0.x).

First, download MLPostFactor 0.3:

http://iusethis.luo.ma/mlpostfactor/MLPostFactorV0.3.zip

Then, follow the instructions here:

For your convenience, here are the contents of the plist files for the SystemVersion.plist updates referenced in the video:

10.8.4:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
<key>ProductBuildVersion</key>
<string>12E55</string>
<key>ProductCopyright</key>
<string>1983-2013 Apple Inc.</string>
<key>ProductName</key>
<string>Mac OS X</string>
<key>ProductUserVisibleVersion</key>
<string>10.8.4</string>
<key>ProductVersion</key>
<string>10.8.4</string>
</dict>
</plist>

10.8.5:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
<key>ProductBuildVersion</key>
<string>12F45</string>
<key>ProductCopyright</key>
<string>1983-2013 Apple Inc.</string>
<key>ProductName</key>
<string>Mac OS X</string>
<key>ProductUserVisibleVersion</key>
<string>10.8.5</string>
<key>ProductVersion</key>
<string>10.8.5</string>
</dict>
</plist>

 

[TranquilityYT]

Can you use MacPostFactor afterwards on 10.8.4? I want to get all the way up to 10.11.

 

[Luminary Crush]

Can you use MacPostFactor afterwards on 10.8.4? I want to get all the way up to 10.11.

I don't know.. I'm not (yet?) interested in that path because you lose screen control, sleep, etc etc. Maybe if someone get those features working in the older Macs, but it seems like most people have given up on it.

 

[TranquilityYT]

I don't know.. I'm not (yet?) interested in that path because you lose screen control, sleep, etc etc. Maybe if someone get those features working in the older Macs, but it seems like most people have given up on it.

So how exactly does one go about alleviating error code 1?

 

[Luminary Crush]

So how exactly does one go about alleviating error code 1?

I have no idea what you are referring to. I am just an end-user who thought it would be nice to have a summary of how to get your old Macbook up to Mountain Lion as it's buried in threads taking hours to read. I've upgraded two A1181s thus far according to the above and they work really well.

 

[TMRJIJ]

So how exactly does one go about alleviating error code 1?

Error -1. No OS X Installer found! Please make sure a copy of OS X is in your Applications Folder and relaunch MacPostFactor.

Something is wrong with your copy of the Mountain Lion Installer app (or it may be something to do with the language/region set on your Mac).

 

[donjames]

This procedure works perfectly as of this date - I've upgraded two MacBook 3,1 laptops this way. Use MLPostFactor, not MacPostFactor, which no longer works for Mountain Lion (as of 2.0.x).

First, download MLPostFactor 0.3:

http://iusethis.luo.ma/mlpostfactor/MLPostFactorV0.3.zip

Then, follow the instructions here:

For your convenience, here are the contents of the plist files for the SystemVersion.plist updates referenced in the video:

10.8.4:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
<key>ProductBuildVersion</key>
<string>12E55</string>
<key>ProductCopyright</key>
<string>1983-2013 Apple Inc.</string>
<key>ProductName</key>
<string>Mac OS X</string>
<key>ProductUserVisibleVersion</key>
<string>10.8.4</string>
<key>ProductVersion</key>
<string>10.8.4</string>
</dict>
</plist>

10.8.5:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
<key>ProductBuildVersion</key>
<string>12F45</string>
<key>ProductCopyright</key>
<string>1983-2013 Apple Inc.</string>
<key>ProductName</key>
<string>Mac OS X</string>
<key>ProductUserVisibleVersion</key>
<string>10.8.5</string>
<key>ProductVersion</key>
<string>10.8.5</string>
</dict>
</plist>

This doesn't work on my Macpro1,1. It doesn't make a good boot usb. The MLPostFactor runs to completion, but the usb drive it makes is not bootable.

Just thought someone would want to know.

Regards,

Don James

 

[Macfield]

I just did this a few days ago before seeing this post.

It worked for me, however it seems to me like I can't use ML unless the hard drive I used with the ML partition on it is connected.

It installed perfect, but I have to select it from the boot screen to use it. If I restart my computer without the external connected it just boots into Lion and all my things are still there.

Something I missed?

 

[Saturn TC]

I have a late 2006 iMac core 2 duo 17inch. I would like to install Mountain Lion. Which version of Mountain Lion 10.8.1- 10.8.5, would work best on this machine ? Tnx TC

 

[Tardegard]

I cannot find the 10.8.4 4,46GB version. I have a 10.8.5, is it ok?

 

[catzilla]

I cannot find the 10.8.4 4,46GB version. I have a 10.8.5, is it ok?

I Have no idea how to determine which installer I have, but it is 4.47GB. I used this process to install it on an Xserve 1,1 without any problems.