Triple boot Mac Pro 5,1 - Not booting after Ubuntu bootrepair

[Elator]

I have a triple boot (Mojave, Windows, Ubuntu) Mac Pro running Opencore, as the GPU (RX580 Nitro) doesn't support the native boot screen. All OS' are installed on separate drives, with Mojave running on an NVME.

The problem started when I updated the Ubuntu OS. After rebooting its drive got selected by default on the OC boot picker, so I loaded Windows and set the default boot drive to the Mac drive with BootCamp.
After this Ubuntu wasn't able to boot, so I plugged the Ubuntu USB, and updated the grub bootloader/did a boot-repair following this guide: https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/server/configuration/ubuntu-wont-boot/
Once I did that, I was left with a black screen and the computer won't boot anything.

I tried entering recovery mode (CMD+R), but my screen didn't respond. I removed the other OS' drives and left the MacOS and the Time Machine drives plugged, then did a triple NVRAM reset with the CMD+OPT+P+R and retried booting into a MacOS Recovery USB with the OPT/Alt key, but still to no avail.
Finally, I tried with an opencore boot fix using this guide: https://github.com/supermarsx/opencore-restore but it still doesn't work.

To make it clear, the Mac chimes normally, it even enters firmware mode without issue but I cannot boot any of the drives. I bought an Nvidia GT120 from Ebay and tried the same procedures, but the results were the same, so I sent back the GPU as faulty - can't tell if it wasn't.

Unfortunately, I don't have a Mac EFI flashed GPU as they are hard to find, but am pondering on an ATI HD 5870 Mac Edition, however I am not 100% sure if it supports pre-boot config due to conflicting information in the forums. The only thing I have left to diagnose the issue is the boot-repair utility log.

Can anyone help me out somehow, please?

 

[Elator]

@tsialex can you maybe chime in? I may need your help, and probably your bootRom reconstruction service.
Thank you!

 

[tsialex]

Unfortunately, I don't have a Mac EFI flashed GPU as they are hard to find, but am pondering on an ATI HD 5870 Mac Edition, however I am not 100% sure if it supports pre-boot config due to conflicting information in the forums. The only thing I have left to diagnose the issue is the boot-repair utility log.

When you have a non working Mac Pro, the easiest way to diagnose it is with an AppleOEM GPU.

I'd get another AppleOEM Nvidia GT120 instead of the AppleOEM ATI HD 5870, but any original Apple Mac Pro GPUs from 2008 to 2012 (HD 2600XT, 8800GT, Quadro FX 5600, GT120, HD 4870/5770/5870) will work. I would not buy ATI 2600XT or any of the other early-2008 GPUs, but even these will work for running AHT/ASD and flashing the BootROM. AppleOEM GT120 and HD 5770 are the easiest ones to find. Cheaper too.

If you can, avoid spending money with flashed GPUs or MacEdition ones, AHT/ASD will fail with these and could be a red-herring.

@tsialex can you maybe chime in? I may need your help, and probably your bootRom reconstruction service.
Thank you!

Without any drives installed in the Mac Pro, remove everything, can you boot a Sierra createinstallmedia USB key? The most recent Sierra release works with the non-flashed RX 580 and after 2 or 3 minutes the GPU drivers are loaded and the display finally works. You can also try to do it with HighSierra or Mojave createinstallmedia USB installers, but Sierra does not require any firmware updates and this could be important.

From here on you gonna need a real AppleOEM GPU:

With just an AppleOEM GPU installed, remove any other PCIe cards, do you see the Apple native BootPicker? Some USB3 and SATA3 cards have an optional ROM for PCs (OPROM) that disables or is incompatible with the Apple native BootPicker. Sonnet Tempo/MacFiver are two very common cards that do it, for example.

You gonna need an AppleOEM GPU for this - did you try to boot Mavericks installed to a SATA disk, without any NVMe/PCIe AHCI drives? Mavericks is the most forgivable macOS release when you have a problematic/corrupt MacPro5,1 BootROM and sometimes is the only thing that you can still boot.

While Apple does not provide an easy way to download Mavericks, you can still get it from Apple the same way Recovery does via the script below:

Mavericks Forever

https://mavericksforever.com/get.sh

I've sent you a PM about the BootROM reconstruction service. Btw, after flashing the reconstructed BootROM image, you will magically have pre-boot configuration support with your RX 580. 🙂

 

[Elator]

Thank you for the detailed response @tsialex !

The Mac did load the Mojave createinstallmedia USB when all OS' drives were removed, which probably meant that the bootROM is safe. Then I installed Mojave on an empty drive and it runs perfectly fine.

Now the question is, how do I re-bless the OpenCore partition and get back all my other OS' installations for the time being?

I have ordered another GT120 which according to the seller is fully tested. Is there something else I can do before I receive it? Will I exclusively need it for the bootROM reconstruction service, and will I be able to retrieve my other OS' with it? (I mean the new ROM)

Thanks again man 🤝

 

[tsialex]

The Mac did load the Mojave createinstallmedia USB when all OS' drives were removed, which probably meant that the bootROM is safe.

I doubt that or you could at least boot Windows. Also, Windows is installed via CSM/BootCamp or UEFI?

Windows installed via CSM/Legacy/BootCamp to a SATA disk is the best/safest way to go with a MacPro5,1.

Now the question is, how do I re-bless the OpenCore partition and get back all my other OS' installations for the time being?

Why OpenCore to run Mojave? Just to have the OpenCore BootPicker? Native AppleBootPicker is what you really need to have and you will have it once you flash the reconstructed BootROM image.

Anyway, you can re-bless it following the steps on the OpenCore on the Mac Pro stickie thread first post.

I have ordered another GT120 which according to the seller is fully tested. Is there something else I can do before I receive it?

You can check things like what is the real Mac Pro BootROM firmware installed - some OC and all OCLP install mask the BootROM real version. Also you can check the voltage of the BR2032 RTC battery, do any maintenance you need and then you can go on with the BootROM reconstruction.

You can't upgrade/flash the reconstrcuted BootROM image with a spent RTC battery. This can make the Mac Pro unbootable.

Will I exclusively need it for the bootROM reconstruction service, and will I be able to retrieve my other OS' with it? (I mean the new ROM)

Thanks again man 🤝

You don't need it for the BootROM reconstruction service itself, you need an AppleOEM GPU for diagnostics and to avoid being in a pickle again.

Your Windows install BCD probably is corrupted since you can't boot it, I'd wait until you have pre-boot configuration support to try to repair the Windows and Linux side, at least you'll see what is going on instead of being totally blind by the lack of pre-boot configuration support.

 

[Elator]

Why OpenCore to run Mojave? Just to have the OpenCore BootPicker? Native AppleBootPicker is what you really need to have and you will have it once you flash the reconstructed BootROM image.

Probably a bad idea, I see. I was just pondering about the idea just for troubleshooting the other OS'. Nevermind tho, since as you say I will be able to do that with the native boot picker/reconstructed ROM.

I installed Windows using the UEFI mode as I remember, and then installed all the iMac drivers to get the BootCamp and hardware drivers (Bluetooth, WiFi). However, I am not 100% sure, as I did that a few years ago after digging the whole www and utilising different guides and advices. Is there a way to tell?

So then you say I can already gather all the information you need for the bootROM service already, right?

 

[tsialex]

Probably a bad idea, I see. I was just pondering about the idea just for troubleshooting the other OS'. Nevermind tho, since as you say I will be able to do that with the native boot picker/reconstructed ROM.

I installed Windows using the UEFI mode as I remember, and then installed all the iMac drivers to get the BootCamp and hardware drivers (Bluetooth, WiFi).

So, you probably have Windows SecureBoot signing of the BootROM all over the NVRAM. 🙁

So then you say I can already gather all the information you need for the bootROM service already, right?

Sure.

 

[Elator]

So, you probably have Windows SecureBoot signing of the BootROM all over the NVRAM. 🙁



Sure.

All done 👍