macOS High Sierra (10.13) Unsupported Macs Thread

[Czo]

[doublepost=1499335291][/doublepost]

That's not my experience. The BT4/WiFi module in this MP3,1 was taken from an iMac 2014 and has worked reliably with no patches at all from Yosemite through Mavericks, El Cap, Sierra to High Sierra. I have never had to use the CAT. This BT/Wi-Fi has worked OOTB since Yosemite.

View attachment 707476

System Profiler always says yes (if the required hardwares are presents). Did you use that features? All of the Continuity features are working? But cloudpaird refuses to run, if it's think the device is not allowed to use this features. Many Mac BoardId's are listed with disabled ContinuitySupport, many Mac's with enabled support, but Many Mac's are missed here. I know, if the board id is in the list with disabled Continuity the patch is requred. MacPro3,1's board id is not on the list on that file. (/System/Library/Frameworks/IOBluetooth.framework/Versions/A/Resources/SystemParameters.plist). I have BRCM4360 based cards in all of my Macs, and the kext of brcm4360 contains a list of allowed board ids (/System/Library/Extensions/IO80211Family.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AirPortBrcm4360.kext/Contents/MacOS/AirPortBrcm4360), and continuity only works, if i add my id's to the kext.

 

[PeterHolbrook]

@nekton1:

Your Bluetooth setup is identical to my own. Not only is the module's identifier the same, but all the values presented by System Information are exactly the same to the last detail. In my case, everything related to Continuity/Handoff worked out of the box in El Capitan. However, as soon as I upgraded to Sierra, Instant Hotspot and Handoff simply stopped working. All the indications would still show they OUGHT TO be working, but they weren't. AirDrop worked, though. Naturally, Universal Clipboard and Apple Watch Unlock didn't work either. I tried everything I could think of for months: exiting iCloud, shutting down the computer and my iPhone, or the iPhone and then the computer, logging back into iCloud, you name it. Nothing worked. The only way I could make it work was with the Continuity Application Tool. It "just worked". I didn't even have to restart the computer (SIP was off).

The only thing that differs in your setup and mine is the computer itself. My Mac Pro is a genuine 5,1 of 2010. I wonder if Sierra is more stringent in its internal checks with a 5,1 than with a 3,1?!?

Be that as it may, I still don't know if I'll lose Handoff again when I upgrade to High Sierra. I can't do it now, as this is a production machine.

Many thanks for your comments.

 

[RogueB]

FetchMacOS v1.0
An utility to download macOS directly from Apple. It does not require an Apple ID and works on unsupported Macs and PCs.

If you'd like a copy, please send a message.

FAQ
What can I download with this?
You can download macOS High Sierra developer and public beta builds, in installer format, only as they become available. It does not use third-party servers.

Can I get earlier versions of macOS (Sierra, El Capitan, etc)?
No. If you'd like to do that, you can use DownloadMacOS (after purchasing the related macOS version).

Does it work with unsupported Mac patchers?
Yes and no. It works with newCore v0.1/v0.2, and will be integrated in v0.3. It does not work with dosdude1's patcher, as that only accepts application bundles.

Can I use it on other operating systems?
Yes, partially. It works on Linux, but only in compressed format (you'll have to move the downloaded data to a Mac to extract it). Same goes for Windows.

When will it become public?
It will be part of newCore v0.3. The current version does not have an UI and is meant for users of v0.1 and v0.2.

[doublepost=1499350250][/doublepost]Hello Foxlet,

I would be interested in trying your High Sierra "Fetch" utility for unsupported macs. The previous utility you offered, which required a developer's ID (I am a registered developer), did not work and stopped with message:

" ...program was already downloaded by another user, or download was cancelled ..." (?)

Thanks for your great work.

 

[ncrispi]

When is NewCore v0.3 / v0.3 beta going to be released?

 

[nekton1]

As you can see from the screenshot, Instant Hotspot is working in HS. Handoff is flakey—it works sometimes and not others between two Macs (MP3,1 and MBA5,2) on HS, but it seems to be more consistent between this MP 3,1 on Sierra and the supported MBA 5,2 on High Sierra.

I cannot explain why you are having this problem. Did you install it using the correct adapter card from osxwifi?

Personally, I'd stay away from HS on a partition on a production MP, but installing on a SEPARATE removable SSD for play time might be OK. Also, the gfx drivers support for MPs is almost non-existent so wait at least until a beta that EXPLICITLY supports the 5,1 is released. If you have replaced the stock Apple GPU with something better, you might find the HS install stalls with a spinner about 90% along the progress bar. Use the stock GPU for the time being if you can.

@nekton1:

Your Bluetooth setup is identical to my own. Not only is the module's identifier the same, but all the values presented by System Information are exactly the same to the last detail. In my case, everything related to Continuity/Handoff worked out of the box in El Capitan. However, as soon as I upgraded to Sierra, Instant Hotspot and Handoff simply stopped working. All the indications would still show they OUGHT TO be working, but they weren't. AirDrop worked, though. Naturally, Universal Clipboard and Apple Watch Unlock didn't work either. I tried everything I could think of for months: exiting iCloud, shutting down the computer and my iPhone, or the iPhone and then the computer, logging back into iCloud, you name it. Nothing worked. The only way I could make it work was with the Continuity Application Tool. It "just worked". I didn't even have to restart the computer (SIP was off).

The only thing that differs in your setup and mine is the computer itself. My Mac Pro is a genuine 5,1 of 2010. I wonder if Sierra is more stringent in its internal checks with a 5,1 than with a 3,1?!?

Be that as it may, I still don't know if I'll lose Handoff again when I upgrade to High Sierra. I can't do it now, as this is a production machine.

Many thanks for your comments.

[doublepost=1499377940][/doublepost]And Sierra with Continuity Handoff and Instant Hotspot

 

[Junkboxy]

Very good. Would you care to share how you rolled your own, in some detail?

I used the 10.12 Sierra installer .app as a template. Inside its package I saw 10 items inside the first level folder called "Contents".

Scattered between (a) the initial 15MB stub installer, and (b) the extra 4.79GB of stuff the stub installer downloads, I located the High Sierra versions of those items.

I created a new folder on the Desktop, titled it "Install macOS High Sierra Beta.app"...
Did "Show Package Contents" to open 'er up...
Created that first level folder called "Contents"...
And did Finder drag-and-drops from (a) and (b) for those items.

 

[PeterHolbrook]

@nekton1:

I think I know why your experience is different from mine, despite the fact that our BT modules are the same (and both purchased from the same vendor). The Mac Pro 3,1 (board-id Mac-F42C88C8) is NOT supposed to be capable of running macOS Sierra, whereas the Mac Pro 5,1 (board-id Mac-F221BEC8) is.

Although the BRCM4360 BT module provided full Handoff/Continuity capabilities out of the box on both machines in OS X El Capitan, things changed in macOS Sierra, because Apple decided to include in /System/Library/Frameworks/IOBluetooth.framework/Versions/A/Resources/SystemParameters.plist a list of Sierra-SUPPORTED machines that are NOT supposed to be capable of handling Handoff. Being unsupported, the Mac Pro 3,1 board id is NOT included in said file, but the Mac Pro 5,1 one is. Ominously, the "ContinuitySupport" boolean field has the value "<false/>". Ergo, if you manage to make the Mac Pro 3,1 work in Sierra, you'll have Handoff if your hardware allows it, whereas a more advanced Mac Pro 5,1, with the same hardware, won't have Handoff unless that value is modified to "<true/>" (in theory, the same effect can probably be achieved by entirely removing the Mac-F221BEC8 entry from said file).

The same situation persists in High Sierra. I don't know if CAT will run in 10.13, but, even if it doesn't, the relevant kext can theoretically be edited (if SIP is off) and rebuilding the kext cache.

 

[Czo]

@nekton1:

I think I know why your experience is different from mine, despite the fact that our BT module are the same (and both purchased from the same vendor). The Mac Pro 3,1 (board-id Mac-F42C88C8) is NOT supposed to be capable of running macOS Sierra, whereas the Mac Pro 5,1 (board-id Mac-F221BEC8) is.

Although the BRCM4360 BT module provided full Handoff/Continuity capabilities out of the box on both machines in OS X El Capitan, things changed in macOS Sierra, because Apple decided to include in /System/Library/Frameworks/IOBluetooth.framework/Versions/A/Resources/SystemParameters.plist a list of Sierra-SUPPORTED machines that are NOT supposed to be capable of handling Handoff. Being unsupported, the Mac Pro 3,1 board id is NOT included in said file, but the Mac Pro 5,1 one is. Ominously, the "ContinuitySupport" boolean field has the value "<false/>". Ergo, if you manage to make the Mac Pro 3,1 work in Sierra, you'll have Handoff if your hardware allows it, whereas a more advanced Mac Pro 5,1, with the same hardware, won't have Handoff unless that value is modified to "<true/>" (in theory, the same effect can probably be achieved by entirely removing the Mac-F221BEC8 entry from said file).

The same situation persists in High Sierra. I don't know if CAT will run in 10.13, but, even if it doesn't, the relevant kext can theoretically be edited (if SIP is off) and rebuilding the kext cache.

Not only the bluetooth plist contains whitelist of board ids! The kext of the 4360 also contains one list of board ids! CAT also modify this.

cat /System/Library/Extensions/IO80211Family.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AirPortBrcm4360.kext/Contents/MacOS/AirPortBrcm4360 | strings | grep "Mac-"

 

[PeterHolbrook]

The kext of the 4360 also contains one list of board ids! CAT also modify this.

The file you mention seems to be binary. In case CAT should fail to run in 10.13, do you know how we can safely include the Mac Pro 5,1 board id in said file?

Edit: I think I know part of the answer. The way it comes out of the factory, the file lists several IDs such as Mac-00BE6ED71E35EB86. I don't actually know what these IDs represent, but I suppose that we simply need to replace the entire list with the repeated string Mac-F221BEC8. I haven't figured out the issue of the different length of both series of strings.

 

[Czo]

I made a method, to modify it by hand. I can simply replace one board id to mine, and terminate the string with a \0.

CAT run this command for short board id's:

sudo -E perl -pi -e "s/\Mac-00BE6ED71E35EB86/\Mac-F221BEC8\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0/" /System/Library/Extensions/IO80211Family.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AirPortBrcm4360.kext/Contents/MacOS/AirPortBrcm4360

CAT contains scripts, to modify both plist. I don't think so (no real reason to not working, only if the author disallow to running on 10.13) it's not working with 10.13.

 

[Jonathan50]

Does your HS installation format flash drives ok with DiskUtility? Mine just can't no matter what format type I choose, also gone is the (previously last/bottom) GUID/MBR selector. Have to reboot into Sierra to successfully format a flash drive.

 

[bpmacme]

My 2010 15" MacBook Pro has similar brightness button and slider issues. It is fixed at a specific (max, I believe) brightness.

Sleep/Lid functionality is completely messed up. The screen at least turns off, but on one occasion it didn't actually sleep and the whole thing got rather warm. Also, it has never been able to wake back up from sleep/shut lid. I'm really hoping the next public beta addresses a few of these issues...

Edit: I am not sure what happens when I open the lid. It looks like it is on (the light on the front of the case), but the screen never turns on.

 

[nekton1]

Your analysis makes logical sense and I think someone must be able to fix this.

@nekton1:

I think I know why your experience is different from mine, despite the fact that our BT modules are the same (and both purchased from the same vendor). The Mac Pro 3,1 (board-id Mac-F42C88C8) is NOT supposed to be capable of running macOS Sierra, whereas the Mac Pro 5,1 (board-id Mac-F221BEC8) is.

Although the BRCM4360 BT module provided full Handoff/Continuity capabilities out of the box on both machines in OS X El Capitan, things changed in macOS Sierra, because Apple decided to include in /System/Library/Frameworks/IOBluetooth.framework/Versions/A/Resources/SystemParameters.plist a list of Sierra-SUPPORTED machines that are NOT supposed to be capable of handling Handoff. Being unsupported, the Mac Pro 3,1 board id is NOT included in said file, but the Mac Pro 5,1 one is. Ominously, the "ContinuitySupport" boolean field has the value "<false/>". Ergo, if you manage to make the Mac Pro 3,1 work in Sierra, you'll have Handoff if your hardware allows it, whereas a more advanced Mac Pro 5,1, with the same hardware, won't have Handoff unless that value is modified to "<true/>" (in theory, the same effect can probably be achieved by entirely removing the Mac-F221BEC8 entry from said file).

The same situation persists in High Sierra. I don't know if CAT will run in 10.13, but, even if it doesn't, the relevant kext can theoretically be edited (if SIP is off) and rebuilding the kext cache.

 

[PeterHolbrook]

For those interested in the Handoff compatibility of the BCM94360CD module in High Sierra on their Macs, in case it doesn't work out of the box (for instance, presumably, on the Mac Pro 5,1), I've just tried the Continuity Activation Tool on a VMware Fusion 8.5.8 virtual High Sierra. Much to my surprise, the tool seems to run better in High Sierra than in Sierra proper. For the tool to do its job in Sierra, I had to run a shell script from Terminal. In High Sierra, however, the application itself was runnable. Naturally, being a virtual machine, it lacked all the relevant hardware for Continuity to work, but the application itself seemed to work just fine and quite capable of modifying the relevant files. The most serious, relevant warning was:

This tool wasn"t tested with OS X versions higher than 10.10. Detected OS version: 10.13.

 

[nekton1]

I guess we're all waiting for this coming week's beta. Hope the MacPro 5,1 gets some love.

 

[EugW]

Sorry I haven't been keeping up, but what happens with the updates? I seem to remember way back when for Sierra, for every point release of Sierra, the installer needed to be patched. Is that still the case, and does that mean a new patch for every beta?

I'm not sure I'd want to go through this process every single beta update. (I've mainly only been looking at this option since the Public Beta got released.)

MacBookPro5,5 (2009 2.26 GHz 13" Core 2 Duo) ready to go, since it's currently doing nothing. It's been replaced with a 2017 12" MacBook.

 

[Adamscomputerrepair]

After the death of my iBook G4 last week, I decided to suck it up and fix the MacBook. I installed 10.13 perfectly (thanks btw) but now I noticed all the apple productivity apps are free. I’ve never had a Mac newer than 2009. They shouldn’t be free for me. Will someone else confirm this? Or maybe I’m just having a good day.

 

[apriliars3]

After the death of my iBook G4 last week, I decided to suck it up and fix the MacBook. I installed 10.13 perfectly (thanks btw) but now I noticed all the apple productivity apps are free. I’ve never had a Mac newer than 2009. They shouldn’t be free for me. Will someone else confirm this? Or maybe I’m just having a good day.

Apple Apps are free for all users

https://arstechnica.com/apple/2017/...e-now-free-for-old-and-new-mac-and-ios-users/

 

[mikeguru]

Yes, that's correct. It looks to be installing El Capitan, but is actually installing High Sierra.

Thanks for your reply. I decided to try it, and it installed on my 15" MacBookPro 5,3. I used the USB Installers' Disk Utility to partition/format the MBP's internal HD first, but since it is based on the old El Capitan installer, it also uses the El Cap version of Disk Utility. As such, there's no option to partition/format the destination HD to "APFS". Additionally, the installer creates a recovery partition version "10.11.5" (also El Capitan). How does one update the recovery partition to High Sierra Beta (10.13)? Without that version of the recovery partition, I can see no way to access the newest Disk Utility App, and subsequently to "convert" the High Sierra Beta install to "APFS" file system.

Additionally, after a period of inactivity, my screen goes black, and nothing will bring back the Desktop. It is not "sleeping", and pressing the trackpad button or the spacebar makes the KEYBOARD illuminate, but the screen stays black. Only option is to do a forced power off by holding the power button.

Thanks for any help/insights you can provide.

 

[shaocaholica]

Got HS installed on my 2009 17" MBP 5.2. Got the expected issues with the backlight and battery. Didn't even check the trackpad. I really wanted to get this older MBP working with APFS but with all the other issues that need to be resolved I think I'm just going to wait for the public release and maybe the first point release and the community to catch up. Really appreciate everyones work.

Currently on 10.12.5 with dosdude installer without any issues (yet).

 

[alharch]

FetchMacOS v1.0
An utility to download macOS directly from Apple. It does not require an Apple ID and works on unsupported Macs and PCs.

If you'd like a copy, please send a message.

FAQ
What can I download with this?
You can download macOS High Sierra developer and public beta builds, in installer format, only as they become available. It does not use third-party servers.

Can I get earlier versions of macOS (Sierra, El Capitan, etc)?
No. If you'd like to do that, you can use DownloadMacOS (after purchasing the related macOS version).

Does it work with unsupported Mac patchers?
Yes and no. It works with newCore v0.1/v0.2, and will be integrated in v0.3. It does not work with dosdude1's patcher, as that only accepts application bundles.

Can I use it on other operating systems?
Yes, partially. It works on Linux, but only in compressed format (you'll have to move the downloaded data to a Mac to extract it). Same goes for Windows.

When will it become public?
It will be part of newCore v0.3. The current version does not have an UI and is meant for users of v0.1 and v0.2.

Please send me a copy of your installer. Many thanks for your continuing efforts to help extend the life of our MacPros.

ALH

 

[dendkmac]

Well this was an interesting ride, did not think I would have trouble with the 10.13 public beta on my mid 2009 mac book pro. trying to create the disks within the beta was not a good idea, the disk utility has issues displaying usb devices....you see item 1, item two etc, And for some reason the drive that was created from the patch (dosdude)was not booting, finally about the fourth try it worked...have working copy of 10.13 at this point.

 

[foxlet]

Please send me a copy of your installer. Many thanks for your continuing efforts to help extend the life of our MacPros.

ALH

http://swdist.furcode.co/bin/FetchMacOS-1.1.zip
SHA1 = 1d7e636342dd73ea2b611c7021eb3f286361bb95

 

[Luigi222]

http://swdist.furcode.co/bin/FetchMacOS-1.1.zip
SHA1 = 7f1800a6216e2d49d7e75b7b24aacc1d3c828a6d

Any ETA for your newcore installer v0.2?

 

[nekton1]

Looks like the gfx drivers issue in the cMP5,1 did not get any love nor a firmware update to support APFS on SSDs.