HELP: Getting "Still waiting for root device" after successfull install of 10.10.5 Yosemite, cannot always boot [Gigabyte Z87N-WIFI]

[MacKonsti]

Hello to the forum, I tried searching all possible solutions all this time, but to no avail as I've been battling with this new mobo for some time now!

 

Something is needed here to fix, I get "Still waiting for root device" as I can only boot in 1 out of 4-5 computer reset attempts.

 

Here is my configuration and what I did.

• Gigabyte GA-Z87N-WIFI (latest BIOS F6) with Intel i7-4790k and 2x8GB DDR3 1600MHz (XMP) RAM by Corsair
• Replaced native PCIe card with AzureWave CE123H (Broadcom BCM4352 WiFi & BCM20702A0 Bluetooth combo)
• Native graphics by Intel's CPU i.e. HD Graphics 4600 with setting IntelAzulFB=10
• SSD by OCZ (Vertex 2 for testing and Vertex 460A for official installation)
• Installed 10.10.3 and applied combo update 10.10.5 immediately after
• Using 2 network kexts (Intel Mausi and Atheros E2200 kexts)
• Machine declared as iMac14,1 (as Mac14,2 didn't have any improvements)
• Extracted DSDT via Ubuntu and did some very minor injections, using re-compiled custom DSDT.

BIOS Settings of Gigabyte GA-Z87N-WIFI

• Load optimized defaults
• Disable VD-t as it's imperative
• Check all SATA drives are AHCI (which they are by default)
• Leave Video Memory at 64MB -- hope it's enough
• Set primary display to IGFX (i.e. internal)
• Set XHCI mode from "Smart Auto" to "Auto"
• Set Memory profile to "Profile1" i.e. 1600MHz

I had forgotten it but then started the installation process with main SSD drive (only that one attached, nothing else) in PORT1 of the SATA connections. I read someplace that better have the installation happening with drive being at PORT1 or 2 first, not PORT0 especially for Yosemite or due to Gigabyte mainboards. Can't remember.

 

I had created a bootable USB from tools available on InsanelyMac and AppStore's Yosemite 10.10.3 download, which I installed fine on the SSD. Shutdown computer, swapped SATA cable and moved to PORT0.

 

Now main OS X drive sits at PORT0.

 

Initial boots were done with USB's installation of Chameleon v2.3 svn r2757 and its Extensions only with needed FakeSMC and NullCPUPowerManagement.

 

Then installed HWSensors 6.18.1394 (from www.hwsensors.com) that includes FakeSMC and other plugins.

 

After that, I installed Chameleon via "Chameleon Wizard" and replaced "boot" file (in root) with latest r2757 version. Computers boots fine to bootloader screen.

 

Upon reboot, I updated to 10.10.5 via the combo update dmg. Update went fine.

 

Finally, I enabled the native trim solution (by Apple) running in Terminal "sudo trimforce enable" and rebooting.

 

I always boot with -v (verbose) flag, until system is stable enough. No other kernel flags in org.chameleon.Boot.plist except -v and the needed kext-dev-mode=1

 

I cannot recall but at some point right after this, I started getting boot process to pause (seemed frozen). This was happening after Ethernet kext output or USB device output. In any case it was after line that starts "Waiting on [...] boot-uuid-media".

 

Leaving it for a minute, an error "Still waiting for root device" popped up. That was it.

 

Some other times, when verbose boot stucks, I leave it for few seconds and continues to boot for some strange reason.

 

Now, only 1 out of 4/5 attempts to boot to desktop is successful. I have to press "reset" button on PC few times before I manage to boot.

 

What I have done and tested, unsuccessfully...please remember this issue is about normal boot, not the USB installer as in other threads (so I doubt USB fixes did anything).

• Set USBBusFix=Yes at boot time.
• Enable EHCI AquireFix to in org.chameleon.Boot.plist
• Set Legacy USB to Disabled in BIOS.
• Disable all other AHCI ports except boot drive, in BIOS.
• Set npci=0x2000 in org.chameleon.Boot.plist which I doubt had any effect.
• Even tried ahcidisk=1 debug=8 kernel flags... something saying was trying (in verbose)
• Reverted to non-TRIM status, running in Terminal command "sudo trimforce disable" and rebooting.
• Tested to boot from PORT1 connection of the drive, nothing.

It is very likely it's not related to USB at all, but more to AHCI so I have no idea where to look next. It's a shame as this mobo was advised as an ideal "MacMini" hackintosh, even if I saw that iMac14,1 was closer to the configuration for this Haswell CPU.

 

I really would appreciate any help that you can offer, any idea.

 

In some other forum, we were advised (due to Gigabyte board) to use some special drivers but I am not sure. Do we need to revert to older AppleAHCIPort or IOAHCIFamily kexts? How can we guarantee compatibility...?

 

Many thanks to everyone.

[TheRacerMaster]

If it was working fine before, I doubt it's related to the SATA ports. 10.10.5 update probably broke something on your end. Have you tried rebuilding caches?

[MacKonsti]

Thanks TheRacerMaster, of course I have rebuilt caches many times, either by manually invoking this, or using Kext Utility 2.6.4 that's advised. No results.

 

I also tried to boot without any DSDT or SSDT, in case the compiled DSDT could "affect" in some way the SATA-AHCI port connection, but nothing either.

 

I even connected a second HDD drive to PORT1, so both PORT0 and PORT1 of SATA are populated, in case Apple vanilla boot has an issue with only one HDD detected (have to start thinking crazy, here)...

 

I do believe there's something wrong with the Apple AHCI driver. It doesn't make sense to fail booting (other times, if left and wait, it will continue boot but not sure why boot process was frozen).

 

I will try to boot with ahcidisk=1 debug=8 kernel flags, and post the verbose logs here, if anyone can figure this out...

[MacKonsti]

Hi everyone, a quick update. Could it be that the Z87 chipset is incompatible with older SSD drives, such as the OCZ Vertex 2?

Or perhaps the native AHCI kext (vanilla) of Yosemite? I re-installed everything on a spare (normal) HDD (to SATA PORT0) and I don't get this issue. Then, upon connecting the SSD to SATA PORT1, and in 1 out of 3 boots, I get "Still waiting for root device" error! That doesn't make sense to my poor brain...

Spending money on a modern SSD may not prove to resolve the issue, as there is no way for me to know (without help from InsanelyMac gurus) what could be the issue with this drive or the native AHCI driver of 10.10.x!

[spakk]

@MacKonsti

a few questions:

• check the BIOS settings, possibly the BIOS settings have been reset? RTC error? or whatever the reason?
• have you tried to connect with another slot?
• the OS X HDD / SSD in BIOS on first Boot Priority?
• do you have create and modifies the DSDT / SSDT itself or by downloaded from another forum?

[MacKonsti]

Hello spakk, thank you very much for your input. I have reset BIOS to optimized defaults quite a few times, even left only the very basic needed changes i.e. VT-d disabled and later selected memory "Profile1" for 1600MHz RAM.

 

SATA ports remain AHCI (is default anyway) and priority is proper. No obvious error detected (like RTC you mentioned).

 

I even removed DSDT and SSDT from /Extra/ which both compiled by myself (extracted DSDT via Ubuntu and only added some very minor fixes; the SSDT is generated successfully via Piker-Alpha's script).

 

The only first conclusion I come to, is that either this Gigabyte Z87N-WIFI doesn't like my OCZ SSD Vertex 2, or the Yosemite AHCI native kext doesn't like my board or SSD.

 

I booted with kernel flags ahcidisk=1 debug=8 and saw a lot of output in verbose boot screen, but nothing appears on Console.app! Any idea how to capture that output so perhaps we can read something more? Still, this time it booted but got stuck for 1-2 minutes around the "Waiting on [...] boot-uuid-media" stage (Ethernet card also pushed some text right after that).

 

Kernel caches also rebuilt. Even booting with -f doesn't secure me boot to Desktop... This is crazy--thanks again.

[Mac Hosehead]

This appears to be a hardware issue:

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1865874/ocz-vertex-ssd-recognized-boot-uefi-clock-resets-z87x-d3h-4770.html

 

Buy a SSD with a good reputation.

 

-MH

[MacKonsti]

No way. I refuse to believe that all these months I've been battling with such unexpected hardware incompatibility! 

 

I switched with my old laptop's Intel X25-M (SSDSA2M080G2) 80GB SSD (yes, that old one) and put that OCZ Vertex 2 away, used PartedMagic to secure-wipe it ("factory" status despite its age) and installed Mavericks 10.9.5 for testing -- al went just fine. No problems with booting, no delays. Nothing. Even with TRIM patch to enable it.

I just can't believe it. Thank you Mac Hosehead. I wish I could have considered chipset incompatibility earlier, and I see over the internet a debating whether "Sandforce did some regression testing on the controllers, found a problem, either kept it quiet...or DID publish to their results to the manufacturers. That's where OCZ and others comes into play." when info was released.

 

I will report back any abnormalities with 10.10.5 but I doubt it. That oldie X25-M plays still well.

[mac09hack]

It sounds to me that this all happened right after you enabled trim force on the SSD? I have a Samsung 500GB SSD and I have been patiently waiting for more information about using triimforce on it. I have learned to be patient when trying something new (especially from Apple)

 

I used the 10.10.5 Combo Update to do my copy of Yosemite 10.10.4 without any problems.

[TheRacerMaster]

I have not experienced any issues with any of my 840s with trimforce enabled. I doubt the issue was related to trimforce, as it seems it was a hardware issue.

[Mac Hosehead]

There was an issue found with some Samsung SSDs and using TRIM in Linux. I did see a statement from Samsung saying that it did not affect installations using TRIM in Mac OS or Windows. I have a 840 myself and I am using it with trimforce. These SSDs are popular and I think I would have heard something by now if there are problems with TRIM and Mac OS.

 

-MH