x79 USBs dead on boot + xfx vbios wont load

[pduke]

Hi to all!
I have been reading your forum for months and I must thank you for all the help so far. And…. this is my first post.
The past 6-7 months my interest about hackintosh rekindled. I managed fairly easy (thanx to forum support!) to setup OSX on a q9550 coe2quad on an MSI p45 platinum with 8gb ram. First I put on a mavericks zone since I had no mac to access the app store. Downloaded el Capitan and I went straight to a vanilla install which worked like a dream. 1^st try all working. Then sierra went out, upgraded it, liked it and fresh installed it on a SSD. Since then the system is working like a charm!
But …. This is not my main machine.

I have a:
CPU: e5 2670 v1
Motherboard: x79 taken from a Lenovo Eraser X700 (ridiculous I know!!!)
RAM: 16GB gskill
GPU: XFX 280X
……-probably one of the worst combination of components I could choose for hackintosh -…..

But it is steady and super fast with my Win10 installation.
I also occasionally replace the XFX with a 9600GT for testing purposes when hackintoshing…
16 core on Sierra is the main goal.
So I am struggling for months.(ok when i manage to find some free time to experiment)

3 major problems
1. The system when it boots with clover kills all USB ports and goes to “waiting for boot device”.no keyboard, no mouse and no USB boot disk.
With chameleon cpus=1 fixes the problem but not in clover.
Also npci=0x2000 is needed when booting with 280X but not with 9600GT
I have read many many articles about such problems but nothing seems to work. I think I need a tailored solution but I still do not have the skills.
2. The well known XFX ROM problem. But I found some posts where load VBios is working. still, clover do not recognize my ASUS roms….what am i doing wrong?
3. It never recognized any HDD as a boot disk. None! Chameleon , clover,GUI, MBR nothing. I am able to boot ONLY from USB sticks. this i think can be left for later but i am writing it down in case it points somewhere

I am not going to list all the testing I have done, just where I am now.
(before all below, I tried hundreds of Yosemite  and el Capitan installations)
- I managed to install Yosemite zone with chameleon and the 9600GT on. Works great although a bit heavy. But I need the latest OSX and my xfx on if possible
- I installed clover (along with chameleon) and managed to boot with it on legacy -not UEFI.
- I downloaded sierra from appstore and started the upgrade process so now I have a partition “macOS installer”
- I created a sierra  USB boot disk
- and returned to using my XFX280X cause with 9600GT I can ‘t boot with UEFI and off course this is the card I want to use… obviously.


Booting UEFI from SIERRA USB I can :
a. Select the sierra installation partition on my Yosemite HDD.
with cpus=1 + npci=0x2000 it loads to SIERRA installation screen in full 1920x1200 res, but my USBs are DEAD and I have no mouse or keyboard to click CONTINUE!!!

I tried all ports and 2 USB extensions I have . Nothing, all dead. Unfortunately, my cheap chinese PCie USB 3 card is dead. Could this be a solution I don’t know. I also have tried all clover possible settings. I am really sorry I don’t post one by one, but this has been done through various weeks and I am lost into million of retries and configurations.
If can get pass this problem I think I will manage to put the correct DDST and have a working system. But I am out of ideas.
 
b. Select Sierra installation USB with cpus=1 and npci=0x2000  which results in …dead USB ports…. Back to zero
On both situations I have tried PCIRootUID 1/0 UseKernelCache, USBBusFIX but nothing changes.
I pasted FakeSMC.kext to /Clover/Kexts/10.11 and 10.10 
Tried Fakecpuid as well but I get a panic
i also tried to load Vbios, put some ASUS 280X roms ,  renaming them to 1002-6798.rom in /EFI/CLOVER/ROM but clover doesn’t seem to read them since I can’t see any details on Graphics settings screen.

Ok i understand this is kind of chaotic but I really feel I need some help here. So If anybody has any ideas or suggestions on how to proceed(or start fresh with a certain target in mind(!!)) with this thing , I would be really  grateful.

thanx in advance and sorry for my English

[pduke]

ok. i wil break this one down cause th above post is chaos.

first things first.

 

i have a  ( bootable from USB)  absolutely fine working  Yosemite installation (chameleon)

I try to clean install vanilla SIERRA. all clover bootable USBs  are failing because of usb ports dying (still waiting for root device). npci=0x2000 and cpus=1 bootflags that i used to fix the same problem on chameleon are not fixing it on clover 

 

any suggestions in order to manage to boot and install SIERRA with clover?

can i use anything (DSDTs etc)from the working Yosemite installation?

 

thanx again

[MaLd0n]

post ur files here

run it, generate files in desktop

RunMe.app.zip

[pduke]

there they are

thank you very much

if you find the time to explain it would be great

my mistake

now its uploaded

forgot to mention that i cloned the Yosemite install to a second HDD and installed clover on it. then i finally managed to boot from an El Capitan clover USB. 

it always loads very slow (especially the downloads folder icon and the apps inside the launcher)

just in case i am uploading the same for this installation as well

 

Send me pduke’s Mac Pro.zip

Send me pduke’s Mac Pro - CloverBoot.zip

[MaLd0n]

UEFI

try it

CLOVER.zip

if u install kexts in s/l/e, remove

 

what ur audio codec?

 

u need solve video

 

nvidia is easy, only Inject Nvidia

[pduke]

OK thank you so much! I will try it.

 

I am replacing right? Not deleting anything

 

I am working with a 9600 gt until Sierra is installed. After that I will try to either fix XFX or replace my GPU....

[MaLd0n]

back up ur clover folder, and replace full folder

 

if u need use nullcpupm, but try without first

[pduke]

you rock!!!! incredible progress.!!!! you solved "waiting for root device" after 6 months!!!! 

listing facts

1.  i copied your clover folder to my sierra USB

2. managed to boot to my Yosemite clover installation with 16 cores (just testing, no actual use)

3. tried to boot SIERRA from installation partition and from the USB but i got "reason mac-f4238cc8"

4. started improvising.... so i returned to my old clover folder and i copied from yours the patched DSDT, the kext folder (10.12) and the boot flags from your plist 

5. SIERRA loaded, installed and restarted (with XFX 280x on

6. loading from SIERRA hdd failed again and again with all bootlegs with message : AppleLPC::notifyPlatformASPM ASPM callback registered

7. figured that this should be the XFX so i switched back to the 9600 GT(funny thing is that working with this non UEFI card i have to imagine what is happening at the bios cause i have no picture until the OS boots up)

8. SIERRA loaded and finished install!!!!!!!! working ok now with sound and network

 

and .... here i am at the very familiar land of "and-now-what?"

 

​a. should i first try the XFX? i got plenty of roms from ASUS cards but clover does not "see" them

b. shall i try to  install clover to the SIERRA hdd, stabilise that and go o to the GPU? any suggestions for this one? any guides?

i already tried "b" failing badly. rebooted and went back to "waiting for root device" .....

 

any further help would be incredible but i already feel great and ready to dive into testing once more

 

thanks a million my friend!!

-Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, i still would really like to know what you have done, if you have the time. not knowing what this help was about didn't give me any knowledge

[pduke]

------UPDATE------------

XFX R9 280X black edition is working !!!!

 

I have placed a bunch of roms like you see in the picture. just testing. 

in clover I ticked Inject ATI and Load Vbios 

and BOOM!!!

it is working!

 

the question is..... what made it work??? the rom, the ATI inject or both? 
--------UPDATE 2 ------
the answer is BOTH. 
and the rom I used is this https://www.techpowerup.com/vgabios/149989/asus-r9280x-3072-130827-1

second DVI is not working. I can dual monitor with DVI and HDMI
 

got much testing to do.
my major problem is that my motherboard do not see Mac HDDs as bootable. it ignores them. USB is the only solution for now

[MaLd0n]

Amazin, bro!!! Very good!

[MaLd0n]

got much testing to do.

my major problem is that my motherboard do not see Mac HDDs as bootable. it ignores them. USB is the only solution for now

send me USB clover folder? why u dont use efi?

 

Send me ioreg too, extract with ioreg 3

IORegistryExplorer 3.app.zip

[pduke]

ok attached Clover from USB and saved file from ioreg 

 

I bought a SSD and installed clean SIERRA (I can't believe how easy is to install SIERRA after your help - THANKS AGAIN MAN!!!) 

 

it boots with the USB just fine every time

 

I used EFI to install latest clover with your suggested settings at the SSD. 

NOTHING. my mobo does not read the SSD as bootable. not in the bios, not even in the boot menu after pressing F12. it is like that for ALL drives except windows ones. I really can't understand. Probably because it is a Lenovo......

CLOVER copy.zip

pduke’s iMac.zip

[MaLd0n]

i think now work

CLOVER.zip

 

u use SSDT for native power management?

i think u dont need nullcpupm, ur native pm work

 

dont need inject audio, etc, i apply all in DSDT

 

[pduke]

I tried it on my SSD but mobo does no see it as bootable.... as always

when I use it on the USB I get the following screen... 

 

so I kinda lost you here. how do I use this folder?

 

what are the correct post installation steps for Sierra?

for example  I copied FakeSMC.kext in l/e and I got a "waiting for root device" ...... again

[MaLd0n]

first, disconnect all hds, only mac osx hd connect

dont copy any kext, use all kexts in Clover/Kexts/10.12

only voodoohda in s/l/e if u need

 

install lat clover version

Clover_v2.4k_r4012.pkg.zip

thx Slice

 

try with config

after replace folder

CLOVER.zip

[pduke]

no nothing. I installed clover  again with above settings, disconnected all drives, cleared CMOS but still I get this annoying Lenovo message:

ERROR CODE 1962 - NO OPERATING SYSTEM FOUND

 

I don't know if it has anything to do with it but when booting with USB:
1. in every boot the desktop background always returns to original Sierra

2. CPU runs without turbo (Geekbench 4 reaches ~14500 while in windows ~16500 - Cinebnech 850Mac 1100windows )
3. GPU reaches hardly half FPS (cinebench 42fps Mac - 95fps windows)

I have a zalman fan controller with watt display and I can see even in stress Mac hardly uses 175 Watt while windows can reach up to 350W. 

 

I think I am going off topic though... shall I mark this solved and move to "Post installation Sierra". ??

[MaLd0n]

Hard, very hard.

 

np, Let's continue here.

 

check ur bios settings about legacy, uefi and "other os"

 

ur mobo is uefi, ofc?

 

use uefi and try it

CLOVER.zip

 

what the key boot in ur mobo? f8? f10? f11? f12?

 

install and if fails, use key boot and set ur sierra hd

[pduke]

I have checked millions of times. Legacy, uefi, both, with csm or without. I am telling you, 6 months now no hdd ever been recognized except of the windows ones. I will try to create a small fat 32 partition. Is it possible to install clover there? Would it be.... stupid ? Will it break my installation?
 

oh and key boot is F12 but the hdd is not in the menu whichever setting I choose in bios. 

------EDIT------

I think my above thinking is total noobish {censored}.

at this point I must give you a huuuuuuuuuuuugeeeeeeee THANK YOU and stop wasting your time. 

 

furthermore, I have a working 16thread SIERRA with XFX R9 280X !!!

besides what is wrong in booting from USB ?(for a while at least)

 

 

if I discover anything new and useful I may return. although I hope I ll return with a complete how to guide for X79 and Xeon E5-2670 on Lenovo mobo.... !!!!