Lenovo ThinkPad T420 with UEFI Only

[149113]

@tluck - I think I am getting closer to narrowing this down. It's not the app store install or 12/19 fixes that break the second DP port. That was just coincidental timing. Here is the sequence:

• UEFI Boot from USB for install - both monitors working on each DP port on the docking station for the complete install process
• UEFI Boot from USB for post install then select Macintosh HD - both monitors working on each DP port on the docking station
• Install Clover 3320, copy \Boot and \Clover from the \420 directory, remove USB installer and reboot
• UEFI Boot from Macintosh HD - only one monitor working on one DP port on the docking station

So something environmental changes from the USB boot to the Macintosh HD boot. So how to replicate the USB setting to the hard drive so that the second DP port works?

[tluck]

@149113 - hmm. weird. so now after all that if you boot from usb you will get 2 monitors?

 

on step 3 install clover - i presume you are using UEFI install in ESP and then the same config.plist that is on the USB to the HD?

i cant figure out how the boot method USB vs HD would effect the display. when you have 2 external monitors is lid open? 

 

the config.plist from my zip contains an edit on the buffers - did you remove that? is the USB config.plist exactly the same as the config.plist on the HD?

[149113]

@tluck - If I boot from the USB into the installer... both monitors work. Boot from USB and select Macintosh HD... only one monitor works. So I am guessing we are back to kext differences?

 

My Clover install was to the ESP using the exact settings you had in the screen shot. Laptop is always closed and in the docking station.

 

My config.plist is the same with the buffers section intact:

 

            <dict>
                <key>Comment</key>
                <string>Replace 4th port with VGA</string>
                <key>Find</key>
                <data>
                AQIEABAHAAAQBwAABQMAAAIAAAAwAAAAAgUAAAAEAAAH
                AAAAAwQAAAAEAAAJAAAABAYAAAAEAAAJAAAA
                </data>
                <key>Name</key>
                <string>AppleIntelSNBGraphicsFB</string>
                <key>Replace</key>
                <data>
                AQIEABAHAAAQBwAABQMAAAIAAAAwAAAAAgUAAAAEAAAH
                AAAAAwQAAAAEAAAJAAAABgIAABAAAAAJAAAA
                </data>
            </dict>
 

I'm gonna continue to mess around with it to see if I can figure it out. It is working well on the one monitor and had I not seen it working on two I would not have assumed it possible. Attached my clover bootlog file. Don't know it that's helpful.

bootlog.log.txt

[tluck]

@149113

 

well now that makes some sense to me - the OS installer uses a generic graphics driver. where as the final OS will use the SandyBridge HD 3000 driver.

 

so if you remove the config.plist kext patch ( no need VGA)  (use vi and change the AppleIntel to D:AppleIntel) you can test what ports are live on your dock by default. DP on the side of the box and DP on the dock should be working OOTB.  then it may be a matter of getting the 2nd DP on the dock wired in.

 

in case you haven't a tool already, to modify the this kext patch in the plist file ( data is encoded from text), you can search download PlistEdit Pro. of course their are others but this is pretty easy to manage. 

[149113]

@tluck - doing nothing more than removing the AppleIntelSNBGraphicsFB setting in the config.plist file, the second monitor now works and looks good. I used Clover Configurator and simply deleted that entry, saved the file and rebooted. Here is the new boot.log file for Clover. I guess it's fixed now.

bootlog.log.txt

[trifero]

@tluck Updated to your last config files. Everything works like a charm. Thnx!

 

Could buy a new T420 with 1900x600 display, very good conditions, for 200 euros . What a difference!

 

The "old" one given as a gift, my sister couldn´t be happier.

[149113]

Hi guys-

A couple of questions:

1. Any issues updating to 10.11.2?

 

2. I have noticed that with the latest couple of packs, sometimes when I do a shutdown, the system reboots automatically. Anyone experiencing this? Any ideas why?

 

Thanks,

AJ

I am getting this as well. All shutdowns are reboots.

[XSmile2008]

Hi! About youtube video lag problem and text input lag: After I replace my slow TOSHIBA HHD with Kingston HyperX FURY SSD 120GB no any lags detected, system is very fast, it just work, without freezes and rainbow spinner! And now notebook is so quiet, if cpu_temp<45 i don't hear anything!

 

Now I want create my custom keyboard layout. I want map all Fn+* keys, and use PrtSc, ScrLk and  Pause button for different action.  How can I do this? 

[Zeridialous]

I am getting this as well. All shutdowns are reboots.

Do you have anything plugged into the USB ports when you shut down?

 

 

I originally thought that this had something to do with "Always on USB" (for the rear yellow USB port) being enabled in the BIOS (turn it off if you haven't), and turning that off helps alleviate most of the occurrences but it still happens sometimes. I'm pretty sure in my case it's the USB Bluetooth adapter I have plugged into the rear port since the system seems to shut down just fine when it's unplugged.

 

Just my two cents... maybe we can find a solid solution to this soon.

 

--

 

On another note, does anyone know how to fix the volume menu bar item showing the incorrect volume level/status after changing the volume with the hardware keys when using the built in speakers? It works perfectly fine when headphones are plugged in...

[tluck]

well its strange that some of you have is issue about shutdown... i don't have the shutdown does restart problem on either of my T420 systems.  are you using my config.plist and dsdt?

 

anyway you could try to add one or both of theses keys to config.plist in the ACPI section. 2nd one goes in  ACPI/DSDT

HaltEnabler

<key>HaltEnabler</key>
<true>

It works as OpenHaltRestart, clearing SLP_SMI_EN at start of OSX system.

 

 DSDT / SlpSmiAtWake

<key>SlpSmiAtWake</key>
<true>

It adds SLP_SMI_EN=0 at every wake. It may help solve sleep and shutdown issues on UEFI boot.

[149113]

Do you have anything plugged into the USB ports when you shut down?

 

 

I originally thought that this had something to do with "Always on USB" (for the rear yellow USB port) being enabled in the BIOS (turn it off if you haven't), and turning that off helps alleviate most of the occurrences but it still happens sometimes. I'm pretty sure in my case it's the USB Bluetooth adapter I have plugged into the rear port since the system seems to shut down just fine when it's unplugged.

 

Just my two cents... maybe we can find a solid solution to this soon.

 

--

 

On another note, does anyone know how to fix the volume menu bar item showing the incorrect volume level/status after changing the volume with the hardware keys when using the built in speakers? It works perfectly fine when headphones are plugged in...

My T520 is docked and I've got all 6 USB ports used as well as two wireless dongles (one for headphones and the other a Unifying receiver for Logitech KB and mouse) on the laptop USB ports. I'll check the BIOS for that always on setting.

[trifero]

Do you have anything plugged into the USB ports when you shut down?

 

 

I originally thought that this had something to do with "Always on USB" (for the rear yellow USB port) being enabled in the BIOS (turn it off if you haven't), and turning that off helps alleviate most of the occurrences but it still happens sometimes. I'm pretty sure in my case it's the USB Bluetooth adapter I have plugged into the rear port since the system seems to shut down just fine when it's unplugged.

 

Just my two cents... maybe we can find a solid solution to this soon.

 

--

 

On another note, does anyone know how to fix the volume menu bar item showing the incorrect volume level/status after changing the volume with the hardware keys when using the built in speakers? It works perfectly fine when headphones are plugged in...

Zeridialous, why don´t you install an internal bluetooth? It´s really easy and cheap. And most important, it takes a fraction of the power that an USB.

[149113]

@tluck - as noted above my config.plist is the same as yours with the exception of the video setting which I removed so that the second monitor would work. Everything else is the same. DSDT is the same as what you had in the original 420 zip file. I did create my own SSDT and placed it in the same folder as the DSDT's. Don't know if that makes a difference.

[Zeridialous]

Zeridialous, why don´t you install an internal bluetooth? It´s really easy and cheap. And most important, it takes a fraction of the power that an USB.

I'm planning on it, the USB adapter is just a stop-gap solution.

[trifero]

I'm planning on it, the USB adapter is just a stop-gap solution.

Nice. Maybe this is can help you. I got the FRU 60Y3303 and everything works like a charm.

 

 

http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Bluetooth_Daughter_Card_(14_pins)

[plympton]

After several tries, I got this working on my i5 t420s, so thanks for thorough guide! I even got it working, when I removed the LCD edid block from the conflg.plist, to use my IPS 1080p lcd & edp converter board. Looked awesome! Strange that in that configuration, it wouldn't boot Windows from HDD or USB. The mod takes about an hour, and I was 3 in so debugging further wasn't in the cards, I through in the towel.

 

I get about 2 hours of battery on my i5 machine with decent battery.

 

Unfortunately, I couldn't get it working on my i7 optimus t420s with 1080p screen. Does anyone have that working? Do i need to enable nVidia injection? I was hoping to pull the working HDD from the i5 and put in the i7 but it hangs on boot.

 

Also, has anyone got usb 3 working in el capitan? Has anyone gotten displayport on the dock working?

 

Thanks, really makes a great hackbook!

[tluck]

@plympton - i recall some sort of got nvidia working - OS X can't do the handoff thing like on windows between the Integrated GPU and Discrete GPU. so its one card or the other. dropping MCFG table seemed to get it a little further along. but i think most have realized the HD 3000 option is better overall.

 

i have seen on other threads that the GenericUSB kext may be working on 10.11.2+ for non-intel USB. 

Dock DP is working for me. to eliminate confusion - disable the kext patch to add VGA in the config.plist

 

@Zeridialous 

it surprised me that your T520 came without internal Bluetooth!

 

on the Volume widget on menu bar for speaker. i took a look at this again - reviewed the Platform and layouts and a number of changes/tests and I am still baffled.  the volume control on laptop (buttons) , system panel volume, midi controller are all in sync. but the menu bar shows 100% unless you bring the volume down to like 5% and then it moves down a notch. so i cannot understand why.  its  just broke the menu bar thing for the Internal Speaker. when switched to headphone volume it syncs. the Mirone/Mickey1979 applehda patcher did the same thing - no sync for menubar volume and Speaker.

 

voodoohda will work for you and sync the menubar volume widget for Speaker. but the tradeoff is it does not auto switch input/output when one plugs in a headset. 

[Tetonne]

Happy New Year to all of U

[plympton]

@plympton - i recall some sort of got nvidia working - OS X can't do the handoff thing like on windows between the Integrated GPU and Discrete GPU. so its one card or the other. dropping MCFG table seemed to get it a little further along. but i think most have realized the HD 3000 option is better overall.

 

i have seen on other threads that the GenericUSB kext may be working on 10.11.2+ for non-intel USB. 

Dock DP is working for me. to eliminate confusion - disable the kext patch to add VGA in the config.plist

 

OK, I did some more playing around:

1. The i7 with nVidia did indeed work after I pulled the config.plist graphics edid section out of it.  The 1080p display comes up, and looks beautiful.  DisplayPort on the machine and the dock - neither work.  Nothing changes whether I select Integrated or Dedicated or Optimus in the BIOS.  I assume that Clover is injecting something to override the BIOS anyway, and I'll need to do some hacking around if I'm to get DIsplayPort working.  I assume that something funny is going on at the BIOS/EFI level since when I reboot into Windows 10, things are screwy until I reboot / cold restart.  The System Report shows both the Integrated and nVidia graphics cards as active, but I can't get anything to display out of the DisplayPorts (on-board or dock).

 

Unfortunately, for the T420s, I believe the nVidia card is hard-wired to the Dock connector / DIsplayPort - you can't even select DisplayPort as an output in the BIOS, and I remember reading about it as such.  The first-gen Optimus configurations are really hacks in the worst sense.

 

Is the MCFG in the Config.plist, or is that an SSDT or DSDT thing?

 

2. The i5 machine without nVidia works great.  The 1600x900 screen is actually nicer as a Mac display than a Windows display.  The DisplayPort works after some fiddling from both the on-board port as well as the Dock port.  No changes to Config.plist, etc.

 

For both machines, sleep works, sensors work, FaceTime, iMessage, camera, etc all work.  Just need to get USB 3 working (for another day).

 

I was able to clone the booting SSD to a Disk Image with Carbon Copy Cloner.  I restored it to another SSD with CCC, and copied the working EFI partition contents (folder copy) to the new drive, and it booted fine.  It's nice to have a image backup in case I screw something up while fiddling around.

 

-Dan

[Somez]

Hi Everyone,

 

I spent a lot of time researching what notebook would fit my needs as a hackintosh and ended up with the T420 with the 1600x900 screen. I also know that searching the forums before asking a question comes first, but this time I'm lost. I have not yet bought my T420 but I'm already searching for a suitable WiFi card that could work if I flash a modded BIOS with the whitelist removed.

 

Which WiFi card should be the best? Is there any difference between the Broadcom BCM94322HM8L and the Atheros AR5BHB92?

By difference I mean easier installation, or features like AirDrop not working, etc. If you cold point me to a guide, list, wiki or topic where I can find the answer that would be great.

 

My goal is to find the WiFi card that's the best for this Machine and El Capitan in terms of easy install and features.

 

Thank you.

[Codinger]

I am planning to buy a W520. Can i use some parts of the guide?

[plympton]

I am planning to buy a W520. Can i use some parts of the guide?

 

Possibly.  The x20 series machines are very similar.  You might want to see if there's a Whitelist BIOS for the W520 to allow a correct Wi-Fi card to be used - if not, you'll need to use a USB dongle for Wi-Fi.  You also might run into issues with the video card being supported - I haven't gotten my nVidia / Optimus T420s to work without integrated graphics yet.

[Codinger]

Possibly. The x20 series machines are very similar. You might want to see if there's a Whitelist BIOS for the W520 to allow a correct Wi-Fi card to be used - if not, you'll need to use a USB dongle for Wi-Fi. You also might run into issues with the video card being supported - I haven't gotten my nVidia / Optimus T420s to work without integrated graphics yet.

Will Hardcore dsdt. My father will buy me one if i pass reading 20 books of the kind like the graph of Monte Christo.

[tluck]

yes - search this thread for w520 - you will find there are some users that have leveraged this thread/guide - a number of them recently.  

- but it seems the Optimus is out of the picture and 

- then intel wifi is the other item to address. i.e. replace with USB wifi - or find/install a modded bios.

[Codinger]

yes - search this thread for w520 - you will find there are some users that have leveraged this thread/guide - a number of them recently.  

- but it seems the Optimus is out of the picture and

- then intel wifi is the other item to address. i.e. replace with USB wifi - or find/install a modded bios.

Thanks