[Guide] 10.11 El Capitan On the Surface Pro 4

[marvellrick]

Blankmac what about the artefacts? Do we have some progress with the update of OS?

[blankmac]

Blankmac what about the artefacts? Do we have some progress with the update of OS?

 

Yes, the artifacts are gone.  Although there is one peculiarity, on first login, the menu bar has some issues that would normally indicate the need for the cursor patch, but patching the cursor bytes does nothing; however, if you logout and then log back in, everything is perfect visually.  Haven't tested the miniDP port though.  

 

The real issue is as I stated before that upgrading to 10.11.4, breaks the NVMe driver for some reason.  It seems to be at least peripherally related to the following two kexts :  AppleIntelLpssI2C.kext and AppleIntelLpssI2CController.kext.  If you roll back to the 10.11.3 version of those two, then you'll be able to boot again, otherwise, it's a no-go.  So make sure you keep a 10.11.3 or lower version of an install USB or you will be unable to boot at all.  Also keep a copy of the 10.11.3 version of those two kexts on the install USB, then you can upgrade your SP4 to 10.11.4 with the combo updater, boot to the installer with 10.11.3, and then use the terminal to copy over the kexts and rebuild the caches.  Pain in the rear, but I haven't found a way to do it otherwise.  :-/

You also have to switch to the Aptio2 driver and you can ditch the APIC patch post upgrade.

[alex.daoud]

Yes, the artifacts are gone.  Although there is one peculiarity, on first login, the menu bar has some issues that would normally indicate the need for the cursor patch, but patching the cursor bytes does nothing; however, if you logout and then log back in, everything is perfect visually.  Haven't tested the miniDP port though.  

 

The real issue is as I stated before that upgrading to 10.11.4, breaks the NVMe driver for some reason.  It seems to be at least peripherally related to the following two kexts :  AppleIntelLpssI2C.kext and AppleIntelLpssI2CController.kext.  If you roll back to the 10.11.3 version of those two, then you'll be able to boot again, otherwise, it's a no-go.  So make sure you keep a 10.11.3 or lower version of an install USB or you will be unable to boot at all.  Also keep a copy of the 10.11.3 version of those two kexts on the install USB, then you can upgrade your SP4 to 10.11.4 with the combo updater, boot to the installer with 10.11.3, and then use the terminal to copy over the kexts and rebuild the caches.  Pain in the rear, but I haven't found a way to do it otherwise.  :-/

You also have to switch to the Aptio2 driver and you can ditch the APIC patch post upgrade.

Interesting regarding the i2c kexts. Those have never had any use in the past (theyre just controller drivers, last time I decompiled them, they didn't have any code for devices). Do you know which devices on the SP4 they're matching against?

[blankmac]

Interesting regarding the i2c kexts. Those have never had any use in the past (theyre just controller drivers, last time I decompiled them, they didn't have any code for devices). Do you know which devices on the SP4 they're matching against?

 

The old kext matches on 9c00 8086, which is to say, it didn't load or attempt to load at all.  The new one matches on 9c60 8086 (DMA?) but gives the complaint - "initI2CGplo: no ISOL, validateObject returned 0xe00002bc".  Booting without the NVMe kext, the SP4 will boot, but then there's no internal drive (that doesn't eliminate or change the error either)  Booting with the NVMe kext, there's no change in the I2C kexts, but the NVMe kext causes a KP so it seems they conflict in some way.  Not sure what it's trying to match against since 9c60 shouldn't be a valid hardware id on the SP4 as far as I'm aware.

[blankmac]

Ok, stupid me, I hadn't considered that it is probably a side effect of the SMBIOS I'm using. (MacBook Pro 11,2) I'm going to try switching it to the broadwell one until we get a SkyLake MacBook to model after.

[tundrwd]

I'm going to make a request here - not sure yet if this has been done - but I hate this thread process trying to find out what I need to do/watch for/etc.

 

Can someone either:

1. Update the first post on this thread with CURRENT instructions, as things are determined/found out/etc.
2. Create a NEW post - a sticky, if possible that does #1
3. Or, post instructions on a website, or in a Google doc to install OSX El Capitan on an SP4.

And, since it certainly appears that there is a slightly different process between internal or external drive to boot from/install - instructions or a "mix" of which things need to be done for which type of boot device?  Personally, I plan on using one of my USB SSD drives to install on for a while - until I'm comfortable things are working properly, etc.

 

Sorry - I've just been on other forae where this type of item goes on for dozens or even hundreds of pages, and you have to wade through ALL of it, including all the red herrings and wild goose chases, trying to create your own consolidated set of proper instructions.

[blankmac]

I'm going to make a request here - not sure yet if this has been done - but I hate this thread process trying to find out what I need to do/watch for/etc.

 

Can someone either:

1. Update the first post on this thread with CURRENT instructions, as things are determined/found out/etc.
2. Create a NEW post - a sticky, if possible that does #1
3. Or, post instructions on a website, or in a Google doc to install OSX El Capitan on an SP4.

And, since it certainly appears that there is a slightly different process between internal or external drive to boot from/install - instructions or a "mix" of which things need to be done for which type of boot device?  Personally, I plan on using one of my USB SSD drives to install on for a while - until I'm comfortable things are working properly, etc.

 

Sorry - I've just been on other forae where this type of item goes on for dozens or even hundreds of pages, and you have to wade through ALL of it, including all the red herrings and wild goose chases, trying to create your own consolidated set of proper instructions.

Quite honestly, hacking the skylake PCs is just getting started, particularly the notebooks where we are limited to the integrated GPU.  There's some work yet to be done to create something I would consider to be reasonably functional where the SP4 is concerned and 10.11.4 may have just put a roadblock in the way, unfortunately.  My point is that your spoon feeding request is unlikely to be fulfilled just yet and, in general, if that's as far as you're going to dip your toe in the water, you will find this hobby disappointing and frustrating.  There are already several good, generalized guides for installing OSX.  Take a swing at it, all the info you need is available.  When you hit problems, do a little research to see if you can solve it; otherwise, ask questions.  People in this community are very helpful, especially when you've put forth a little effort.

[tundrwd]

Quite honestly, hacking the skylake PCs is just getting started, particularly the notebooks where we are limited to the integrated GPU.  There's some work yet to be done to create something I would consider to be reasonably functional where the SP4 is concerned and 10.11.4 may have just put a roadblock in the way, unfortunately.  My point is that your spoon feeding request is unlikely to be fulfilled just yet and, in general, if that's as far as you're going to dip your toe in the water, you will find this hobby disappointing and frustrating.  There are already several good, generalized guides for installing OSX.  Take a swing at it, all the info you need is available.  When you hit problems, do a little research to see if you can solve it; otherwise, ask questions.  People in this community are very helpful, especially when you've put forth a little effort.

 

No, I'm not new to this type of process.  Had a couple Hackintoshs in the past, custom ROMs to older phones, and have been doing this same thing to Android tabs for a few years.  And that experience is what prompts this.  Go to android-x86.org, and check some threads on a couple custom ROMs.  You'll quickly get the idea of why I ask this.  And - while I know it's "starting" - some will wait until perfection has been achieved on each and every configuration for every SP4, for every condition.  While noble, that isn't necessary in all cases.  And I may decide that the lack of some particular feature or even a device, isn't worth waiting for several months.  After all, in several months, we'll most likely be facing an entirely new OS.   You may decide that since the i7 SP4 isn't working quite right, to not document it, even if the i5 works fine (or whatever).

 

So, I'm just asking that the process is documented, and what works/doesn't work is noted in that process.  That way, I can simply look at the document and decide whether it's worth the effort at that time or not.  And, as I said, if you look at android-x86.org and check some of those threads - you simply have NO idea what is to be done without creating your own documentation - one post at a time - for potentially hundreds of posts.

[marvellrick]

Yes, the artifacts are gone.  Although there is one peculiarity, on first login, the menu bar has some issues that would normally indicate the need for the cursor patch, but patching the cursor bytes does nothing; however, if you logout and then log back in, everything is perfect visually.  Haven't tested the miniDP port though.  

 

The real issue is as I stated before that upgrading to 10.11.4, breaks the NVMe driver for some reason.  It seems to be at least peripherally related to the following two kexts :  AppleIntelLpssI2C.kext and AppleIntelLpssI2CController.kext.  If you roll back to the 10.11.3 version of those two, then you'll be able to boot again, otherwise, it's a no-go.  So make sure you keep a 10.11.3 or lower version of an install USB or you will be unable to boot at all.  Also keep a copy of the 10.11.3 version of those two kexts on the install USB, then you can upgrade your SP4 to 10.11.4 with the combo updater, boot to the installer with 10.11.3, and then use the terminal to copy over the kexts and rebuild the caches.  Pain in the rear, but I haven't found a way to do it otherwise.  :-/

You also have to switch to the Aptio2 driver and you can ditch the APIC patch post upgrade.

 

Firstly Thanks blankmac for the solution that you posted! It saved us from a lot of time.

I'll give it a try as soon as i find some time.

 

 

I think what tundrwd proposed is not absurd.

After all that's the process that has been followed to the surface 2 pro topic in this forum.

I think a moderator is needed to do the modification to the first post.

Until now i think no moderator is making the hackintosh of surface pro 4, so i think someone of us, the mortal users , that went through the whole process, if he can, and when he has the time may repost the new updated guide.

[bernito]

It seems the real issue is that the SkyLake IGPU frame buffer isn't completed yet. But hey, what do I know, fiddle around with it. You'd certainly be a hero if you discovered a working combination. :-)

It looks like some people are having success with the SkyLake iGPU frame buffer here:

 

http://www.tonymacx86.com/el-capitan-laptop-support/184597-dell-xps-13-9350-cant-install-24.html

[blankmac]

It looks like some people are having success with the SkyLake iGPU frame buffer here:

 

http://www.tonymacx86.com/el-capitan-laptop-support/184597-dell-xps-13-9350-cant-install-24.html

Graphics are working now, but 10.11.4 introduces other problems. Most notably it kills the NVMe kext.

[bernito]

Graphics are working now, but 10.11.4 introduces other problems. Most notably it kills the NVMe kext.

I read that as well. It also appears that the wifi card in this laptop Dell XPS 13 9350) should work out of the box but something is causing issues with that as well which is bizarre.

 

Does the SP4 only do NVMe or can you set it up as PCIe in bios or somehow else?

[blankmac]

I read that as well. It also appears that the wifi card in this laptop Dell XPS 13 9350) should work out of the box but something is causing issues with that as well which is bizarre.

 

Does the SP4 only do NVMe or can you set it up as PCIe in bios or somehow else?

 

I don't think so, but even if you could, the internal drive is NVMe so you would have to swap it out, not the easiest proposition and there's no guarantee it would work anyway.  The install USB will boot without the NVMe kext so you could potentially install OS X to the SD card or an external drive.  Not worth it to me so unless whoever produced the kext updates it or makes it open source, the SP4 is starting to look like a dead end.

[bernito]

I don't think so, but even if you could, the internal drive is NVMe so you would have to swap it out, not the easiest proposition and there's no guarantee it would work anyway.  The install USB will boot without the NVMe kext so you could potentially install OS X to the SD card or an external drive.  Not worth it to me so unless whoever produced the kext updates it or makes it open source, the SP4 is starting to look like a dead end.

Yep. I have a 500 GB Samsung 950 Pro m.2 drive that I could pop in, but I checked out the iFixit tear down and it looks a bit daunting. It bums me out since the SP4 would be my ideal hackintosh. I like the new Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro S and Huaweii Mate Book designs, but they are hamstrung by Core M processors. Might even be willing to pay for the overpriced iPad Pro 13.3" if it ran OS X, but that doesn't seem to be in the works which I personally think is short sighted.

[blankmac]

Yep. I have a 500 GB Samsung 950 Pro m.2 drive that I could pop in, but I checked out the iFixit tear down and it looks a bit daunting. It bums me out since the SP4 would be my ideal hackintosh. I like the new Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro S and Huaweii Mate Book designs, but they are hamstrung by Core M processors. Might even be willing to pay for the overpriced iPad Pro 13.3" if it ran OS X, but that doesn't seem to be in the works which I personally think is short sighted.

For a tablet, the core M part doesn't bother me, I have a gigabyte core i7 laptop that runs OSX perfectly. But what I want in a tablet is one where the touchscreen and wifi are working. I'm curious about the two tablet PCs you mentioned, but also about the Dell Latitude 7275. If I knew for sure I could open it up and swap the wifi card, I would sell my SP4 and jump on it.

[tundrwd]

Curious - does Ink work at this stage, allowing handwriting recognition and input?  Sorry - I've never had a Wacom tablet, etc, so not even sure if it's still embedded in OSX 10.11.4 (although it seems it was in Yosemite), so I'm curious.

 

Using the MS Typepad is nice, but handwriting - well, that's great for quick notes in a meeting, etc.  So just curious if that works or not, never saw that in the first post of "what works, what doesn't"

[bernito]

For a tablet, the core M part doesn't bother me, I have a gigabyte core i7 laptop that runs OSX perfectly. But what I want in a tablet is one where the touchscreen and wifi are working. I'm curious about the two tablet PCs you mentioned, but also about the Dell Latitude 7275. If I knew for sure I could open it up and swap the wifi card, I would sell my SP4 and jump on it.

Have been looking at all sorts of tables hybrids and ultra books, but virtually everything comes with Intel wifi / Bluetooth which is obviously not supported. It would not be problematic if the Intel wifi cards are socketed, but many are soldered to the motherboard. The Dell Latitude 7275 that you mention says "Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260 802.11AC Wi-Fi + BT 4.1 LE Wireless Card (2x2) Low Power" on its website. I am wondering if it is really a replaceable "card" which the description seems to suggest and if so, how difficult would it be to do so. I cannot find any tear downs or service manuals, so am reluctant to purchase until I know for sure.

[blankmac]

It's the same as the Dell XPS 12 and it actually comes apart quite easily. The Intel wifi and SSD are replaceable as well. I bought one and was able to get OS X running but it suffers from the same problem as the Venue/SP3, the touchscreen is connected via the I2C bus, which is a shame considering it is a Wacom digitizer. Touchpad worked natively, but you need VoodooPS2 for the keyboard. If you don't care about the touchscreen, it's not a bad choice though it did have some Aptio/boot oddities. You can see a tear down here:

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wUUZGSv_Log

 

I have my eye on a couple others and will be trying them out soon. I'll report back if I find something more fully compatible.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[alex.daoud]

It's the same as the Dell XPS 12 and it actually comes apart quite easily. The Intel wifi and SSD are replaceable as well. I bought one and was able to get OS X running but it suffers from the same problem as the Venue/SP3, the touchscreen is connected via the I2C bus, which is a shame considering it is a Wacom digitizer. Touchpad worked natively, but you need VoodooPS2 for the keyboard. If you don't care about the touchscreen, it's not a bad choice though it did have some Aptio/boot oddities. You can see a tear down here:

 

 

I have my eye on a couple others and will be trying them out soon. I'll report back if I find something more fully compatible.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Might still be a good machine. VoodooI2C now works as a standalone kext on both the Venue and the SP3. The stylus works on the SP3 as well, haven't put much effort into figuring out the stylus for the Venue. I'll be working on multitouch this summer hopefully.

[blankmac]

Might still be a good machine. VoodooI2C now works as a standalone kext on both the Venue and the SP3. The stylus works on the SP3 as well, haven't put much effort into figuring out the stylus for the Venue. I'll be working on multitouch this summer hopefully.

 

Had I known, I would have at least tested it, but unfortunately I've already returned the Dell.  Given the replaceability of the guts, lack of a whitelist, etc, it would be a no-brainer with a working touchscreen.  I'm going to try the HP Spectre X2 sometime in the next couple of weeks, supposedly the TS is Wacom AES and USB connected so there's a good chance of finding drivers from the Wacom site that will give full compatibility.  Intel wifi again, but some of the photos I've seen lead me to believe it can be replaced just like the Dell.

[alex.daoud]

Had I known, I would have at least tested it, but unfortunately I've already returned the Dell.  Given the replaceability of the guts, lack of a whitelist, etc, it would be a no-brainer with a working touchscreen.  I'm going to try the HP Spectre X2 sometime in the next couple of weeks, supposedly the TS is Wacom AES and USB connected so there's a good chance of finding drivers from the Wacom site that will give full compatibility.  Intel wifi again, but some of the photos I've seen lead me to believe it can be replaced just like the Dell.

No worries, I only figured out touch on the Dell yesterday, was a pesky BIOS update that fixed it Good luck with the HP.

[bernito]

No worries, I only figured out touch on the Dell yesterday, was a pesky BIOS update that fixed it Good luck with the HP.

I will probably now get the Dell Latitude 7275 based on the ability to upgrade the ssd and change the wifi card.

 

Can your please provide detail on how you got the stylus working on the SP3 so I can try something similar on the 7275?

It's the same as the Dell XPS 12 and it actually comes apart quite easily. The Intel wifi and SSD are replaceable as well. I bought one and was able to get OS X running but it suffers from the same problem as the Venue/SP3, the touchscreen is connected via the I2C bus, which is a shame considering it is a Wacom digitizer. Touchpad worked natively, but you need VoodooPS2 for the keyboard. If you don't care about the touchscreen, it's not a bad choice though it did have some Aptio/boot oddities. You can see a tear down here:https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wUUZGSv_Log

I have my eye on a couple others and will be trying them out soon. I'll report back if I find something more fully compatible.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Per my post above, any guidance on how you got El Capitan running on the 7275 would be appreciated since I intend to give it a go.

 

Also, which wifi card do you recommend for this machine? The Broadcom BCM94352Z NGFF M.2 WiFi WLAN Bluetooth 4.0 802.11ac seems to be a popular choice.

 

http://www.amazon.com/BCM94352Z-NGFF-WiFi-Bluetooth-802-11ac/dp/B00JGFA50U

[blankmac]

I will probably now get the Dell Latitude 7275 based on the ability to upgrade the ssd and change the wifi card.

 

Can your please provide detail on how you got the stylus working on the SP3 so I can try something similar on the 7275?

Per my post above, any guidance on how you got El Capitan running on the 7275 would be appreciated since I intend to give it a go.

 

Also, which wifi card do you recommend for this machine? The Broadcom BCM94352Z NGFF M.2 WiFi WLAN Bluetooth 4.0 802.11ac seems to be a popular choice.

 

http://www.amazon.com/BCM94352Z-NGFF-WiFi-Bluetooth-802-11ac/dp/B00JGFA50U

Sorry, my post wasn't very clear, what I bought was the XPS 12 9250 since it was available locally, the latitude is the business version with the only difference appearing to be the sim cut out (the wwan slot, sim slot, and antennas are still there tho).

 

I'll try to dig up the config.plist I used for you. Just keep in mind that on the latest version of clover, I was getting Aptio errors 50% of the time. It may be possible that a different version of clover will work better and/or a different driver setup will work.

[blankmac]

Also, if you look closely at the earlier video, you can see that the Intel 8260 is a dual keyed WLAN card, the one you linked to isn't. It's possible to notch the card, but I would go with the Dell DW1560 and avoid the problem altogether.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[alex.daoud]

For those interested in the progress of the SP4's touchscreen for the Linux kernel, the guy who has been reverse engineering the touchscreen has had a reply from Intel saying they are actively working on an opensource driver (see: https://www.reddit.com/r/SurfaceLinux/comments/3z6g9g/installing_debian_on_the_microsoft_surface_pro_4/czxwh8o) Once those open source drivers are out, we will be in a better position to see what kind of support we can bring for the touchscreen on OS X.