Guide To Install MacOS on HP Probook with Broadwell Architecture Clover BootLoader

[makk]

Choosing a bootloader to begin the process

There is OpenCore

There is Clover

 

Clover has been around for quite a number of years and has been up to date to keep up with the latest MacOS Monterey. Which is what this is going to cover.

Clover's approach is to allow hardware to work more with unsupported hardware by Faking process.

 

Hachintosh is patching a set configuring of hardware and devices to spoof what is Apple specific. Intel hardware mostly is what Apple used for the Mac OSX of Apple

Machintoshes.  Where previously Machintosh were all Apple and needed all Apple. Could not create a liable reliable hachintosh.

 

For OpenCore there are several ways which Clover has started and OpenCore has integrated and changed. OpenCore follows a more Vanilla approach.

 

Apple with the creation of their Silicon version of M1 ARM64 Architecture has gone back to their original tradition of all Apple, as per the Early Machintosh computers that were fantastic for Illustrating art generating great documents and albums.  Sort of wish they had maintained that tradition. They were expensive.  A single graphics card at that time cost in the neighborhood of $1k or better.

 

With the insurgence of Snow Leopard which was one awesome OS X, came about the hachintosh due to the appearance of it and these being Intel based architecture.

About a year ago Apple announced their very own architecture for computers.  As they have had great success with iOS, on cell phones and iPads.

 

Clover is what this is based on and when time permits OpenCore as I have done both. I am no expert and still learning a great deal.

To learn this you are going to need to hash through incomplete, instructions on how to get your hardware as close to 100% viable and reliable with every piece and device on your computer, Laptop.

 

I started with Mojave for this HP Probook 450 G2 laptop.

 

I found the website dedicated by RehabMan on another forum where he left instructions and a project he had compiled over his tenure as Hachintosh Guru specifically for HP Probooks and Elites Books.  Based mostly on Intel CPU, Intel Architecture, Intel Graphics, AMD graphics and Nvidia graphics.

Intel's graphics is integrated into the CPU for the most part. Having dual graphics onboard, means dual architecture for graphics specific.

Such as the combination of Intel and AMD, or Intel and Nvidia.  

 

RehabMan has contribute quite an extensive amount of knowledge and experience to this project called Hachintosh.  He retired a few years back and hasn't been heard from since.  He spent a decade or more of his time devoted to hachintosh.

 

Intel and AMD are different architectures sharing a common thread to make the computer work. They do not follow exactness but share a common basic foundation which can be confusing to many as being the 'same.' Which they are not. Instruction sets, and the approach are not equal. They do have to follow a standard or Windows Operating system cannot function under either one.  So the approach and instructions are different but standards force them to working conditions for Operating systems.

 

Then there is the AMD CPU in combination with AMD Graphics. Such as Ryzen CPU and Radion APU.

 

Apple altogether is UNIX based when they switched from the old machintosh. Complete overhaul.

 

Bootloaders, the portion which boots using the computers BIOS set of instructions concerning the hardware and hands off to the Operating system. This portion is what is necessary in order to have a working Apple MacOS. Without it, a pc intel or as they used to say, IBM computers, cannot operate an MacOS.

 

This is what this Guide is about. To have a working bootloader so you can enjoy MacOS on your laptop.

 

First I downloaded RehabMan's project from the webpage he had created. Then I followed his instructions to have a working copy of Machintosh Mojave

on this HP Probook 450 G2.

 

The latest Clover bootloader is version 5146 as of this posting.

 

My system is an HP Probook 450 G2 model year 2015 by Hewlett Packard.

Onboard is an Intel CPU, Core i5 5200U, Broadwell Architecture by Intel.

An integrated graphics HD 5500. Not a fast graphics processor such as those like AMD Radion and Nvidia Geforce.

CPU 2.2 Ghz, IGPU is max 900Mhz with a 1.5MB VRAM.

CPU has turbo upto a documented 2.7GHz but at times may see over 3Ghz.

8GB DDR3L Ram 1600Mhz, laptop is upgradeable to 16GB.

Has a 1TB SSD not M2 chip.

Intel AC 3160 Dual Band Wifi and Bluetooth combination.

DVD Rom

Realtek ALC282 HDMI Audio

Realtek 5227 SD Card slot

Realtek RTL8111 LAN

 

The portions: 

 

Folder named EFI

Inside EFI drilled down

EFI < Top level

BOOT < Second level

CLOVER < Third level

 

Must be named EFI or not recoginzed by the OS or BIOS.

 

Syntaxs and names to get used to

 

1 UEFI.  Unified EFI

2 Boot names for booting files that are required for a boot to occur

 such as boot1, boot0, boot2, boot3, boot000. bootxxx.efi must be efi on the end

Shell.efi which has the partition and volume information for Clover to put together a booting session.

Clover needs hardware, devices, and software to boot the hardware and pass off to the Operating system

a 'go' between.  So if your config is off, it will not boot or not boot your hardware properly creating and errored state.

 

 

Gather together the information pertaining to your hardware which you wish to boot.

 

From Windows if you have this available, gather together your devices, names and hardware names and identifiers that you

will need to know in order to configure your booting .plist.

 

You need to know so you can gather the appropriate kexts, software and things that are necessary for after a successful install.

Hardware information from Device Manager pertaining to:

Audio, Wifi, Bluetooth, Graphics, hardrive, usb ports, camera, trackpad, sdcard, display, etc.

 

You can use CPU-Z and GPU-Z, msinfo, to get these as well. They are all useful in gathering the hardware

information. 

 

They will be needed to help you from scrounging all over the net.

 

In Windows you make your bootloader.

 

Are two links to image files which has been created to boot your hackos.

This EFI is prepackaged to work with HP Probooks 4x0 Gx Broadwell Architecture only.

 

EFI for HP Probooks 4x0 Gx ( 4x0 440, 450 ) (Gx G1, G2, to G4 possibly G5 depending on if it is Broadwell Architecture)

 

For the linked files below must have an active Google Account and login into drive.google.com. --oops! Apology

 

UPDATED: config.plist for Clover Only! Do Not Use With OpenCore EFI.

config.plistconfig.plist.zip

Broadwell set config.plist from RehabMan's Archive: 

config_HD5300_5500_6000 Ref.plist.zip

 

To edit these config.plists, use Xcode App from Apple or ProperTree 

 

Xcode App download from Apple @ AppStore. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/xcode/id497799835?mt=12

ProperTree https://github.com/corpnewt/ProperTree

 

DMG file: EFI

Clover 5146 For the linked files below must have an active Google Account and login into drive.google.com. --oops! Apologyhttps://drive.google.com/file/d/1d37RTEY25GN4-F6JTSfX7v-ahBXRKh7L/view?usp=sharing

OpenCore 7.9

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WdsuaEghgk3uONNRkZ4yDADdqfi1_aq1/view?usp=sharing

 

ZIP Files: EFI

Clover 5146 For the linked files below must have an active Google Account and login into drive.google.com. --oops! Apology

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AwqcluTlOu5dkGEsC_AKI5_4WVdXNinx/view?usp=sharing

OpenCore 7.9

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GMOHRI7z2mUue4X3Ereh30H9fRn3r9BH/view?usp=sharing

 

Big Sur 11.4 .img from Acer Nitro 5 with OpenCore EFI.  

For the linked files below must have an active Google Account and login into drive.google.com. --oops! Apology
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZcCYR50zWWtis6dxxKn3AInfBgs7ia6E/view?usp=sharing

 

Download balenaEtcher to burn the image to USB requires 16Gb Pendrive.

Screenshot 6

https://www.balena.io/etcher/

 

After burning this to your USB stick, swap out the EFI with the first link.

Mount the EFI using Transmac, third party image mounter to be able to delete and copy the EFI.

Transmac trial version good for 15 days to mount mac partitions and manipulate, edit, delete, add.

 

For the linked files below must have an active Google Account and login into drive.google.com. --oops! Apology

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XbzCQPa7wr7yD3KpYG4_EAN42MsFyVAO/view?usp=sharing

 

Then boot.

Let the USB run through to the Menu which reads 'Recovery'.

Select the 'Disk Utility' and press continue -righthand bottom corner

This brings you to the Utility to format your drive.

 

Screenshot 1 shows the Utility

Screenshot 2 select view and show all drives.

Select your drive and select 'erase' ( Apple's way of formatting doesn't say Format on the Menu but in popup menus )

Screenshot 3

type in the name you want

Screenshot 4 (example only)

 

[ Substituting a USB pendrive for actual drive due to my drives being populated. the actual menu is the same when a new drive is found ]

 

when populated and space is available this menu is seen

Screenshot 5

 

As of the writing of this post I was looking for an app to actually make an image that has the EFI and writes to the fat32 partition and

makes the installer so to kill two birds with one stone. But haven't found that app.

 

The Second link to Big Sur 11.4 is an image that places the EFI of OpenCore into the EFI partition and creates the installer for installing Big Sur

on the USB only.  Then once you have installed the image to actual drive you have to mount the drive EFI and copy the EFI to it which is

in the first link.  Two are there a .dmg and a zip file.  it is actually a lot simpler then it reads.

 

 

Edited April 8, 2022 by makk

[makk]

Part Two:

You will need to write in on your config.plist in the SMBIOS three things outlined in red.

Screenshot 1

1 Serialnumber

2 Boardserialnumber

3 System UUID

 

Use Clover Configurator to accomplish this task.

https://mackie100projects.altervista.org/download-clover-configurator/

Screen shot 2

Screen shot 3

 

save the file to any name except config.plist as we do not want to disturb the config.plist with Clover Configurator as it writes

anomalies which creates some strange characters in the config.plist such as in numbers--> 21412321232.00 where . and 00 should not be there.

 

Download Xcode or Propertree to edit the config.plist for Clover bootloader.

 

config.plist editor link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1v9lqfqg3NpGmfj5wTZ01ZDn1peTSzTZK/view?usp=sharing

 

 

Edited March 29, 2022 by makk

[makk]

Part Three

 

in the config.plist besides SMBIOS

next is RtVariables

1 ROM

2 MLB < this is in SMBIOS motherboard serial number. Copy to here. Or you may choose to use Clover Configurator for this purpose but remember to not use the Configurator to edit your actual config.plist that is used to boot.

Always keep a copy of your original config.plist.

Make a duplicate copy.

You can use Clover Configurator to get information and save it as somename.plist to keep.

 

Rom is needed to use iMessage, Facetime and Applestore and possibly --updates<--don't recall off hand.

 

A ROM is a mac address of the interface for LAN or Wifi that is used and active when going online.

If you use a direct hardwire via LAN cables the use a Mac adress from the LAN interface and change a few of them as show below.

But for this example it I am using Wifi Mac address as it is an mac address that is valid but a fake one

is used in creating the ROM for the config.plist.

 

e1:b2:ee:d4:AB:CD:< actual written>

<e1b2eed4 abcd> to be written in the config.plist for your private rom. You can use the actual mac address but I would advise against it for security reasons.

 

so lets make this up but for Apple to see it as valid.

 

<E4A4EFD7 30DD> if you have a ROM calculator these are available but most of the time they somehow don't work quite

 as well as taking an actual mac address and reworking.

 

May have to do this several times for iMessage to work.  It took me many times to come up with one that actually worked.

 

Edited March 29, 2022 by makk

[makk]

Part Four

It is highly advisable to install Xcode App and Xcode Commandline tools these are needed to have.

For apps like Propertree and python are needed.

Xcode App can be used to edit config.plist.

Xcode.app is a huge file to download

 

to install commandline tools open terminal in MacOS and execute the following:

 

xcode-select --install

 

some commands to have and use:

# to install commandline tools from Terminal:

xcode-select --install

# to check Commandline Tools  Directory and if installed:

xcode-select -p

# Package check:

pkgutil --pkg-info=com.apple.pkg.CLTools_Executables

# to check xcode version:

xcode-select --version or v

 

There are two CommandLineTools directories:

1 /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/CommandLineTools <> if no actual standalone CommandLineTools exists.

2 /Library/Developers/CommandLineTools <> standalone for internal and third party apps such as python, homebrew, etc,.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 5, 2022 by makk

[makk]

Part Five

 

SIP and Gatekeeper

 

many kexts and certain apps require SIP to be disabled for them to work along with Gatekeeper to be disabled in certain cases.

Gatekeeper is part of the internal level of security for rogue scripts that may present mal intent.

 

MacOS Catalina, Big Sur, and Monterey have Data partitions and main partition that is read only which is the reason many kexts

require SIP to be disabled.

 

Gatekeeper to be disabled as well.

Screen shot 4

 

Open terminal and execute the following:

 

sudo spctl --master-disable

 

sudo allows one to execute root privilege and requires a password to allow.

Screen shot 2

 

SIP or Apple's version of Windows type security from executing on your system.

Layers of security for your protection several levels exist even where one would not think to find.

 

SIP can only be disabled in Recovery mode.

To do this one must boot into Recovery mode from the Bootloader where one selects it and presses the enter key.

Screen shot 1

 

SIP to view your current SIP mode open terminal and execute the following

 

csrutil status

Screen shot 3

 

In the MacOS there are several levels of security.

 

Best to use password protection for all your activities.

 

Edited March 29, 2022 by makk

[makk]

For tools in Windows to use to be able to maneuver and do things.

https://explorerplusplus.com/download

 

For this link requires logged into Google Drive:  Security reasons

Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CmVJc_z7x5UzjKJsS2Ap4SdzicW3aGMK/view?usp=sharing

 

mini partition wizard to use as well to mount and edit in Windows Explorer.

https://www.partitionwizard.com/

For this link requires logged into Google Drive:  Security reasons

Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FeXpfscGEIh_1YSBfRR6G_PbAzQdJY1K/view?usp=sharing

 

Add these to be able to edit your EFI such as delete it and put the one in the first post.

 

Transmac is also as posted above able to mount a mac partition HFS+ journaled.

https://pureinfotech.com/create-macos-bootable-usb-windows/

 

Takes a bit to get it these understood to use. Just be careful not to delete and not have a backup.

 

 

Edited April 5, 2022 by makk

[makk]

Mounting EFI in MacOS using Clover Configurator

Screen shot 1

Screen shot 2

 

To summarize

1 the .img file is burned to USB pendrive via balenaEtcher ( Windows Version )

2 then mounted by Transmac in Windows

or mini partition wizard veiwable aftewards in Explorer++

3 To be able to remove the EFI folder present in Burned into USB Pendrive and replace it with the EFI for the HP Probook in the zip file.

 

Recap:

For the installer to work you need the HP Probook EFI in the EFI partition of the USB partition called EFI.

EFI partition can be mounted with Transmac in Windows and Clover Configurator in MacOS.

 

For the EFI

1 Can use either file .dmg or the zip file in Transmac.

ZIP file if using mini partition wizard and Explorer++

 

For Transmac please visit the site and follow the instructions.

 

After you have successfully installed MacOS on your drive, mount the EFI of that drive it should be empty,

Then mount the EFI of the USB Pendrive

Copy by dragging the EFI folder from the USB into the EFI of the actual drive.

Make sure your config.plist has the following filled in:

1 Serialnumber

2 Boardserialnumber

3 SmUUID

4 ROM

5 MLB

 

Any questions please comment here.

 

[makk]

Important things to know:

 

EFI is a fat32 partition is not encrypted

 

APFS is Mac's new drive formats for all OS starting with High Sierra and made permanent with Catanlina, Big Sur and Monterey.

Do not use HFS+ Journaled to try and install Catalina, Big Sur and Monterey, it will be re-formatted to APFS by default.

 

APFS structure --Screen shot 1

open up Terminal and execute the following:

diskutil list

 

APFS listing --Screen shot 2

open up terminal and execute the following:

 

diskutil apfs list

[makk]

Finding Terminal in MacOS

 

In the Menu Bar Up Top on a Mac OS (unless you moved it in System Preferences)

is by default up.

 

Find spotlight the magnifier looking icon and click it.

Then type Terminal and click Terminal in the drop down menu to bring the Terminal Window

[makk]

EFI Mounting techniques and apps.

 

can be done with Terminal

can be done with an app

 

## With Terminal execute the following:

 

sudo diskutil mountDisk EFI

pasword

mounted

Screen shot 1

Screen shot 2

 

To unmount execute the following:

 

sudo diskutil unmountDisk EFI

 

Screen shot 3

Screen shot 4

 

## With an App

 

ESP Mounter Pro V1.9.1 https://www.olarila.com/topic/4975-esp-mounter-pro-v19/

To mount and unmount is a process  of clicking the Drive icon on the Menu Bar

then  clicking on mount and open the Folder

and then unmount after closing the Folder

 

Screen shot 5

Screen shot 6

 

 

 

 

 

EFI must be mounted to work in it.

 

Folder structure of Clover

Screen Shot 1

 

To learn each one please refer to Clover Documents and instructions found on this forum.

Edited April 5, 2022 by makk

[makk]

Bluetooth in Monterey.

 

Must use an Apple BCM94630HMB or CD or CS FENVI made

Intel chip, wifi works only.

Do not use Intel Bluetooth disable it in BIOS so you do not accidentally turn in on in Desktop mode.

 

Scour the net and purchase Broadcom BCM94630HMB, or CD, or CS

Edited March 29, 2022 by makk

[Guest 5T33Z0]

The Windows version of OpenCoreAuxiliaryTools can mount the ESP without any additional tool requirements.

[makk]

Essential Apps to have always are:

 

Xcode.App, Xcode CommandLineTools-->standalone smaller package

The apps below require Xcode CommandLineTools.

1 python3 --> download from python website.

2 homebrew

3 ProperTree --> for editing in config.plists and other .plists as alternate for Xcode.

 

**ProperTree requires python and XcodeCMT.

 

Recommended to never use a graphical configurator to open and edit config.plist on the EFI.  

 

For the OpenCore there is an extensive graphical website that is very explanatory and very helpful to get started.

There are simple systems and then systems that require a lot of configuring requiring good amounts of researching to

 to have a boot.

Some systems need many hotpatched SSDT's while others don't.

Some systems require a few more kexts, while others don't.

So it really depends on how new your system is, as in the year of the architectures birthdate.

It really depends on the architecture of the motherboard.

There are websites on the Net that recommend.

 

 

Edited April 5, 2022 by makk

[makk]

UPDATE:

 

New OC EFI follow the link to get it works like a charm boots Windows and other OS's besides MacOS perfectly.

 

EFI OC 8.0

https://drive.google.com/file/d/18qgbzqijSpPZVFIM4_HPi6wFg2ep275h/view?usp=sharing

[justApple]

thanks for the epic guide.

 

does this work with haswell chipsets.

 

does the newest clover or opencore direct from their github work or use the link in your guide.

 

i've followed rehabmans guide for probook elitebook  etc.

 

not sure which part of your guide covers the post install things to do after booting clover, then finished the installation of - monterey -

 

 

 

 

 

[robi62]

Hi first of all thank you for excellent guide I have an hp 810 g3 which has same cpu and gra card as yours but I cannot boot with your updated clover .

I can boot with mine which is version 5103 What ever I try I keep getting this screen on boot

I have hp 810 g2 which Is haswell and my clover efi boots from mojave to montery no problems

This is screen I get I dont know how to solve this I attach my config file from which I can boot with 5103

config810g3.plist.zip

Edited June 17, 2022 by robi62