- Joined
- Apr 9, 2013
- Messages
- 9
- Motherboard
- Gigabyte Z490 Vision D
- CPU
- i9-10900K
- Graphics
- RX 580
- Mac
Hi guys, I’ve had a working 10.15.7 Catalina install for a couple years on a 3.7Ghz Core i9 10900k, (and I still want to stay in Catalina, I don’t want to update OS yet), done with OpenCore 0.6.9 (which I haven’t updated it yet either as everything was working)
Yesterday when I Shutted down, it seems like somehow a system update started, even if I have updates OFF. Anyway the apple and the progress bar appeared, was taking way too long so I realised it might be updating, and I decided to force switch power off.
After that the system wouldn't boot, so I connected the “Catalina backup” drive that I luckily did the previous night, and booted OK from it, then I opened Carbon Copy Cloner and restored “Catalina backup” into "Catalina".
After that I tried to boot the restored “Catalina” drive, there was a new option at the boot screen, “macOS Installer”, but I choose the Catalina Drive, and then the apple appeared, with the progress bar, but when it got to 3/4 in, suddenly the machine shut down.
I booted again in the “Catalina backup” drive, then manually mounted both EFIs with EFI Agent, made sure which was which, and even if the files in both looked the same, I copied the EFI from the “Catalina backup” drive into the “Catalina” drive EFI. (note, I overwrote, so I did not delete the efi folder 1st and then copy EFI, maybe I should have?)
Tried to boot from “Catalina”, after having copied the EFI from the backup, and again when the progress bar was at 3/4, the Machine shut down.
At some point between several attempts, thought of the NVRam, so when booting I pressed space bar, chose Reset NVRam, then when it restarted again, -and since I did that-, the “macOS Installer” option doesn't appear anymore. But still “Catalina” won’t boot.
I mounted in EFI Agent the Premount volume of both drives and I can see they are different. I wonder if that is where the problem might be and why “Backup Catalina” boots ok and the restored “Catalina” drive doesn’t?
The Preboot in the “Catalina” drive has, in the root, two folders with long names (random numbers and letters), one of them inside has a subfolder called ‘com.apple.installer’ with the stop sign, (so I need to input password to modify it, this is also seen after having cleared the NVRam, and even if I’m not anymore seeing when booting the ‘macOS Installer’ option at boot screen).
The other long name root folder’s contents (usr, var, System, Library) initially look like the one in “Backup Catalina” Preboot, but the modified dates of some subfolders are different.
I haven’t touched anything yet but I’m wondering about what would happen if I copied some - or all - of the contents of the Backup drive Preboot into the Catalina drive Preboot volume, or subfolders.
That said I want to mention (quite obvious anyway that) my ideal priority here is having “Catalina” funtional as it was, booting fine, and IMPORTANT, I have Authorisations for programs and plugins that are tied to the hard drive ID, - so I don’t know for sure but -, I don’t want to risk those authorisations to stop working if the contents of the Preboot volume were copied from the backup drive, and there was a chance that changed the Catalina drive “identity” from those authorisations’ perspective.
Also Ideally, I don’t want to have to re-install a fresh Catalina and then copy the Data, for the same reason. To avoid possible trouble with authorised apps and plugins.
So my questions are:
1- Keeping it simple approach: Can I just MANUALLY replace the usr, var, System, Library from the “Backup” drive’s Preboot into “Catalina”’s Preboot, and delete the 2nd folder at the root level that contains the com.apple.installer? Would that make Catalina bootable again, and I’d still keep my authorisations intact? I mean leaving the same long name folder (numbers and characters) but copying the contents from the backup one.
2 - Or does it need to be done with a program like CCC to not leave any hidden file behind or whatever?
3 - I assume that those long parent folder names have a purpose, and I shouldn’t just copy the parent folder of “Catalina Backup’s Preboot into “Catalina” drive’s Preboot, that’s why I mention that I would copy the contents (usr, var, System, Library) from parent folder to parent folder, so to not change the long names.
4 - OR will it be fine if I do copy the parent long named folder from backup Preboot to Catalina Preboot, and I won’t cause trouble with the Authorisations tied to the Hard drive ID?
5 - If the case was that unfortunately none of the previous questions, or any other non destructive solution was feasible, and I had to reinstall fresh, what is the best way while I still keep any authorisations unaffected?
I read a post by nickboy in which he had accidentally deleted the Preboot, and Namok88 suggested booting from USB installer, creating new volume in Catalina drive, installing a new catalina and that would create a new Preboot. So that makes me think that I could even do that (deleting the preboot), and there's a chance that might not affect the apps / plugins authorisations, so ultimately I could do that, but I won't go there without your opinions and advice, as I have no idea what the Preboot does and besides the OS, what programs use it for correct functioning and authorisations.
I attach a screenshot with the comparison of Preboot volume in both hard drives, where you can see the long names and the difference in their contents. Left side is the Preboot volume from “Catalina”, the right side is the Preboot volume from the Backup drive.
Thanks a lot in advance
Yesterday when I Shutted down, it seems like somehow a system update started, even if I have updates OFF. Anyway the apple and the progress bar appeared, was taking way too long so I realised it might be updating, and I decided to force switch power off.
After that the system wouldn't boot, so I connected the “Catalina backup” drive that I luckily did the previous night, and booted OK from it, then I opened Carbon Copy Cloner and restored “Catalina backup” into "Catalina".
After that I tried to boot the restored “Catalina” drive, there was a new option at the boot screen, “macOS Installer”, but I choose the Catalina Drive, and then the apple appeared, with the progress bar, but when it got to 3/4 in, suddenly the machine shut down.
I booted again in the “Catalina backup” drive, then manually mounted both EFIs with EFI Agent, made sure which was which, and even if the files in both looked the same, I copied the EFI from the “Catalina backup” drive into the “Catalina” drive EFI. (note, I overwrote, so I did not delete the efi folder 1st and then copy EFI, maybe I should have?)
Tried to boot from “Catalina”, after having copied the EFI from the backup, and again when the progress bar was at 3/4, the Machine shut down.
At some point between several attempts, thought of the NVRam, so when booting I pressed space bar, chose Reset NVRam, then when it restarted again, -and since I did that-, the “macOS Installer” option doesn't appear anymore. But still “Catalina” won’t boot.
I mounted in EFI Agent the Premount volume of both drives and I can see they are different. I wonder if that is where the problem might be and why “Backup Catalina” boots ok and the restored “Catalina” drive doesn’t?
The Preboot in the “Catalina” drive has, in the root, two folders with long names (random numbers and letters), one of them inside has a subfolder called ‘com.apple.installer’ with the stop sign, (so I need to input password to modify it, this is also seen after having cleared the NVRam, and even if I’m not anymore seeing when booting the ‘macOS Installer’ option at boot screen).
The other long name root folder’s contents (usr, var, System, Library) initially look like the one in “Backup Catalina” Preboot, but the modified dates of some subfolders are different.
I haven’t touched anything yet but I’m wondering about what would happen if I copied some - or all - of the contents of the Backup drive Preboot into the Catalina drive Preboot volume, or subfolders.
That said I want to mention (quite obvious anyway that) my ideal priority here is having “Catalina” funtional as it was, booting fine, and IMPORTANT, I have Authorisations for programs and plugins that are tied to the hard drive ID, - so I don’t know for sure but -, I don’t want to risk those authorisations to stop working if the contents of the Preboot volume were copied from the backup drive, and there was a chance that changed the Catalina drive “identity” from those authorisations’ perspective.
Also Ideally, I don’t want to have to re-install a fresh Catalina and then copy the Data, for the same reason. To avoid possible trouble with authorised apps and plugins.
So my questions are:
1- Keeping it simple approach: Can I just MANUALLY replace the usr, var, System, Library from the “Backup” drive’s Preboot into “Catalina”’s Preboot, and delete the 2nd folder at the root level that contains the com.apple.installer? Would that make Catalina bootable again, and I’d still keep my authorisations intact? I mean leaving the same long name folder (numbers and characters) but copying the contents from the backup one.
2 - Or does it need to be done with a program like CCC to not leave any hidden file behind or whatever?
3 - I assume that those long parent folder names have a purpose, and I shouldn’t just copy the parent folder of “Catalina Backup’s Preboot into “Catalina” drive’s Preboot, that’s why I mention that I would copy the contents (usr, var, System, Library) from parent folder to parent folder, so to not change the long names.
4 - OR will it be fine if I do copy the parent long named folder from backup Preboot to Catalina Preboot, and I won’t cause trouble with the Authorisations tied to the Hard drive ID?
5 - If the case was that unfortunately none of the previous questions, or any other non destructive solution was feasible, and I had to reinstall fresh, what is the best way while I still keep any authorisations unaffected?
I read a post by nickboy in which he had accidentally deleted the Preboot, and Namok88 suggested booting from USB installer, creating new volume in Catalina drive, installing a new catalina and that would create a new Preboot. So that makes me think that I could even do that (deleting the preboot), and there's a chance that might not affect the apps / plugins authorisations, so ultimately I could do that, but I won't go there without your opinions and advice, as I have no idea what the Preboot does and besides the OS, what programs use it for correct functioning and authorisations.
I attach a screenshot with the comparison of Preboot volume in both hard drives, where you can see the long names and the difference in their contents. Left side is the Preboot volume from “Catalina”, the right side is the Preboot volume from the Backup drive.
Thanks a lot in advance
