How do I find the Mac Pro 5,1 Mid 2010 firmware latest update

You could leave it overnight in case it is 'busy'.

An alternative approach is to install on to a normal spinning hard drive without APFS, then clone it to the SSD again without APFS, then presuming the SSD boots convert it manually to APFS.

John Hall3

Be certain you used the ERASE function on that SSD immediately before attempting Install.

Unless the drive has been Erased, it could be Full of deleted Data from being run without TRIM.

The drive could also be defective, but that is a different story.

Yeah I did. Tried one more time after reformatted with the HS disk utility from an external (which you or someone suggested elsewhere), and it actually went through with the install this time. Doing migration now, which is taking forever, but at least seem to be making progress.

Since the four bays in the 2010 Mac Pro allow installation of multiple operating systems back to Snow Leopard and the new Firmware will apply to all of them, do we know if earlier Mac OS's already installed will continue to work once the Firmware is updated?

Mine with Yosemite was still working after I did the firmware update. A couple strange things happening with an old version of Excel that may or may not have been related, but didn't notice any major issues.

Thanks for your reply. After Apple introduced Core Storage, Snow Leopard would no longer recognize the newer installations as startup-worthy (though the Startup Manager does), and that was not as low-level as a Firmware change.

FatMac>MacPro --

I did the firmware update, then booted from the 10.6 DVD to see what, if anything, was going to drop out. I was able to boot that DVD, and use its Disk Utility to "Repair Disk" each of several older MacOS. But My Mac Pro 4,1/5,1 has NO core storage logical volume stuff. All checked out OK.

So my impression is that nothing is lost in the Firmware Update. Of course, if anyone discovers different, please let readers here know!

Thanks for the test and feedback. Since there have been reports of Firmware vulnerabilities on Macs, do we know if that update provides security fixes? When I tried downloading the High Sierra installer to save for future use, I got that firmware updater delivered instead with the OS installer presumably to follow once the update was completed. Fortunately I was able to quit the Firmware updater so I could first learn more about it.

There is already a checksum on the firmware, and if it fails you get a blinking light pattern instead of a normal startup.

I read a report that firmware will now be checked for Integrity monthly. But there was no mention of how that check was to be performed, or what sort of check it was.

It is interesting that there has recently been a firmware update for both this Mac Pro and the MacBook Pro. But that may be merely a coincidence.

AndyVideoLog-

Readers have reported for a long time that the Apple firmware Updater will only update a 4,1 to the latest 4,1 firmware.

There are ways using unsupported hobbyist hacks to change the firmware in a MacPro 4,1 to the firmware for a Mac Pro 5,1 The procedure you outlined does not appear to be one of those ways.

This is coming from personal experience. I have a 2009 Mac Pro 4,1 that has been updated to a 5,1. You need apple's 5,1 firmware and a custom firmware updater. Here is a video of me going through the process The horror of updating and upgrading a old Mac Pro is worth it! - YouTube

And after that I maxed out the Mac Pro as this will be my primary computer setup for editing. Check out the specs, price and process of that here.

Maxing out a 2009 Mac Pro for $2,110.65 in 2017, 12 core cpu with 128gb Ram! - YouTube