Dead(ish) Mac Pro

Question

Dead(ish) Mac Pro

Hey all mad dilema. Bought a Mac Pro Original 06 with ver2 mobo and looks like some fool had dual boot with windows and has completely obliterated the mac hdd and now the thing wont boot any OS i try. A friend let me borrow an old snow leopard thinking that could restore the HDD but no luck. On my own mac pro 08 i did however wipe an HDD and clean installed then put that HDD in the 06, no boot screen but waited a few minutes and the welcome video plays. Have sound but no picture. Was a GTX7800 original card initially so bought a GT120 Nvidia incase the card was duff but same storey. I then went all out and discovered people had mac os on pc so dug deeper and found a bootloader which allows me to boot my snow leopard hdd but upon start under About This Mac my bootrom is not what it should be. ANy way to reverse this or rescue the poor old dog

Windows 7, I hate windows on a Mac please help

Posted on May 31, 2018 9:47 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Jun 1, 2018 1:44 PM in response to richardfromrenfrewshire76

I am not familiar with any TonyMac firmware. TonyMac seems to be dedicated to Hackintosh. If this is a Hackintosh solution someone tried to run on a real Mac, that is known to cause problems -- may have trashed the firmware.

If your 06 model still has the original CPUs in it, you may be able to restore to the 1,1 version OR the 2,1 version using a hack from Netkas.

NB>> If it has updated CPUs, Do NOT go back to the 1,1 version, or it will never work again (unless you put the old processors back in).

--------

There is a solution for the 32-bit firmware problem, called Tiamo booter. My understanding of how that hack worked was a replacement for the EFI-boot file, that added 64-bit firmware support (grafted onto the existing 32-bit firmware support) but in main store. It works for ONE version of MacOS, and if you update, you must make the patches again.

Reply

Answer 2

Jun 11, 2018 4:25 PM in response to richardfromrenfrewshire76

Did you also see this article:

About the Firmware Restoration CD (Intel-based Macs) - Apple Support

.

Reply

Answer 3

Jun 11, 2018 7:12 AM in response to richardfromrenfrewshire76

try looking on Netkas for the 2006 to 2007 updater if you don't already have that. You need to sign in to netkas to be able to download it.

Reply

Answer 4

Jun 1, 2018 6:39 AM in response to richardfromrenfrewshire76

There are some Hobbyist hacks that update that firmware to the MacPro 2,1 firmware. This essentially turns your Mac Pro into a 2,1 and allows you to upgrade the processors to a set of more capable processors. These changes persist from version to version of MacOS with no additional changes needed.

If that is what has been done to your Mac, reverting to the "correct" firmware is not likely to end well.

--------

Your article also mentions to boot loader. There is a later hack that allowed some early Mac Pro to add missing routines to their boot loader file to attain 64-bit firmware capability (otherwise these early Mac Pro are stuck in 32-bit firmware and limited to at most 10.7.5 forever).

But this is a one-version-only hack -- if you attempt to boot a different version, or attempt to use a version later than 10.7.5, the boot loader must be modified again.

Reply

Answer 5

Jun 1, 2018 2:47 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Ok some more digging and the Boot Rom Version Should be MP11.005C.B08 before any firmware updates were released but says Tonymacx86.com

"In 2001, with the release of Mac OS X 10.0, the

Mac OS ROM

file was replaced with the

BootX

bootloader file.^[9] In 2002, with the release of Mac OS X 10.2, the historical "Happy Mac" start-up picture was replaced with a grey apple logo.^[12] By introducing the Intel Mac in 2006, BootROM was replaced by the near identical Extensible Firmware Interface ROM (although Apple still calls it BootROM) and the

boot.efi

file.^[4]^[13]" << reference from WIKI and it appears it's somehow been altered and I need it flashed back

Ill power it up using a bootloader cd I have and send in a screenshot

Reply

Answer 6

Jun 1, 2018 10:25 AM in response to richardfromrenfrewshire76

To eliminate inherent conflicts, you should be trying to boot only 10.7.5 or earlier, until you are certain what has been done to it.

If they did succeed in changing to the 3,1 firmware, it may include 64-bit firmware support.

Use caution with graphics cards, as it is not at all clear what cards should be supported successfully.

Reply

Answer 7

Jun 11, 2018 2:40 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Had a look on there some decent info and some good ideas unfortunately all the links are dead. Going to attempt do install the OS X Snow Leopard using the iBoot disk then adding an HDD for a Windows 10 dual boot config, see if I can run vmware and load an OS X in there and try reinstalling on the first volume from the dualboot VM

Reply

Answer 8

Jun 11, 2018 8:55 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Actually have that and all mac bios efi firmware from imac to macpro lastest incase one of them worked but because the iBoot disc makes it think its a 3,1 its useless lol.

Whilst i was away there i found a linux 10.10 with a rescue thingy on it but it allowed me to boot first hard disc and from there system profile says it was back to 1,1 and allowed me to mount the dmg and run the file but as it was shutting down i got a kernel panic so although I tried to boot as instructed with the power button held till the light flashed and the beep lasted longer i waited for a good 10-15 mins it went off but it was a sleep function so the flash never took. Re do'ing the process so I'll snapshot the panic

Reply

Answer 9

May 31, 2018 10:39 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Now reads tonymacx86.com and the Mac version now reads a 3.1 when it’s clearly not it’s a 1.1 with the version 2 mobo 4 gb stock ddr2 667 memory on 1 riser have a Nvidia GT120 512mb also a gtx7800 with the old twin dvi ports and had thought it might have been outputting through only 1 so purchased the gt120.

Reply

Answer 10

Jun 1, 2018 7:16 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Lol well this has been done to 3.1 in the identifier so downloaded all Mac edition efi from Apple and none were specific to my machine apparently. I’ll try and source the boot loader of which you speak but for an intel Mac I can’t boot from USB in gpt or mbr and that alone limits me greatly

Reply

Answer 11

Jun 1, 2018 2:09 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Im honestly not interested in hackintosh I have a very good sped PC and an even better spec 08 Mac I'd just love to resurrect this for my daughter so she isn't stuck in a world of windows looking from outside/in or vice versa lol. 32bit OS is better than no OS or windblows so even if it's a last resort its a massive step from where I've been so I'm away to get lost trying to source those files for the flash before bed I'll post an update tomorrow. All your help thus far has been greatly appreciated I was almost giving up

Reply