[Solved] El Capitan guest in new MacBook Pro 16 in won't install

Discussions about using Mac OS X guests (on Apple hardware) in VirtualBox.
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dbudde
Posts: 7
Joined: 23. Nov 2019, 21:26

[Solved] El Capitan guest in new MacBook Pro 16 in won't install

Post by dbudde »

Hi,

I've been successfully using VirtualBox for a while now with an older MacBook Pro (2016 vintage). I am trying to get an El Capitan (OS X 10.11.6) Guest to install in a new MacBook Pro 16 in machine. It just quits before it gets started with a critical error occurred message. I've used the same .ISO file on my previous machine without problem. This ISO also installs on my this machine under VMware 11.5 trial. So the ISO is good. Any advice or help would be appreciated. Setup and logs below.

VirtualBox version is the current release 6.0.14 r133895 with extensions installed
Host OS is 10.15.1
Log is attached

Here are my Guest settings that differ from the defaults:
System memory set to 16GB out of 64GB available
Processors set to 8 out of 16 available
Display memory 128MB 200% scale factor
Storage 100GB vmdk
Optical drive set to the .iso file
USB 3.0 enabled
Attachments
Logs.zip
(80.37 KiB) Downloaded 25 times
Last edited by socratis on 24. Nov 2019, 18:21, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Marked as [Solved].
socratis
Site Moderator
Posts: 27330
Joined: 22. Oct 2010, 11:03
Primary OS: Mac OS X other
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Win(*>98), Linux*, OSX>10.5
Location: Greece

Re: El Capitan guest in new MacBook Pro 16 in won't install

Post by socratis »

00:00:00.996726 Full Name: "Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-9980HK CPU @ 2.40GHz"
Your CPU is way too new for 10.11 to understand. Apple's installers/OS are notorious for being tied to specific CPUs/models/makes/motherboards/first names. OK, maybe not the last part, but you get the point...

You need to artificially "downgrade" your CPU. Try issuing the following command, of course while the VM is completely shut down:
  • 
    VBoxManage modifyvm "ElCapitan" --cpu-profile "Intel Core i7-6700K"
    
dbudde wrote:Processors set to 8 out of 16 available
Not really, see below...
00:00:00.840386   NumCPUs           <integer> = 0x0000000000000008 (8)
00:00:00.996456 CPUM: Physical host cores: 8
00:00:00.996726 Full Name: "Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-9980HK CPU @ 2.40GHz"
You have assigned all your CPUs to the VM. The host is going to run low on resources, since VirtualBox cares about physical processors (cores), not logical ones (threads). Just check the link for your CPU above, and make sure you read the text in the "?" next to the "# of Cores" and "# of Threads" in that Intel page...
Do NOT send me Personal Messages (PMs) for troubleshooting, they are simply deleted.
Do NOT reply with the "QUOTE" button, please use the "POST REPLY", at the bottom of the form.
If you obfuscate any information requested, I will obfuscate my response. These are virtual UUIDs, not real ones.
dbudde
Posts: 7
Joined: 23. Nov 2019, 21:26

Re: El Capitan guest in new MacBook Pro 16 in won't install

Post by dbudde »

Thanks. The cpu-profile setting did the trick. I am up and running.

As to the processor setting issue, this appears to be a nomenclature issue in VirtualBox. If I go to the System>Processor setup page, it shows me a slider marked Processor(s) that ranges from 1 to 16 CPUs (for my machine). I have it set to 8, so I have half of the CPU resources allocated to the Guest and the other half left for the Host. I was using the VirtualBox nomenclature so there wouldn't be any confusion. I guess that didn't work.

Thanks again for the help.
socratis
Site Moderator
Posts: 27330
Joined: 22. Oct 2010, 11:03
Primary OS: Mac OS X other
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Win(*>98), Linux*, OSX>10.5
Location: Greece

Re: El Capitan guest in new MacBook Pro 16 in won't install

Post by socratis »

dbudde wrote:The cpu-profile setting did the trick. I am up and running.
That's great, thanks for letting us know. Marking as [Solved].
dbudde wrote:As to the processor setting issue, this appears to be a nomenclature issue in VirtualBox.
Yes, I agree with you.
dbudde wrote:Thanks again for the help.
No problemo! ;)
Do NOT send me Personal Messages (PMs) for troubleshooting, they are simply deleted.
Do NOT reply with the "QUOTE" button, please use the "POST REPLY", at the bottom of the form.
If you obfuscate any information requested, I will obfuscate my response. These are virtual UUIDs, not real ones.
dbudde
Posts: 7
Joined: 23. Nov 2019, 21:26

Re: [Solved] El Capitan guest in new MacBook Pro 16 in won't install

Post by dbudde »

Well, I spoke too soon. The install is stuck at the Welcome screen where you select the country (first screen after reboot). And the spinning beachball of death. Here's the log file:
Attachments
VBox.log.zip
(43.21 KiB) Downloaded 17 times
dbudde
Posts: 7
Joined: 23. Nov 2019, 21:26

Re: [Solved] El Capitan guest in new MacBook Pro 16 in won't install

Post by dbudde »

OK, I'm up this time. The trick seems to be to when setting up your system, you need to wait until disk activity stops before advancing to the next screen. Otherwise it tends to get stuck and spin forever.
socratis
Site Moderator
Posts: 27330
Joined: 22. Oct 2010, 11:03
Primary OS: Mac OS X other
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Win(*>98), Linux*, OSX>10.5
Location: Greece

Re: [Solved] El Capitan guest in new MacBook Pro 16 in won't install

Post by socratis »

From your last log, after the whole analysis that I did:
00:00:00.874739   NumCPUs           <integer> = 0x0000000000000008 (8)
Just don't tell me I didn't warn you...
Do NOT send me Personal Messages (PMs) for troubleshooting, they are simply deleted.
Do NOT reply with the "QUOTE" button, please use the "POST REPLY", at the bottom of the form.
If you obfuscate any information requested, I will obfuscate my response. These are virtual UUIDs, not real ones.
GGoonies
Posts: 2
Joined: 24. Aug 2021, 17:01

Re: [Solved] El Capitan guest in new MacBook Pro 16 in won't install

Post by GGoonies »

dbudde wrote:OK, I'm up this time. The trick seems to be to when setting up your system, you need to wait until disk activity stops before advancing to the next screen. Otherwise it tends to get stuck and spin forever.
Dear dbudde,
means this you could install El Capitan 10.11.6 in your VirtualBox?

I try to do this with tons of Links to many of forums-postings to this theme, but all of them are from 2015 with the beta-version of El Capitan.
No one tried this with a regular El Capitan installation i.e. version 10.11.6.
Some articles in the net say, that the installation doesn't function with the regular El Capitan (from 10.11.1 up to 10.11.6).

In my VBox the installer comes up, I can choose the language, can format the virtual HD with the DiskUtility and the El Capitan-Installer beginns...
17 minutes...16 minutes. But it ends up with the message, that on this machine El Capitan couldn't be installed, because the needed Packets could not be found.
ScreenShot of the endup of the install-process (El Capitan 10.11.6)
ScreenShot of the endup of the install-process (El Capitan 10.11.6)
Bildschirmfoto 2021-08-24 um 15.55.16.png (118.01 KiB) Viewed 12042 times
Do you or the others have new information, how to get El Capitan installed?
I´ll attach the vbox.log if it could be a help?!
VBox.log.zip
VBox-Log GGoonies
(35.89 KiB) Downloaded 10 times
But I've seen, that your (dbudde's) virtual HD-Image for the MacOS-Installation is an ".vmdk"-file. I've ".vdi" choosen...

I'm very exited of your answers
Best Regards and sorry for my poor english
Your Georg

Btw: VirtualBox, Version 6.1.26 r145957 with Extensions on a MacBook Pro 15" i7-QuadCore, 2,3GHz, 16GB, 1TB-M.2-SSD with MacOS X 10.13.5 (High Sierra) installed
GGoonies
Posts: 2
Joined: 24. Aug 2021, 17:01

Re: [Solved] El Capitan guest in new MacBook Pro 16 in won't install

Post by GGoonies »

GGoonies wrote:In my VBox the installer comes up, I can choose the language, can format the virtual HD with the DiskUtility and the El Capitan-Installer beginns...
17 minutes...16 minutes. But it ends up with the message, that on this machine El Capitan couldn't be installed, because the needed Packets could not be found.
The solution was, to set the date of the host to a date short after the date of the installer (Installer-creation-date 2017-08-08, setting the host to 2021-08-24) and the Installer does its job :D

All the best to you
Georg
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