[Solved] Boots into the UEFI Shell no matter what I do...

Discussions about using Mac OS X guests (on Apple hardware) in VirtualBox.
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NikkiSevven
Posts: 6
Joined: 12. Jul 2018, 22:38
Primary OS: Mac OS X other
VBox Version: OSE other
Guest OSses: Mac OS 10.5 Server, 10.6.8 Personal
Location: New England

[Solved] Boots into the UEFI Shell no matter what I do...

Post by NikkiSevven »

Please forgive my probable ignorance as I'm not a programmer, other than HTML and CSS. I hope someone can walk me through what I'm doing wrong. I've read through the manual, but it doesn't address the issue I'm experiencing. I've also read any number of threads in this forum, implementing several suggestions, but I still can't get the blasted thing to work.

SOFTWARE SPECS
VirtualBox 5.2.12r122591 (Qt5.6.3)
Host OS 10.11.6, 64-bit, preinstalled by macsales
Guest OS 10.5 Server, 32-bit (assumption), bought from eBay
10.6.3 Personal, 32- and 64-bit compatible, bought from Apple

HARDWARE SPECS
Mid-2011 iMac 12,1
2.5 GHz Intel Core i5
16 GB 1333 MHz DDR3
500 GB SATA hard drive

VM CREATION
I created an 80 GB partition and specified the VM was to be created on that partition, then created a fixed 50 GB VDI. The VM was created successfully, but I was unable to install either 10.5 Server or 10.6.3 Personal as a Guest. Regardless of settings, the VM consistently boots into the UEFI Shell. I noted that neither installation disk remained in the optical drive for more than a couple minutes, and it seems to me it generally takes much longer than that to install an OS.

SETTINGS
  • General > specified bidirectional shared clipboard and drag 'n' drop
  • System > specified 2048 MB base memory, chipset ICH9, PS/2 mouse, 1 CPU at 100%, boot order as optical then hard drive, and minimal paravirtualization, and disabled nested paging
  • Display > specified 128 MB video memory and 1 monitor at 100% scaling, enabled 3D acceleration, disabled 2D video acceleration and HiDIP output
  • Audio > enabled audio output only using CoreAudio driver and Soundblaster 16 controller
  • Network > set up all four adaptors: NAT, Bridged, Internal, Host-Only
  • Ports > enabled USB 2.0 controller (after installing the extension pack), entered every detail for my keyboard and mouse, including the serial numbers
VBOXMANAGE
  • changed to a supported Mac, specifically iMac8,1
  • provided the serial number from the 10.5 Server installation disk
  • changed the screen resolution to 1280x1024
QUESTIONS
  • Will deleting or renaming "AppleIntelCPUPowerManagement.kext" from the Host have any effect on its operation? Is this something that would help?
  • One forum thread suggested deleting the CpuIdTree code from the .vbox file. Would this help and, if so, how do I do it? The only option given in "Open…" is vboxstarter.app.
  • What am I doing wrong? And how can I fix it? I'm close to tearing out my hair, and I'm pretty sure I taught my neighbors some new profanity. I'd eventually like to be able to virtualize 10.6.8 to use software that El Capitan will no longer run.
Attachments
WinterCat-2018-07-12-17-30-11.log.zip
log file
(30.92 KiB) Downloaded 174 times
Last edited by socratis on 27. Jul 2018, 10:08, 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: Boots into the UEFI Shell no matter what I do...

Post by socratis »

Delete the VM, including its files. You've got nothing to lose at this point. Create a new VM and stick with the defaults. Do not change setting at random. For example, there's no SoundBlaster support for the audio card. Neither for the PCnet network card. Or the PS/2 mouse.

After the VM creation, modify your VM with VBoxManage:
  • 
    VBoxManage modifyvm "<VM name>" --cpu-profile "Intel Core i7-6700K"
    
See if that improves the situation.

NikkiSevven wrote:Regardless of settings, the VM consistently boots into the UEFI Shell.
Because you haven't provided anything bootable to boot from.
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.
NikkiSevven
Posts: 6
Joined: 12. Jul 2018, 22:38
Primary OS: Mac OS X other
VBox Version: OSE other
Guest OSses: Mac OS 10.5 Server, 10.6.8 Personal
Location: New England

Re: Boots into the UEFI Shell no matter what I do...

Post by NikkiSevven »

Thank you, socratis! Ok, I deleted everything and started over, creating a new VM and changing none of the default settings. I then entered your modification into Terminal.

When I started the VM, it asked for a disk in the optical drive, and I provided the 10.5 Server installation disk. (The forum won't let me post the image of the disk, but the label reads, "Mac OS X Server Install DVD, Version 10.5," and it's got the huge X centered on the hole.)

The disk self-ejected without installing, and the VM booted into the UEFI Shell. Here's the log of the new VM...
Attachments
WinterCat-2018-07-13-10-38-22.log.zip
(26.09 KiB) Downloaded 161 times
okiuss
Posts: 61
Joined: 7. Nov 2016, 14:06
Primary OS: Mac OS X other
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: OSX,LINUX,WINXXX
Location: Austria

Re: Boots into the UEFI Shell no matter what I do...

Post by okiuss »

... just tested with my ancient iMac late 2009 - macOs 10.13.5

Standard template:
Name: OSX105on5214
Typ: Mac OS X
Version: Mac OS X (32bit)
—-
RAM: 2048MB
Disk: Create new .vdi with 20GB (SATA)
Assign Host Superdrive to virtual SATA optical drive
—-
Start virtual machine:
EFI does nothing for about 40 sec
And then loads the kernel.

After ab few seconds the kernel panics because of
AppleIntelCPUPowerManagement

—> power off the virtual machine
—-
VBoxManage setextradata OSX105on5214 "VBoxInternal/CPUM/MSRs/Ia32MiscEnables/First" "0x000001A0"
start the vm again
—> Installation dialogs start with language selection

Depending of your CPU model you have to fidel around with the cpu-profile settings, but EFI should always
load the kernel and you should NOT land in the EFI-shell.
NikkiSevven
Posts: 6
Joined: 12. Jul 2018, 22:38
Primary OS: Mac OS X other
VBox Version: OSE other
Guest OSses: Mac OS 10.5 Server, 10.6.8 Personal
Location: New England

Re: Boots into the UEFI Shell no matter what I do...

Post by NikkiSevven »

Thank you for your help okiuss! I still have questions, though.

According to everymac, my iMac originally came with 10.6.6 preinstalled. However, macsales upgraded it to El Capitan after refurbishing it. The two iMac models that came with Leopard preinstalled were the early-2008 (10.5.2) and the early 2009 (10.5.6). So...more questions:

Is there a valid reason why my iMac won't recognize the 10.6 Personal Edition installation disk? Shouldn't I be able to boot from it in the partition?

If not, then I have to use VBoxManage to trick the VM into believing my iMac is actually an early-2008 so I can use the 10.5 Server Edition installation disk? Have I got that right? If so, where do I find the correct number for the Core 2 Duo E4600? I can't even find one for my i5-2400S, and I've been trolling through specs for hours.
okiuss
Posts: 61
Joined: 7. Nov 2016, 14:06
Primary OS: Mac OS X other
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: OSX,LINUX,WINXXX
Location: Austria

Re: Boots into the UEFI Shell no matter what I do...

Post by okiuss »

@NikkiSevven
all optical medias for OSX 10.4-10.6, which where shipped for my iMacs/MBPs (2007-2009) can boot successfully within a VirtualBox guest.
If I remember correctly, only one time I had problems to install from a ripped .ISO image, but I think this was a OSX Tiger medium.
I could never find out, why there is a difference to boot from an ISO image or to boot from a physical DVD assigned to the guest.

Regards, okiuss
NikkiSevven
Posts: 6
Joined: 12. Jul 2018, 22:38
Primary OS: Mac OS X other
VBox Version: OSE other
Guest OSses: Mac OS 10.5 Server, 10.6.8 Personal
Location: New England

Re: Boots into the UEFI Shell no matter what I do...

Post by NikkiSevven »

Would it be possible for someone to help me with the specifics of the issue I keep having? All information is in the first post in this thread. To date, I've tried running the following from a partition:
  • 10.6.3 Personal Edition (from Apple)
  • 10.5 Server Edition (from eBay)
  • 10.6.8 Personal Edition (borrowed from my brother because mine is scratched)
None of them will boot from the VM.
None of them even remain in the optical drive long enough for installation.
My optical drive is functional; it both reads and writes perfectly.
All disks are labeled "install disk."

Just for S&G, I tried all of the above on an empty, formatted external drive. Same results. Technically, since my iMac originally shipped with 10.6.6, I should be able to boot from 10.6.8 without the VM, but my iMac doesn't even offer me the option. Both on startup and in System Preferences, the only volumes visible are my main drive with El Capitan and a second drive icon labeled "recovery." My optical drive doesn't show up even if there's a bootable disk in it, and the disk just self-ejects after a couple minutes.

Several threads in this forum claim that the power management .kext file causes issues, but the Apple Police won't let me move, rename, or delete it, not even as an administrator.

I've been told to simulate a different CPU. Socratis suggested:

Code: Select all

VBoxManage modifyvm "WinterCat" --cpu-profile "text description"
but it didn't change anything. I don't have an appropriate CPU code (that 0x000... number) to use. Nor does the Intel website list them. I spent hours trolling the Internet to find such a code to no avail.

It would be truly awesome if someone could walk me through this process. I feel like it shouldn't be this difficult. Unfortunately, the manual isn't very helpful regarding running a Mac guest on a Mac host, troubleshooting, or the specific situation I keep experiencing. Help me, Obi Wan Kenobi...you're my only hope.
ChipMcK
Volunteer
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Re: Boots into the UEFI Shell no matter what I do...

Post by ChipMcK »

NikkiSevven
Posts: 6
Joined: 12. Jul 2018, 22:38
Primary OS: Mac OS X other
VBox Version: OSE other
Guest OSses: Mac OS 10.5 Server, 10.6.8 Personal
Location: New England

Re: Boots into the UEFI Shell no matter what I do...

Post by NikkiSevven »

Actually, that was not the solution. The actual problem was me overlooking the obvious, a specialty of mine. Generally, I get the obscure right away. So, this was the problem...

My optical drive was reading CDs perfectly fine...but it would not read DVDs, as I discovered when I tried loading in a movie. Therefore, it couldn't read the installation DVDs. Fortunately, I had previously bought an external optical drive for another Mac. I hooked it up and was able to install 10.6.3 on an external drive on the first try. Y'all heard my loud scream of triumph, right? :-)

So, for future reference, if someone is having trouble getting their computer to read the installation DVD, have them check the functionality of the optical drive with both a CD and a DVD. Apparently, the DVD lasers in Mac optical drives crap out before the CD lasers. In the Apple forums, it's a frequent problem.

And now it's [SOLVED]. Again, thank you all for your help; I really appreciate it. FWIW, I learned a lot, especially to start with the obvious.
socratis
Site Moderator
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Re: Boots into the UEFI Shell no matter what I do...

Post by socratis »

NikkiSevven wrote:My optical drive was reading CDs perfectly fine...but it would not read DVDs
Thanks for letting us know about that really rare symptom (these days anyway). Most people create an ISO from the physical CD/DVD, both for speed during installation and for safekeeping. Had you tried that it would have been obvious earlier. ;)

Glad you got it going finally. Marking as [Solved].
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.
NikkiSevven
Posts: 6
Joined: 12. Jul 2018, 22:38
Primary OS: Mac OS X other
VBox Version: OSE other
Guest OSses: Mac OS 10.5 Server, 10.6.8 Personal
Location: New England

Re: [Solved] Boots into the UEFI Shell no matter what I do...

Post by NikkiSevven »

I figured it would be helpful to share that the actual issue was my temporary idiocy. :roll: I should have known better than to assume that, because a CD worked, a DVD would too. Once I got the external optical hooked up, I did use Disk Utility to create an ISO of the install disk. I'm currently enjoying the software I haven't been able to use for years, mostly games. Interestingly, while I have no system sound, I've played two games, and the sound works in both of them.

EDIT: I forgot to note something that might help others. The destination drive for my Guest is an external 500GB SATA which I partitioned, 400GB for Time Machine and 100GB for the VM. I was unable to install the OS on the external drive until I'd partitioned the 100GB partition...into one 100GB partition. No idea why. Before doing this, the part of the installation where you specify the destination drive for the OS was blank; no choices. Subsequent to doing this, the partitioned partition was displayed. Weird.

Also, to Socratis, I was unable to make an ISO previously because neither installation disk would read, therefore neither would mount.
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