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Bootkicker.efi, Openshell.efi and Reset NVRAM on startup - help

I download open core legacy patcher to update my macbook pro 2017 to macos 15 Sonoma, I didn't have a USB to use to run opencore so I created a 20gb partition instead. Initially everything worked out well and I had macos sonoma on my macbook but I realised that a lot of the functions such as camera, fingerprint ID were not working so I checked on youtube and it told me to do a SMC reset and that's what I did. After attempting that I could not login to my account anymore, after entering the password for my account my screen would remain with an infinite loading bar so I watched a bunch of videos on how to fix it and implemented every single tip and now I don't know how I ended up where I am, I deleted all the files in my 500 gb drive and whenever I turn on my macbook I only get 3 options - bootkicker.efi, openshell.efi and Reset NVRAM.

Sorry for the long rant I'd appreciate any help, whatever info you need I'll glady provide.

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 15.0

Posted on Oct 31, 2024 11:57 AM

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7 replies

Nov 19, 2024 1:45 PM in response to Jawad_rahim

I've never used OCLP, but I did quickly skim some of the information some time ago to assist someone else. IIRC, OCLP customizes some settings in the PRAM/NVRAM, so you probably need to perform a PRAM Reset to prevent those particular customizations from interfering with the normal boot process of the firmware. Make sure to hold the PRAM Reset for at least three chimes if possible....for some USB-C models you may only be able to hold it for two chimes or some even one since holding it further just pauses the boot process or it just ignores the keys & resumes booting (USB-C Macs are weird).


Plus you need to make sure you Option Boot the laptop by pressing & holding the Option key immediately after hearing the startup chime in order to bypass the firmware from trying to boot the hacked internal drive (it is possible some small fragment of the bootloader remains on the internal drive). From the Option Boot screen you can select your bootable macOS USB installer or try pressing Command + Option + R to access Internet Recovery Mode....both options should completely bypass any remaining files on the internal SSD. If for some reason you cannot start booting into Internet Recovery Mode from the Option Boot screen, then power off the computer. When powering on the computer make sure to press & hold Command + Option + R immediately after hearing the startup chime to access Internet Recovery Mode. Pressing the keys too soon or too late may prevent them from being recognized.


You will want to make sure to completely erase the entire internal physical SSD using Disk Utility. Within Disk Utility you need to click "View" and select "Show All Devices" before the physical drives appear on the left pane of Disk Utility. Select the top most item which should be the physical drive listed something like "Apple SSD AP0256....". Erase it as GUID partition and APFS (top option). Quit Disk Utility and select "Install macOS".


FYI, it is not enough to follow instructions you find online or in YouTube videos. You should also understand every step of the process, plus have a plan on how to reverse everything later on. Most people online don't make their videos to properly inform people or take into consideration some of the issues people may encounter and most rarely inform people how to undo those changes. There is a lot of misinformation out there.


Oct 31, 2024 12:30 PM in response to Jawad_rahim

Welcome to some of the many problems, incompatibilities, and unsupported features that can and probably will occur when you try to use a major-league hack like Open Core to try and get your Mac to do something so unsupported. As D. I. said, at this point you're best advised to just erase the drive and start over. You'll almost certainly never be able to patch your existing installation back together enough to get it working again.


Regards.

Nov 1, 2024 5:52 AM in response to Jawad_rahim

I have the same problem. Created a bootable USB with High Sierra but I continue to see the same screen as described above when I hold down the option key. Even after holding down ⌘ R or any of the ⌘ R combinations, I still can't access Recovery mode or see the installer from the USB.


Some info on how I created the bootable fwiw: I created the installation from a new Macbook Pro by using this command: sudo dd if=/Users/steyn/Desktop/highsierra.dmg of=/dev/disk4 bs=1m


Based on some research, it appeared that this was how I was supposed to do it on a Mac that does not support High Sierra.


Any suggestions?

Bootkicker.efi, Openshell.efi and Reset NVRAM on startup - help

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