Open Core Legacy Patcher vs. macOS 12.6

TidBITS Talk
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Has anyone using Open Core Legacy Patcher to run Monterey on an older Mac noted any problems with installing update 12.6?

thanks

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I have successfully done this on two old MacBook Pros (9,2 IIRC). It went very smoothly, but I was puzzled at first why graphics seemed so slow. Then I realized I needed to re-run the patcher and tell it to do its “post-install” patches. Since then it’s been perfect.

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Thanks for reply. At a high level, my experience paralleled yours, with a couple of what I might call caveats.

I received notification from Dortania/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher from GitHub notifying me that version 0.4.11 was now available, just after I’d read your response. Link to download is here:

Requires signing up for an account, which is free and you can use “alternate” email addresses as you’d like. I’d forgotten I’d signed up. Having the account provides the benefit of sending notifications when updates occur.

After the usual precautionary backups etc., I downloaded the 12.6/Safari 16 updates. The 12.6 update was nearly 12 GB, which I figure was the entire package rather than just updated sections. Download and installation, while lengthy, demonstrated no anomalies.

Following the update, I logged in and instantly realized I REALLY needed to install the “post-install” patches you mentioned–interaction was mired in molasses, with the cursor barely moving, jerking around, etc. I had previously downloaded OCLP 0.4.11 and with some difficulty, launched it. I selected button to install post-install patches, rebooted, and everything is fine, just like you said.

Could have tried to install 0.4.11 before updating OS, and run post-install patches before starting the update and maybe preventing the interface issues, but not sure about that. The way I went worked; it was just kinda hard with barely responsive cursor. I’m successfully running macOS 12.6 on my “obsolete” 14,2 iMac.

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I finally got around to trying OpenCore Legacy on a 13" mid-2012 MacBook Pro (MacBookPro9,2) with an SSD and 16 GB RAM. I ran the installation with OCL 0.4.11 and Monterey 12.6 directly on top of a Catalina/Bootcamp installation. So far, I am absolutely delighted by the performance. The only glitch was the need to run the post-install patches manually after updating to Safari 16, but I haven’t run extensive tests yet. I also was pleased that Windows 10 Pro continues to run well in Bootcamp after the Monterey upgrade, though I do have to hold down the option key while booting to get to Bootcamp.

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I just used it to upgrade a 2012 MacBook Pro 15" laptop from Mojave to Monterey 12.6.2. The Open Core how-to pages are a bit daunting for ordinary users like me, but there are other websites with instructions that walk you through the process. I found this one very helpful: How to Install macOS Ventura or Monterey on Unsupported Macs, for Security Improvements - The Mac Security Blog
One thing I would caution: don’t upgrade to a particular version (e.g. Monterey 12.6.1) with Open Core and then update it to 12.6.2 through the usual Apple software update process. That invites trouble. Instead, do all the upgrades and updates through Open Core.

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What do you mean by this? My routine would be to run latest version of OCLP that supports the version of macOS I want to use, then once I’ve verified OCLP is properly installed and the Mac boots normally, I’d then run Apple’s macOS installer. What do you mean by running upgrades and updates “through” OCLP?

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When I used Apple Software Update to go from 12.6.1 to 12.6.2 on my 2012 Retina MBP the end result was an installation with screen resolution that made everything tiny. Could not change it in Displays. Ugh! So I wiped the MBP’s hard drive, installed Mojave (normally the most advanced OS that the MBP 2012 would permit), then returned to the Open Core website and used their instructions to install 12.6.2, which by then was the version they featured. Although at one point in the process screen resolution made everything tiny again, I persisted and at the next point everything was normal size once more and I proceeded to finish the installation of 12.6.2. In short, re-installing from the Open Core patcher worked for me whereas using Apple’s normal software update process failed. Very happy with it. I do suggest using the instructions on the Intego web page that I gave the link for. They are very clear and detailed, step by step, so that an ordinary user can follow them. I hope that’s clear?

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I’ve found that it’s fine to upgrade to the latest version of Monterey, and even do “security” and other point release updates. The key is to run the “Post-Update Fixes” option in OCLP afterward. This allows it to reinstall crucial compatibility fixes that get removed by Apple’s update.

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Good information, thanks. When I got the laptop someone else had run the open core upgrade to 12.6.1 and must have not run the post-update fixes. When I re-installed with 12.6.2, as I recall the patcher ran them more or less automatically, notifying me that they were doing so. For whatever reason I’m not ready to try Ventura with the Open Core patcher, at least not yet. Have you?

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No, I haven’t tried Ventura on any of my machines–even the ones that support it natively. I generally wait at least six months after a major release to install it.

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I just installed it (13.1) on a 2015 MacBook Air yesterday - it’s working fine. No problems at all.

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Yes, it’s almost certainly the case that running the Post Install patch fixes would have solved your problem without needing to wipe your drive.

Regarding Ventura, I updated OCLP and upgraded my 13" mid-2012 MBP to Ventura without a problem. The machine is running very well.

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Thanks for the information about upgrading to Ventura. I agree that it’s best to wait six months (or more) unless there’s an immediate need to upgrade. Frankly I’d have happily stayed with High Sierra, but some of the upgraded software I have to run requires later OS.

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In the past, I had tried to update an older 2010 Mac Mini to Catalina. I think it was the dosdude program and it did not work after a few tries so I left it at High Sierra since it was mainly for a music server. So I was hesitant to try the Open Core Legacy Patcher on my 2012 Mac Mini but decided to give it a try since it states that no firmware changes are made. This is for a Ventura upgrade.

The install went well and my computer is at least as fast as it was with Catalina, possibly faster in some aspects. Accessing spinning hard drives is slower though. File sharing is not working at the moment but that seems to be a problem for many users and not an OCLP issue. So thanks to the posters in this thread who mentioned their experiences. Those posts gave me the encouragement to try it and so far, it seems to work fine.

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Just installed Monterey on my 2012 27" iMac. Overall, things have gone well, with one exception. Apple Music would not migrate my older iTunes library and, more importantly, will not allow me to sign in to my Apple account within Apple Music in order to authorize the computer. Sign in seems to work everywhere else, such as in Books (to allow Audiobooks to play). One more downside, in addition to not being able to play older DRM’d tracks, is that cover art searches also cannot be done without being signed in. I also tried, as an alternative path, to use Retroactive to install older versions of iTunes. Unfortunately, only a version 11 will work, newer versions of iTunes crash immediately.

[Update] Seems there is a weird bug unrelated to OCLP. Safe-booted, opened Podcast app, login to Apple account there, which flips over to Music, and logs in fine]