Mountain Lion On Unsupported Mac

An AppleScript and command line based tool that offers you the possibility to install OS X Yosemite on unsupported Macs with 32-bit processors

What's new in SFOTT 1.4.4:

Add curl to the Key

Read the full changelog

Mac OS X Mountain Lion, Mavericks, or Yosemite can be installed only on certain Apple computers that come with 64-bit support which means, that if you have an older, 32-bit model you cannot run the latest OS.

SFOTT is an AppleScript utility designed to help you prepare a USB disk or media storage device for installing Mountain Lion, Mavericks, or Yosemite on unsupported 32-bit Macs.

Installing Mountain Lion On Unsupported Macs Guides and Sample Code. Get details on implementing web technologies with guides, reference, and sample code. Discussion Forums Mountain Lion On Unsupported Mac. Ask questions and discuss a variety of web development topics with Apple engineers and other developers.

OS X Mountain Lion was released on July 25, 2012 for purchase and download through Apple’s Mac App Store, as part of a switch to releasing OS X versions online and every year, rather than every two years or so. Feb 24, 2012 Hardmac's Lionel reports that he's successfully installed OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion on a Core 2 Duo MacBook that is officially unsupported based on Apple's list, using a a procedure similar to the one described by Jamie Cruickshank and used for the Mac Pro 2006. Lionel cautions that with the lack of drivers for the GMA X3100 graphics processor. I successfully got Mountain Lion, Mavericks, and Yosemite running on my Mac Mini 2007, and the only one that was half-decent was Mountain Lion. The rest required something called 'Graphical Acceleration' which is unsupported in the shitty CPU of the 2007 Mini. OS X Mountain Lion (10.8) MacRumors attracts a broad audience of both consumers and professionals interested in the latest technologies and products. We also boast an active community focused on purchasing decisions and technical aspects of the iPhone, iPod, iPad, and Mac platforms.

The script is based on a boot.efi developed by Tiamo at MacRumors, and its goal is to automate the key creation.

Make sure your Mac can support the respective OS

Before you get started, verify that you have installed the SFOTT app on the target Mac, that you have downloaded the Yosemite installer, and that you have a USB drive connected to your computer (a 8GB USB should be enough).

In some cases, some upgrades, such as changing the graphics card, or adding more RAM, can make your Mac compatible with the Yosemite OS X, even if it's not officially supported.

Note that you must decide on your own if this is the case, and that the unsupported OS installation might lead to data loss or to breaking your Mac.

Adjust the SFOTT settings via the Terminal and generate keys for the target computer

Once installed, the SFOTT script can be launched from the Utilities folder included in the Applications directory.

In a Terminal window you can see details about the current computer, about the current configuration settings, and if you have a 32-bit or 64-bit firmware. Even though you can change the configuration settings, it is advisable to run the SFOTT app on the target computer.

SFOTT offers you the possibility to generate new URB or media keys for the Yosemite installation step by step or in autorun mode.

To make sure everything works properly, check out the online SFOTT documentation made available by the developer, or the Read Me file included in the archive.

Install the latest OS X releases on your unsupported 32-bit Mac

To conclude, SFOTT can help you prepare for installing OS X Mountain Lion, Mavericks, or Yosemite on unsupported Mac computers.

The overall procedure is explained in detail by the script’s developer, but you still need to judge on your own if your Mac can support the OS or not.

Filed under

SFOTT was reviewed by Iulia Ivan

4.0/5

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SFOTT 1.4.4

add to watchlistsend us an update

runs on:: Mac OS X 10.6 or later (Intel only)
file size:: 14.7 MB
filename:: SFOTT_install_Yosemite_beta.dmg
main category:: System Utilities
developer:
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Mac News Review

This Week's Apple and Desktop Mac News

Compiled by Charles Moore and edited by Dan Knight - 2012.02.24

You may not remember the name of the security software thatplayed a huge role in TheNet, the 1995 Sandra Bullock thriller, but our own Dan Bashurdid, posting a note about it to our Facebook pagelast weekend. Maybe you've guessed by now - it shares a name with a newOS X 10.8 feature: Gatekeeper.

Instead of providing security against malware, the fictionalGatekeeper instead provides a back door to any computer on which it isinstalled, as intended by the cyberterrorists behind it. I'm sure thatApple's choice of a name is merely coincidental. I certainly hope itis!

Mac notebook and other portable computing is covered in The 'Book Review. iPad, iPod, iPhone, andApple TV news is covered in iOS NewsReview. All prices are in US dollars unless otherwise noted.

News & Opinion

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News & Opinion

It's Relatively Easy to Install Mountain Lion onUnsupported Macs

Hardmac's Lionel reports that he's successfully installed OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion on a Core 2Duo MacBook that is officially unsupported based on Apple's list, usinga a procedure similar to the one described by Jamie Cruickshank and used for the Mac Pro2006.

Lionel cautions that with the lack of drivers for the GMA X3100graphics processor, there is no accelerated graphics, but he will tryto find some workaround, possibly grafting in the driver from Lion, andif that works he'll publish the procedure in detail.

Publisher's note: OS X Daily has a report of Mountain Lion installed on an even older MacBook, onewith GMA 950 graphics, along with instructions on how to do ityourself, stating, 'Not only does OS X 10.8 run on the old MacBook, itreportedly works very well and with full graphics acceleration.' You doneed a supported Mac to make this method work. dk

Link: It's RelativelyEasy to Install Mountain Lion on Non-Supported Mac Models

Dropbox: 'A Feature, Not a Product' (but What aUseful Feature!)

Yankee Group blogger Pim Bilderbeek notes that the late Steve Jobstold Drew Houston, founder and CEO of Dropbox, 'You're a feature, not aproduct.'

Dropbox was a feature Jobs very much wanted, but Houston turned downhis offer, so Apple went on to create iCloud, which Apple positions asa feature. But, says Bilderbeek, 'Dropbox is a product for those thatwant their cloud content synchronized independent of device, operatingsystem and browser vendor.'

Editor's note: I am a big Dropbox fan. I can't imagine how I managedwithout it, and it's become a structurally key element of my workflow,by which I synchronize and access work in progress among my three Maclaptops and my iPad 2. iCloud, not so much, although that's a partlyvicarious observation. My iPad will support iCloud, but I've beensticking with OS X 10.6Snow Leopard on my newest (Late 2008) Intel Mac laptop,and the other two are PowerPC machines running OS X 10.4 Tiger. While iCloudrequires OS X 10.7 Lion oriOS 5, Dropbox supports all four devices, including the two ancient butstill very useful and serviceable Pismo PowerBooks from 2000, andit works reliably and flawlessly on all four. cm

Publisher's note: I'm in the same boat. My production Macs are a2002 Power Mac G4 runningOS X 10.4 Tiger, a 2001 Power Mac G4 runningOS X 10.5 Leopard, and a2007 Mac mini - my onlyIntel-based Mac - running OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. Thanks toDropbox, not only can I sync files on these three Macs, as well asothers should I feel the need, but I can also make old freeware andshareware apps and utilities available for download that are otherwisedifficult to find. All this for free and with no need to deal withOS X Lion. Even though I can't use Apple's iCloud feature on myMacs, since I have no need for Lion, I can use Dropbox. dk

Link: You're a Feature,Not a Product

Mountain Lion Will Be Available Only at the Mac AppStore

Install Os X Mountain Lion On Old Unsupported Macs

Pocket-Lint's Stuart Miles says Apple has confirmed that OS XMountain Lion, will be available only via the Mac App Store when itgoes on sale this summer.

That means Apple has finally abandoned all forms of hard media todistribute its operating systems and is likely to spell the end of theCD or DVD for software in the future as well. Miles notes that the MacApp Store is now the home for all Apple software, as well as forsoftware from companies such as Adobe and Intuit, and that Apple hasconfirmed to Pocket-lint that customers were not remotely interested inthe USB drive offering, commenting , 'It was an interesting test, butit turns out the App Store was just fine for getting the new OS.'

The new OS, which has been released as a developer preview, isexpected to be available for customers at a yet unspecified datesometime over the summer.

Editor's note: D'ya think the failure of the USB drive Lioninstaller might have been due to it costing costing twice as much asthe download? cm

Link: OS X Mountain LionWill Be Mac Store Only, Apple Tells Us USB Key Will Not BeAvailable

Messages Beta Available for OS X 10.7.3

PR: OS X10.7 Lion users can download Apple's Messages beta and get a taste ofwhat's coming in OS X Mountain Lion. When you install Messages, itreplaces iChat. But iChat services will continue to work. And Messagesbrings iMessage to the Mac, just like on iPad, iPhone, and iPod touchrunning iOS 5.

Here are the features you can expect with Messages:

Send unlimited iMessages to any Mac, iPad, iPhone, or iPod touchrunning iOS 5.
Start an iMessage conversation on your Mac and continue it on youriPad, iPhone, or iPod touch.
Send photos, videos, attachments, contacts, locations, andmore.
Launch a FaceTime video call and bring the conversationface-to-face.
Messages supports iMessage, AIM, Yahoo!, Google Talk, and Jabberaccounts.

How To Install Mountain Lion On Unsupported Mac

System requirements: Mac OS X 10.7.3 or later

Link: MessagesBeta

Messages Beta Will Stop Working When Mountain LionLaunches

The Register's Anna Leach reports that the beta build of Apple's newMessages app for Macs, released as a free download last Thursday, willself-terminate unless you buy Mac OS X Mountain Lion when it comes outin the summer.

'So,' Ms. Leach warns, 'don't get too used to it if you're not goingto upgrade your operating system,' noting that a French blogger spottedthe beta app's expiration date in the software code of thedownload:

'Thank you for participating in the Messages Beta program. With theinclusion of Messages in OS X Mountain Lion, the Messages Beta programhas ended. To continue using Messages, please visit the Mac App Storeand purchase OS X Mountain Lion.'

Link: Apple's MessagesBeta Will Self-Destruct on Mountain Lion Launch

Gatekeeper in OS X Mountain Lion Is Cause forWorry

AppleTell's Patrick Lutz says ifyou've checked out the new features to be included in OS X MountainLion, you know about Gatekeeper, the new security system that preventsusers from unintentionally installing malware. This new systembasically keeps apps that weren't downloaded from the Mac App Store oran identified developer outside of the App Store from launching unlessusers change Gatekeeper's default settings to allow them.

Lutz observes that with Gatekeeper, Apple is ramping up emphasis onhaving OS X apps distributed more within the Mac App Store rather thanthrough outside sources - albeit in the name of security - noting thatApple will be imposing these limitations (and your ability to changethem) within System Preferences under Security & Privacy, in whichyou'll be able to manage all of Gatekeeper's settings.

Users can bypass the Gatekeeper check (for now, at least, asMountain Lion is only in developer preview and Apple can easily changethis), but while Lutz appreciates Apple's efforts to fight againstmalware in OS X, he wishes they'd take a different approach, contendingthat telling users that they want them to only go through Apple'sapproved channels for their software is a pretty scary move that hashim a bit worried.

Editor's note: Me too. cm

Link: Gatekeeper in OS X Mountain Lion &emdash; Why It Has MeWorried

Security Experts Suspicious of Gatekeeper

The Register's John Leyden notes that security watchers areexpressing reservations about whitelisting security that Apple plans tointegrate with OS X Mountain Lion this summer with a feature dubbedGatekeeper that restricts installation of downloaded applications basedon their source.

Leyden notes that while that's a laudable aim from a system securityperspective, there may be less palatable consequences, notably thatGatekeeper could be a step along the road to making OS X as closed tounapproved developers as iOS is already, making it, ironically, a bitof a Trojan itself in another, more traditional context. To wit,extending the garden wall to surround OS X by stealth.

Leyden cites F-Secure security advisor Sean Sullivan commenting thatit's not much of a reach to imagine revoking third-party peripheraldrivers in order to 'secure' the Apple user experience on Macs, andobserving that while Gatekeeper is being touted as offering 'Morecontrol for you' - 'I keep reading it as: more control over you.By 2014, I expect somebody out there will be jailbreaking theirMac.'

And apparently Gatekeeper 'security' is pretty leaky as well.

Link: Security BizScoffs at Apple's Anti-Trojan Gatekeeper

The Tools You Need to Repair a Mac mini

Amsys' Russell Harris says that one of the most important day-to-daytasks for Apple Certified Macintosh Technicians (ACMT) is making sureyou have the correct tools to carry out repairs at hand. With the vastrange of models, knowing what tools to set out for each repair isn't aseasy as it sounds. Over the coming weeks, Harris will take brief looksat the list of tools required for Qualified Technicians to repair eachMac model, starting with the Mac mini.

He notes that most of the tools needed are available from mosthardware/DIY stores, although a small range are Apple specific toolsthat can be purchased direct from Apple.

You may find the need for some additional tools, which are optional,but Harris lists the minimum required to do the full range ofrepairs

Publisher's note: The Mac mini has some very small, easily lostscrews. Be sure to keep track of them! dk

Link: How to Repair aMac mini: The Tools You Need

Apple Extends Mac App Store Sandboxing RestrictionDeadline to June 1

AppleInsider Staff report that Apple yet again extended the deadlinefor developers to make their applications compliant with the new MacApp Store sandboxing restrictions, moving it back to June 1. Theprevious deadline was March 1.

Link: Apple Extends MacApp Store Sandboxing Restriction Deadline to June 1

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How To Download Mountain Lion On Unsupported Mac

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