Not exactly a Hackintosh question: I have a MacBook Pro (17', early 2011) with a broken dGPU (disabled via NVRAM settings). Installing macOS Mojave was straightforward with dosdude's Mojave Patcher Tool (a great little tool btw). Hackintosh Mojave Installer Features: Hackintosh Mojave Installer does not have any third-party applications or software. Only support UEFI compatible computers. (macOS Mojave dropped support for old hardware, it is still possible to install Mojave on PC with third-party tools but it is not worth the effort). MacOS 10.14 Mojave is the best Mac operating system yet – but it’s not without its problems. Read on to find common macOS 10.14 problems and how to fix them.
Undoubtedly, Windows 10 is a user-friendly operating system with its own pro and cons. But which operating is free from it? If you’re in love with Windows 10 and do not want to leave it, but want to try macOS, you can do so. But how?
The safest way without leaving safe boundaries of your current operating system is using a virtual machine.
Virtual machine is an emulation of a computer system, it behaves like an actual computer by imitating dedicated hardware.
In this how to install macOS Mojave on Windows 10 tutorial you’ll learn how to create a Hackintosh.
So, let’s begin without going into details.
Pre-requisites to create macOS Mojave on Windows 10
You’ll need to download and install certain essential tools before we begin.
1. VMware Player 15.0.4
VMware Player Intel APFS Mojave 10.14.3
VMware Player Patch Tool (Both Files Required)
2. MacOS Mojave
Once all the above-mentioned files are downloaded, extract them using an archive tool like WinRAR or WinZip. In the extracted folder, you’ll see a .VMDK file. This the file that contains the operating system.
How to Create a macOS Virtual Machine Using VMware Workstation Player
You can not only create a macOS Mojave on VirtualBox but can also use VMware to create a virtual machine. Before doing so, remember VMware requires patching before macOS Mojave virtual machine runs.
Patching VMware Workstation Player
We hope you’ve downloaded VMware Player Patch Tool. That being done, now you need to extract the contents of the zip file.
Tip: Save all the downloaded files at one location and extract them on the same drive. As VMware root folder and extracted files are on C: extract all on the same driver. As it will work best.
While extracting patch file ensure VMware is not running. To cross-check head to Task Manager by pressing CTRL+SHIFT+ESC. Here, under Processes tab look for Vmware, if you find it select > End Task.
Once done head back to patch folder > right-click the win-install command script > Run as Administrator. This will open the Command Prompt window, where patch script will run. While the process is running, keep an eye on the screen and ensure there is no “File not Found” messages.
Note: “File not found” or a “system cannot find the file specified” message appears while installing VMware Workstation Player when the patch file is saved in a location different to the default folder.
Once the patch runs completely, open VMware and start creating macOS Mojave Virtual Machine.
Steps to create macOS Mojave Virtual Machine
1. Open VMware > New Virtual Machine > Next > Custom > Next.
2. Select Create a New Virtual Machine > I will install the operating system later > Next.
3. Select Apple Mac PS X > under Version click the down arrow to select macOS 10.14. In case you do not see Guest operating system or macOS options, this means the patch didn’t install correctly. So, reinstall the patch and then follow the steps.
Give a name to your macOS Mojave virtual machine and copy the file path as you’ll need it later to make some edits.
4. On the next screen, change Number of processors to 1 and change Number of cores per processors to 2 > Next.
5. Next, allocate the memory > Next. We suggest allocating 4GB.
6. After this, select Use network address translation (NAT) to connect. However, if you don’t want network connectivity select Do not use a network connection > Next.
7. Avoid changing recommended I/O controllers, disk type > Next.
8. Now, select Create a new virtual disk > Next. Do not change the recommended disk size. Select Store virtual disk as a single file > Next.
9. To finish creating macOS Mojave virtual machine specify the location where you wish to disk file > Next > Finish.
Wait, do not start the virtual machine.
Before we start the virtual machine, you’ll need to edit the certain settings. To edit macOS Mojave Settings follow the steps below.
Steps to edit macOS Mojave hardware specifications:
1. Open VMware > select macOS Mojave virtual machine > Edit virtual machine settings.
2. Let VMware run on default virtual machine memory. We recommend using 4 GB.
3. Under Processors, if you see the number of cores more than 2 edit them and make it 2 under core processors.
4. Next, under Hard Disk (SATA), if there is an already create disk remove it. Select SATA > Remove.
5. Now, select Add > Hard Disk > Next > SATA (Recommended)> Next > Use an existing disk. Browse to the location of existing macOS VMDK and hit ok.
Edit the macOS VMX file
You are now one step away from using your Mac Mojave virtual machine. To make the final edits close VMware and follow the step by step instructions below:
1. Go to the location where you saved macOS virtual machine. Its default location is: documents folder on your C drive.
2. Now, navigate to macOS.vmx > right-click > Open with > Notepad.
Dosdude Mojave Patcher
3. Scroll to the end and add: smc.version = “0”
4. Save the change and Close Notepad.
You are nowall set. Open VMware select your macOS Mojave virtual machine, and enjoy using it.
Since we are using VMware version 15 you can install VMware tools from within. To do so, head to VM tab in your VMware > Install VMware tools.
Troubleshooting
Sometimes when the patch file isn’t processed properly you may encounter error message like:
“Mac OS X is not supported with binary translation”
“VMware Player unrecoverable error: (vcpu-0)”
If you receive “Mac OS X is not supported with binary translation” you’ll need to activate virtualization in your BIOS/UEFI configuration.
If you receive the message “VMware Player unrecoverable error: (vcpu-0)” this means you forgot to add smc.version = “0” in the .vmx file. So head back and add it.
So these were the simple steps to run macOS Mojave on Windows 10. If you follow the step by step, then nothing can go wrong. Please leave us a comment to let us know all went well. However, if you faced any problem do let us know.
Mojave is still one of the most popular macOS desktop operating system in late 2020, which occupies around 20% market share of entire macOS. There are still millions of Macs or Hackintosh running Mojave as its primary OS. However, if the computer was crashed or broken, you have to reinstall macOS Mojave on it to solve the problem.
In this post, we will share a detailed tutorial on how to create a macOS Mojave bootable USB installer. At this time, we will use a Windows PC (Windows 10 laptop) as you are unable to get into the Mac. Honestly, it is much easier to create macOS bootable USB on Mac with createinstallmedia command in Terminal. You can refer to Part 6 of this tutorial if you have a Mac to do this.
Part 1: MacOS Mojave Hardware Requirement
If Your Mac was shipped with Mojave in default, then there is no need to check hardware compatibility at this time. For system downgrade or upgrade, you have to make sure your Mac hardware meet the minimal requirement for installing macOS Mojave.
For Mac:
- MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or newer)
- MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or newer)
- MacBook (Early 2015 or newer)
- Mac mini (Late 2012 or newer)
- iMac (Late 2012 or newer)
- iMac Pro (2017)
However, if you prepared to install macOS Mojave on a Hackintosh, the requirements are different and much complex. You should do your homework more carefully. Below is an overview requirement.
For Hackintosh:
- CPU: Intel 8th or 9th Generation
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Storage: 128 GB SSD or HDD.
- Motherboard: Compabible with CPU (Asus, MSI Preferred)
- Graphics: AMD Radeon Recommended
Part 2: Download macOS Mojave DMG File
macOS Mojave has two types of installation format. One is via Install Mojave App where you can directly download from Mac App Store. This option is not available on Mac with a new version of macOS that is newer than Mojave.
The other installation media is via Mojave dmg file, which contacts all the files and boot information for installing macOS Mojave in a compressed structure. However, you need to burn dmg to USB first before it is used as a bootable media. Now, you can download macOS Mojave DMG file the following resources:
Download Link 1: https://archive.org/download/macOS_Mojave.dmg
Download Link 2: https://sundryfiles.com/9tz
Mac Os Mojave Patcher Download
Part 3: Create macOS Mojave Bootable USB Installer on Windows 10 PC
You have completed the preparation process in above steps and it is time to create a bootable Mojave USB installer from the download dmg file. Unfortunately, the USB would be bootable if just simply copying the dmg file to USB drive without additional actions because the booting code is not written to USB via file copy. Instead, you should use third-party software to help you create a macOS Mojave USB drive from DMG file.
UUByte DMG Editor is such a tool for burning dmg file to USB drive. It will copy all installation files and write boot information to USB drive as well. After burning, the USB is bootable and can be used as a media to install macOS. The following is the details for creating macOS Mojave bootable USB drive.
Step 1: Click the Download button and save the .exe file on your Windows PC; then double click it to start the installation process.
Step 2: Insert a USB drive into the PC and open DMG Editor software from desktop shortcut. Now, click Next button at the right side of Burn module.
Step 3: Now, you need to import the downloaded Mojave dmg file into the program and choose the USB drive name from drop-down menu.
Step 4: When the preparation is done, click Burn button to start burning macOS Mojave dmg file to target USB device. You have to wait for 5-10 minutes for this.
This is one of most reliable ways to create macOS Mojave bootable USB drive on a Windows PC. You can use DMG Editor on latest Windows 10 as well as Windows 8/7/XP.
Part 4: Install macOS Mojave from USB Drive on Mac
After creating macOS Mojave bootable USB drive, it is the right time to install Mojave on your Mac. If possible, make sure taking a backup of important data on your Mac. The installation process will format the drive and this will delete all your personal data and apps from Mac.
To get started, please connect the USB drive to Mac and power on the computer. Keep pressing the Option key and you see the Startup Manager in a few seconds. Click on the USB drive name with your mouse to enter into installation page. Next, select the internal drive and finally click Continue button to begin the installation process.
Note: For installation on a Hackintosh, you need additional tool to configure the boot loader, such as OpenCore or Clover. After that, plug the USB into Hackintosh and set USB as the first boot device in BIOS. By doing this, you will manage to get into Mojave install wizard.
Part 5: Possible Issue and Fix
According to our research, there might be a few issues during this process, which were reported by online users. Below is a list of most common issues you may come across. Please don't be scared as we also share possible fix to help you out!
USB Not Showing up in Startup Manager: If the USB drive burned with DMG Editor did not show up in Startup Manager, it means the burning process failed. The most possible reason is that the dmg file was corrupted, you need to download it from another source and burn it again.
No available drive for installation. Mojave is built with APFS but the old Macs come with HFS or HFS+. You have to boot into macOS Recovery mode and format the drive to APFS with Disk Utility app.
It could be more issues with Hackintosh and we don't have less epxerience on this topic. Please go to Hackintosh blog or forum for more accurate solutions.
Conclusion
The above are the necessary steps intended to create a macOS Mojave bootable USB on a Windows 10 PC. Please read them carefully, especially the hardware requirement section. You won't be able to install Mojave on a Mac that does not meet its technical specification. You can also send us email if you have issue not being solved by your own.