Install MacOS with clover EFI bootloader on ASUS Z87a

Clover is an open source EFI bootloader. clover can do better job than Chameleon, especially on newer UEFI based systems. Using Clover is easy and straightforward. There are tons of documents about how to use clover on Gigabyte motherboards because Gigabyte motherboards usually have less compatibility issues with MAC OS X in the old day. However, with Clover and new OS X after Yosemite, Asus motherboard can also be turned into a perfect Hackintosh. Hardwares used in this instruction: Motherboard: Asus Z87-A motherboard (Get ASUS Z87-A motherboard from Amazon) CPU: I7 4770K CPU or any LGA1150 CPU (Get LGA1150 CPU from Amazon) Graphics Card: Integrated Graphics Processor (HD Graphics 4600) Sound Card: Integrated Realtek ALC892 Overview for this instructions:

1. Download the OS X Yosemite (or El Capitan‎) Application from the Mac App Store

2. Prepare a UEFI Installer USB flash drive

3. ASUS 87-A BIOS setup

4. Install Clover into USB

5. Modify Clover bootloader’s configuration file

6. Install OS X Yosemite

7. Install the bootloader and drivers to system drive

8. Install Sound card driver and fix wake up no sound issue

9. Download OS X Operating System

The full operating system is a FREE download for anyone who are using Mac OS X 10.6.8 or after. A full image can be download from the Mac App Store using your Apple ID.

1. Open Mac App Store
2. Search OS X
3. Download OS X *** (in this demo we are using OS X Yosemite)

The Application Install OS X Yosemite will appear in /Applications.

2. Prepare a UEFI Installer USB flash drive.

   (this step will completely erases the USB)

3. Insert the USB drive

4. Open /Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility

5. Select the USB derive in left column. (Click and highlight the name with Total Capacity)

6. Click on the Partition tab

7. Click Current and choose 1 Partition

8. Click Options…

9. Choose GUID Partition Table

10. Under Name: type MAC (It will be renamed later)

11. Under Format: choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled)

12. Click Apply then Partition

13. Open Terminal (/Applications/Utilities/Terminal) and use the command below to create a native OS X installer media from the Install OS X Yosemite Application.

    sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Yosemite.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MAC --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Yosemite.app --no interaction

14. The USB will be renamed Install OS X Yosemite upon completion.

15. BIOS setup

Should I patch the BIOS? NO, you don’t have to. Make sure Z87-A’s BIOS is up to day. You can always download the latest version BIOS from ASUS’s website. The latest version’s BIOS already have the option to disable the CFG lock (MSR 0xE2) so you don’t need to patch your BIOS. If you don’t have the latest BIOS, you can still use Clover’s AsusAICPUPM patch. You can do that in STEP 4.

1. Disable ASUS Motherboard’s UEFI secure boot

2. Set CSM (Compatibility Support Module) to Disabled

3. Set SATA Mode to AHCI Mode

4. Other settings do not really matter. The system will boot just fine.

5. Install Clover into USB

   Download the latest version of Clover from Clover from Sourceforge Open Clover package installer Choose the USB Install OS X Yosemite We are using UEFI boot we will install Clover to the EFI partition of the USB for UEFI booting only. Hit Customize and install Clover to the same USB with the following Custom Install settings:

6. Make Clover Fit your Machine

   Open the mounted EFI partition, Navigate EFI/CLOVER/drivers64UEFI/ remove VBoxHfs-64.efi and add HFSPlus.efi (Apple’s HFS driver. Required to boot OSX when creating USB stick using this guide.) Navigate to /EFI/CLOVER/kexts/10.10/ and add FakeSMC.kext Navigate to /EFI/CLOVER/kexts/10.10/ and add RealtekRTL8111.kext (Driver for Realtek 8111GR Gigabit LAN Controller) Navigate to /EFI/CLOVER/ and replace default config.plist with plist for ASUS Z87-A config.plist The configuration file will tell Clover how to run on your machine. You can enable various features and apply patches that the developers have built into Clover. The configurations are going to be vastly different depending upon what components you have. The full explanation of config.plist parameters can be found here.

7. Install OS X

   Reboot your PC and select boot from your newly created USB When Clover boot screen is visible, choose Boot OS X Install from OS X Install OS X Yosemite For a new installation of OS X, you MUST erase and format the destination drive according to the following steps before continuing. If you are upgrading from previous generation OS X like Snow Leopard, Lion, or Mountain Lion and you want to keep your files and apps, skip the following 1-10 steps.

8. Choose Disk Utility

9. Highlight your target hard drive for the Yosemite installation in left column.

10. Click Partition tab

11. Click Current and choose 1 Partition

12. Click Options…

13. Choose GUID Partition Table

14. Under Name: type MAC (You can rename it later)

15. Under Format: choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled)

16. Click Apply then Partition

17. Close Disk Utility

When the installer asks you where to install, choose Yosemite, or your existing install. System will restart the 1st time Boot to your USB again, when Clover boot screen is visible, choose Boot OS X Install from OS X Install OS X Yosemite The system will boot into the new drive, create the recovery partition, and complete the installation. Upon completion, system will restart the 2nd time. When Clover boot screen is visible, choose Yosemite then the system will launch OS X Setup

7. Install the bootloader and drivers to system drive.

Repeat step 4 after you finished OS X setup, but this time choose to install Clover to your hard drive MAC Repeat step 5 to your hard drive MAC‘s EFI partition.

8. Install Sound card driver and fix wake up no sound issue.

Note: The config.plist we provided will prevent the popping sound or static noise issue as we use Mac Pro 3,1 identifier. iMac will periodically force sound card to sleep and will cause Realtek ALC892 sound card to make static noise or popping. The performance different between using Mac Pro 3,1 or iMac system definition is not obvious so no need to change that unless you have specific reason to do so. Download alc892 Open Kext Utility and drag AppleHDA892.kext and CodecCommander.kext to install both kext into /S/L/E. *CodecCommander will fix the no sound problem after sleep and wakeup. *AppleHDA892.kext will not affect original AppleHDA, need to together use with the config.plist provided in this post.

9. add Intel i7 4770K SSDT for better CPU SpeedStep & Power Management

Navigate to /Volumes/EFI/EFI/CLOVER/ACPI/patched/ and add SSDT.aml

Credit: http://www.tonymacx86.com/yosemite-desktop-guides/144426-how-install-os-x-yosemite-using-clover.html