Extract Firmware from OS X installer

extract-firmware.md

• Download the full installer:

softwareupdate --list-full-installers
Finding available software
Software Update found the following full installers:
* Title: macOS Ventura, Version: 13.1, Size: 11931164KiB, Build: 22C65
* Title: macOS Ventura, Version: 13.0.1, Size: 11866460KiB, Build: 22A400
* Title: macOS Ventura, Version: 13.0, Size: 11866804KiB, Build: 22A380
* Title: macOS Monterey, Version: 12.6.2, Size: 12104568KiB, Build: 21G320
* Title: macOS Monterey, Version: 12.6.1, Size: 12108491KiB, Build: 21G217
* Title: macOS Monterey, Version: 12.6, Size: 12104042KiB, Build: 21G115
* Title: macOS Big Sur, Version: 11.7.2, Size: 12119307KiB, Build: 20G1020
* Title: macOS Big Sur, Version: 11.7.1, Size: 12119247KiB, Build: 20G918
* Title: macOS Big Sur, Version: 11.7, Size: 12118755KiB, Build: 20G817
* Title: macOS Big Sur, Version: 11.6.6, Size: 12121263KiB, Build: 20G624
* Title: macOS Big Sur, Version: 11.6.5, Size: 12121404KiB, Build: 20G527
* Title: macOS Big Sur, Version: 11.6.4, Size: 12147782KiB, Build: 20G417
* Title: macOS Big Sur, Version: 11.6.3, Size: 12143674KiB, Build: 20G415
* Title: macOS Big Sur, Version: 11.6.2, Size: 12141944KiB, Build: 20G314
* Title: macOS Big Sur, Version: 11.6.1, Size: 12137180KiB, Build: 20G224
* Title: macOS Big Sur, Version: 11.5.2, Size: 12149332KiB, Build: 20G95
* Title: macOS Catalina, Version: 10.15.7, Size: 8055650KiB, Build: 19H15
* Title: macOS Catalina, Version: 10.15.7, Size: 8055522KiB, Build: 19H2
* Title: macOS Catalina, Version: 10.15.6, Size: 8055450KiB, Build: 19G2021
* Title: macOS Mojave, Version: 10.14.6, Size: 5896894KiB, Build: 18G103
* Title: macOS High Sierra, Version: 10.13.6, Size: 5099306KiB, Build: 17G66

softwareupdate --fetch-full-installer --full-installer-version 12.6.2

• Or use Mist or sus-inspector

• For MacPro5,1 use this:

softwareupdate --fetch-full-installer --full-installer-version 10.14.6
cp /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Mojave.app/Contents/Resources/Firmware/MP51.fd  ~/Desktop

For older systems officially supporting:

• Catalina use the latest security update
• Mojave use the latest security update
• High Sierra use the latest security update

Apple security updates

pkgutil --expand [Double click the dmg file and drop file here] /destination/path/

pkgutil --expand /Volumes/macOS\ Catalina\ Security\ Update\ 2021-008/SecUpd2021-008Catalina.pkg ~/Desktop/Expanded
cp ~/Desktop/Expanded/FirmwareUpdate.pkg/Scripts/Tools/EFIPayloads/MM61.scap ~/Desktop/MM61.scap

Please check here for the latest firmware version and the latest full installer version or latest security update.

• Mounting Big Sur SharedSupport disk image:

/usr/bin/hdiutil mount /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Big\ Sur*.app/Contents/SharedSupport/SharedSupport.dmg

• Store ZIP file path to variable (handle unpredictable file name)

ZIP_FILE=`ls /Volumes/Shared\ Support/com_apple_MobileAsset_MacSoftwareUpdate/*.zip`

• List firmware files in ZIP file:

unzip -l-qq "$ZIP_FILE" "AssetData/boot/EFI/EFIPayloads/*"

• In Terminal.app, first verify your EFI version using the following command:

/usr/libexec/firmwarecheckers/eficheck/eficheck --integrity-check | grep "EFI Version"

• Note: macOS Sonoma no longer prifides the eficheck utility. That has been removed from Sonoma. All T2 and Apple silicon models automatically check the integrity of their firmware in the early part of the boot process anyway.

• locate the firmware file and store the exact file path into the variable FIRMWARE_FILE:

FIRMWARE_FILE=<firmware file path here>

• An example command would be:

FIRMWARE_FILE=AssetData/boot/EFI/EFIPayloads/MBP112.scap

• Extract the firmware file ( "-j" means don't create directory structure and "-d" designates that output directory):

unzip -j "$ZIP_FILE" $FIRMWARE_FILE -d ~/Desktop/

• Set your MacBook to upgrade the firmware on the next bootup (SIP must be disabled). Fill in the file name of your specific firmware file:

sudo /usr/sbin/bless -firmware ~/Desktop/<firmware file name here> --verbose --recovery

• Trigger firmware upgrade: Shut down your computer. (Do not choose the restart option!) After the MacBook is powered off, power it back on by pressing the power button. Next be patient, and if everything goes well your firmware will be updated.

Hi there! Thank you for these instructions. I have third party storage and can't install macOS 12 for that reason.

I've been trying to force a firmware update on a MacBookPro12,1 which has an OWC Aura Pro X2. But I can't quite figure it out, and I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong.

My EFI version is: MBP121.88Z.0177.B00.1806051659

I managed to extract MBP121.fd from the macOS 11 installer. When blessing it I get the following output:

$ sudo /usr/sbin/bless -firmware ~/Desktop/firmware/MBP121.fd --verbose --recovery

EFI found at IODeviceTree:/efi
Will need to copy 8388608 bytes to EFI system partition
No auxiliary booter partition required
System partition found
Preferred system partition found: disk0s1
Returning booter information dictionary:
{
    "Auxiliary Partitions" =     (
    );
    "Data Partitions" =     (
        disk1s5s1
    );
    "Preboot Volumes" =     (
        disk1s2
    );
    "System Partitions" =     (
        disk0s1
    );
}
Mounting at /Volumes/bless.bKpK
Executing "/sbin/mount"
Returned 0
Creating /Volumes/bless.bKpK/EFI/APPLE/FIRMWARE if needed
Deleting previous contents of /Volumes/bless.bKpK/EFI/APPLE/FIRMWARE
Deleting /Volumes/bless.bKpK/EFI/APPLE/FIRMWARE/MBP121.fd (8388608 bytes)
Opened dest at /Volumes/bless.bKpK/EFI/APPLE/FIRMWARE/MBP121.fd for writing
preallocation not supported on this filesystem for /Volumes/bless.bKpK/EFI/APPLE/FIRMWARE/MBP121.fd

/Volumes/bless.bKpK/EFI/APPLE/FIRMWARE/MBP121.fd created successfully
No auxiliary booter partition required
System partition found
Preferred system partition found: disk0s1
Returning booter information dictionary:
{
    "Auxiliary Partitions" =     (
    );
    "Data Partitions" =     (
        disk1s1
    );
    "Preboot Volumes" =     (
        disk1s2
    );
    "System Partitions" =     (
        disk0s1
    );
}
Bad path for boot item: /Users/dada/Desktop/firmware/MBP121.fd
Relative path of /Volumes/bless.bKpK/EFI/APPLE/FIRMWARE/MBP121.fd is \EFI\APPLE\FIRMWARE\MBP121.fd
IOMedia disk0s1 has UUID BCCC0725-7D0F-448A-B78F-CDCBF216B6E4
Executing "/sbin/umount"
Returned 0
Write to RTC: 0
Setting EFI NVRAM:
{
    "efi-apple-recovery" = "<array><dict><key>IOMatch</key><dict><key>IOProviderClass</key><string>IOMedia</string><key>IOPropertyMatch</key><dict><key>UUID</key><string>BCCC0725-7D0F-448A-B78F-CDCBF216B6E4</string></dict></dict><key>BLLastBSDName</key><string>disk0s1</string></dict><dict><key>IOEFIDevicePathType</key><string>MediaFilePath</string><key>Path</key><string>\\EFI\\APPLE\\FIRMWARE\\MBP121.fd</string></dict></array>";
}

I can confirm that the file is on the EFI partition after that.

As I understand it, I should then be able to shut down, and power up by holding down the power button - eventually I should hear a beep and it should apply the firmware update, and then boot with the update applied. However, that just doesn't happen. When I hold down the power button it takes about 15 seconds and then it just boots up normally. Nothing seems to happen. I don't know if there's supposed to be some way to tell that it's doing the firmware update.

I've tried with the macOS 11 and 12 MBP121.fd files (they have a different md5sum), neither of them work.

Install macOS Big Sur
  8388608  09-04-2023 07:00   AssetData/boot/EFI/EFIPayloads/MBP121.fd
Install macOS Monterey
  8388608  12-21-2023 15:27   AssetData/boot/EFI/EFIPayloads/MBP121.fd

81bac94c0f7541ee8ff19868ccb5c1c8  MBP121_11.fd
77e83cd9c42c18c9f9e74a95ee081d6f  MBP121_12.fd

I'm stumped, do you have any idea what I did wrong? I would appreciate any thoughts!

edit: SilentKnight output: