macOS 11.01 not updating to 11.2
- Thread starter ZBoater
- Start date
OK, after 3 months and multiple support tickets, trying various customizations suggested by Parallels support, a Guest VM of macOS 11 Big Sur can now recognize and successfully install Apple Software Updates (on a Host macOS 11 Big Sur). It has something to do with the virtual video adapter setting, apparently.
The instructions that worked for me (Parallels 16.5, on an Intel Mac running macOS 11.3, with a Guest VM macOS 11.x):
1. Shut Down the VM.
2. Add the following 2 boot flags in Configuration > Hardware > Boot Order > Advanced Settings > Boot Flags:
devices.smbios.board_id=default
devices.usb.speed.keyboard=high
3. Find the VM file (.pvm) in your Parallels folder (usually in your User folder):
- Right-click on the .pvm file
- Choose "Show Package Contents"
- Open the "Config.pvs" file in TextEdit
- Locate the following strings (in my file, around line 454-456):
<Video VideoMemorySize_patch="1" dyn_lists="">
<Enabled>1</Enabled>
<Type>2</Type>
... change the "Type" value from 2 to 0 (zero), save and close the file, and close the Finder window to get out of Package Contents.
- Open Parallels and open the VM, and check for software updates, allow to install.
4. If the VM successfully performs Apple Software Update, then shut down the VM, go back in to Step 3, and change the "Type" back to 2 from zero (so that video in the VM will perform properly).
Your mileage may vary.
The instructions that worked for me (Parallels 16.5, on an Intel Mac running macOS 11.3, with a Guest VM macOS 11.x):
1. Shut Down the VM.
2. Add the following 2 boot flags in Configuration > Hardware > Boot Order > Advanced Settings > Boot Flags:
devices.smbios.board_id=default
devices.usb.speed.keyboard=high
3. Find the VM file (.pvm) in your Parallels folder (usually in your User folder):
- Right-click on the .pvm file
- Choose "Show Package Contents"
- Open the "Config.pvs" file in TextEdit
- Locate the following strings (in my file, around line 454-456):
<Video VideoMemorySize_patch="1" dyn_lists="">
<Enabled>1</Enabled>
<Type>2</Type>
... change the "Type" value from 2 to 0 (zero), save and close the file, and close the Finder window to get out of Package Contents.
- Open Parallels and open the VM, and check for software updates, allow to install.
4. If the VM successfully performs Apple Software Update, then shut down the VM, go back in to Step 3, and change the "Type" back to 2 from zero (so that video in the VM will perform properly).
Your mileage may vary.
This procedure worked for me. Thanks for sharing this! I updated today from 11.3 to 11.3.1. Hung on the progress bar and I stopped the VM, booted into startup manager and selected Mac OS and booted up to the login screen.Got stuck at the same point.
What i did, was:
1) stop the hanging VM
2) Boot into Startup Manager (VM setting to choose start-up device CHECKED)
3) Boot VM --> it will boot into the "startup manager"
4) Select "Mac OS" and press Enter
5) Screen returned 80% and after a couple of seconds it finished installation and presented a login screen
I do not know, if that will do the trick for others, but for me it worked.
Cheers Marcus
PatrickHartling
Bit poster
I posted too soon. It saw the upgrade but the upgrade failed during install. Sorry. I did need to edit the .cnf file to get it to work correctly.
I wish Parallels would fix this problem.
juls
Macintosh Rescue
Member
Mixed story of the recent update to 11.4:
On my iMac running Big Sur as the host OS I notice that the Big Sur guest can now see software updates with no alterations to boot arguments; it looks like Apple now recognise Parallels VMs and will provide updates.
On my 2012 Mac mini Server running Catalina I notice that my Big Sur guest sees updates also. Unfortunately things didn't go smoothly on the Catalina host resulting in total destruction of the Big Sur guest midway through updating. I guess that this is to do with running on the older Apple hypervisor. I've resorted to buying the cheapest M1 Mac mini and ending the update tug or war on the old Mac mini, and I am keeping the old Mac mini for running older Mac OS X guests and a Linux server.
On my iMac running Big Sur as the host OS I notice that the Big Sur guest can now see software updates with no alterations to boot arguments; it looks like Apple now recognise Parallels VMs and will provide updates.
On my 2012 Mac mini Server running Catalina I notice that my Big Sur guest sees updates also. Unfortunately things didn't go smoothly on the Catalina host resulting in total destruction of the Big Sur guest midway through updating. I guess that this is to do with running on the older Apple hypervisor. I've resorted to buying the cheapest M1 Mac mini and ending the update tug or war on the old Mac mini, and I am keeping the old Mac mini for running older Mac OS X guests and a Linux server.
Just wanted to chime in on my experience with this. Full context: I run Parallels 16.5 in unmodified Catalina on a Mac Pro 2009 (firmware updated to claim a 2010 (5,1) and a metal video card. Parallels only support Parallels hypervisor, not Apple). I have a couple VMs running unmodified Big Sur and I've never seen Software Update list OS updates for it. My Catalina VM does this fine, and even will update to Big Sur from Catalina. I've suspected the OS notices the CPU or machine ID as unsupported and gives up, but I'm not sure exactly why it doesn't work. For that reason, Catalina shouldn't work either, yet Catalina does do normal updates in VM. Whenever I needed to update a Big Sur VM to a newer version of Big Sur, I would get the installer app using the Terminal app, and run the full installer. (run "softwareupdate --fetch-full-installer" to install the installer App, and then run the App to fully install the new version). Well, today a Big Sur 11.3.1 VM actually popped up an OS update to 11.4 in the Software Update pane. After several hours of disk spinning, it completed the update, rebooted, and it came back to 11.3.1. On the plus side, the software update preference window still had a "restart now", and rebooted without re-downloading. It took a few reboots of the VM for the update to take, but it eventually did. Maybe it's a fluke, or it's something in macOS that fixed it in 11.3.1. Fingers crossed 11.4 can apply the next update as well.
P
Parallels User
sorry - posted my 11.4 update process in a different thread, I should have put here. On all of my guests (7) I encountered the exact same issue. The update would successfully reboot, and then after a graphics quality change on boot - hang at around 40% progress. I 'stop'ed the guest, and restarted and everything booted wonderfully. (I had nearly all of the prior reported issues - and had some suggestion on changing the boot config flags/etc - though over time I found that none of these suggestion really did anything and removed them prior to the 11.4 upgrade).
An update of an older version 11.0.1 to 11.6! hangs around 50%. I managed to see after setting one of the options mentioned in this thread (devices.smbios.board_id=default). But I can't get the VM to fully stop: quit gets it into a sleep state and shutdown simply doesn't do anything. Any suggestion?
P
Parallels User
I had this exact same problem, and found a solution. Oddly, for other reasons 4 of the 5 guests I had setup with Parallels completed the installation. When I looked at the one that hadn't in more detail, I found I had been using Apple's virtualization as the configured interface for the guest. The others all were using Parallels version. So I opted to try - and voila - the system progressed past 50%.
However, I also know that for all the variations (Apple or Parallels) I have to "Stop" when the guest reaches 50% (after some time to insure it's truly hung). Once stopped, I restart and the system progresses to the login screen.
Previously I had tried diagnosing what was the issue - and noticed the system was hung trying to wait on a device driver to start. Something to do with the device simulation not presenting the device properly to the driver gets the driver into a retry-wait loop. I gave up trying to diagnose the real issue, at some point, and simply tried the Stop/Start to further break down the issue. That's when I accidentally fell upon the work-around. With a little source code
I pretty sure I could have found the root-cause, but hey limitations, eh.
However, I also know that for all the variations (Apple or Parallels) I have to "Stop" when the guest reaches 50% (after some time to insure it's truly hung). Once stopped, I restart and the system progresses to the login screen.
Previously I had tried diagnosing what was the issue - and noticed the system was hung trying to wait on a device driver to start. Something to do with the device simulation not presenting the device properly to the driver gets the driver into a retry-wait loop. I gave up trying to diagnose the real issue, at some point, and simply tried the Stop/Start to further break down the issue. That's when I accidentally fell upon the work-around. With a little source code
I pretty sure I could have found the root-cause, but hey limitations, eh.
P
Parallels User
Ok, I am going to give this a try too.... and get back on this.,
Stopping and starting does get me to the login prompt but after logging in it turns out that I am still at the old version. Endless cycle, tried a few times. Going to try a few other parameters and then I am contacting support who may have a better solution meantime.
Maria@Parallels
Problem solver
Hello, could you collect the technical data once the issue reproduced and post the report's ID here please?
Looking forward to your reply and updates.
SoonToBeFormerParallelsUser
Junior Member
Hi is there any update on a sure fix for this? I have done everything suggested in this thread with no success in updating to 12.2.1.
P
Parallels User
Hi SoonToBeFormerParallelsUser,
I've not tried any 12.x version macOS either as a guest or host of Parallels for x86 or Arm solutions, though the "Stop" was the only way to get the 11.x versions installed as a Guest (for me, though seems others had issues even with that)
Sam
I've not tried any 12.x version macOS either as a guest or host of Parallels for x86 or Arm solutions, though the "Stop" was the only way to get the 11.x versions installed as a Guest (for me, though seems others had issues even with that)
Sam
SoonToBeFormerParallelsUser
Junior Member
At which point during the update did you do STOP? I'm assuming you stopped it and then started it?
P
Parallels User
Hi,
the macOS installer will reboot the target (guest) and then sequence through a start-up with a progress bar. What caused me to learn the "Stop" scenario was two fold, but I waited patiently for the bar to have no progress for about an fifteen minutes to a half hour. At that point I would stop the guest, and restart. The restart would then work. (super caveat - I never tried on any 12.x version)
the macOS installer will reboot the target (guest) and then sequence through a start-up with a progress bar. What caused me to learn the "Stop" scenario was two fold, but I waited patiently for the bar to have no progress for about an fifteen minutes to a half hour. At that point I would stop the guest, and restart. The restart would then work. (super caveat - I never tried on any 12.x version)