Fixing Kernel Panic During macOS Sonoma Upgrade on Sandy Bridge Hackintosh

Hackintosh Guide: Troubleshooting Kernel Panic During Upgrade from Monterey to Sonoma

If you encountered a Kernel Panic during the upgrade from macOS Monterey to Sonoma on your Sandy Bridge Hackintosh, here are some troubleshooting steps to resolve the issue:

1. Check Hardware Compatibility:

   • Ensure that your Sandy Bridge CPU and Polaris graphics card are compatible with macOS Sonoma.
   • Refer to the official macOS Sonoma compatibility list to verify compatibility with your hardware.

2. Review EFI Configuration:

   • Double-check the EFI folder modifications made according to the guide you followed for upgrading from Monterey to Sonoma.
   • Confirm that the necessary kexts, drivers, and configuration settings specific to your hardware are correctly applied in the EFI folder.

3. Verify Bootloader Configuration:

   • Check the bootloader configuration (config.plist) for any misconfigured settings or missing entries that could cause Kernel Panic s during boot.
   • Pay special attention to ACPI patches, kernel patches, device properties, and SMBIOS settings.

4. Recovery Mode:

   • Boot into macOS Recovery mode by restarting your Hackintosh and holding down Command + R keys during startup.
   • From Recovery mode, you can access Disk Utility to repair disk permissions or reinstall macOS Sonoma if necessary.

5. Kernel Panic Analysis:

   • Analyze the Kernel Panic error message displayed on your screen (refer to the provided image) to identify the specific cause of the panic.
   • Look for any references to problematic kexts, drivers, or hardware components that may need adjustment or removal.

6. Safe Boot:

   • Attempt to boot your Hackintosh in Safe Boot mode by holding down Shift key during startup.
   • Safe Boot disables non-essential kernel extensions and may help isolate the cause of the Kernel Panic .

7. Debugging Tools:

   • Use debugging tools like Hackintool or OpenCore Configurator to analyze your EFI configuration and identify potential issues.
   • These tools can help you troubleshoot Kernel Panic causes related to incompatible kexts, ACPI patches, or other configuration errors.

8. Community Support:

   • Seek assistance from the Hackintosh community forums, Discord channels, or Reddit communities for additional troubleshooting help.
   • Experienced users may provide valuable insights and solutions based on their own experiences with similar hardware configurations.

By following these steps and seeking assistance from the Hackintosh community, you should be able to diagnose and resolve the Kernel Panic issue encountered during the upgrade from Monterey to Sonoma on your Sandy Bridge Hackintosh. If you continue to experience problems, don't hesitate to reach out for further assistance.