How to bypass Apple MDM Lock

Before attempting any method, you need a DEP-free admin user established!
To do this, wipe and re-install macOS fresh without internet so the DEP profile cannot be established. Instructions to do so are below.

How to reinstall macOS on supported Macs

  • Command-R: When you press and hold these two keys at startup, macOS Recovery will offer the current version of the most recently installed macOS.
  • Option-Command-R: When you press and hold these three keys at startup, macOS Recovery might offer the latest macOS that is compatible with your Mac.
    • With this method you must unplug your router until the steps below have already been completed.
  • Shift-Option-Command-R: When you press and hold these four keys at startup, macOS Recovery might offer the macOS that came with your Mac, or the closest version still available. 

How to install latest macOS on Unsupported Macs

Failure to terminate the internet connection prior to and during user creation = failure of the below procedure

To disable DEP notifications:

Open terminal, type:

sudo nano /etc/hosts

To the end of this section, add

127.0.0.1       iprofiles.apple.com

The result should look like this:

##
# Host Database
#
# localhost is used to configure the loopback interface
# when the system is booting.  Do not change this entry.
##
127.0.0.1       localhost
255.255.255.255 broadcasthost
::1             localhost
127.0.0.1       iprofiles.apple.com

Use Control + O to write then the “Return” key so that it writes over that file, then Control + X to exit.

With this one simple line added, there will be no notifications.

Reboot.

sudo profiles show -type enrollment


Now results in the following error:

Error fetching Device Enrollment configuration: (34006) Error Domain=MCCloudConfigurationErrorDomain Code=34006 "The Device Enrollment server is unavailable. Please try again later." UserInfo={USEnglishDescription=CLOUD_CONFIG_MAX_RETRIES_EXCEEDED, NSLocalizedDescription=The Device Enrollment server is unavailable. Please try again later., MCErrorType=MCFatalError}

Scumbag ASUS: Overvolting CPUs & Screwing the Customer

ASUS’ actions relating to the Exploding Ryzen CPU debacle are disgraceful and abrasive to the trust that the brand has earned. ASUS has demonstrated clearly it wishes to not only avoid supporting users, but actively engineers ways to abandon them. ASUS’ updates haven’t even fixed the problems, yet they posture as if they have while simultaneously suggesting that users ‘just run defaults’ on their $700 motherboards, as if that makes any sense whatsoever. So, to accommodate ASUS’ request, we ran defaults and re-benchmarked the Ryzen 7000 series. It sucks. Big surprise. They also don’t support their own BIOSes for the ASUS ROG boards.

ASUS’ actions relating to the Exploding Ryzen CPU debacle are disgraceful and abrasive to the trust that the brand has earned. ASUS has demonstrated clearly it wishes to not only avoid supporting users, but actively engineers ways to abandon them. ASUS’ updates haven’t even fixed the problems, yet they posture as if they have while simultaneously suggesting that users ‘just run defaults’ on their $700 motherboards, as if that makes any sense whatsoever. So, to accommodate ASUS’ request, we ran defaults and re-benchmarked the Ryzen 7000 series. It sucks. Big surprise. They also don’t support their own BIOSes for the ASUS ROG boards.

The Truth About AMD’s CPU Failures

This is our Failure Analysis report of the AMD Ryzen 7800X3D CPUs that exploded on our test benches — some as a result of over-current, some as a result of degradation leading to failure.

We worked with an external Failure Analysis Lab to evaluate the result of AMD 7800X3D CPUs getting too much voltage (VSOC especially) and likely too much current, especially in scenarios where ASUS OCP fails to do anything useful.

This complements our prior Root Cause Analysis we performed in part 1, linked below, and uses a scanning electron microscope, C-mode scanning acoustic microscopy, and more to investigate a burned CPU that came out of an ASUS board.

The biggest problem with gaming laptops

This new concept design takes all the guts of the laptop and builds it into a secondary hinge on the back.

While it probably won’t become a real thing due to Capitalist agendas, this is a step in the right direction.

This gives the screen a floating hinge in the style of the Surface Studio or an iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard — and, in theory, this also allows for improved cooling without the vents being blocked by the desk.

Full article: https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/compal-veneo-concept-shows-ingenius-design/

How to Undervolt Mobile Ryzen

NOTICE: For ASUS laptops, please use G-Helper instead, for more details see: ASUS Laptop Undervolting – Mr. Robot

  1. Download UXTU
  2. Install
  3. Run
  4. Choose Balanced Preset
  5. Navigate to the Clock Control menu (speedometer icon, 5th from the top home button) 
  6. Under Curve Optimizer Settings, check the box next to CPU, and set a negative offset (good starting point to test stability would be -10)
  7. Click Apply Settings in the bottom right-hand corner, and test various synthetics or gaming loads. If you are stable at -10 for awhile, move to -15, then from -15, only drop 1 or 2 “points” to fine-tune if you have any BSODs or crashes. Remember each CPU is different.
  8. Once you’ve established a stable undervolt, navigate to General Settings (gear icon, 7th from the top home button), enable Start on System Boot, Start Minimized, and Auto Reapply, then Save Settings.

Frore Systems AirJet: The Future of Cooling

During CES 2023 Gordon got a demo of AirJet – a potentially revolutionary solid state active cooling system for tech like laptops. In this video Gordon gets a tour of the labs at Frore Systems and follows up with Seshu Madhavapeddy, the Founder and CEO, about some of the biggest questions people had concerning this technology. He also gets to check out how the AirJet is tested for things like dust and reliability.

During CES 2023 Gordon got a demo of AirJet – a potentially revolutionary solid state active cooling system for tech like laptops. In this video Gordon gets a tour of the labs at Frore Systems and follows up with Seshu Madhavapeddy, the Founder and CEO, about some of the biggest questions people had concerning this technology. He also gets to check out how the AirJet is tested for things like dust and reliability.

$6600 Nightmare Prebuilt Gaming PC – Corsair & Origin Genesis Review

In this review, we’re benchmarking the Origin Genesis ~$6000 pre-built gaming computer with full custom loop water cooling. Origin is owned by Corsair, and the pre-built we’re reviewing uses a mixture of Corsair components with boards from other brands. Its main problems include incorrect CPU configuration that costs over 20% of the native performance, bad fan speed configuration, bad custom paint job, and more. On the upside, the cable management is very impressive — we’ll have a separate tear-down showing some of that.

In this review, we’re benchmarking the Origin Genesis ~$6000 pre-built gaming computer with full custom loop water cooling. Origin is owned by Corsair, and the pre-built we’re reviewing uses a mixture of Corsair components with boards from other brands. Its main problems include incorrect CPU configuration that costs over 20% of the native performance, bad fan speed configuration, bad custom paint job, and more. On the upside, the cable management is very impressive — we’ll have a separate tear-down showing some of that.

How to Undervolt ASUS Laptops

For most laptops, typically ThrottleStop or UXTU is the best choice to get temps under control.

For ASUS laptops, there is a tool called G-Helper that’s designed specifically for ASUS and to replaced the bloated ASUS components that waste system resources and infringe upon your privacy, in addition to providing undervolting & fan curve control.

Recommend to wipe and reload windows then avoid installing all ASUS apps for optimal system performance.

GitHub – seerge/g-helper: Lightweight Armoury Crate alternative for Asus laptops. Control tool for ROG Zephyrus G14, G15, G16, M16, Flow X13, Flow X16, TUF, Strix, Scar and other models

https://github.com/seerge/g-helper

How to install latest macOS on Unsupported Macs

2013-2017 Macs can easily run the latest macOS with OpenCore

2008-2020 Macs can easily run a secure OS with chromeOS Flex

SSD Upgradeable Macs:

2012-2015 13″ & 15″ models
2016-2017 13″ w/o Touch Bar
For more details on compatibility visit Laptops
Want to Upgrade? Submit a ticket

Stage Ⅰ: Prepare Installer

  1. Plug in a 16GB or larger USB 3.0 thumb drive with nothing important saved on it as it will be erased.

  2. Download the latest OpenCore-Patcher-GUI.app.zip from https://github.com/dortania/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher/releases

  3. Once downloaded, launch the app and you will be greeted by this menu:
  4. First, we’ll want to select the “Create macOS Installer” button. This will present you with 2 options:
  5. Choose Download macOS Installer. Selecting this option will download Apple’s Installer Catalogs and build a list for you to choose from, choose the latest version which may differ from below:

    This will download and install the macOS installer to your applications folder.

  6. Once finished, you can proceed to write the installer onto the USB drive.
    • Note: The entire USB drive will be formatted

  7. Select the Downloaded Version of macOS

  8. Now the patcher will start the installer flashing:
  9. Success Prompt:
  10. Finished Flashing:
  11. Return to Main Menu

Stage Ⅱ: Build OpenCore

  1. Now that we have a macOS installer, let’s now build our OpenCore configuration.

  2. Select Build and Install OpenCore and start building:


  3. Finished Building:
  4. Select the Install to Disk button, then select a drive:
  5. Select Partition:

Stage Ⅲ: Boot & Install

  1. Reboot the machine while holding Option

  2. Select the EFI Boot entry with the OpenCore icon (holding the Control key will make this the default boot entry):

  3. Now that you’ve loaded OpenCore, select Install macOS:

  4. You will soon reach the installer screen. From there, it’s just like any normal macOS install.
    • If you want to keep your data and settings, just install macOS.
      -or-
    • If you want the system to be wiped, erase the drive in Disk Utility then proceed with installing macOS.

Stage IV: Post-Installation

  1. OCLP will now automatically prompt you to root patch your system:
    • You will also be prompted to install these patches after macOS updates.
    • Whenever you see this prompt, you must apply the patches then reboot as prompted.
    • I recommend to also update the OCLP patcher app after any macOS update, please follow my guide How to Reinstall Root Patches on Unsupported Macs
  2. Launch Finder > Applications then launch OpenCore Legacy Patcher
  3. Choose Settings
  4. Uncheck setting circled in red:
  5. Build OpenCore again just like in Stage 2 except this time choose the internal drive, NOT the USB.

  6. Now you no longer need the USB drive.

Are Best Buy computers defects?

  • Many of the ASUS and MSI models sold there are specifically ineligible for warranty extension.
  • Apple, Acer, HP, Dell / Alienware, Lenovo, and LG on the other hand do offer extended warranties.
  • If the manufacturer of the system won’t offer to extend the warranty on it then you shouldn’t buy it.
  • Gaming laptops typically fail or have issues within year 2 and year 3 of ownership so the included 1 year warranty is usually useless.

ASUS Premium Care is not compatible with refurbished, open box, international, or products purchased from Best Buy. 

ASUS Premium Care Terms

MSI Care applies to laptops, desktops, all-in-one pcs, and monitors only. Not all services are available in all countries. Regional and product eligibility applies. Best Buy purchases are not eligible.

MSI Care Terms