Installed Sequoia on 14 year old Mac Mini

I can report that I got a Mac mini Mid 2010 running the latest version of Sequoia 15.1, which is the latest version from Apple. I am using OpenCore 2.1.2. This is an old Mac my brother bought 14 years ago. It was gathering cobwebs in an old box. I asked him to give it to me so I could play with it. So this is for my entertainment and a bit of edification on the Mac OS since I am a Windows/Linux guy. Here are the specs of the Mac mini:

- **Mac mini Mid 2010**

- **Processor**: 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

- **Graphics**: NVIDIA GeForce 320m 256 MB

- **Memory**: 16 GB 1067 MHz DDR3 (I upgraded from 8GB using Timetec 16GB KIT (2x8GB) Compatible for Apple DDR3 1067MHz / 1066MHz PC3-8500 RAM, which I bought on Amazon for $19)

- **Keyboard**: Macally Full Size USB Wired Keyboard for Mac and PC (I bought it on Amazon for $19)

- **Mouse**: An old, unused Targus mouse for PCs that I found in a box. The two buttons come in handy as the right-click works perfectly.

- **Display**: For the first installation, I used an HP w2558hc monitor. Later, I used a Dell U3419W monitor, which is a 34" wide monitor. The Mac mini supports both monitors just fine.

- **USB Memory Stick**: 32 GB

- **For Time Machine backups**: an old Seagate FreeAgent Go Media external drive with 500 GB capacity.

To start, I first wiped out the old hard drive and installed macOS High Sierra, which is the last possible version of macOS that can be installed on this Mac mini using the standard Apple installer process. After playing with it for a bit, I wanted to see if someone found a way to upgrade to a higher OS, and I found OpenCore. I was amazed that OpenCore could help bring macOS all the way to the latest version.

I first attempted going to Sequoia right away. It failed because of the reported issues with USB keyboards and mouse. So I installed Monterey instead. This worked fine. No issues. After playing with Monterey, I thought I’d give it another try at Sequoia. This time, I purchased a USB 2.0 hub as suggested by OpenCore. I bought the SABRENT 4 Port Portable USB 2.0 Hub (9.5" Cable) for Ultrabook, MacBook Air, Windows 8 Tablet PC (HB-MCRM) on Amazon for $6. I connected the hub to the USB port on the Mac mini and the keyboard and mouse to the hub.

I first upgraded to the latest version of OpenCore 2.1.2 and applied the Root Patches. Then I used the Mac AutoUpdater to upgrade to Sequoia. I just wanted to test it, so I didn’t use OpenCore. The installation ran fine, and the mouse and keyboard worked.

I did experience the following problems with Sequoia:

1. **WiFi stopped working**, and I could not turn it on. At this point, my first thought was I am screwed and I need to restore my old backup. I troubleshooted the issue for some time (10 mins) and removed some files as suggested by a URL on macpaw.com (How to fix it when Mac Wi-Fi won’t turn on). I restarted the Mac mini, but the WiFi still did not work. I continued troubleshooting for another 10 mins, and a pop-up came up. It was an OpenCore pop-up telling me that it had an updated driver for the WiFi. Do you want to install it? (I am not sure how OpenCore figured out there was an issue, but it did.) I hit yes. OpenCore did its thing followed by a reboot, and voila! I had my WiFi back. It even remembered my WiFi settings. I am back in business and ready to tackle the next issue.

2. Even before the WiFi issue, I noticed some considerable sluggishness after the restart. Along with the sluggishness, I could not set up the wallpaper. I was getting a grey and white screen. My first thought was that since macOS Sequoia is the latest version of the OS, it required more resources than the Mac mini could handle. I checked the Activity Monitor, and there was hardly any CPU activity, and the memory usage was actually less than previous versions. So my second thought was that this was a driver issue. I opened OpenCore to reinstall the latest Root Patches, which included an NVIDIA GPU patch. I ran the root patches. This time, the patching was much more involved and took longer to process. After completion, I rebooted the Mac mini, and voila! The default Sequoia wallpaper was back, and the sluggishness went away.

Thanks to the OpenCore team! Great work!

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