Thinkintosh

This is a write up on how to hackintosh the Lenovo Thinkpad T440s using OpenCore Bootloader

Specs:

Specifications	Detail
Processor	Intel Core i5-4300U
Integrated Graphics	Intel HD Graphics 4400
Wireless	Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 Model: 7260NGW
RAM	12GB 1600MHz DDR3
First SSD	512GB
Secondary SSD	16GB

BIOS settings

These are the recommended settings to have everything working properly:

Item	Setting
Security Chip	Disabled
Memory Protection Execution Prevention	Enabled
Virtualization	Enabled
Fingerprint Reader	Disabled
Secure Boot	Disabled
UEFI/Legacy Boot	UEFI Only
CSM Support	YES
Boot Mode	Quick
Anti-Theft > Intel (R) AT Module Activation	Disabled
Anti-Theft > Computrace > Computrace Module Activation	Disabled

Tools

Tools included are:

• ALCPlugFix.zip
• Command-Line-EFI-Mounter.zip
• GenSMBIOS.zip
• OpenCore-0.9.4.zip
• ProperTree.zip
• USBToolBox.zip
• YogaSMC.dmg
• Rufus.exe

What doesn't work:

• DRM content
• FingerPrint Reader
• Docking Station Kernel Panic if "Sleep, Reboot, Shutdown" attempted while external display connected on one of the Dock Ports
• Docking Station DisplayPort Audio

1. Creating a bootable usb

First download Rufus, set the BOOT selection as not bootable, set the File System as FAT32, click Start, and delete all file autorun in USB Drive partition.

• Next, go to the root of this USB drive and create a folder called com.apple.recovery.boot. Then move the downloaded BaseSystem or RecoveryImage files.
• Please ensure you copy over both the .dmg and .chunklist files to this folder:
• Open up and extract the EFI folder archive you downloaded earlier.
• Copy the folder named, EFI to the root of your USB Drive.

2. MacRecovery

Second, grab a copy of OpenCorePkg and head to /Utilities/macrecovery/. Next copy the folder path for the macrecovery folder. From here, you'll want to open up a Command Prompt and cd into the macrecovery folder that we copied earlier:

• cd Paste_Folder_Path

Now run one of the following depending on what version of macOS you want.

• (Note these scripts rely on Python support, please install if you haven't already):

macOS
Mojave (10.14.6)	python macrecovery.py -b Mac-7BA5B2DFE22DDD8C -m 00000000000KXPG00 download
Catalina (10.15.7)	python macrecovery.py -b Mac-00BE6ED71E35EB86 -m 00000000000000000 download
Big Sur (11.7.9)	python macrecovery.py -b Mac-42FD25EABCABB274 -m 00000000000000000 download
Monterey (12.6.8)	python macrecovery.py -b Mac-E43C1C25D4880AD6 -m 00000000000000000 download
Ventura (13.5.1) (Work in progress)	python3 macrecovery.py -b Mac-4B682C642B45593E -m 00000000000000000 download

macOS 12 and above note: As recent macOS versions introduce changes to the USB stack, it is highly advisable that you map your USB ports USBToolBox before installing macOS.This will take some time, however once you're finished you should get either BaseSystem or RecoveryImage files:

Note: These laptops do have whitelist which doesn't allow you to use other Card than the Intel AC7260. In order to use a different / supported card, you need to mod your bios (remove whitelist) or downgrade to Bios v2.36

• Bios v2.36 doesn't have whitelist so downgrading allows you to use any wireless card that you want.

3. Secure Boot

Users with 1366x768 or 1600x900 displays can go ahead and enable secure boot and enjoy it. Users with upgraded displays to 1080p or native 1080p displays will have garbled screen if CSM is disabled in BIOS (which can't be left enabled if Secure Boot enabled) In order to fix this problem we need to patch Display-EDID.

4. ProperTree

what is ProperTree? Propertree is a cross-platform GUI plist editor. To make changes to your config.plist this program will be what you'll have to use.

5. GenSMBIOS

Let's grab a copy so we can generate our SMBIOS data. Next, let's open GenSMBIOS and edit our config.plist:

Operating System	File
Windows	GenSMBIOS.bat
macOS	GenSMBIOS.command

Let's set a Serial Number to our config.plist. Config.plist > PlatformInfo > Generic SystemSerialNumber

• Open GenSMBIOS.bat

Press	Options
1	Install/Update MacSerial
2	select your config.plist
3	Generate SMBIOS
4	Generate UUID
5	Generate ROM

Once ProperTree is running, open your config.plist by pressing Ctrl + O and selecting the config.plist file on your USB. We'll have to set

6. Non TouchScreen Displays

If your Lenovo Thinkpad T440S doesn't have a TouchScreen display, it is required for you to disable the kext responsible for TouchScreen. Go to EFI/OC/Config.plist > Kernel > Add > and disable the 4 following kexts:

Path
VoodooI2CServices.kext	Enabled = No
VoodooGPIO.kext	Enabled = No
VoodooI2C.kext	Enabled = No
VoodooI2CHID.kext	Enabled = No

7. TouchPad

Most of the users have probably already upgraded to a T450S Touchpad (the one with Physical Buttons) and this one does work natively, no need to touch anything. For you users that have the standard Touchpad that came with this laptop, you have to do some changes as VoodooRMI doesn't seem to work very well with them.

Go to EFI/OC/Config.plist > Kernel > Add and disable the VoodooRMI kexts:

Path
VoodooRMI.kext	Enabled = No
VoodooRMI.kext/Contents/PlugIns/RMISMBus.kext	Enabled = No
VoodooRMI.kext/Contents/PlugIns/VoodooTrackpoint.kext	Enabled = No
VoodooRMI.kext/Contents/PlugIns/VoodooInput.kext	Enabled = No

Once done, enable the VoodooPS2Controller kexts for Touchpad:

Path
VoodooPS2Controller.kext/Contents/PlugIns/VoodooInput.kext	Enabled = Yes
VoodooPS2Controller.kext/Contents/PlugIns/VoodooPS2Trackpad.kext	Enabled = Yes
VoodooPS2Controller.kext/Contents/PlugIns/VoodooPS2Mouse.kext	Enabled = Yes

Now enable the SSDT-TPD.aml for Touchpad to work with VoodooPS2:

Path
EFI/OC/Config.plist > ACPI > Add > SSDT-TPD.aml	Enabled = Yes

8. YogaSMC

To have working Keyboard Function Keys (Fn) and Fan reading etc, you need to install the YogaSMCPane and the YogaSMC App. YogaSMC.kext is already included in the EFI so when you go to releases tab, you download the YogaSMC-App-release.dmg

• zhen-zen for YogaSMC and BrightnessKeys
• benbender for SSDT-BATX**, Touchscreen Gestures and ACPI refinements

9. Audio

ALCPlugFIx is required to fix static noise on headphones, however Black-Dragon74 released a Swift version that doesn't require hda-verb, alc-verb or CodecCommander kext. the ALCPlugFix.zip is included in the Tools folder.

Installation:

• Extract ALCPlugFix zip into desktop
• Open terminal and type following commands one by one on the listed order:
• sudo spctl --master-disable
• sudo mkdir /usr/local/bin/
• cd desktop/ALCPlugFix
• sudo cp -R ALC3232.plist /usr/local/bin/
• ./install.sh
• Now the installer will ask you to drop the ALC3232.plist into the terminal window.
• Open a new finder window and press Shift + Cmd(Alt) + G to open a new go to folder: window
• Now type: /usr/local/bin/
• Drag the ALC3232.plist from the /usr/local/bin folder into the terminal window and press enter.
• Done

10. Wireless and Bluetooth

Intel AC7260

Users with Intel AC7260 cards can enjoy out of the box support for both Wireless and Bluetooth. Keep in mind that Airportitlwm/itlwm is still in early development and only N speeds are supported.

DW1560 & DW1830

Users with one of these two cards first need to disable the intel kexts:

Path
EFI/OC/Config.plist > Kernel > Add > Airportitlwm	Enabled = No
EFI/OC/Config.plist > Kernel > Add > IntelBluetoothInjector	Enabled = No
EFI/OC/Config.plist > Kernel > Add > IntelBluetoothFirmware	Enabled = No

Then enable the corresponding kexts for those two cards:

Path
EFI/OC/Config.plist > Kernel > Add > AirportBrcmFixup	Enabled = Yes
EFI/OC/Config.plist > Kernel > Add > AirPortBrcm4360_Injector	Enabled = Yes
EFI/OC/Config.plist > Kernel > Add > BrcmBluetoothInjector	Enabled = Yes
EFI/OC/Config.plist > Kernel > Add > BrcmFirmwareData	Enabled = Yes
EFI/OC/Config.plist > Kernel > Add > BrcmPatchRAM3	Enabled = Yes

DW1820A

This card uses the same kexts as DW1560, DW1830 but needs this additional injector:

Path
EFI/OC/Config.plist > Kernel > Add > AirPortBrcmNIC_Injector	Enabled = Yes

We also need to disable pci-aspm-default to fix system freezes caused from this card: Go into EFI/OC/Config.plist > DeviceProperties > and rename / uncomment:

• #PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x1C,0x1)/Pci(0x0,0x0) to PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x1C,0x1)/Pci(0x0,0x0)
• Go into the device property and rename:
• #pci-aspm-default to pci-aspm-default

BCM4360NG

This card is the best one you can find for the moment, it is the same as the Apple BCM94360CS2 which works natively but it does have a standard NGFF form factor.

BCM94360CS2

This is the native Apple Wireless and Bluetooth card that can be found on MacBookPro(s). In order to fit this one you will have to buy the NGFF adapter and the extending cable module. There is not enough room to fit the full height so you will be required to place it somewhere else.

11. Country Code for Wireless Cards

Some countries have different 5GHz bands and may not be supported for some, the default one is set as US. You can specify other country codes like: US, CN, #a, etc by going into:

• EFI/OC/Config.plist > DeviceProperties > Add > PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x1C,0x1)/Pci(0x0,0x0) and rename/uncomment:
• #country-code to country-code and set the desired value (#a is the preset value, replace with the country code that you need)

12. Installed and unmounted

after you've installed macos on your thinkintosh, you might notice that if you try to restart without having your usb connected your system wont boot. To solve this you need to mount your EFI patition to your desktop so system can boot automatically.

13. Command Line EFI Mounter

• After opening the command line tool, Press A to be able mount the EFI partition from your main drive that you installed macOS on.
• Next enter your password to continue and press enter.
• Then EFI partition should be disk0s1
• Once the EFI partition is mounted copy the folder you have on your USB called EFI and paste it to that partiton that appears on your desktop.

Questions

For any follow up questions feel free to contact me on twitter/X : @jmd0x