EFI firmware protection locks down newer Macs. Apple's firmware password security is greatly enhanced in recent Mac models, making it a rather robust security feature. The non +mac variant simply gave me an unbootable system again. This wasn’t good enough for me! I used Mike Hommey’s Debian EFI boot instructions, and adapted them for recent Ubuntu systems. The result was a Mac Mini that would boot Ubuntu Trusty in pure EFI mode, with no rEFInd and no OS X, and with an Ubuntu entry in the Mac’s. Now, finally, did “Mac mini EFI Firmware Update v1.8” show up in Software Update. Installing this bumped the Boot ROM to MM61.0106.B09, and installing “Mac EFI Security Update 2015-002” (which says it requires OS X 10.9.5) using the same Terminal technique described above bumped it to MM61.0106.B0A. Easy install no soldering needed. Unlock Mac EFI in just a few seconds with EFI Chip Card. – Fix Corrupted BIOS Firmware – Firmware Unlock, iCloud Removal – Remove MDM, DEP Profile. For MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, Mac Pro, and Mac mini 2010 – 2017.
ICloud, MDM Removal, Firmware Unlock. Remove the EFI Password Lock. (iCloud, 4 pin, 6 pin lock). Note: Do not use your original serial number if your Mac has MDM or DEP profile. EFI Firmware Chip Card for Apple MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac mini.
Here’s the answer to another reader request…
According to WIkipedia, “On Apple–Intel architecture Macintosh computers, the EFI partition is initially blank and not used for booting. However, the EFI partition is used as a staging area for firmware updates.” When people look to create non-standard boot environments or attempt to build a hackintosh, the first step is often mounting and modifying the EFI boot partition. Before you read any further, take note: altering your EFI boot partition is not supported by Apple and The Mac Admin takes no responsibility if you render your computer(s) unbootable by mounting and modifying this partition.
To mount an EFI boot partition, follow these steps:
1. Discover the volume identifier for your EFI boot partition.
Run this command:
The output should look something like this:
In this case, the volume identifier of the EFI partition is disk0s1
2. Create a mount point.
A mount point is a directory where a non-booted volume is mounted. On Mac OS X, mount points are typically created in /Volumes. We can create a directory called efi within /Volumes by running the following command:
3. Mount the EFI partition at the efi mount point.
Run the command:
Efi Boot Mac Mini
That’s it. Your EFI volume will be mounted. Modify it at your own risk.