This might help people in general in regards to how to do a clean install or update, but obviously this success is due to my current hardware/EFI etc...
If it's of any interest, everything is working as usual for me - I can't comment on icloud/imessage as I don't use any of that stuff.
Bluetooth working, Wifi working, RX 6800, dual monitor working fine, I don't use onboard audio on any OS, I just disable in it the bios and use my monitors audio out to an amp/speakers as it takes it straight from the Display Port or HDMI (depending on if I'm using the TV or monitor), all apps are fine, time machine backups, literally everything I use
Personally success rate, I perfer to do an update via OpenCore off a USB installer, versus messing about via the Update menu within the OS... I have had issues before and had to reinstall because of this, but that could have been fluke, but either way I know my method doing it from boot up off USB via OpenCore, always works.
All I do is, make a USB installer for your CURRENT working macos install, making sure to copy your known working EFI folder to the USB installers EFI partition - obviously you have to mount this to access it.
Do a time machine backup.
This way you have a fallback and can simply boot off the known working macos version's usb installer, do a clean reinstall, and then just restore from time machine
Then download the latest MacOS, create a usb bootable install via terminal, mount the EFI partition, open my existing EFI backup, download the latest OpenCore, search and download any new kexts, and override any old ones, copy that now updated EFI folder to the usb installers EFI partition.
Restart, and boot off the USB via your bios boot menu, if it boots up the new installer fine, from my personal experience, this proves your OpenCore update/kexts are working, atleast good enough to get you updated/installed and into macos... If this works for you, exit the installer, go back into your current install of macos, mount your macos SSD EFI partition, and copy the new EFI that you've just tested - this just saves you some time once updated, but obviously you can do it after - but it saves the hassle of choosing to boot off the USB installers updated OpenCore EFI, so saves you a fair bit of time!
You also benefit from once at the macos desktop, you can unmount the USB and know it will still boot on the next restart/power on.
So once you've copied this known working new EFI/OpenCore to your SSD, you can simply select macos installer from the now newer OpenCore menu
Select install, install onto/over the current macos install, leave it doing it's update/multiple restarts...
Once at the login/desktop, test everything works, then unmount the installer usb, unplug it, do a restart, confirm again everything is fine, when happy make a fresh backup of your newly updated EFI on your Sonoma SSD.
Keep the installer somewhere safe as a bonus to save you having to freshly make one each time you test an update - just buy a 32GB known brand drive and leave it in a draw - that's what I do
Hope this helps someone
If it's of any interest, everything is working as usual for me - I can't comment on icloud/imessage as I don't use any of that stuff.
Bluetooth working, Wifi working, RX 6800, dual monitor working fine, I don't use onboard audio on any OS, I just disable in it the bios and use my monitors audio out to an amp/speakers as it takes it straight from the Display Port or HDMI (depending on if I'm using the TV or monitor), all apps are fine, time machine backups, literally everything I use
Personally success rate, I perfer to do an update via OpenCore off a USB installer, versus messing about via the Update menu within the OS... I have had issues before and had to reinstall because of this, but that could have been fluke, but either way I know my method doing it from boot up off USB via OpenCore, always works.
All I do is, make a USB installer for your CURRENT working macos install, making sure to copy your known working EFI folder to the USB installers EFI partition - obviously you have to mount this to access it.
Do a time machine backup.
This way you have a fallback and can simply boot off the known working macos version's usb installer, do a clean reinstall, and then just restore from time machine
Then download the latest MacOS, create a usb bootable install via terminal, mount the EFI partition, open my existing EFI backup, download the latest OpenCore, search and download any new kexts, and override any old ones, copy that now updated EFI folder to the usb installers EFI partition.
Restart, and boot off the USB via your bios boot menu, if it boots up the new installer fine, from my personal experience, this proves your OpenCore update/kexts are working, atleast good enough to get you updated/installed and into macos... If this works for you, exit the installer, go back into your current install of macos, mount your macos SSD EFI partition, and copy the new EFI that you've just tested - this just saves you some time once updated, but obviously you can do it after - but it saves the hassle of choosing to boot off the USB installers updated OpenCore EFI, so saves you a fair bit of time!
You also benefit from once at the macos desktop, you can unmount the USB and know it will still boot on the next restart/power on.
So once you've copied this known working new EFI/OpenCore to your SSD, you can simply select macos installer from the now newer OpenCore menu
Select install, install onto/over the current macos install, leave it doing it's update/multiple restarts...
Once at the login/desktop, test everything works, then unmount the installer usb, unplug it, do a restart, confirm again everything is fine, when happy make a fresh backup of your newly updated EFI on your Sonoma SSD.
Keep the installer somewhere safe as a bonus to save you having to freshly make one each time you test an update - just buy a 32GB known brand drive and leave it in a draw - that's what I do
Hope this helps someone
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