When I boot the macMini and hold the command key, I can see my hard disk and my usb boot disk, and I can connect with the wifi to my network. A USB wifi stick from Realtek, which previously went under Catalina, does not go either, even with different driver packages for Realtek USB adapters. Linux works, but under big sur the wifi no longer works.
Patched sur 11.2 install#
After selecting bcmwl-kernel-source version 6.30.223.271, I was able to install the Broadcom driver and connect to my wifi. First, I used Linux to check if the BCM4331 802.11 a/b/g/n WiFi card works under Linux, as I had to disconnect and reconnect the wobbly Wifi antenna connection earlier when replacing the hard drive. Unfortunately the wifi doesn't work in Big Sur, the status shows Off and it can't be activated. The macMini runs amazingly faster, and Big Sur looks and feels nice. Only the USB stick leased from "Patched Sur" let me install Big Sur over Catalina. The normal Apple installation via USB does not work - error message on boot. Then I installed Big Sur 11.2.3 with the "Patched Sur" for older, unsupported Macs via USB. I installed a 2 TB SSD hard drive Samsung in my macMini 2012 i7 16GB, then I installed Cataline by USB. Unfortunatly I cannot install Big Sur natively supported by Apple on my macMini 2012. The computer is not a PC but an original macMini 2012. I am writing to you because I hope you can help me with a Big Sur question. Building a CustoMac Hackintosh: Buyer's Guide