[issue]: Regression: Ventoy 1.1.17 cannot boot on MacBook Pro A1502 / MacBookPro11,1 (1.1.12 works)

[ivyswen]

Official FAQ

• I have checked the official FAQ.

Ventoy Version

Ventoy 1.1.17

What about latest release

Yes. I have tried the latest release, but the bug still exist.

Try alternative boot mode

Yes. I have tried them, but the bug still exist.

BIOS Mode

UEFI Mode

Partition Style

MBR

Disk Capacity

64GB

Disk Manufacturer

Kingston

Image file checksum (if applicable)

None

Image file download link (if applicable)

No response

What happened?

Description

There appears to be a UEFI boot regression in Ventoy 1.1.17 on an older Intel MacBook Pro.

On the same MacBook Pro and the same USB drive:

• Ventoy 1.1.12 boots successfully.
• Ventoy 1.1.17 does not boot.

No hardware or firmware settings were changed between the two tests.

The MacBook is an Apple Intel machine with older UEFI firmware.

Hardware

• Model: MacBook Pro Retina 13-inch Late 2013 / Mid 2014
• Model Identifier: MacBookPro11,1
• Model Number: A1502
• CPU: Intel Core i5-4258U @ 2.90 GHz
• GPU: Intel Haswell-ULT Integrated Graphics / Intel Iris 5100
• RAM: 8 GB
• Display: 2560×1600 Retina
• Apple Intel EFI/UEFI
• No T2 security chip

Ventoy versions

Working:

• Ventoy 1.1.12

Not working:

• Ventoy 1.1.17

The USB drive and the MacBook are the same in both tests.

Boot mode

• UEFI mode
• Secure Boot is not enabled

ISO

The ISO tested is Omarchy 4.0.0-1.

The Omarchy ISO itself is known to work correctly on this MacBook.

I successfully installed Omarchy 4.0.0-1 to the internal SSD and the installed system works normally.

The installed system reports:

• Omarchy 4.0.0-1
• Linux 7.1.8-arch1-3
• Hyprland 0.56.2
• Wayland

Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, touchpad, keyboard, audio, camera, display, sleep/wake and USB were all tested and work correctly.

Reproduction

1. Use the same USB drive.
2. Install Ventoy 1.1.12.
3. Copy the Omarchy 4.0.0-1 ISO to the Ventoy partition.
4. Boot the USB drive on the MacBook Pro A1502.
5. Ventoy boots successfully.
6. Upgrade the USB drive from Ventoy 1.1.12 to 1.1.17.
7. Keep the same Omarchy ISO.
8. Boot the same USB drive on the same MacBook.
9. Ventoy no longer boots.

Additional observation

With the older Ventoy version, Omarchy could be started from Ventoy using GRUB2 Mode.

After upgrading to Ventoy 1.1.17, the Mac can no longer boot the Ventoy USB correctly.

This is especially interesting because Ventoy 1.1.17 includes changes to the Secure Boot process, while versions 1.1.15 and 1.1.16 also included fixes related to UEFI booting and older UEFI firmware.

Could the changes to the Secure Boot/UEFI boot chain in 1.1.14–1.1.17 have introduced a compatibility regression with older Apple Intel EFI firmware?

Expected behavior

Ventoy should boot normally on the MacBook Pro A1502 in UEFI mode with Secure Boot disabled, as it did with Ventoy 1.1.12.

Actual behavior

Ventoy 1.1.17 fails to boot on the same MacBook and USB drive.

Regression

Ventoy 1.1.12  → WORKS
Ventoy 1.1.17  → DOES NOT BOOT

This strongly suggests a regression introduced between these versions.

I would be happy to provide additional information such as photos/videos of the boot screen, USB partition information, EFI information, or test results with intermediate Ventoy versions (1.1.14–1.1.16) if needed.