I have a mid 2009 MacBook Pro. I’ve gone through this process. Everything has worked great, till I reboot. It gets most of the way through then it hangs up. I’ve let it set for hours and nothing. You have any suggestions?
After initial install, the computer cannot complete reboot without the patch “MacOS Post install” (see step 13 above). This will require a hard shut down (hold down the power button if it is stuck) and restart holding down the alt/option key until you can select the installer again. This time, do not reinstall the OS but click on the button on the side (or double click it), or select in the pull down menu.
This will need to be repeated for updates, if new updates also get stuck.
If it’s a white MacBook you can hack Mountain Lion and maybe even later with the OS X Hackers tools (which I’ve never used.) If it’s an aluminum 2008 MacBook, it is compatible with the Mojave patcher.