10 ms·
I had this happen to me on a late 2019 MacBook Pro as well, but dramatically worse: the machine was totally unresponsive, no chimes, no power up, nothing. I tri
by owenwil 6y ago
I had this happen to me on a late 2019 MacBook Pro as well, but dramatically worse: the machine was totally unresponsive, no chimes, no power up, nothing. I tried everything, including the usual PRAM clear and whatever else, but Apple suggested a replacement machine.
Since I can’t work because I’m waiting for the replacement, I started tinkering to see what I could do and it turns out that the T2 security chip was totally nuked – the weird version of iOS it runs (BridgeOS) was broken/missing, which means the hardware won’t even power on, POST, or light up the screen to tell you. Without the T2, you don’t have a computer anymore, basically.
Turns out that this chip can be flashed by using a specific set of incantations: https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/apple-configurator-2/apdebea5be51/mac https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/apple-configurator-2/a...
So, here’s what I had to do:
1. You need another Mac running the exact same build of the OS on the dead machine. I begrudgingly needed to update my Mac Mini to Big Sur to get it to work.
2. Plug a USB-C cable into the front left port of your dead MacBook, fire up Apple configurator on the functional machine and click “Revive.”
3. Wait, hope it works.... but there’s no confirmation so you just have to wait a long time and hope it was long enough, then hold the power button for 30 seconds to see if it’ll turn on.
4. If that doesn’t work (it didn’t), then you should run “restore” which is exactly the same. Wait a long time, hold the power button for 30 seconds and hope. Eventually, in my case, it powered up into internet recovery, and acted as if it were a new Mac. Everything is gone, but it’s at least functional as far as I can tell.
This will ONLY apply to the T2 models, which are not the ones mentioned in the OP, but it seems like a similar issues. These steps at least revived my machine, but it was so obscure that even Apple support didn’t know about this, so ordered a replacement. I can’t be the only one to have run into this, but I’m pretty pissed that I blew two entire days trying to figure out what was going on.
More details on my Twitter: https://twitter.com/ow/status/1328389544119513089?s=21 https://twitter.com/ow/status/1328389544119513089?s=21
- avn2109 6y agoIf this fix works as advertised, you should definitely make a StackOverflow post or similar, such that this fix is more searcheable than an HN comment! It could help a ton of people.
- fabianhjr 6y agoThis is out of scope for both https://StackOverflow.com https://StackOverflow.com and https://SuperUser.com https://SuperUser.com. This is an Apple Hardware and macOS issue and should be posted on https://Apple.StackExchange.com https://Apple.StackExchange.com
- tacheiordache 6y agoIm surprised at what lengths people go to sustain their attachment to their macs and apple. It used to be it just works, i don't have time to tinker. Now you have to get your hands dirty for no particular reason other than apple wants to revamp everything in order to secure a new milkcow for the next generation. Come back to linux!
- coldtea 6y ago>Im surprised at what lengths people go to sustain their attachment to their macs and apple. Probably because going to these lengths is rare, and people will just service/replace the ocassional problematic machine. Whereas in Linux land this is much more common, and you're on your own commercial support wise (and with friendly forums to guide you).
- kache_ 6y agoAt least with Linux you can actually fix it
- coldtea 6y agoIf you know how, have time, don't have an opportunity cost/better things....
- 10000truths 6y agoThere's also a pretty big opportunity/time/effort cost to contacting Apple support, describing your problem, fighting with them over whether the defect is covered under warranty, actually packaging the thing and shipping it to them, waiting for the fix/replacement, hoping the replacement isn't similarly screwed up, and setting up all your programs and files again when they 'fix' the problem by wiping your machine or giving you a new one.
- vladvasiliu 6y agoThat's correct, but as a parent said, this kind of issue is very rare. I can't actually remember another mac os upgrade actually bricking machines. I may be wrong, though. What's way more common is random hardware failures, unrelated to the OS. I've never had to deal with apple support and hope I'll never have to, but HP enterprise support isn't frictionless either. A colleague of mine had a swollen battery, which wasn't user replaceable (guess not only Apple has bright ideas). He called up the support, which went relatively fine but in the end he had to send the computer in for repairs for two weeks and was advised to save his data as the machine would be wiped. Luckily removing the SSD was possible and didn't void the warranty...
- thealienthing 6y agoYou’re a real trooper to go through this.
- bobbylarrybobby 6y agoThis part of that support article is pretty damning: WARNING: Back up your data before you restore the firmware on your Mac. When you restore the firmware on a Mac that contains an Apple T2 Security Chip, you are restoring the firmware on the T2 chip and on any volumes on your internal SSD storage. When this process is complete, any data on any SSD volumes is unrecoverable. So this means that a firmware issue can lead to total data loss? Of course you should always have a backup, but nevertheless...
- selectodude 6y agoThe T2 is the SSD controller, which also transparently encrypts all the data on the SSD. So yeah, a firmware issue will nuke your data by design.
- owenwil 6y agoThe ironic thing about that suggestion is that if you’re reading that article, your Mac is already non-functional anyway, so good luck doing a backup :)
- atoav 6y agoJust take out the SSD and ... Oh.
- raverbashing 6y agoEven if you could, SSD encryption keys are kept in T2
- azinman2 6y agoOnly if you turn on FileVault, AFAIK. And if so, then that’s the sensible encryption story.
- stefan_ 6y agoI thought this part was more damning: In very rare circumstances, such as a power failure during a macOS upgrade, a Mac that has the Apple T2 Security Chip may become unresponsive The chip that has the keys for your system in its hands does not have redundant firmware images, like every cheap ass Android?
- pomian 6y agoJust out of practical curiosity, how long, about, is: "a long time." ? (Minutes, hours, etc.) What great post. Thank-you from everyone who may need it.
- owenwil 6y agoI waited ten minutes and it worked. Felt like a long time when it was sitting there blank!
- gosukiwi 6y ago> Apple suggested a replacement machine That's so wrong on so many levels.
- OakNinja 6y agoI left my MBP16 unused for a few days, and during that time the battery got fully depleted. The machine never booted again, and Apple replaced the logic board + T2 chip. It would have been a ~$900 fix excluding labor if it would have been out of warranty.