2018 T2 Macs - bricked when wiped

[bizops]

Hi,

Anyone come across an issue where if you wipe a brand new Mac, it bricks it. So you can't re-install macOS or access the recovery menu?

Also tested wiping a newly built device and this also seems to brick it. Currently have a pile of Macs that need to be repaired under Apple Care.

Can't seem to find anything official on this, just other threads with people experiencing same problem. Causes us a headache though as we always wipe a device if we're re-allocating to someone else.

Thanks,
Nathan

[dtommey]

Have you tried restoring bridgeOS with Apple Configurator 2? The following link is for the iMac Pro but it should relate to the new T2 MBPs as well.

https://help.apple.com/configurator/mac/2.6/#/apdebea5be51

[DBrowning]

I have 2 2018 macs that i've been wiping over and over for testing with Mojave. The first time I wiped it i had an issue but booting to Internet Recovery got me back up and working.

[Nix4Life]

Hi, from a working computer, use instalinstallmacos.py to grab the correct installer version of Hi-C for the MB 2018. Create a bootable USB drive. Test and re-install the OS as many times as you want. Note it will run online to download the Touchbar software every time, an onsite SUS will help.

[talex365]

I read through this article earlier today http://michaellynn.github.io/2018/07/27/booting-secure/, definitely a long but good read for anyone supporting 2018 macs.

I'll preface this by saying that I haven't tested it myself yet, but you should be able to download the High Sierra installer on another mac, connect it to one of your bricked machines, start it in target disk mode, then run the installer from the functioning mac and point it at the targeted machine. If that doesn't work, you should be able to use disk utility to "recover" an image from a working machine and restore it to one of the bricked ones.

[alexjdale]

If you wiped it and Secure Boot is set to disallow USB boot, Internet Recovery is your only option. I tested this out with a T2 MBP a few weeks back.

[bizops]

When we try and boot to Internet recovery, it just sits at the spinning globe (for up to 3 days). Tried 4g and wired and WiFi. Apple say they have had no reports of this...

[DBrowning]

@bizops I had issues using a belkin and startech ethernet adapter where packets were being dropped like crazy.

When I used a USB-C to Thunderbolt 2 + Thunderbolt 2 to Ethernet adapter it booted in about 5 minutes.

[bizops]

Weirdly, after 2 attempts doing Internet recovery tethered to 4g, it worked.

[Alyoung]

Our network is set to where our 2018 MBP's cannot properly reach Apple's Recovery server - thus effectively bricking the machine. I've resorted to connecting the device to a mobile 4G LTE hotspot and it goes through internet recovery as well.

You can also try to turn off the security settings of the T2 Chip first and then try your restore process with that. Test and see if that works. Then turn on Full Security once you have a known good OS

[MikeF]

I have not been able to get internet recovery to work at all on my test 2018 13in. Just get a spinning globe and time just keeps getting longer. But I have had good luck with disabling the disallow USB boot in startup security and then using A USB drive to boot and reinstall. Only catch to this is I found the USB drive has to be built on a 2018 mac or it will get in a loop that is says an update needs to be installed on the USB drive. And just gets in a reboot loop. But Since Monday I have been testing my test model here with Mojave and it has been working.

But my 15 in starts up internet recovery properly

[taugust04]

Just throwing it out there - as I haven't had any issues as mentioned in previous posts recently...

I've had issues in the past using Option-⌘-R (Install latest OS version from Internet Recovery) right around times when OS releases are being done. I wonder if it's simply Apple updating all of their Internet recovery boot images and the replication of those updates down to CDN's Apple uses. I've never had issues using the Shift-Option-⌘-R (Install version of OS your Mac shipped with from Internet Recovery) since those boot images don't get updates as frequently.

[tnielsen]

Mikef. Use wifi radio to connect to internet recovery. The adapters will choke often.

[climberbry]

Same problem. Bricked when wiped. Internet recovery via wired or wireless just spins forever. Thank you, Apple.

[mannymoney]

I have found a solution to this silly issue.

First, you will need to have a USB drive with a Mac Installer on it, and plugged into the machine. On boot, boot to recovery menu using command + R.

I found that the only way to reach the recovery menu, is to use an iPhone mobile hotspot for network connection when prompted to do so.

Once you are connected to the iPhone mobile hotspot and reach the recovery menu, just run the installer on the USB drive.

A really silly workaround, but seems to work like a dream.

[sdagley]

For anyone trying to downgrade a 2018 model MacBook Pro to High Sierra using the 10.3.6 installer that installinstallmacos.py can recover, it's been reported on the #highsierra channel on MacAdmins Slack that with Mojave 10.14.1 now shipping on the machines you'll get a Permission Denied when you try to run the High Sierra installer. The workaround is to first downgrade to Mojave 10.14.0 on the machine.

[mistacabbage]

@bizops I have this issue too. They are not bricked.

If 4g is working and wired and WiFi is not it’s something with the network you’re on. It’s probably a corporate network with a firewall or proxy blocking you from reaching Apple’s servers.

In my setting just about everything is blocked by default. We also have 802.1X configured for both wired and WiFi. None of the software required to connect on my network - Zscaler proxy app and a few configuration profiles to get on 802.1X - are able to be loaded during internet recovery. We actually have a DSL line we use to get around it.

[cgarza_]

Hi,
I have the exact same issue on my macbook air 2018(retina) its bricked, i can't do anything i have tried everything, im sure the issue is the date time because when i see the logs it says April 01, but there is no way I can change the date time if everything is blocked. Computer boots directly on internet recovery, then i got a certificate error and no other option is given.

[cgarza_]

Hi,
I have the exact same issue on my macbook air 2018(retina) its bricked, i can't do anything i have tried everything, im sure the issue is the date time because when i see the logs it says April 01, but there is no way I can change the date time if everything is blocked. Computer boots directly on internet recovery, then i got a certificate error and no other option is given.

[ammonsc]

I just tried this on a new 13" using the Catalina beta. I got nothing. It wont even boot to the internet recovery. Anyone see this?