My 2017 Intel MacBook Pro with a Touch Bar no longer has a usable operating system. Internet Recovery and booting from a USB installer haven't worked, so I tried putting the Mac into DFU mode using a newer M1 MacBook Pro, several USB cables, and different ports. I can hear the startup sound, but the Mac never appears in Finder or Apple Configurator. Is DFU mode supported on this model, and what options do I have for getting macOS installed again?
2 Answers
A 2017 MacBook Pro doesn’t have the T2 security chip, so it doesn’t support the DFU process used by newer Intel models. T2 DFU support generally starts with 2018 MacBook Pros, and on those machines it’s mainly for reviving or restoring the firmware—not for installing macOS directly. That’s why the computer never appears in Configurator.
Try starting Internet Recovery with Option-Command-R rather than the older recovery shortcut. That should attempt to install the newest macOS version supported by the Mac instead of reinstalling the version that was previously on it. If the installer can see the internal drive but reports unrepairable SMART errors, though, the storage is likely failing and needs to be replaced or serviced.
Using that key combination got me further. The installer can see the internal drive, but it says the disk has SMART errors that can’t be repaired and recommends replacing it. So the drive appears to be the main problem.
That explains why I couldn’t get DFU mode to work. I was hoping a firmware restore would let me boot from USB, but it looks like I’ll need another approach.