Resolved Help! My Macbook 2011 can't boot back to macOS

[ikari922]

Hi all,

I don't know if it is due to by shift key being stuck, but I cannot use almost any startup key combinations. The only thing I could use is Internet Recovery Mode, but that led to a no entry sign.

I am also stuck in Win10 OS and can't boot back to macOS because that stupid APFS thing.

Thanks,

 

[DeltaMac]

Have you tried an NVRAM reset? Turn power off. Press and hold the power button for 5 seconds or so, and your MBPro will shut completely off. Now, press and release the power button, immediately holding Option-Command-p-r
You should hear the boot chime sound.
Keep holding the same 4 keys until you hear the boot chime 2 more times, then release all keys so it will boot normally.
(The NVRAM reset will remove the startup disk setting in the hardware, and SHOULD revert to the first booting system on your drive, which would normally be your macOS boot system. It's worth trying, anyway! )

Just on the chance that you DO have a sticking shift key, and you know which shift key is sticking, Tap that shift key a few times, making a fairly firm tap. That may release that key.

If you don't get the boot chime for that reset, even after holding the 4 keys for a full minute, you may have other hardware issues happening.

If you get a good, 2-chime reset, but still get the prohibited symbol, try to boot to Internet Recovery again, which (as a reminder) is holding Option-Command-r. You should see the spinning globe, and NOT the usual Apple icon. It might take a minute or two, but should boot to the Utilities menu.
Run Disk Utility, choosing your hard drive, and run First Aid on the drive as a test.
If THAT doesn't work, or does not help - make one more attempt then to boot to the Recovery system, which is to restart, while holding Command-r. THAT boot should show the normal Apple icon, and boot to a Utilities menu again. Check if your hard drive is visible in Disk Utility, and try a First Aid repair after selecting the drive.
Quit Disk Utility, then Quit the Utilities menu, too. You should then have the choice to select a startup disk. Try to choose your hard drive - if it appears on that Startup Disk window. That MIGHT be all you need to do. A restart, after selecting the correct boot drive, should restart OK this time.

 

[ikari922]

Thanks for your response, DeltaMac. I have tried NVRAM reset more than 10 times, but every time, it boots straight to Windows 10 (it gets stuck in the Windows logo screen). Command-r and all that disk utility has no effect as it boots right to Windows 10 as nothing has happen.

Also to mention, my Mac partition is still intact. Everything looked good....

 

[DeltaMac]

Does the NVRAM reset do anything (do you get the boot chimes as it resets? AND, do you get more boot chimes if you continue to hold the same 4 keys?)
If you don't get a boot chime at all, then something about the keyboard is faulty - a sticking key, or dead key may be the issue.

Did you mean that booting to Command - r does not work at all, and you simply boot to Win 10? Or, you DO boot to the Utilities screen, where you could run Disk Utility?
Or, that you don't ever boot to Command-r at all, and it goes straight to Win10?

Connect a USB keyboard to your MacBook, and try the same reset, and then the Command-r to see if its simply the keyboard. (keep in mind that a key that is stuck down may also interfere with an external USB keyboard.)
If you don't have a USB keyboard that you can use, try to borrow one. The test can either verify the same response, or it will work to boot.
You also said that it gets stuck on the Windows logo screen... Do you mean that you can't enter a password to continue to the desktop in Windows?
THAT is another symptom that would point to a bad keyboard...

 

[ikari922]

Does the NVRAM reset do anything (do you get the boot chimes as it resets? AND, do you get more boot chimes if you continue to hold the same 4 keys?)
If you don't get a boot chime at all, then something about the keyboard is faulty - a sticking key, or dead key may be the issue.

Did you mean that booting to Command - r does not work at all, and you simply boot to Win 10? Or, you DO boot to the Utilities screen, where you could run Disk Utility?
Or, that you don't ever boot to Command-r at all, and it goes straight to Win10?

Connect a USB keyboard to your MacBook, and try the same reset, and then the Command-r to see if its simply the keyboard. (keep in mind that a key that is stuck down may also interfere with an external USB keyboard.)
If you don't have a USB keyboard that you can use, try to borrow one. The test can either verify the same response, or it will work to boot.
You also said that it gets stuck on the Windows logo screen... Do you mean that you can't enter a password to continue to the desktop in Windows?
THAT is another symptom that would point to a bad keyboard...

Nope, NVRAM just did not work and it went straight to Win10 logo and it just froze at the Win10 logo screen. I hold it for a minute like you said.

Yes, command-R and all the other startup combo leading to disk utilities, single verbose mode, and etc does not work and it boots straight to Win10. Somehow, Internet Recovery Mode (Command-Option-R) worked and it got to the global icon and it started to download everything, but at the end, it gave me an no entry sign.

I also did tried connecting a USB keyboard to the MacBook, and you are right. The key stuck down still interfere with my keyboard, because it still got to Internet Recovery Mode for me. The stuck shift key made everything capitialized when I entered my WIFI info.

I could log on to Win10 and everything because the CAPLOCK can get negate the shift key and my shift key on the right side still works. My windows password happens to be all CAP btw. Logging on to Win10 is no problem for me.

 

[DeltaMac]

If the internal keyboard is preventing the external from working properly - you can remove the bottom cover, and disconnect the keyboard connector from the logic board.
It will be tricky, as the power button is part of the keyboard connector, so you can't power on with the normal power button, you have to short the logic board power contacts. It's doable in a service environment, but not really practical for anything but an emergency, as you need to leave the bottom cover off, or loose.
It's a big job to replace the keyboard. Everything is removed from inside the case, then a new top case, and it all gets reassembled.

 

[ikari922]

If the internal keyboard is preventing the external from working properly - you can remove the bottom cover, and disconnect the keyboard connector from the logic board.
It will be tricky, as the power button is part of the keyboard connector, so you can't power on with the normal power button, you have to short the logic board power contacts. It's doable in a service environment, but not really practical for anything but an emergency, as you need to leave the bottom cover off, or loose.
It's a big job to replace the keyboard. Everything is removed from inside the case, then a new top case, and it all gets reassembled.

Damn... That's gonna take some time. I think that might be my only option. Thanks for your help!!!

I wonder if I can press the power button and disconnect immediately after and press all that combo keys at the same time.

 

[DeltaMac]

That sounds (to me) like a bad idea - the connectors can be quite fragile, and "quick disconnect" might leave you vulnerable for a "quick trip to the repair shop". IMHO, nothing inside is designed for emergency moves.
That being said - if you can make it in a smooth move (practice a few times), and you feel confident in your own reflexes, ultimately, you own the MBPro, so you decide.

 

[ikari922]

I managed to disable my internal keyboard by updating a invalid driver, but for some reason, the keyboard still works during booting stage.

 

[DeltaMac]

The software drivers are not loaded yet during early boot, but would load with the rest of the system. "Booting stage" would be using firmware drivers, which you can't modify in any way, other than changes that might be the result of a firmware update. YOUR drivers don't load until later on in boot, and may not have any effect until the login screen, or even later.
So, your driver changes have no effect until near boot completion, when custom settings load.

 

[ikari922]

If the internal keyboard is preventing the external from working properly - you can remove the bottom cover, and disconnect the keyboard connector from the logic board.
It will be tricky, as the power button is part of the keyboard connector, so you can't power on with the normal power button, you have to short the logic board power contacts. It's doable in a service environment, but not really practical for anything but an emergency, as you need to leave the bottom cover off, or loose.
It's a big job to replace the keyboard. Everything is removed from inside the case, then a new top case, and it all gets reassembled.

THANKS DELTAMAC!!! My MacBook Air is fixed! It did took me like 5 or 6 times just practice the disconnect and I was so worried the fragile connector will break.