Thank you!!! This is the same thing I have trouble with. Telling clients to do security updates and small OS updates, but now you only see the next major version in system settings. I had to downgrade multiple users to Mojave after they accidentally installed Catalina and lost the ability to use essential apps.
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macOS Big Sur Update Bricking Some Older MacBook Pro Models
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I took apart my iMac to experiment on a solution. I tried removing one peripheral at a time - and eventually all peripherals (wireless/bluetooth, isight, cmos battery, and hard drive). Nothing changed the outcome. Looking at the diagnostic LED's it indicated that there was an issue with my GPU. I dont know if its a coincidence or something with the install - I ran into the black screen look in the middle of the install of the retail Big Sur from the Big Sur beta. I did remove the heatsink and the thermal paste was dried out and crumbled off. Regardless - there is no replacement of the GPU outside of a Logic board swap. It doesnt seem worth messing with that for a 7 year old machine.
So that leaves me looking at a M1 Mini as a replacement.
So that leaves me looking at a M1 Mini as a replacement.
I posted the below on
discussions.apple.com
Folks, one last update from myself.
Might be it gets deleted again by the moderators, but at
least you receive it via email.
As you read it tried all suggested NVRAM, SMC reset, unplugging battery, running battery down
to zero etc. suggestions, but for my MBP Mid 2014 it did not work.
During my initial installation using the installer downloaded via software update
on top of Catalina with latest patch applied after time maschine backup & CCC clone,
I had my transcend jetdrive lite 128GB SD card inserted in the card reader.
This seemed to have triggered somehow during the installation process
a HARDWARE defect BY THE BIG SUR INSTALLATION PACKAGE.
As a workaround I unplugged i/o card then reinstalled Catalina and on top of that Big Sur
using an external USB keyboard and mouse on my functional left USB port.
Today my replacement i/o board I bought on ebay Germany (8.90 EUR) and thermal paste
(2.99 EUR) arrived and I successfully replaced the fried i/o board
by the new one.
Et voila after NVRAM, SMC reset I had a successful reboot.
Everything is working fine again (WLAN, Bluetooth, HDMI port and SD Card reader even with my JetDrive 128GB).
Big Sur performs pretty fast on my MBP Mid 2014 now.
Summary: if your i/o board of a MBP 13 inch Late 2013/ mid 2014
has been fried by the Big sur installer it might be coinciding
with you having an SD Card or other peripherals connected to the right
side of your MBP.
If the i/o board has been permanently damaged (try on your own risk)
to disconnect the i/o board (see step 18) of the ifix guide
Try to finish your reinstallation or installation of the os
reconnect the i/o board
if black screen continues even after all the tipps like NVRAM/ SMC reset etc.
buy yourself a replacement i/o board
use the ifixit guide to replace your i/o board if you are confident
or ask an authorized Apple repair shop to do it for you
then reboot (NVRAM, SMC reset) and if you are lucky like me
you have fixed the black screen issue permanently.
For me the total cost in EUR incl. tools, thermal paste & i/o card
did not accumulate to 25 EUR as I could do the replacement
myself using ifixit guide.
I still think it is a shame that hardware damage has been
obviously caused by a OS upgrade package, but to be honest
Sh.... happens
What I am grateful for is that so many Mac users helped
putting information together for their fellow Mac users
to collect evidence, give advice what works and what does not.
I like you guys!
What I am reluctant about is that obviously like I read happened
in the past, posts on the apple discussion forum incl. my summary
have been deleted by moderators even though there was nothing
wrong with them.
What I also do not like is what happened to a lot of users
that were contacting Apple support and adviced that HW damages
were their issue or that a logic board replacement for several hundred
dollars would be needed.
Macbook Pros even from 2013 or 2014 are still fast & reliable devices
for most use cases.
Even if some sh.... hits the fan as it did for me. If one can fix the
caused damage for such a small amount of money, I think
it is not ok to tell customers nothing about it.
And I am not talking about liability claims. I am also not directly
blaming Apple to be responsible for shipping green bananas
and being liable for hardware damages.
But one could be more relaxed about analysing what happens
and what can be done about.
Especially during a global pandemic people in Ukraine, Brasil, Belgium,Italy, France,
UK, Denmark, USA & Germany were cooperating with each other to help each other
analysing. Would it be to bad for Apple support to help these people?
Some of them do not even have access to a repair shop near them.
Apple users like Apple hardware & software. They also like it to be pretty reliable
and they like that support is not only given by Apple but also by fellow customers.
Apple, please do not upset your customers by deleting simple
information exchange on this forum.
The information flow cannot be stopped anyway.
The same information you deleted here was flowing on external forums around the
world anyway.
The Apple management should take care that this does not repeat itself.
Even if mistakes were made, it is not a shame to say sorry.
Even if Apple does not want to pay for damages or does not feel liable
you could give correct & appropriate information flow between your customers
a chance. Apple can also use the evidence to find the root cause and fix it.
Nothing is wrong about making mistakes, but hiding information is wrong.
I wish all people affected good luck in fixing your situation as fast and cheap as possible.
Thanks, Markus!
MacBook Pro bricked after failed Big Sur … - Apple Community
Folks, one last update from myself.
Might be it gets deleted again by the moderators, but at
least you receive it via email.
As you read it tried all suggested NVRAM, SMC reset, unplugging battery, running battery down
to zero etc. suggestions, but for my MBP Mid 2014 it did not work.
During my initial installation using the installer downloaded via software update
on top of Catalina with latest patch applied after time maschine backup & CCC clone,
I had my transcend jetdrive lite 128GB SD card inserted in the card reader.
This seemed to have triggered somehow during the installation process
a HARDWARE defect BY THE BIG SUR INSTALLATION PACKAGE.
As a workaround I unplugged i/o card then reinstalled Catalina and on top of that Big Sur
using an external USB keyboard and mouse on my functional left USB port.
Today my replacement i/o board I bought on ebay Germany (8.90 EUR) and thermal paste
(2.99 EUR) arrived and I successfully replaced the fried i/o board
by the new one.
Et voila after NVRAM, SMC reset I had a successful reboot.
Everything is working fine again (WLAN, Bluetooth, HDMI port and SD Card reader even with my JetDrive 128GB).
Big Sur performs pretty fast on my MBP Mid 2014 now.
Summary: if your i/o board of a MBP 13 inch Late 2013/ mid 2014
has been fried by the Big sur installer it might be coinciding
with you having an SD Card or other peripherals connected to the right
side of your MBP.
If the i/o board has been permanently damaged (try on your own risk)
to disconnect the i/o board (see step 18) of the ifix guide
Try to finish your reinstallation or installation of the os
reconnect the i/o board
if black screen continues even after all the tipps like NVRAM/ SMC reset etc.
buy yourself a replacement i/o board
use the ifixit guide to replace your i/o board if you are confident
or ask an authorized Apple repair shop to do it for you
then reboot (NVRAM, SMC reset) and if you are lucky like me
you have fixed the black screen issue permanently.
For me the total cost in EUR incl. tools, thermal paste & i/o card
did not accumulate to 25 EUR as I could do the replacement
myself using ifixit guide.
I still think it is a shame that hardware damage has been
obviously caused by a OS upgrade package, but to be honest
Sh.... happens
What I am grateful for is that so many Mac users helped
putting information together for their fellow Mac users
to collect evidence, give advice what works and what does not.
I like you guys!
What I am reluctant about is that obviously like I read happened
in the past, posts on the apple discussion forum incl. my summary
have been deleted by moderators even though there was nothing
wrong with them.
What I also do not like is what happened to a lot of users
that were contacting Apple support and adviced that HW damages
were their issue or that a logic board replacement for several hundred
dollars would be needed.
Macbook Pros even from 2013 or 2014 are still fast & reliable devices
for most use cases.
Even if some sh.... hits the fan as it did for me. If one can fix the
caused damage for such a small amount of money, I think
it is not ok to tell customers nothing about it.
And I am not talking about liability claims. I am also not directly
blaming Apple to be responsible for shipping green bananas
and being liable for hardware damages.
But one could be more relaxed about analysing what happens
and what can be done about.
Especially during a global pandemic people in Ukraine, Brasil, Belgium,Italy, France,
UK, Denmark, USA & Germany were cooperating with each other to help each other
analysing. Would it be to bad for Apple support to help these people?
Some of them do not even have access to a repair shop near them.
Apple users like Apple hardware & software. They also like it to be pretty reliable
and they like that support is not only given by Apple but also by fellow customers.
Apple, please do not upset your customers by deleting simple
information exchange on this forum.
The information flow cannot be stopped anyway.
The same information you deleted here was flowing on external forums around the
world anyway.
The Apple management should take care that this does not repeat itself.
Even if mistakes were made, it is not a shame to say sorry.
Even if Apple does not want to pay for damages or does not feel liable
you could give correct & appropriate information flow between your customers
a chance. Apple can also use the evidence to find the root cause and fix it.
Nothing is wrong about making mistakes, but hiding information is wrong.
I wish all people affected good luck in fixing your situation as fast and cheap as possible.
Thanks, Markus!
P.S. was suspended for a week by Apple ModsI posted the below on
MacBook Pro bricked after failed Big Sur … - Apple Community
discussions.apple.com
Folks, one last update from myself.
Might be it gets deleted again by the moderators, but at
least you receive it via email.
As you read it tried all suggested NVRAM, SMC reset, unplugging battery, running battery down
to zero etc. suggestions, but for my MBP Mid 2014 it did not work.
During my initial installation using the installer downloaded via software update
on top of Catalina with latest patch applied after time maschine backup & CCC clone,
I had my transcend jetdrive lite 128GB SD card inserted in the card reader.
This seemed to have triggered somehow during the installation process
a HARDWARE defect BY THE BIG SUR INSTALLATION PACKAGE.
As a workaround I unplugged i/o card then reinstalled Catalina and on top of that Big Sur
using an external USB keyboard and mouse on my functional left USB port.
Today my replacement i/o board I bought on ebay Germany (8.90 EUR) and thermal paste
(2.99 EUR) arrived and I successfully replaced the fried i/o board
by the new one.
Et voila after NVRAM, SMC reset I had a successful reboot.
Everything is working fine again (WLAN, Bluetooth, HDMI port and SD Card reader even with my JetDrive 128GB).
Big Sur performs pretty fast on my MBP Mid 2014 now.
Summary: if your i/o board of a MBP 13 inch Late 2013/ mid 2014
has been fried by the Big sur installer it might be coinciding
with you having an SD Card or other peripherals connected to the right
side of your MBP.
If the i/o board has been permanently damaged (try on your own risk)
to disconnect the i/o board (see step 18) of the ifix guide
Try to finish your reinstallation or installation of the os
reconnect the i/o board
if black screen continues even after all the tipps like NVRAM/ SMC reset etc.
buy yourself a replacement i/o board
use the ifixit guide to replace your i/o board if you are confident
or ask an authorized Apple repair shop to do it for you
then reboot (NVRAM, SMC reset) and if you are lucky like me
you have fixed the black screen issue permanently.
For me the total cost in EUR incl. tools, thermal paste & i/o card
did not accumulate to 25 EUR as I could do the replacement
myself using ifixit guide.
I still think it is a shame that hardware damage has been
obviously caused by a OS upgrade package, but to be honest
Sh.... happens
What I am grateful for is that so many Mac users helped
putting information together for their fellow Mac users
to collect evidence, give advice what works and what does not.
I like you guys!
What I am reluctant about is that obviously like I read happened
in the past, posts on the apple discussion forum incl. my summary
have been deleted by moderators even though there was nothing
wrong with them.
What I also do not like is what happened to a lot of users
that were contacting Apple support and adviced that HW damages
were their issue or that a logic board replacement for several hundred
dollars would be needed.
Macbook Pros even from 2013 or 2014 are still fast & reliable devices
for most use cases.
Even if some sh.... hits the fan as it did for me. If one can fix the
caused damage for such a small amount of money, I think
it is not ok to tell customers nothing about it.
And I am not talking about liability claims. I am also not directly
blaming Apple to be responsible for shipping green bananas
and being liable for hardware damages.
But one could be more relaxed about analysing what happens
and what can be done about.
Especially during a global pandemic people in Ukraine, Brasil, Belgium,Italy, France,
UK, Denmark, USA & Germany were cooperating with each other to help each other
analysing. Would it be to bad for Apple support to help these people?
Some of them do not even have access to a repair shop near them.
Apple users like Apple hardware & software. They also like it to be pretty reliable
and they like that support is not only given by Apple but also by fellow customers.
Apple, please do not upset your customers by deleting simple
information exchange on this forum.
The information flow cannot be stopped anyway.
The same information you deleted here was flowing on external forums around the
world anyway.
The Apple management should take care that this does not repeat itself.
Even if mistakes were made, it is not a shame to say sorry.
Even if Apple does not want to pay for damages or does not feel liable
you could give correct & appropriate information flow between your customers
a chance. Apple can also use the evidence to find the root cause and fix it.
Nothing is wrong about making mistakes, but hiding information is wrong.
I wish all people affected good luck in fixing your situation as fast and cheap as possible.
Thanks, Markus!
If what I think happened to these machines are true. (Corrupted EFI due to flashing gone wrong/ interrupted flashing) you might be able to get a matt card, and put a rom on it to get it to boot again.
also, can you give me a detailed timeline of how ur Macbook became “bricked”? Did you force it to turn off (hold power button) at any stage of the update?
also, can you give me a detailed timeline of how ur Macbook became “bricked”? Did you force it to turn off (hold power button) at any stage of the update?
If what I think happened to these machines are true. (Corrupted EFI due to flashing gone wrong/ interrupted flashing) you might be able to get a matt card, and put a rom on it to get it to boot again.P.S. was suspended for a week by Apple Mods
also, can you give me a detailed timeline of how ur Macbook became “bricked”? Did you force it to turn off (hold power button) at any stage of the update?
I replaced the spare part, which can be bought for below 10 GBP/10 EUR.
no matt Card needed.
I did not turn off, remove power supply during installation of Big Sur.
I just the Software Update from Apple and waited for it to finish patiently.
They dont.
"Slow down with age" implies a persistent and permanent performance degradation because of the age of the hardware. If it's reversible just by cleaning then it is NOT slowing down with age, it just means your machine is dirty.
Its an old myth that has been debunked. Thermal compound can be likened to motor oil on cars, where regular replacement is to be expected. (Thats why Apple's insistence on making access to the insides of your machine difficult, like on the imac, is an anti consumer move. You have to clean it once in a while you know.)
Linus did a test a couple of years ago debunking the "slowing down with age" myth, by comparing the performance of a GTX 480 that is brand new against one that has been used for 6 years. The old gpu has been used and abused for the whole 6 years. The results? the performance is identical.
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Yes, with a little TLC there is no reason why laptops shouldn’t keep peak performance for many years.
The first opportunity for that is usually when the battery needs replacing. The way I use my MBPs, this typically happens after 4-5 years. Once you’ve got the machine open to replace the battery, clean it out, lift the heatsinks/pipes to remove the old, brittle thermal paste and apply some good quality stuff instead. There are lots of good instructional videos around to guide you.
I realise that this isn’t for everybody, but I reckon every Macbook owner can find a qualified service person to do this for them.
I think that “slow down with age” in this case might had to do with spectre and meltdown mitigations for intel CPUs in recent years.
Hey guys, got a question regarding the Big Sur upgrade. This is more of a "does anyone have this technical info" type of question. When upgrading to Big Sur, I understand Apple is using containers, however I do not know a lot about APFS containers. What I am curious about is, after the upgrade, does the previous installed OS still exist, or is it completely overwritten as in the usual upgrade process. My understanding is, Apple puts Big Sur in a new container, however I'm not sure what this implies when it comes to does my install of Catalina still exist on the drive or not. Hope someone know, and can provide this information. Thanks.
P.S. I don't need to downgrade, was more curious if I could remove the other OS to reclaim the space, if that is "even an item to consider."
I was also curious as to what Apple has done here, because when I booted into my external install of Mojave, it says incompatible drive, and there is a Volume named Update mounted instead of the usual Macintosh HD, and Macintosh HD Data. The Data drive is there but the other isn't So just also curious about that.
Thanks
P.S. I don't need to downgrade, was more curious if I could remove the other OS to reclaim the space, if that is "even an item to consider."
I was also curious as to what Apple has done here, because when I booted into my external install of Mojave, it says incompatible drive, and there is a Volume named Update mounted instead of the usual Macintosh HD, and Macintosh HD Data. The Data drive is there but the other isn't So just also curious about that.
Thanks
A large number of late 2013 and mid 2014 13-inch MacBook Pro owners are reporting that the macOS Big Sur update is bricking their machines. A MacRumors forum thread contains a significant number of users reporting the issue, and similar problems are being reported across Reddit and the Apple Support Communities, suggesting the problem is widespread.
Users are reporting that during the course of updating to macOS Big Sur, their machines are stuck displaying a black screen. Key reset combinations, including NVRAM, SMC, safe mode, and internet recovery, are all reportedly inaccessible after attempting to install the update, leaving no way to bypass the static black screen.
It appears that the overwhelming number of users experiencing problems are owners of the late 2013 and mid 2014 13-inch MacBook Pro, but it is unclear exactly how many users of these models have been affected. It is also of note that these are the oldest models supported by macOS Big Sur.
One commenter on Reddit said that they were told by Apple support to book their MacBook Pro in for a repair. Another on an Apple Support thread said that the issue has been escalated to Apple's engineering team, so Apple should now be aware of the problem.
Until it is clear what may be causing the issue and Apple releases a fix, late 2013 and mid 2014 13-inch MacBook Pro may wish to hold off on installing macOS Big Sur.
Article Link: macOS Big Sur Update Bricking Some Older MacBook Pro Models
Here's bad news for me, and perhaps others. The installation of Big Sur on my MacBook Pro 2018, Model
A1990 is bricked. The earliest appointment a week away. Too bad Apple releases OS versions and appoints all users as Beta testers.
I guess Tim needed to increase his take of the profits. No beta testers, no pay.
A1990 is bricked. The earliest appointment a week away. Too bad Apple releases OS versions and appoints all users as Beta testers.
I guess Tim needed to increase his take of the profits. No beta testers, no pay.
My late 2015 27" iMac is now bricked. Installed Big Sur without a problem. Powered it down before going to bed. Next morning - darkness.
A large number of late 2013 and mid 2014 13-inch MacBook Pro owners are reporting that the macOS Big Sur update is bricking their machines. A MacRumors forum thread contains a significant number of users reporting the issue, and similar problems are being reported across Reddit and the Apple Support Communities, suggesting the problem is widespread.
Users are reporting that during the course of updating to macOS Big Sur, their machines are stuck displaying a black screen. Key reset combinations, including NVRAM, SMC, safe mode, and internet recovery, are all reportedly inaccessible after attempting to install the update, leaving no way to bypass the static black screen.
It appears that the overwhelming number of users experiencing problems are owners of the late 2013 and mid 2014 13-inch MacBook Pro, but it is unclear exactly how many users of these models have been affected. It is also of note that these are the oldest models supported by macOS Big Sur.
One commenter on Reddit said that they were told by Apple support to book their MacBook Pro in for a repair. Another on an Apple Support thread said that the issue has been escalated to Apple's engineering team, so Apple should now be aware of the problem.
Until it is clear what may be causing the issue and Apple releases a fix, late 2013 and mid 2014 13-inch MacBook Pro may wish to hold off on installing macOS Big Sur.
Article Link: macOS Big Sur Update Bricking Some Older MacBook Pro Models
Does anyone know if the new build of Big Sur, 11.0.1 20B50, fixes this issue? Has anyone tried it?
After reading extensively all the horror stories about this upgrade, I was very leery of attempting it on my late 2013 MacBook pro. Wanting to rid my screen of the red bubbles reminding me to do it, I decided to take a chance. After a couple shots of Jameson and disconnecting my external time machine drive(after a backup of course) I clicked the upgrade button and retired to the other room in front of the tv. I must admit this was the strangest upgrade I've experienced. The download of 12.18gb stopped at 12.18gb for almost an hour, then it went through a couple of progress bars that took what seemed like forever and they were separated by the previously mentioned black screens where nothing happened. After an admin login and another progress bar it finally came up with the "Big Sur" screen. I must admit I was extremely relieved. I just hope it works better than the Catalina upgrade where it took many updates before everything returned to normal(freezing pointers and web screens acting wonky). Good luck should you decide to take the plunge!
hello
I was finally able to run macbook pro 2013 after the unsuccessful installation of Big Sur. Question. I did, of course, disconnect the I/O board to make the laptop go. Is my I/O board damaged? I can restart, I can do slepp mode, but if I do power off, the computer is a brick again ;-/
I was finally able to run macbook pro 2013 after the unsuccessful installation of Big Sur. Question. I did, of course, disconnect the I/O board to make the laptop go. Is my I/O board damaged? I can restart, I can do slepp mode, but if I do power off, the computer is a brick again ;-/
Update. After powering down and attempting a startup, I've found that I must hold the power button down until it chimes, a simple momentary hit no longer works. Flashbacks of Catalina again, maybe after 5 or 6 updates things will be back to normal...
Yes, my late 2015 iMac is now dead in the water. However, I also have a 2015 MB Pro and it's running like a champ. SMH
First off, Love the Jetsons, great show. 2nd, I have a late 2015 27 inch iMac myself (top config) before custom. Updated to Big Sur without problems. Using my iMac now. I have been running since release day of Big Sur with minimal to no problems. Any bugs I've encountered so far have mostly been cosmetic. The second type of issue I've had (which really isn't one) is a couple apps aren't Big Sur ready yet, however they are in the works, so will be updated ASAP.
I have had a Macbook Pro Mid 2014 in for repair for this exact problem. I did the I/O board ribbon cable removal and the Macbook started and completed the install of the software. After the software installation completed I shutdown the machine and replaced the cable and all worked. The machine also rebooted without any issues.
A large number of late 2013 and mid 2014 13-inch MacBook Pro owners are reporting that the macOS Big Sur update is bricking their machines. A MacRumors forum thread contains a significant number of users reporting the issue, and similar problems are being reported across Reddit and the Apple Support Communities, suggesting the problem is widespread.
Users are reporting that during the course of updating to macOS Big Sur, their machines are stuck displaying a black screen. Key reset combinations, including NVRAM, SMC, safe mode, and internet recovery, are all reportedly inaccessible after attempting to install the update, leaving no way to bypass the static black screen.
It appears that the overwhelming number of users experiencing problems are owners of the late 2013 and mid 2014 13-inch MacBook Pro, but it is unclear exactly how many users of these models have been affected. It is also of note that these are the oldest models supported by macOS Big Sur.
One commenter on Reddit said that they were told by Apple support to book their MacBook Pro in for a repair. Another on an Apple Support thread said that the issue has been escalated to Apple's engineering team, so Apple should now be aware of the problem.
Until it is clear what may be causing the issue and Apple releases a fix, late 2013 and mid 2014 13-inch MacBook Pro may wish to hold off on installing macOS Big Sur.
Article Link: macOS Big Sur Update Bricking Some Older MacBook Pro Models
My late 2015 MacBook Pro is now bricked last night after the installation of Big Sur, after the reboot get black screen, and the Apple Supports have no idea of how to recover it after two hours call. Have to bring it to the apple store. Apple should pay for the repair fee since it is not reasonable that an software upgrade damages the hardware.
FYI: Downloaded the 20b50 over night, and just checked the packaged EFI firmware files. They are identical to build 20b29. Apple most likely only blocked affected machines from updating in this "release". There are plenty of other firmware files in there that I did not check, but my guess there is nothing in that release that would fix or not brick the old machines.
Pretty clear that anyone with an affected machine should stay away from Big Sur for now.
My personal opinion: There is little excuse for knowingly bricking a mac at this point...
Pretty clear that anyone with an affected machine should stay away from Big Sur for now.
My personal opinion: There is little excuse for knowingly bricking a mac at this point...
disconnect the I / O board, and should get up I had the same with the 2013 MAcBook Pro, you instal macOS 11.0.1 ? this ver is probably fix installer
https://www.iphonetricks.org/revised-macos-11-0-1-big-sur-version-installer-fix/
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