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macOS Big Sur Update Bricking Some Older MacBook Pro Models

Hi,
a new BIG SUR update is out and now is available for my Macbook Pro late 2013..
Do you think this version is finally safe? Have you tried to update?
 
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Sum73 said:
Hi,
a new BIG SUR update is out and now is available for my Macbook Pro late 2013..
Do you think this version is finally safe? Have you tried to update?
Click to expand...
Asking myself the same thing, after 11.0.1 was pulled now 11.1 is offered. Maybe someone still in contact with apple trying to get the bricked macbook repaired, could get a statement about the safety of 11.1? The release notes do not mention anything specific regarding the issue. Who is brave enough tho try the update? I'm going to wait for now.
 
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I guess the interaction of pre-boot key press on Mac are managed by firmware? which is why they fail here

Still... compared to a BIOS on PC's. the scale is just unimaginable on Mac's. On a PC, you wouldn't see an update cripple unable to get into a BIOS, but a Mac ? yep.. it happens. ? or something in between.
 
Release Version macOS 11.1 Build 20C69 is now out.
I cannot comment on the advisability of upgrading on your MacBook Pro. However, someone else suggested booking in with an Apple Shop and having them do the upgrade. Then if anything goes wrong, it's on their head.
 
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I have a 13" rMBP late 2013 still on Catalina – and I'm planning to stay there. Instead of Big Sur, I chose to download the security update instead. I have not started the update process… However, there are several .pkg in /Library/Updates one of them being FirmwareUpdate.pkg. The new Bootrom version is 429.x… whereas the original Big Sur update included version 427.x…
 
I've completed a fresh install of Big Sur 11.1 (previously Mojave) on a late 2013 13" Macbook Pro booting from a USB stick in the left hand USB port without issue. I would assume since the 11.1 installer is now appearing in the Software Update window of System Preferences that Apple must be happy they've resolved whatever the previous issue was.
 
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Thank I'm going to wait on more brave experimenters before I push the update button. It's interesting that Apple release notes say nothing about this release fixing the bricking problem.
 
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It's just Apple – not acknowledging the problem.

I have installed the security update. It took quite a while and I even got a kernel panic in the process. However, my MacBook eventually booted. The Bootrom was indeed bumped to 429. 👍
 
I posted this in the apple forum but it got deleted by their moderators, so I assume this is the right forum for it.

I updated from Catalina to Big Sur at the first launch on Nov 13, and it got "bricked". I did a lot of things which didn't help, all the smc resets, etc. the screen stayed black with the backlight on, stuck in the boot process.

So I opened my mac unplugged the battery, pressed the power button a few times in case any power was still there, and unplugged the flat power cable that goes to the IO Board.
Plugged back in the Power Cable (from the MacBook) and the installation continued and completed to Big Sur.

After some testing I found that when you startup to Big Sur and plug back in the flat power cable from the IO Board and do a restart it makes a 2x chime sound as when performing the nvram pram reset and starts up into Big Sur AND the IO Board is working WIFI, SD Card, HDMI, USB, I tested everything and the IO Board is not broken as some people in the apple forum wrote.
As long as I only do restarts Big Sur will always start up (with 2x chime sound), but when I shut it down it is again "bricked", but it could be fixed again by unplugging the flat IO Board cable, start and plug back in again while running.

Today the macOS 11.1 update came and it asked me if I want to install, I did.
It took some time, it showed the apple logo a lot of times and then finally finished installing.
I restarted, it did the 2x chime sound again, I checked the installed EFI version (2012022042) bootrom version (429.0.0.0.0) and SMC version (2.16f68), everything look good so I tried...
I clicked shutdown
I pressed the power button
It started with one chime to Big Sur after 54seconds.

Everyone here, I can tell you from my experience, that the IO Board is not necessarily broken, it looks to me like a bug in the startup routine of macOS.
 
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Ok, I update my MacBook Pro. All went well. Good.
Bildschirmfoto 2020-12-15 um 20.44.26.png
 
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ame1nc said:
I posted this in the apple forum but it got deleted by their moderators, so I assume this is the right forum for it.....
Click to expand...

I am an Apple Level 7 ASC member (I use a different username there) and I saw your post on this thread:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/252034110?login=true&page=23
I am glad you posted this here also as your solution seems to work.

As much as I like Apple products I cannot understand their moderation rules. They do not allow any reference to users opening their Macs or iPhones, even those that are now vintage and no longer supported. Does not make sense. I have a Mid 2014 MBP and I was lucky to update to Big Sur with minimal issues. I say minimal because the Mac hung up on the final reboot. I let it set for many hours to no avail and then did a forced shut down and restart. Luckily for me it did restart; others have not been so fortunate as we know. I am now on 11.1 and my vintage Mac is working ok.

I am an engineer and a bit of a techy; I have opened up my Mac many times and also my iPhones. I would get my posts deleted if I said this on the ASC. I have replaced the batteries, speakers, rubber pads, etc. No way I would have paid Apple to do all of this. I have an old iPhone SE v1 which I only use for streaming music to my home system. I have replaced its battery twice, also the same for an old iPhone 5. Apple would not touch the 5, too old; it would be on the recycle/trash bin if I had not fixed it myself. Instead I have a usable device, good for the planet and good for me. An iPhone battery cost $20 or less.

And BTW another no no on the ASC is any mention of iFixit, a good source of repair manuals and parts. Apple is the richest company on the planet but they do not want users fixing their own machines, even old ones that are not worth spending much on. Go figure.
 
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MacRumors said:


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.

macbookpro13large.jpg


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
Click to expand...
My early 2015 MacBook Pro 13" was bricked by Big Sur. What as interesting was, I used this MBP 13 for every developer beta all summer long without any issue. I rebuilt the laptop (formatting the drive) several times, no problem. Then when Big Sur final was released I got bricked.

After trying everything without success I decided to retire my trusty MBP and grab a new M1. (Love it!). After 11.1 was released this week, I thought to myself..."I wonder if..." I booted the MBP13 into Internet Recovery and did a new install of Big Sur. It worked! Apple must have fixed the firmware issue such that I didn't have to take my laptop in for I/O or logic board replacements etc... everything is working great with 11.1 now.
 
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fhb_cupertino said:
Asking myself the same thing, after 11.0.1 was pulled now 11.1 is offered. Maybe someone still in contact with apple trying to get the bricked macbook repaired, could get a statement about the safety of 11.1? The release notes do not mention anything specific regarding the issue. Who is brave enough tho try the update? I'm going to wait for now.
Click to expand...
I have a MBP 13" early 2015. It was bricked with 11.0 GM but was fine all summer during dev betas so something in the 11.0 final release caused these systems to brick. I saw 11.1 was released yesterday so on a hunch I decided to try installing it to see if it would "unbrick" my trusty MBP. I booted up into internet recovery and did an install of Big Sur. Sure enough, it completed and my MBP is back! It took awhile and did several reboots which I am assuming was firmware being applied to fix this bricking issue. Everything is back to normal now with my MBP. 11.1 has the cure.
 
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Well my 2013 retina 13" MacBook pro did ok on 11.01, I decided to try the new update today for 11.1. Yes it was scary again with a couple of black screens but all is well.
 

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Anyone have any opinions as to whether the install might be affected by having an NVME drive installed with BootRom version 156.0.0.0
 
I have a late 2013 IMac that I can't upgrade to Big Sur, and sucks because I'm really enjoying it on my 2015 Macbook Pro
 
I took the plunge after making a bootable installer. Upgraded from System Prefs and everything was done within a half hour. No change to BootROM - probably because of my Sabrent NVME drive. All looks good!
 
Hello everybody,

don`t know if somebody else wrote similiar info. Eventualy sorry for the spam.

I`ve got bricked my Macbook pro mid 2014 by Big Sur 11.0.1 update. Only one way how to partly fix the problem was unplugging I/O board and finish instal.
I tried everything suggested except booting windows 10 and in the end I decided to wait for new update. Because of trying everything possible i ended on last Catalina version before last try.
Last try: Yesterday I updated to Big Sur 11.1. with disconnected I/O board and after update everything works well, and mac booted even i reconnected I/O board. No SMC or NVRAM reset needed. I used normal way through appstore.

Problem solved but shame on Apple for their behavior in this case. I tought my I/O board is dead, but it`s not and everything was apparently SW problem.

I pray for everybody who will try it!

Sorry for my english :).
 
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Dang. I wish I read about this sooner.

Installed 11.1 and Mac Mini (2018) got bricked. Couldn’t access recovery or reset NVRAM. Took it in to Genius and they couldn’t figure anything out in their diagnostics so they asked to try replacing the PSU or Logic Board (if PSU failed).

They said it wasn’t a PSU problem, so the logic board needs to be replaced and Out of Warranty cost was $400+. I’m glad I didn’t go with the logic board replacement. Guess I’ll be more wary about installing updates.
 
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