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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways
- A MacOS Tahoe upgrade went southbound connected a brand-new machine.
- The solution to retrieve is not for the faint of heart.
- If your Mac Studio is bricked, a DFU Revive/Restore is necessary.
Earlier this month, I received my caller Mac Studio M3 Ultra computer. I decided to marque the acquisition due to the fact that I was doing bigger and bigger video projects, and my Intel-based iMac wasn't up to the task.
The caller instrumentality has 96GB of RAM and that screaming M3 Ultra chip. Yeah, it's gonna beryllium blazing fast.
As soon arsenic it arrived, I began the process of unboxing everything, moving my iMac to different location, and mounting up the Mac Studio. Everything went conscionable fine... until it didn't.
After astir an hr of utilizing the machine, MacOS informed maine that the update for Tahoe was available. Given however overmuch I emotion MacOS 26 connected my MacBook, I decidedly wanted it connected my Mac Studio. So, I okayed the upgrade.
The upgrade kicked disconnected and seemed to beryllium doing everything right. And past catastrophe struck.
Also: M3 MacBook Air vs. M2 MacBook Air: Which Apple laptop should you buy?
The Mac Studio rebooted arsenic it should, but coiled up with a achromatic screen. I waited, and waited, and waited. Nothing.
I decided to reboot. Same results. I thought I could conscionable footwear into betterment mode and hole the issue. Nope. No substance what I did, I couldn't get the instrumentality into betterment mode. After a spot of research, I discovered what was happening.
In September 2025, a bug was discovered wherever the installer loads the MacOS Tahoe operator for the Apple Neural Engine, but past a hardware cheque fails, and the installation process is aborted. Most users reported that the installation simply failed and rolled backmost to Sequoia. In my case, the installation wasn't aborted; it failed, and the OS was incapable to load.
It seemed arsenic if determination was thing I could do... that $3,700 machine was bricked. Thankfully, I recovered the solution.
With MacOS, there's thing called the DFU Firmware Revive/Restore, which is simply a heavy betterment process for unresponsive Macs. To tally a DFU Revive/Restore, you person to person different Mac to update oregon reinstall firmware and the OS via a USB-C cable.
It's tricky and, successful my case, didn't enactment arsenic expected.
How to bash a DFU Firmware Revive/Restore
To propulsion this off, you person to plug a suitable USB-C cable (one that tin grip some accelerated complaint and information transfer, and not a Thunderbolt cable). You can't, however, conscionable plug that cablegram into immoderate aged port. Instead, you person to usage the DFU port, which tin beryllium recovered successful the pursuing locations:
- 14-inch MacBook Pro with M4 oregon M5 chip: The rightmost USB-C larboard erstwhile facing the near broadside of the Mac.
- Mac Studio: The rightmost USB-C larboard erstwhile facing the backmost of the Mac.
If you person a antithetic Mac, cheque retired this page to find retired which larboard is the DFU port.
Also, marque definite thing is plugged into immoderate different USB port.
Here's however the DFU Revive/Restore works:
Plug the USB-C cablegram into the affected Mac archetypal and marque definite it's powered off. Next, marque definite the different Mac is powered connected and that you are logged in. Unplug the affected Mac from power. Press and clasp the powerfulness button, and past plug the Mac backmost in. Keep pressing the powerfulness fastener until the DFU Finder model opens connected the different Mac. In that window, you'll spot 2 options:
- Revive - updates a Mac's firmware and betterment OS (recoveryOS) to the latest mentation without erasing idiosyncratic information oregon the MacOS volume.
- Restore - erases everything and reinstalls the OS from scratch.
Also: 5 ways to tally Windows apps connected MacOS - and 2 are free
First, I ran the Revive option. That took implicit an hr and, successful the end, didn't work. When that failed, I ran done the process again, lone this clip selecting the Restore option.
Guess what? That didn't enactment either. I was definite I'd person to lug the Mac Studio to my section Apple Store and person it flash the firmware for me. On a whim, I decided to unplug the Mac Studio, hold a moment, plug it backmost in, and boot. Luck was connected my side, and the login model appeared. Breathe in. Breathe out. Relax.
Naturally, I decided to disregard immoderate notifications for a Tahoe upgrade due to the fact that I bash not privation to spell done that again. Even though Apple has seemingly fixed the issue, it intelligibly hadn't, due to the fact that my M3 Ultra Mac Studio failed connected the upgrade.
Why I usage Linux
In astir 30 years of utilizing Linux, I person ne'er had specified an issue. Between Windows 11 taking everlastingly to instal and MacOS suffering from bugs that ceramic brand-new machines, it conscionable solidifies my sentiment that Linux is the superior OS.
Don't get maine wrong, I'll inactive usage MacOS due to the fact that I beryllium connected DaVinci Resolve, which inactive has issues connected Linux installations without NVIDIA GPUs. Will I ever spot different MacOS upgrade? Who knows, but I tin archer you that I'll beryllium precise hesitant to spell done with immoderate upgrade successful the aboriginal without doing my research.
Also: How to determine betwixt Linux and MacOS - if you're acceptable to ditch Windows
Apple should ne'er merchandise an upgrade that bricks 1 of its astir almighty machines. That's conscionable atrocious form. Fortunately, the OS does person built-in tools that tin resoluteness the issue. However, successful this case, I would surely not counsel those without plentifulness of exertion skills to effort a DFU Revive/Restore. If this happens to you, unplug that Mac and caput to the Genius Bar.
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