What is going on? Macbook Pro 2011

[1974darrenh]

When I switch my 2011 Macbook Pro with High Sierra installed, I cannot boot into normal, safe mode, recovery etc, I just get the apple logo for about 2 minutes then goes to a blue screen (see pic)

I've reset the PRAM and the SMC.

All I want to do is reinstall the OS back on but I cannot think of a way to do it

 

[Bigwaff]

Blue screen can indicate a software incompatibility. Have you installed anything recently?

macOS User Guide

Learn how macOS features and apps help make your tasks easier and your work private and secure. Use your Mac seamlessly with all your Apple devices.

support.apple.com

You may have to start up from external USB media.

Create a bootable installer for macOS - Apple Support

Use an external drive or secondary volume as a startup disk from which to install macOS.

support.apple.com

First I would triple check you are using the key combinations for different start up modes.

Ways to start up your Mac

If you can’t restart your Mac by choosing Restart from the Apple menu, try these other startup methods.

support.apple.com

 

[1974darrenh]

Nothing is installed on the computer apart from High Sierra, no other software so basically a clean install.

I have a copy of High Sierra on USB and when I try to boot from it using the OPTION button, it just goes to the blue screen.

Diagnostic test has come back as OK.

 

[mikethebigo]

Are you booting into normal recovery or internet recovery?

 

[1974darrenh]

Blue screen with normal recovery

Internet recovery I have the spinning globe and progress bar, then goes to a white screen and nothing more.

I've also put a new blank hard drive in but when I startup and press the OPTION button, the only drive showing is the USB with the installer on but not showing the system drive.

 

[Macdctr]

It looks like you need to have the solder reflowed on your GPU. This is a known issue associated with the 2010 & 2011 MBP laptops.

This is the typical fix for a failed GPU issue found on these laptops . . .

 

[1974darrenh]

I've even tried this -

 

[1974darrenh]

 

[1974darrenh]

LFC#140 - EFI-Disable AMD GPU on MacBook Pro​

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

Important question:
What SIZE is the display?
Is it 13"?
Or is it 15" or 17"?

If 15" or 17":
Do you know what "RadeonGate" is?
If not, you had better start reading up on it.

Hmmm...
Seems to me the OP should be able to boot using "safe mode" even if there is RadeonGate (because safe mode bypasses the discrete GPU and uses integrated graphics instead).
But... you never know...

 

[1974darrenh]

It's a 15" display. Yes I know what RadeonGate is and it was those instructions that I followed to disable the AMD GPU.

Anyway, UPDATE, Managed to get it to reinstall, well sort of. At the end of the installation it says "MacOS cannot be installed on your computer. The installer resources were not found. Quit the installer to restart your computer and try again.

So I did and this same error keeps coming up.

So now I want to start with this brand new hard drive i've got just incase the one in the MAC is faulty. How do I get the Mac to recognise it when I press the power and press the OPTION button?

Thanks.

 

[1974darrenh]

It's ok, I got it to recognise it. However, the installation keeps failing

 

[1974darrenh]

It installs in the first picture, then it just stops and nothing happens (second pic)

 

[benedetti]

Try with another usb drive.

 

[Churchman]

When I switch my 2011 Macbook Pro with High Sierra installed, I cannot boot into normal, safe mode, recovery etc, I just get the apple logo for about 2 minutes then goes to a blue screen (see pic)

I've reset the PRAM and the SMC.

All I want to do is reinstall the OS back on but I cannot think of a way to do it View attachment 2372318

I have a 2013 Apple MBP Retina Mac-Intel machine.

Since the late 1990s, I have had Macs. Once every few years I would wipe the hard drive clean and reinstall the OS and all the software.

So in Oct 2023, I did that with my 2013 MBP. At the point of reinstalling the OS, nothing would take. I got a screen with a globe (ie: the world) and a triangle with an "!" in the center of the triangle... which itself was in the center of the globe. I tried OS reinstalls on from thumb drives, Apple OS CDs / DVDs (using the Apple superdrive) etc.... I tried doing the reinstall at Starbucks using their WiFi to pull the OS directly from Apple. Nothing worked. While my MBP was down, I used my iPhone as a my computer.

In Nov 2023, I took my MBP to the Apple store. I thought that they might help me... or they would just tell me to buy a new machine.

They said -- The Apple employees at the Apple store said this, not me -- that now, OS reinstalls must be done with very high-speed wi-fi or a direct ethernet connection plugged in.

The Apple staff hooked up their ethernet cable to dongle. Within a few min, they had Big Sur 11.7.10 up and running on my 2013 MBP. They said that even though my machine is obsolete and not eligible for service at Apple stores, because I was just looking to get the OS reinstalled and nothing more, they would do the reinstall for me if I was willing to sit and wait for it.

I was quite happy with the result. I am typing this on my 2013 MBP now. But I do need a replacement MBP. So I will get an M3 Max MBP in a few months. And that will likely be the last MBP I will purchase.

So the answer... get thyself to the Apple store to do the reinstall.

That's my story.

 

[JustAnExpat]

Is the USB/ Disc you're booting off of faulty by chance?

How's the internet connection where you live? Are you using a cell phone to tether the connection?