MacBook Pro can’t command R and can’t install versions of macOS

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Tailed Author

Level 1

8 points

MacBook Pro can’t command R and can’t install versions of macOS

Hi there,

I’m trying to wipe clean my MacBook Pro.

• First was prompted to use (Command, R); didn’t work, just pulls up cancel or no cymbal.

• I’ve tried (Option, Command, and R). That does nothing.

Apple said the Mac didn’t have that feature built into it at the time. And the only way to restore default settings is to use a bootable CD or use the USB method.

I’ve tried downloading the 3 versions of macOS High Sierra: 10.12

10.13.5

10.13.6 (current)

However, every time I run the installer. It says for 10.13.6

(This software is not supported on your system) Even though that’s what is running.

For 10.12 and 10.13.5 it says:

(The following disk images couldn’t be opened) “reason”: invalid checksum

(These are downloaded off of Apple not a 3rd party site.)

So with that said, I’m not sure how you would be able to get that on a usb drive if I can’t even get it on my Mac. Could I use the “Burn it on to a disc” option??

If all else failed I was content on deleting sensitive information manually. But I’m not sure what or if I should be deleting in the library folder.

And if there is another hidden folder I should be looking at.

I’m trying to send it out to be serviced. I just want to ensure that I’ve removed all sensitive information. As the factory reset option has been limited greatly.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be highly appreciated!

MacBook Pro

Posted on Aug 19, 2020 1:47 PM

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Answer 1

BDAqua

Level 10

250,253 points

Aug 19, 2020 3:32 PM in response to Tailed

Excellent work.

Repair a storage device in Disk Utility on Mac

Disk Utility can fix certain disk problems—for example, multiple apps quit unexpectedly, a file is corrupted, an external device doesn’t work properly, or your computer won’t start up. Disk Utility can’t detect or repair all problems that a disk may have.

If you run First Aid on a disk, Disk Utility checks the partition maps on the disk and performs some additional checks, and then checks each volume. If you run First Aid on a volume, Disk Utility verifies all the contents of that volume only.

In the Disk Utility app on your Mac, choose View > Show All Devices.
Note: If you’re checking your startup disk or startup volume, restart your computer in macOS Recovery, select Disk Utility in the macOS Utilities window, then click Continue. If you check your startup volume (Macintosh HD), make sure you also check your data volume (Macintosh HD - Data).
In the sidebar, select a disk or volume, then click the First Aid button .
If Disk Utility tells you the disk is about to fail, back up your data and replace the disk—you can’t repair it. Otherwise, continue to the next step.
Click Run, then click Continue.
If Disk Utility reports that the disk appears to be OK or has been repaired, you’re done. You can click Show Details to see more information about the repairs. Otherwise, you may need to do one of the following.

- If Disk Utility reports “overlapped extent allocation” errors, two or more files occupy the same space on your disk, and at least one of them is likely to be corrupted. You need to check each file in the list of affected files. Most of the files in the list have aliases in a DamagedFiles folder at the top level of your disk.
  - If you can replace a file or re-create it, delete it.
  - If it contains information you need, open it and examine its data to make sure it hasn’t been corrupted.
- If Disk Utility can’t repair your disk, or you receive a report that the First Aid process failed, try to repair the disk or partition again. If that doesn’t work, back up as much of your data as possible, reformat the disk, reinstall macOS, then restore your backed-up data.

If your Mac has a Fusion Drive and you see a flashing question mark or alert, see the troubleshooting section of the Apple Support article About Fusion Drive, a storage option for some Mac computers.

If you continue to have problems with your disk or it can’t be repaired, it may be physically damaged and need to be replaced. For information about servicing your Mac, see Find out how to service or repair your Mac.

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Answer 2

BDAqua

Level 10

250,253 points

Aug 19, 2020 2:19 PM in response to Tailed

Is it a Wired USB Keyboard that doesn't work?

If wireless KB try wired KB.

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Answer 3

Tailed Author

Level 1

8 points

Aug 22, 2020 12:30 PM in response to BDAqua

Alright, I’ll go ahead with First aid from the Disk utility.

Honestly, I’m not surprised. I had gotten this Mac about a year ago. It was “refurbished”. I hadn’t really started using until about 6months into the purchase.

(It has a 3 year warranty on it)

So as ran the computer more and more I kept running into issues.

Unfortunately, they won’t take a refund. I’m sending it back for repair. But that’s when I ran into the command R problem. As I was trying to wipe it clean of all personal data before sending back.

I got into the library a bit, only because I noticed I could still search past conversations on iMessage. I deleted them. But I’m not sure what I should delete further in the library. Any thoughts on that?

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