Macbook Pro won’t boot.

I would give this a try. Here are some troubleshooting steps you can take to resolve the issue potentially:

• Reset the SMC (System Management Controller): The SMC is responsible for many low-level functions on your Mac. To reset it, first shut down your Mac. Then, press and hold the left Shift, Control, and Option keys as well as the power button on your keyboard. Release all keys and the power button at the same time. Then, press the power button again to turn on your Mac.

• Reset the NVRAM or PRAM (Parameter RAM): NVRAM and PRAM are small amounts of memory that your Mac uses to store certain settings and access them quickly. To reset, shut down your Mac, then turn it on and immediately press and hold these four keys together: Option, Command, P, and R. Release the keys after about 20 seconds. This clears user settings from memory and restores certain security features that might have been altered.

• Run Disk Utility in Recovery Mode: Restart your Mac and hold down Command + R to enter Recovery Mode. Once there, you should see a window with "macOS Utilities". Select Disk Utility, choose your startup disk (usually named "Macintosh HD"), and click on the "First Aid" button. If Disk Utility tells you the disk is about to fail, back up your data and consider replacing the disk.

• Reinstall macOS in Recovery Mode: You might have to reinstall macOS if all else fails. This should not erase your files, but it's a good idea to back up your data if you can. In Recovery Mode, select "Reinstall macOS" and follow the prompts.

If your hard drive is encrypted, you'll need the password to unlock it. If none of these steps work, it's possible that there's a hardware issue with your Mac. In that case, it would be best to contact Apple Support or take your Mac to an Apple Store for further assistance.

I'm sorry to hear that the previous suggestions did not resolve your issue.

You're correct that if you remove the hard drive from your MacBook Pro and plug it into another computer, you would still need the encryption key to access the data. The hard drive is encrypted with FileVault, a disk encryption program available in Mac OS X 10.3 and later. It uses XTS-AES-128 encryption with a 256-bit key to help prevent unauthorized access to the information on your startup disk. Without this key, the data on the disk will remain inaccessible.

Additionally, physically removing the hard drive from a MacBook Pro, particularly models from 2016 onwards, is not recommended. These models use solid-state drives (SSD) that are soldered directly onto the logic board, making them non-removable.

At this point, your best option might be to bring your MacBook Pro to an Apple Store or an Apple Authorized Service Provider for further diagnosis. They have specialized tools and training that can help identify and potentially fix the problem.

Before you go, remember to tell them everything you've tried so far, and anything else you think might be relevant. This will help them understand the problem better and may expedite the troubleshooting process.

Hoping to hear good news from there.

Cheers bud!

Cft665 Said:

"No Utilities option available in Recovery mode. Only option showing is Startup Disk.: But since the startup disk option is available, could I boot from an external drive with an operating system on it? thanks again!"

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Thank you for the screenshot.

Booting from an External Drive:

Some thoughts on this...

A. Booting from a Live CD:

Live CDs might work. Last I knew, they were not an option for macOS, though.

B. Creating a USB Bootable Installer on a Mac:

Using another Mac, create a USB Bootable Installer, and install after that: See Here: Create a Bootable Installer for macOS - Apple Support

C. Reinstall the macOS:

Nothing would be deleted. It's just that items that have become corrupted or deleted, would be replaced or reinstalled back to where they should be. Go Here: How to reinstall macOS from macOS Recovery - Apple Support

D. Restore from a Backup:

Did you ever back up your Mac in the past? If so, restor from it. If not then take this as a learning experience, knowing to always create a backup of your Mac every-so-often. That way, you can have something to restore from the Mac from, should anything go wrong sue as this.

Cft665 Said:

"Thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately, no function keys are lit up. Trying your suggestion by holding Cmnd and touching where the F1 key would be if it was lit up doesn’t do anything. oddly, the only key that’s lit up is the esk key."

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Troubleshooting the Touch Bar:

A. Reset the SMC and your NVRAM:

(Applies to Intel-Based Macs Only): Sometimes when changes are made to the system(i.e. Updates), system configurations (i.e. for the Touch Bar) become manipulated, technically. So, reset the SMC and NVRAM. Try performing each thrice. It may take sometime, being certain you have the time to perform these resets.

B. Boot into Safe Mode:

When you boot into Safe Mode, items load by default, with certain settings and caches set aside. So, hold down the shift key upon boot. See what happens then.

C. Links to Refer to:

• Use the Touch Bar on Mac - Apple Support
• Use the Touch Bar on MacBook Pro - Apple Support

Cft665 Said:

"Macbook Pro won’t boot.: 2017 MacBook Pro suddenly won’t boot up. Black screen only. Connecting external monitor and booting into Recovery Mode results in dark grey screen with cursor only.[...]"

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Mirror the Home Screen:

Hold Down: [command + F1]

That will mirror the Home Screen, and allow you to use it as if it were you laptop's screen.

Cft665 Said:

"Thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately, no function keys are lit up. Trying your suggestion by holding Cmnd and touching where the F1 key would be if it was lit up doesn’t do anything. oddly, the only key that’s lit up is the esk key."

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Troubleshooting the Touch Bar:

I take it you have a Touch Bar? Go Here: If Touch ID isn't Working on your Mac - Apple Support

No Success?

Use an External Keyboard:

If so, use an external keyboard for this. Use [ctrl + F1] for a PC keyboard. This would be the adapter to use: USB-C to USB Adapter - Apple

Cft665 Said:

"Thanks. Tried those options several times with no luck. I’ll keep doing it anyway. Maybe I’ll get lucky."

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Use an External Keyboard:

You need to mirror the screen. So, find a way to get an external keyboard, so that you can press the keys I explained. If you only have a wireless keyboard, then use Bluetooth. If you need to, then use Terminal while in Recovery Mode to enable Bluetooth. If you need more one that, reply back.

Cft665 Said:

"unfortunately using an external keyboard doesn’t work either. External Keyboard lights up, but MacBook doesn’t respond to any of the keys. No terminal access either. Only option that shows up in Recovery Mode is Startup Disk option."

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While in Recovery Mode...

1. Go to: Utilities menu
2. Select: Terminal
3. As for the command --things may have been canned in Ventura --So, looking up a command.

Cft665 Said:

"No Utilities option available in Recovery mode. Only option showing is Startup Disk."

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Thank you for the screenshot.

Apple Menu:

Click the Apple menu on the top-left corner, and see if you get "Utilities..." or "Utilities >"

Had a good chat with Apple. Ventura canned a load of commands that would allow for this. So, using Apple Script while in Terminal may be the way to go about this.

So, some commands I tried:

blueutil -p 1
bluetoothctl help 
unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.blued.plist
sudo pkill bluetoothd

For Reference...

See my user tip form back in the day: Use "Reset the Bluetooth module" to Fix Constant Bluetooth Disconnections - User Tip

Cft665 Said:

"No Utilities option available in Recovery mode. Only option showing is Startup Disk.: Thanks. But I don’t have Terminal access either.“

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Not sure then.

A. A few Questions On Terminal:

Is Terminal not seen, or can you just not use it? Selecting items as you move along the pages in Recover Mode, does anything pop up in the top menu bar —particularly a Utilities menu?

B. Put a Post in the Developer Forums:

I’m sure there is an Apple Script you can run in this to get Bluetooth to work in Terminal. Put a post in the Developer forums along this. Provide a link to your post. The Site: AppleScript | Apple Developer Forums