MacBook Pro error -2003F in Recovery mode

What is error -2003F?


I have been getting kernel panics on my Mac. I tried booting into Recovery mode but after the approximately 12 minutes it said it would take to boot, I got a Yield sign in front of the Globe, and below that it said:

"support.apple.com/mac/setup

-2003F"


I looked up the code and found this from a thread 12 years ago:

"cantFindHandler = -2003"


This is from EveryMac.com with a serial # lookup:

Apple MacBook Pro "Core i7" 2.6 15" Touch/2019 Specs

Identifiers: 2019 15" (Touch Bar)* - MV902LL/A* - MacBookPro15,1 - A1990 - 3359


How can I boot into my MacBook Pro 2.3 GHz 8-Core Intel Core i9 to run DiskUtility? I have run it from it's own boot but I think that an external boot would allow DiskUtility to dig deeper.

Posted on Jan 11, 2026 4:27 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jan 13, 2026 9:47 AM

You are barking up the wrong tree.


Because Mac applications are sandboxed, issues with Preview (including feeding Preview files that are wonky) should cause Preview to "Unexpectedly Quit" and not restart your entire system.


This does implicate overall system integrity.


--------

Now back to your original complaint and diagnosis.

Error code -2003 is NOT a System Error, whose value you looked up.


In Internet Recovery, these low negative thousands error messages indicate that your provided Wi-Fi Network is inadequate in some fashion, and cannot be used (for this purpose) in its current state. We have seen -1000 to -6000 reported, often with a letter appended.


Common problems include:

Hidden Network-name

required use of a proxy server to get Internet access

required use of a login page to get Internet access

Use of a login server or certificate to get Internet access

Use of PPPoE in the Mac to get Internet access (typically only applies to DSL)

Use of Fixed IP address rather than good old DHCP

Variance of the time by more than five minutes

Failure of Router to provide workable DNS server addresses, or providing 0.0.0.0 [may produce -2002f]


If you have an Ethernet port, you may in some cases be able to move your Mac close to the Router and connect to the Router using Ethernet.


The higher the number, the more obscure the problem.


If your battery was completely depleted, the Date&Time could have reverted to the default, which will not work. There is a terminal command to reset to current Internet Date&Time -- post back for assistance.


If your Mac starts up to error -1008F

If your Mac starts up to error -1008F - Apple Support



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MacBook Pro error -2003F in Recovery mode

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