I was factory reseting a used MacBook Air I just bought, I erased the disk and attempted to reinstall the OS. All three attempts failed and the Mac started to go into “Internet Recovery Mode” which had an outcome of error “-2003F” every time I tried to recover it. How do I trouble shoot that error? I just bought that Mac and it’s really frustrating.
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
MacBook Air 13″, macOS 10.14
I'm so glad to see you performing a clean install of macOS before using the pre-owned computer.
The error indicates a networking issue. You can try rebooting your router and waiting at least five minutes for the router to complete the reboot before trying again.
Try a PRAM reset (hold the PRAM for at least three chimes).
If you still have problems, the connect the laptop directly to the router using an Ethernet cable and a Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter as this will provide a faster more reliable network connection and eliminate any hard to troubleshoot WiFi issues.
https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MD463LL/A/thunderbolt-to-gigabit-ethernet-adapter
If you have access to another Mac that can run the same OS you are trying to install, then you can create a bootable macOS USB installer:
Ahmed_Al-Sharif Said:
"Error “-2003F” in internet recovery.: I was factory reseting a used MacBook Air I just bought, I erased the disk and attempted to reinstall the OS. All three attempts failed and the Mac started to go into “Internet Recovery Mode” which had an outcome of error “-2003F” every time I tried to recover it. How do I trouble shoot that error? I just bought that Mac and it’s really frustrating."
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Have the Original Owner Sign Out of iCloud:
When you get this successfully reformatted, you would not be able to add it to your Apple Account, without the original owner removing it from their Apple Account. So, contact the original owner, asking them to remove it from their account. Elsewise, it's useless to your Apple Account. Meet them in-person, having them log out. Have them go here: What to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your Mac - Apple Support
Error “-2003F” in internet recovery.
