Recovery Mode not working after OS drive replacement (Mac Pro 2019)

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4 points

Recovery Mode not working after OS drive replacement (Mac Pro 2019)

I have replaced the system drives in two of my Macs Pro 2019 (went from 2TB to 8TB, used a new-and-sealed official kit - not that there are any other options). I followed the upgrade instructions to the letter, used another Mac Pro 2019 to revive the Mac using the DFU and installed Sonoma using the Internet Recovery.

Now I can't enter the Recovery Mode on both Macs, which is a bit of a problem, because I can only use the Internet Recovery now.

Any ideas how to bring it back? Or why this is happening?

Mac Pro, macOS 14.6

Posted on Sep 15, 2024 3:01 PM

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Answer 1

Sep 16, 2024 3:00 PM in response to wojtekjanio

Don't be embarrassed. We all learned a little about some different features by discussing this issue, whatever the underlying issue turned out to be.

The only dumb questions are the ones that DON'T get asked.

Good Computing!

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Answer 2

wojtekjanio Author

Level 1

4 points

Sep 16, 2024 12:52 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

I'm actually talking about the Mac Pro 2019 machines, not the MacBooks, but yes, the Mac Pro 2019 also has a T2 chip. I'm not sure what you mean about the username.

As I've mentioned I've installed the OS (using the Internet Recovery mode), created a user profile and then restored the data from the Time Machine drive.

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Answer 3

wojtekjanio Author

Level 1

4 points

Sep 16, 2024 1:32 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Oh boy, this is embarrassing. It turned out everything is fine, but I was using a wired PC keyboard (all my Mac keyboards are wireless) and I was pressing the wrong key all that time, so the alt key instead of the start (windows) key... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Sorry for the brain fart... Anyway, all good and hopefully someone with a similar problem will stumble upon this thread and find a solution.

Cheers!

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Answer 4

Sep 16, 2024 12:06 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Use macOS Recovery on an Intel-based Mac - Apple Support

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Answer 5

Sep 15, 2024 4:39 PM in response to wojtekjanio

I believe (local) Recovery is not installed until you install MacOS.

Have you fished installing MacOS, including setup?

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Answer 6

wojtekjanio Author

Level 1

4 points

Sep 16, 2024 10:24 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Yes, I have installed Sonoma using the Internet Recovery. Then I've restored everything from the the Time Machine backup. Both machines work fine, but I can't access the local/offline Recovery mode.

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Answer 7

Sep 16, 2024 11:42 AM in response to wojtekjanio

MacBook Pro 2019 has a T2 chip, so you will always have to specify a username before you can do anything.

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