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Released October 24, 2011 / 2.2, 2.4, or 2.5 GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7 Processor

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Device keeps booting to internet recovery

Hi, I have a Macbook Pro which I’d like to repair for a family member of mine.

The Macbook has had an upgrade to a Samsung 850 Evo SSD a year ago and ran just fine. It crashed and the entire SSD is erased. No big deal, but I’d like to reinstall the OS but it doesn’t seem to work. Trying to format the SSD with command + R goes to internet recovery with no menu, after this small bar is full it loads up a slightly larger bar and then gives me a white screen.

The hardware diagnostics ran just fine with the extended test giving no problems. Is it completely dead?

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One of the major failures on the model is the hard drive/IR cable. I would replace it with the improved one from the 2012 model:

MacBook Pro 15" Unibody (Mid 2012) Hard Drive Cable

Also, was there ever an attempt to install High Sierra on this machine? This can cause APFS formatting issues on the hard drive.

UPDATE

To verify that the cable is the problem, get a USB to SATA adapter, remove the drive and hook it up externally and boot.

How to use a Hard Drive Adapter

MacBook Pro 15" Unibody (Mid 2012) Hard Drive Cable Image

Product

MacBook Pro 15" Unibody (Mid 2012) Hard Drive Cable

$19.99

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4 Comments:

Ordered one, I'll update how it works. The sticky paste below the cable is full of "dirt" and dust, looks like it has been replaced or taken off at least once before me.

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Also, you want to create nice arcs when the cable turns, not sharp bends.

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The extended diagnostics also finished within 20 minutes, which doesn't seem to include the hard drive test. The drive itself works perfectly within Windows, so cable does make more sense.

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Sometimes you have some faith!

This is a very common issue and I've also seen Windows play and MacOS fail as the way the I/O flows are different.

@mayer - Is right you need to replace the drive cable, and you need to use the newer 2012 version as Mayer listed above.

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Senna Van den Bosch will be eternally grateful.
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