MacBook Pro 2018 displaying folder with question mark after ssd erase. (Internet recovery bootloop)

[lekekoko]

It all started when my MacBook Pro 2018 Touchbar started restarting randomly due to kernel panic so I decided the best way to go about it was to remove my windows partition and update to the latest os Sonoma, hoping the issue would get fixed. While updating my macOS, for some reason it landed me into an infinite boot loop stuck in the apple logo with the progress bar then restart.



I searched online and I saw that I should get another MacBook Pro non Touchbar and do a t2 fix with Apple Configurator. Revive didn’t work, still was in bootloop, so I decided to hit restore.



Now, I am faced with the issue of the blinking folder with question mark. Tried going into internet recovery (cmd+opt+r), it either restarts when the globe is spinning or restarts when I am in disk Utility.

I also tried using a bootable usb to install Ventura but when I click the usb image it leads me to internet recovery.



I am stuck and don’t know what to do. I recently tried erasing my apple ssd under disk utility to afps. Still same issue. I also get the error, “the recovery server could not be contacted” in disk utility, then I hear the apple chime, then macbook restarts and shows the folder or spinning globe with mark. Help please!

 

[MBAir2010]

can you make a bootable Mojave thumb drive on another Mac?
Since Mojave came with your MacBook, or perhaps High Sierra,
but Mojave worked on my friends 2019 MBP that went hay wire back in 2020.

if so, play that in, press "option" before the chime then see if you can get into "disk utilities"

did you Time Machine or bak up the MBP?
if so, did yo use that?
if not dont worry since your problem is with the OS installation if you can get that far restoring your MBP.

I hope this helped!

 

[lekekoko]

can you make a bootable Mojave thumb drive on another Mac?
Since Mojave came with your MacBook, or perhaps High Sierra,
but Mojave worked on my friends 2019 MBP that went hay wire back in 2020.

if so, play that in, press "option" before the chime then see if you can get into "disk utilities"

did you Time Machine or bak up the MBP?
if so, did yo use that?
if not dont worry since your problem is with the OS installation if you can get that far restoring your MBP.

I hope this helped!

Thanks for reaching out. My MacBook came with high Sierra . The issue I’m facing with regards bootable usb is that after I hold option key and it shows my usb and I click on it, it just goes straight into internet recovery. I heard something about having to change security settings but I have no clue about that. Unfortunately I don’t have a Time Machine backup. I really don’t care about losing any files since it’s been erased already, I just wish for my Mac to come back to normal and stop the bootloop too

 

[MBAir2010]

a usb drive with High Sierra should boot up....the loop mean you are locked out.
You might have to bring this MBP to the  store to unlock the T-something metal firmware, with a receipt.
they went overboard with security recently back then.

or try this from 

 

[Honza1]

Do you have Apple Store nearby? Genius Bar support should be able to install OS for you - and as (at least in US) the support there is free. It might be easier that fighting with this.