MBA M1 Needs DFU and install from USB after every shutdown. Is it a brick?

[shloimy95]

MBA M1 2020. When booting after complete shutdown shows (paraphrased from memory) "failed to verify startup disk enter a username and password" when entered reboots to recovery (circle with exclamation mark). The only way to get in is restore from another MAC with DFU mode (connecting without putting in DFU mode shows in finder but recovery fails). After DFU recovers the MAC it reboots and shows "startup disc not verified, connect to wifi and try again or select a different disk". Connecting to wifi and hitting try again reboots to same screen, but selecting a startup disk with a MacOS Tahoe installer USB allows regular install and proceeds to desktop as expected. Mac can be used as usual, all functions including sleep and restart but if shutdown on next power on will show "failed to verify startup disk enter a username and password" again and entails redoing the entire process to get to a desktop.
First aid in disk utility doesn't find any issues with disk.
Long pressing power shows loading startup options but just reboots to circle with exclamation mark.
(Possibly related, touch ID doesn't work, just shows hold your finger for longer).

Is it dead? Is the only solution a board replacement and is this economically worth it for a machine this age?

 

[Apple_Robert]

In my opinion, repair is not worth the money on that machine.

 

[!!!]

In my opinion, repair is not worth the money on that machine.

This is only true because Apple designed the device to be unrepairable. Another $1000 machine in the bin, but at least we don't get a charger included with the device any more, 'eco-friendly' and all that.

 

[snakes-]

Maybe not corect in dfu mode? had similar problem after changing startup disk, but after some tries it worked.
you can download apple configurator maybe this helps. somewhere are some old links to it. but you need the second mac to do it.

 

[jlc1978]

Is it dead? Is the only solution a board replacement and is this economically worth it for a machine this age?

If yo are near an Apple Store, make an appointment and take it in. They can give you an idea of repair costs or potentially what the issue is with the Mac. Be sure to have a good backup.

 

[uacd]

Have you tried downgrading it to older macOS? Like Sonoma or Sequoia

 

[raythompsontn]

Another $1000 machine in the bin

Nope. The value of the machine is considerably less than the purchase price.

 

[!!!]

Nope. The value of the machine is considerably less than the purchase price.

I fail to see how that matters. If your car breaks down and the manufacturer doesn't let you repair it, is it okay because it lost 50% of its value the second you drove it off the lot?

Also, you are need to include the cost of the new machine OP needs to buy because they had to throw away their almost-working machine due to one tiny part being bad.

My advise: don't defend Apple, they will not pay you. All you are doing is making yours and every other consumers' life worse by defending their behavior.

 

[raythompsontn]

My advise: don't defend Apple

I am not defending Apple. The issue is the industry in general. My 1st generation Surface Laptop is not worth much more than $100, if I can find someone willing to pay that much.

Saying that $1000 is going in the bin is based on the retail price, when new, and when released. Now that value has dropped significantly. Try and get $1000 from anyone, anywhere, for the M1 Air.

In the case of the M1 air there are third party repair services that can possible provide a repair. There was most certainly not a loss of $1000 for a machine that is four to five generations old.

they had to throw away their almost-working machine due to one tiny part being bad.

Then let me tell you the tale of a failed engine control computer in a 12 year old vehicle. The vehicle became scrap. Unless I wanted to redo the entire engine and lose most of the safety features. I could get a used computer, of questionable operability, from a junk yard. The same can done for the M1 Air. If one is really that determined to spend the money to keep a five generation machine operational.

 

[jlc1978]

I fail to see how that matters. If your car breaks down and the manufacturer doesn't let you repair it, is it okay because it lost 50% of its value the second you drove it off the lot?

Where does the OP say Apple refused to repair it? The OP should go to an Apple Store if possible so they can run diagnostics; or find a second Mac to do the restore process on the Air. In any case, a good data backup is a must since the process may wipe the data.

 

[!!!]

Where does the OP say Apple refused to repair it? The OP should go to an Apple Store if possible so they can run diagnostics; or find a second Mac to do the restore process on the Air. In any case, a good data backup is a must since the process may wipe the data.

I didn't say that. Apple is not allowing OP, themselves to repair it. Apple does not make its more advanced diagnostic software public, nor do they publish schematics, nor do they allow the companies they purchase parts from to sell to the consumer directly, nor does Apple themselves sell these parts.

In addition, the idea that you must have a second Mac in order to repair your Mac is ridiculous. Most people don't have multiple Macs particuarly of recent-enough version to run Apple Configurator just so that they can DFU their Mac.

Remember when your Mac came with a removable HDD and RAM? And it came with a DVD containing the OS and utilities to erase/wipe/reinstall/restore from backup? And remember how those installers didn't have timebombs in them? And how you didn't have to get "approval" from Apple's servers to reinstall the OS on your own computer?

Then let me tell you the tale of a failed engine control computer in a 12 year old vehicle. The vehicle became scrap. Unless I wanted to redo the entire engine and loss most of the safety features. I could get a used computer, of questionable operability, from a junk yard. The same can done for the M1 Air. If one is really that determined to spend the money to keep a five generation machine operational.

A 12 year old car is new enough that I would have spent time to find a replacement part. That's 2013, hardly "old" unless you have become enveloped in the consumerist mentality of constantly buying new things. I can find parts for my 2011 vehicle just fine. I'm not sure what you mean by lost safety features, there's no reason you can't continue to use them with a replacement part. Unless, of course, the manufacturer was doing some sort of parts-pairing, in which case I'll just end my comment with

RIGHT TO REPAIR!

 

[eRondeau]

Weird... have you owned it since new, or did you purchase it used? If new -- did this just happen out of the blue? Also worth checking the secure boot settings from Recovery Mode. If you google "Unable to verify startup disk" you'll see some steps to hopefully fix this.

 

[raythompsontn]

I can find parts for my 2011 vehicle just fine

I can find many parts for my 2013 vehicle. But not all the parts, some critical. I can find parts for a 1964 Mustang. However, I cannot find a replacement brake booster. Which is sort of a critical part.

I’ve got a 10 year old stove where the convection blower no longer works. There is no replacement available. The control board is failing and has to be reset, rebooted so to speak, every couple of weeks. There is no replacement parts. On a $1,000 stove.

A computer is basically obsolete within five years. Sad, but true. I do not keep any computer beyond five years as the breakdown risk is greater, repairs are sometimes more difficult due to parts, battery life suffers.

However, my 50 year old hammer still works.

 

[tonmischa]

Is it dead? Is the only solution a board replacement and is this economically worth it for a machine this age?

It sounds like you already called Apple Support and told them about your problem and what you tried to solve it.
Did they tell you that the only solution is a board replacement?

 

[shloimy95]

Thanks for your replies everyone. I didn't try Apple support, unfortunately there is no store near me and I do not want to pay for shipping just to find cost of repair is not worth it. I might bring it in when I next travel to a location with a store. I did bring it to the closest Apple authorised repair store, I had to leave it there for a week only to be told it is dead because it won't enter DFU mode which is utter nonsense it enters DFU easily if you follow the steps on the Apple website.

Regarding the other replies I didn't own this device since new but it has worked fine for long enough then happened out the blue.

I tried Apple configurator but only latest MacOS Tahoe. Maybe will try downgrade with IPSW, is this possible in DFU mode? The wording sounds like part of recovery updates to latest version. Or maybe I could do DFU then install older OS with USB.

It won't boot into recovery or startup options so I can't check secure boot settings.

IMHO regardless of whether the machine is now worth $1000 or $500 the lack of repairabilty is a waste esp. considering the fact that I am typing this reply on a MBA 2014. It doesn't have the original SSD or battery but I had a few MBAs of this design from different and the parts are all compatible so I have been switching them myself when they fail. That is what I call sustainable design, modular parts that are compatible with a number of years worth of devices. None of them have all the original components but by donating parts to the others they have been spared recycling/landfill.

 

[Ruggy]

The fact your finger print sensor doesn't work is indeed a huge clue.
It's very likely ( I would even suggest almost certain) your problem is linked to your Secure Enclave Processor (SEP) which - quote- ' handles Touch ID, disk encryption (FileVault), and the startup volume’s cryptographic integrity.
You ran diagnostics I think? (⌘ + D at startup)? Did you get any codes like:
VFD002- (storage)
PPN001 (touch ID)
NDR001 (logic board)

In any case, if it's the SEC you need the logic board replaced and that's about $700
Sorry.

 

[RUGERMAN]

The fact your finger print sensor doesn't work is indeed a huge clue.
It's very likely ( I would even suggest almost certain) your problem is linked to your Secure Enclave Processor (SEP) which - quote- ' handles Touch ID, disk encryption (FileVault), and the startup volume’s cryptographic integrity.
You ran diagnostics I think? (⌘ + D at startup)? Did you get any codes like:
VFD002- (storage)
PPN001 (touch ID)
NDR001 (logic board)

In any case, if it's the SEC you need the logic board replaced and that's about $700
Sorry.

if it runs ok once it's booted up, just keep it, I never turn my MacBook off, just let it go to sleep and it's run just fine for more than. 5 years

 

[Mr_Brightside_@]

I didn't say that. Apple is not allowing OP, themselves to repair it. Apple does not make its more advanced diagnostic software public, nor do they publish schematics, nor do they allow the companies they purchase parts from to sell to the consumer directly, nor does Apple themselves sell these parts.

Apple expands Self Service Repair to Mac notebooks

Genuine Apple parts and tools can be purchased by US customers on August 23.

www.apple.com

 

[shloimy95]

The fact your finger print sensor doesn't work is indeed a huge clue.
It's very likely ( I would even suggest almost certain) your problem is linked to your Secure Enclave Processor (SEP) which - quote- ' handles Touch ID, disk encryption (FileVault), and the startup volume’s cryptographic integrity.
You ran diagnostics I think? (⌘ + D at startup)? Did you get any codes like:
VFD002- (storage)
PPN001 (touch ID)
NDR001 (logic board)

In any case, if it's the SEC you need the logic board replaced and that's about $700
Sorry.

Was thinking the same, unfortunately I can't try diagnostics, ⌘ + D only works after a shutdown, and once shutdown it just goes recovery/exclamation mark. The only way to get in is DFU then full OS reinstall from USB and will work until next shutdown.

if it runs ok once it's booted up, just keep it, I never turn my MacBook off, just let it go to sleep and it's run just fine for more than. 5 years

I don't shutdown that often, but the fact that if it is shutdown accidently all data which is not backed up is lost, and it is a time consuming process to restart makes it not worth the effort. I am currently managing fine with the MBA 2014

 

[Mr_Brightside_@]

Was thinking the same, unfortunately I can't try diagnostics, ⌘ + D only works after a shutdown, and once shutdown it just goes recovery/exclamation mark. The only way to get in is DFU then full OS reinstall from USB and will work until next shutdown.

I don't shutdown that often, but the fact that if it is shutdown accidently all data which is not backed up is lost, and it is a time consuming process to restart makes it not worth the effort. I am currently managing fine with the MBA 2014

AS diagnostics aren’t run by holding just command d. hold power then command d

Use Apple Diagnostics to test your Mac - Apple Support

Apple Diagnostics, formerly known as Apple Hardware Test, can check your Mac for hardware issues.

support.apple.com

 

[shloimy95]

AS diagnostics aren’t run by holding just command d. hold power then command d

Use Apple Diagnostics to test your Mac - Apple Support

Apple Diagnostics, formerly known as Apple Hardware Test, can check your Mac for hardware issues.

support.apple.com

Unfortunately I can't do this, holding down power goes to loading startup options then reboots to recovery without actually loading the options which is when I would have to press command d

 

[maflynn]

This is only true because Apple designed the device to be unrepairable.

Does that really matter?

Regardless of Apple's motives, and choices, the fact remains that a 5 year old computer isn't really worth the repair cost. That's true for a windows laptop or a mac.

 

[shloimy95]

Regardless of Apple's motives, and choices, the fact remains that a 5 year old computer isn't really worth the repair cost. That's true for a windows laptop or a mac.

That depends on the cost of the parts, many computers are made with parts which are compatible with other devices, moving the system board from a MBA 2017 with a cracked screen to a MBA 2013 whos board had died didn't cost me a penny, neither did moving the now spare SSD from the 2013 into a MBP 2015 or the battery into a MBA 2014. Quite a number of worthwhile repairs to devices more than 5 years old. Even if I hadn't already owned the donor devices many of the parts were available used for cheap so it likely still would have been worthwhile.

I'm not a supply chain or recycling expert but I am sure the above saved more e-waste then producing a charger, and probably saved the environment more C02 than planting a tree to offset production of a watch.