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Questions tagged [recovery]

An OS X feature that hides a Recovery HD on Macs to facilitate maintenance, recovery and reinstallation if the OS becomes corrupt. Topic of recovery-mode-ios, data-recovery or file-recovery are unrelated to the recovery category here.

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44 votes
9 answers
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How can I create or recreate a Lion recovery partition?

For whatever reason, one of our macs didn't make a recovery partition when it upgraded to Lion. Is it possible to add a recovery partition after the fact? To be clear - on a normal mac, the ...
bmike's user avatar
  • 239k
9 votes
1 answer
13k views

macOS partition startup Volume type FFFFFFFF-FFFF-FFFF-FFFF-FFFFFFFFFFFF

I have encountered a nearly identical issue to the one in this question (and this too: Data Not Backed Up, Partition Type: FFFFFFFF-FFFF-FFFF-FFFF-FFFFFFFFFFFF), but my hard drive's main partition is ...
Gnu slash Gints's user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
5k views

OS volume shows as type 'FFFFFFFF-FFFF-FFFF-FFFF-FFFFFFFF' after attempting to delete some Linux partitions—cannot log in

I was unable to just delete the partitions left by an old Linux Mint installation by pressing the '-' button in disk utility. I looked online and read that I could reformat them to a journaled format ...
George's user avatar
  • 73
3 votes
1 answer
5k views

HFS+ invalid number of allocation blocks

Okay so a few days ago I wanted to install Ubuntu GNOME over regular Ubuntu and it gave me the option to automatically overwrite my Ubuntu installation (that I had on a separate partition from my OS X ...
Roemer's user avatar
  • 147
26 votes
3 answers
9k views

macOS Sierra doesn't appear in my Purchased list within the Mac App Store

Typically, when users download and/or upgrade to a new version or macOS (previously Mac OS X), via the Mac App Store, that version of the installer appears in the Purchased tab of the App Store app. ...
Monomeeth's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
3k views

Tried to fix filesystem type: FFFFFFFF-FFFF-FFFF-FFFF-FFFFFFFFFFFF and probably made it worse

I have a MacBook Air 11 inch which I recently tried to install Linux on with a swap partition and a root partition. In my stupidity I used the “disks” program under “try ubuntu now” to delete the ...
Mcvith's user avatar
  • 23
14 votes
4 answers
57k views

How to restore system from network drive?

I have a 2014 MacBook Pro. I want to restore my OS from a Time Machine backup which is on a shared network volume. When I restart in recovery (Apple-Opt-R), it boots from internet, but if I try to ...
d0g's user avatar
  • 4,022
8 votes
4 answers
16k views

How to recreate Lion Recovery HD partition?

I have a Macbook Air Mid 2011 which came pre-installed with Lion. After a trackpad hardware problem I wanted to be sure that none of my programs was responsible for the problem. I booted into the ...
kvDennis's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
2k views

What are the purposes and safety to enable the hidden debug menu in Disk Utility?

I'm primarily interested to know whether installation of Lion included the Recovery System. I understand you can enable extra formats and debugging in Disk Utility, using the following commands: ...
Stephen's user avatar
  • 728
1 vote
1 answer
4k views

How do I recover/fix my OS X partition?

I'm coming from Super User Community, since I wasn't aware of this specific one. My first and foremost care is the files on my system, I have been slacking on making backups (I know, it's really bad) ...
Bart's user avatar
  • 13
13 votes
4 answers
82k views

Disable SIP without recovery mode

Before you respond that this isn't possible, hear me out. I have a Mac Pro 4,1 (with 5,1 firmware), running MacOS Sierra. I want to disable System Integrity Protection (otherwise known as SIP), but ...
NoahL's user avatar
  • 3,527
11 votes
4 answers
50k views

Single-User-Recovery-Mode on High Sierra 10.13.6

Before the High Sierra update to 10.13.6 I was able to boot in single-user-recovery mode by holding Cmd-R-S at startup, but after the latest software update booting while holding Cmd-R-S just enters ...
mindrones's user avatar
  • 263
1 vote
4 answers
1k views

El-capitan crashing while booting

Objective: Somehow I want to fix the issue and should be able to login to the El-Capitan without reformating as so many valuable files are there Find what has caused this problem so that I can avoid ...
Durai Amuthan.H's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
946 views

iMac doesn‘t start up

My iMac doesn’t start up. The loading bar doesn’t fill up and then, after 10 minutes or so, it shuts down. I tried to get in the recovery mode, but there is the Macintosh HD drive grey and it says „...
HYC Media's user avatar
  • 145
8 votes
4 answers
20k views

iPhone 7 Plus stuck in recovery mode and can't restore/update even in DFU after downgrading from iOS 11

Here is what has happened. I'm hoping there is still hope in me fixing this since the weekend is here and the earliest I can get a repair appointment is Monday. I've been on the iOS 11 Developer Beta ...
Dev 404's user avatar
  • 293
2 votes
1 answer
2k views

Failed attempt to fix macOS partition startup volume set to FFFFFFFF-FFFF-FFFF-FFFF-FFFFFFFFFFFF

I attempted to fix an issue I encountered yesterday my MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2012) following instructions in the top answer of this thread. I'm afraid I may have inadvertently destroyed my data by ...
trevorraney's user avatar
20 votes
10 answers
88k views

FileVault Stuck on Pause

I just got a new 13" rMBP with Yosemite installed. I chose to enable FileVault when I set the machine up. Now, several days later, an app called "Reverting from FileVault" shows on the list of apps ...
Peter's user avatar
  • 394
15 votes
6 answers
104k views

csrutil: command not found

I am using a Mid 2012 MacBook and recently upgraded it to OS X 10.11 El Capitan. I was having trouble with it's new SIP feature and wanted to disable it. I tried to boot into OS X Internet Recovery ...
noob's user avatar
  • 816
8 votes
4 answers
173k views

Not seeing my HD in the disk utility

I tried to start up my computer and got a flashing file with a question mark. So I held down the ⌥-key on boot and brought it into recovery-mode. After going through the different options I went to ...
Daniel Toebe's user avatar
6 votes
2 answers
97k views

Stuck at Apple logo during boot. Cannot enter Safe mode. Cannot use Recovery USB

A little background I wanted to create a Mountain Lion recovery USB because I currently only have a Lion recovery USB. While downloading the installer image from the Mac App store, the computer froze ...
gentmatt's user avatar
  • 49.9k
5 votes
3 answers
617 views

What should I do after I lost my MacBook data?

I lost my data on my Mac and now I don't know how to recover it. Do I have to go to a recover shop and pay for the costly recovery?
Jerry Neel's user avatar
4 votes
3 answers
3k views

2nd hand iMac with no OS

I have just got a second hand iMac (Core 2 Duo 2.4 20" Mid 2007) Which has been fully wiped. I have connected it to wifi and am trying to install OS X by using the reinstall option but when I log in ...
James Reeves's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
4k views

How to access commands included with macOS from macOS Recovery?

Often, I boot to macOS Recovery only to find one of commands I wish to enter has not been included. For example, hexdump and nano are not included. However, if the volume containing macOS is mounted, ...
David Anderson's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
1k views

Accidently deleted some small sized partitions when installing Windows. OSX Partition wont boot

First off my problem is incredibly similar to this thread where the answer was almost reached but wasn't fully finished. Accidently deleted some small sized partitions when installing WIndows(Bootcamp)...
Bryanb's user avatar
  • 23
21 votes
3 answers
277k views

How can I find the product key of Office 2011 after restoring from backup?

I had to restore my iMac from a Time Machine backup. Everything seemed fine until I tried to start Office 2011 and it is asking me to re-enter my product key. I am trying to locate my key (I believe ...
Jish's user avatar
  • 561
18 votes
7 answers
100k views

How do I launch Terminal while in macOS Sierra Recovery Mode?

I just installed macOS Sierra and when I log into the Recovery mode, I do not have the Utilities menu in it. Only the 4 options, Restore From Time Machine Backup, Reinstall macOS, Get Online Help and ...
Addy's user avatar
  • 282
15 votes
7 answers
133k views

MacBook startup problems - mouse and keyboard not working at login / stuck on apple logo

Today I restarted my Mac after several weeks uptime. After restart, I got the login screen with unresponsive keyboard and mouse. Right before this problem I had Aperture open, with a problematic ...
SPRBRN's user avatar
  • 1,240
8 votes
2 answers
336 views

What's a reliable method to create a stand alone recovery disk for Lion?

I'm seeing a lot of questions with all sorts of steps to burn a DVD or create a USB disk so you can boot your Mac with Lion if the internal drive is replaced. Is there a definitive set of steps that ...
bmike's user avatar
  • 239k
6 votes
5 answers
13k views

Mac OSX Recovery Mode Terminal: rm -rf doesn't delete anything

I have a seemingly broken MacBook Air that doesn't boot, but I can get into the recovery console. If I try to reinstall Mac OSX on the main disk (Macintosh HD aka /dev/disk1s2), the installer ...
Mala's user avatar
  • 161
6 votes
5 answers
18k views

How to restore a missing Recovery HD partition

I bought a second hand Macbook Pro which came with OSX Lion installed, when I wanted to clean it I found out that it had no Recovery HD partition. I confirmed this through the Disk Utility (enabled ...
Bart Koopman's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
25k views

How do I Install macOS Sierra from Terminal in Recovery?

I tried installing macOS High Sierra but it failed. Probably because I have WD Black2 Dual Drive (120gb SSD + 1tb HDD). I would like to reinstall macOS Sierra, and I have the installation file on ...
sifar's user avatar
  • 43
3 votes
2 answers
32k views

Setting a NVRAM variable in normal boot not permitted but allowed in recovery mode

If memory serves me right then in Yosemite it was possible to set the NVRAM variable agc with nvram boot-args even in normal full boot mode. This seems to have changed in later versions of the OS. ...
LаngLаngС's user avatar
  • 8,374
1 vote
0 answers
602 views

Deleted MacOS partitions and installed Ubuntu, now can't boot with DVD, USB or internet recovery to reinstall MacOS

I deleted all partitions on the MacBook's HD and installed Ubuntu. Now I want to reinstall MacOS but nothing will work. Holding option on startup shows the grey screen with the pointer but no ...
Petruza's user avatar
  • 2,875
-1 votes
2 answers
428 views

What is wrong with my mac?

Suddenly today my good old MacBook pro from 2012 won't start. I get the gray screen of death. I have tried safe boot, recovery boot and Internet recovery boot and it all results in a static gray ...
Niels Kristian's user avatar
11 votes
2 answers
88k views

How can I download Mac OS X El Capitan without app store?

I was going to install a new copy of El Capitan via my USB drive, but it turns out it's dead, it's been corrupted. I erased everything before that, so I'm stuck with the installation screen. How can ...
salep's user avatar
  • 213
10 votes
6 answers
21k views

DIY Fusion Drive: Adding Recovery HD to a CoreStorage Volume Group

After creating a "DIY Fusion Drive" using the methods below in 10.8, I'm now wondering how to add a RecoveryHD partition to the internal drive. Here's what I did to create a Logical Volume Group ...
Jess Bowers's user avatar
10 votes
2 answers
119k views

Backup to External in Recovery Mode (Terminal or Time Machine)

Out of the blue, my iMac (late 2010, running El Capitan) started refusing to boot. The progress bar would take forever to reach 100%, and then it would just stop there once it reached it; all the ...
Patch's user avatar
  • 253
7 votes
4 answers
287k views

How to undelete notes on iPhone "Notes" app?

iPhone has a default "Notes" app which allows us to store notes. Stored notes can be deleted by hitting the "Delete Note" button: How do we recover a note that is accidentally deleted? Is there ...
Pacerier's user avatar
  • 3,219
7 votes
2 answers
2k views

Error recovering MacBook login password: “There was an error communicating with iCloud”

I forgot my Apple MacBook Pro M2 password yesterday (running on MacOS Sonama) and after multiple tries, I tried to recover using recovery options provided by apple. After following all the steps ...
Michel Gokan Khan's user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
18k views

Unable to install an OS on Mac (prohibited sign)

I had an issue with my MacBook Air "Core i5" 1.6 13" (Early 2015) (MacBookAir7,2) and after repeated problems I decided to wipe the computer and give it a clean slate. I downloaded a copy of ...
Dami's user avatar
  • 171
6 votes
3 answers
2k views

Password protect recovery mode apple silicon with new Recovery Lock Command

I am trying to restrict the ability for my child to access recovery mode on mac to keep filtering software in place. On intel macs you can set a firmware passcode that is separate from the admin user ...
abemonkey's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
6k views

MacOS Catalina Time Machine restoration to Mojave failed; MacOS Recovery failed (-1008F)

I was in the process of restoring my Mac Mini 2018 running macOS Catalina 10.15.1 to an earlier Time Machine backup encapsulating the latest version of macOS Mojave via macOS Recovery, when the ...
P A N's user avatar
  • 10k
4 votes
3 answers
29k views

How do I mount my FileVault 2-encrypted volume?

I have a Lion 10.7.2 system (on MacBook Air 13" 2011) which doesn't boot anymore after a restart. My HD is encrypted with FileVault 2, and after I click on my username and enter my password, it ...
Dan's user avatar
  • 143
4 votes
1 answer
299 views

Reclaiming partitions after old Linux installation

A long while back I recall installing Linux on my macbook. I have since deleted it, but the partitions on my disk are somewhat screwy. I cannot reclaim the free space to my main Macintosh HD partition ...
OJK's user avatar
  • 43
3 votes
1 answer
5k views

Recover Apple ID despite deleting email address and not being able to answer the security questions

I have an old Apple ID that I've lost access to because I deleted the email address it was tied to and I can't remember the security answers to anymore. I have some purchases tied to it, but the ...
user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
5k views

How can I create a new macOS user using a pre-existing home directory?

I had some issues on my machine and had to reinstall macOS High Sierra from the recovery partition. Not sure if the setup didn't complete, or maybe it just didn't work as I expected, but I ended up at ...
tobek's user avatar
  • 161
3 votes
3 answers
5k views

Unable to resize Lion partition

I decided to do a clean install of Lion on a new partition, then after copying my stuff removed the old one. I'm now stuck with 100~ GB of free space and a 20 GB partition that Disk Utility won't let ...
Xavura's user avatar
  • 31
2 votes
2 answers
38k views

Backup files from recovery utility

My Mac seems to have given up. I have my important data backed up, but I have a few gigs of movies and music that I wasn't backing up. I can boot into the recovery utility and launch a terminal, ...
Joe's user avatar
  • 123
2 votes
2 answers
2k views

Mid 2011 iMac re-installing High Sierra can not reach recovery server

Some background: A while ago I found (literally found between garbage on the street) an older (2011) iMac which I intended to be used by my 7 year old son. I never used a Mac myself. The machine ...
marc's user avatar
  • 133
2 votes
1 answer
13k views

no admin account OSX 10.13.5 [duplicate]

I have a macbook pro 2011 with high sierra 10.13.5 Today i tried renaming my admin account in the system preference / users. I couldn't rename the account, and i have lost the admin rights. Now i ...
archieY's user avatar
  • 31