Some older Macs are reportedly bricking after installing macOS Monterey

[midian182]

The big picture: Do you own an older Mac computer and look forward to trying out the latest version of macOS—Monterey? You may want to reel in that excitement. Reports are arriving of the machines being bricked as soon as the new operating system is installed.

MacRumors reports there are at least ten separate posts on Apple Support Communities from owners complaining that macOS Monterey has killed their computers. Some users say it happened once the OS was installed, while others report that their Mac screens went completely black during the installation process and never recovered.

Most of the Macs in question are older models. However, there are reports of the same issue affecting a MacBook Pro from 2019 and even an Intel-based 16-inch MacBook Pro from 2020; it appears that Macs containing Apple silicon are avoiding the problems.

@Apple So, installing #macOSMonterey literally killed my 2020 16in #MacBookPro . No boot. No nothing. Dead. 18mo old... How long is it supposed to work these days? :(
Guys, update at your own risks...

— Freddy Mini (@freddymini) October 26, 2021

"MacBook pro 2019 after monterey update the computer won't turn on at all," wrote one user. "Tried the usual suspects (pram, pressing command-option-r etc.) but nothing. Computer is also perfectly powered but nothing, no chime, no harddrive sound just a dead computer after the monterey update. Seems like a computer without power but it is fully powered. [sic]"

The issue doesn't appear to affect every older Mac device. One person wrote that while Monterey bricked their 2017 iMac, it worked okay on their 2015 MacBook Air—though it did require a couple of installation attempts on the latter.

@Apple So, installing #macOSMonterey literally killed my 2020 16in #MacBookPro . No boot. No nothing. Dead. 18mo old... How long is it supposed to work these days? :(
Guys, update at your own risks...

— Freddy Mini (@freddymini) October 26, 2021

Some users suggest that those affected try reviving or restoring their Mac's firmware, which Apple advises in a support document. The good news is that Apple says it will be releasing an update soon to resolve the issues, though exactly how someone would install it on a bricked Mac is unclear.

This isn't new territory for Apple. There were numerous reports of macOS 11, aka Big Sur, killing older machines when it arrived last year. While the Monterey problem doesn't appear as widespread—yet—it's still a concern for those with Macs that lack M1 chips.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/92021-older-macs-reportedly-bricking-after-installing-macos-monterey.html

 

[theruck]

I wonder there is no article complaining about bricking windows by installing windows updates.
or is it expected standard nobody cares anymore?

 

[Puiu]

I wonder there is no article complaining about bricking windows by installing windows updates.
or is it expected standard nobody cares anymore?

There were such articles. Every major bug gets reported. For example there was a bug for the Bios update pushed through windows 11 regular updates that caused problems for some dell and hp laptops (as far as I know a simple bios flash could fix it).

I actually see fewer articles for MacOS even though I encounter bugs after every update. For example I have an annoying but that causes the login to stop working when I use 2 monitors when waking up from sleep (the login screen bricks after I enter the password) and I have to repeatedly remove and plug in the external monitor while I try to click for a split second on an active window/desktop (there is a split second when the windows are visible).

 

[Sausagemeat]

I wonder there is no article complaining about bricking windows by installing windows updates.
or is it expected standard nobody cares anymore?

If we had articles for everything that could break windows there would be no time left for anything else.

The fact that this is covered by the press shows how little it happens. Much like when you read headlines about a shark attack, it’s awful but so out of the ordinary that people want to read about it.

 

[Wrinkle]

I wonder there is no article complaining about bricking windows by installing windows updates.
or is it expected standard nobody cares anymore?

I can't even remember an update bricking one of my Windows machines, must have been well before Windows 10.

 

[psycros]

Mojave was the last good macOS release.

 

[DjoCoeur]

I can't even remember an update bricking one of my Windows machines, must have been well before Windows 10.

Actually it is and was impossible for any Windows update in history to brick a computer. Probably because it does not mess with the bios. Windows can only mess up itself or the drivers of the hardware, but it could always be reinstalled from scratch.
Macos Monterey is probably flashing the bios or something risky like that.

 

[waclark]

Actually it is and was impossible for any Windows update in history to brick a computer. Probably because it does not mess with the bios. Windows can only mess up itself or the drivers of the hardware, but it could always be reinstalled from scratch.
Macos Monterey is probably flashing the bios or something risky like that.

I have heard some people claiming that their Win PC was bricked by the OS update. One guy claimed he had to have the BIOS chip replaced, though I can't validate whether he's being truthful or not.