iMac repair after failed firmware upgrade

We had a bizarre case, rendered this 21″ iMac 2017 model completely useless after a corrupted software update. It caused the system to load only in recovery mode with the following error:

macOS could not be installed on your computer

An error ocurred  while updating firmware.
Quit the installer to restart your computer and try again.

No matter how many restarts have been performed it still will not load into the user system. Causing the user to lose access to their data.

macOS could not be installed on your computer  An error occurred  while updating firmware.
macOS could not be installed on your computer An error occurred while updating firmware.

Although these model Mac’s are not near ready to run Big Sur, Apple keeps pushing these updates to the older Mac’s, which eventually bricks them, causing unnecessary stress to the owner. One gets to wonder if it’s their way of “encouraging” Mac owners to buy themselves a new Apple device every 2-3 years, even if their previous generation device was working perfectly fine prior to the update?

Failed iMac Update Repair

This issue could be resolved 2 ways, if it was a firmware corruption we would probably have to work on a firmware level and reprogram its internal flash memory with a programmer.

But luckily, this particular iMac suffered from partition corruption. Seems like the part of the operating system holding the system updates got corrupted and haven’t managed to handle the update procedure.

Running First Aid on iMac with a corrupted firmware update
Running First Aid on iMac with a corrupted firmware update

Due to it has been a corrupted software issue, rather than firmware, we could repair the software partition to regain access to the system.
Of course, before we did that, we had to ensure all customer’s data is backed up safely, in case repair does not go by plan.

Repaired partition table allows system drive to be chosen as a startup disk
Repaired partition table allows system drive to be chosen as a startup disk

iMac Repairs we offer here in Adelaide includes a couple of simple steps:

  1. Get a Quote for the repair before any work is done, even over the phone.
  2. Free pick up from the client’s location in Adelaide. Or alternatively, drop in for a quick check while you wait.
  3. Confirming final cost and “Go” from the client.
  4. Repairing and ensuring everything works as expected.
  5. Returning repaired system back to the client. Or the client can pick it up from our workshop.

Successful Repair of a failed iMac firmware update

After a successful disk repair, the whole system is ready to be used as nothing had happened. Including all customer data preserved.

Repaired failed firmware update on iMac
Repaired failed firmware update on iMac

Would you like to read more about our iMac not loading Repairs? Check out some of our published repair cases.

Do you need this Repair in Adelaide?

If your Mac or iMac is causing trouble and need iMac Repair Service in Adelaide, give us a call, and we will advise on the best scenario to get your device repaired.

We at IT-Solve, specialise in iMac and electronics repairs. We will do our best to repair your Apple Mac quickly without involving high costs and long waiting times in repair shops. Our average repair takes under a week!

Call us now on 0469317177 or drop us an inquiry via Text us via Whatsapp MessengerWhatsApp or Text us via Facebook MesengerMessenger
Our engineers will respond quickly to your query.

Repaired, not Replaced!

We are committed to reducing e-waste in Australia. How we do it is by educating our customers on the repairability and longevity of their devices, as well as providing affordable iMac Repairs here in Adelaide.
Although our best intentions and hard work, this is not an easy task. Customers must accept that cost of high-quality electronic repairs, is between a third and half of the price of a new device. However, with the current trend of planned obsolescence in electronic design, we see more and more iMacs having shorter lifespans. To tackle that, while we do our repairs we target common planned obsolescence engineering design mistakes to ensure we extend the life expectancy of the iMacs we repair. Check some of our iMac Repair Cases to get an idea of the process.

That said, if we buy a new one or write it off via insurance, it does not guarantee that the new one will not meet the same fate as the older one pretty soon.
As matter of fact, quite often we see accidents reoccurring within less than 2-year gaps. If we can save 3000$ or even 1000$ today by repairing our faulty iMac is great. That’s an extra half iMac cost ready to be spent on another one when the time comes or our need for performance increases.
When that time comes is up to us to buy a new one or keep pushing the one we have, but delaying it by a year or three is always a good starting point and saves another abandoned iMac from polluting our one and only Planet.