How do I fix a MacBook Pro 2010 displaying an error during startup?

So I was given this 2010 MacBook Pro by a friend bc I like working on computers she said she bought it off marketplace and it showed this. Is there a fast way to fix this? If so how




[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: Need help

iPhone 13, iOS 26

Posted on Dec 16, 2025 4:17 PM

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2 replies

Dec 16, 2025 4:41 PM in response to Benneettejfjcjj

Welcome!


That screen indicates there is no valid system installed and it's booting off the recovery partition. The "flat" traffic light buttons indicate it had at least macOS 10.10 installed, which has recovery,


2010 models shipped with optical install/restore disks. I'm guessing those valuable tools were not included. Therefore, Apple's instructions for recovery are here:


Use macOS Recovery on an Intel-based Mac - Apple Support


You may need to use internet recovery.


First conect the computer to a network with internet access . I prefer using a cable instead of wireless installs.


From the above article, try starting recovery from the window shown by clicking the seconds option. If that does not proceed, use the boot key combos.



How do I fix a MacBook Pro 2010 displaying an error during startup?

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