ACSP Installation and Recovery 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A user's Mac gets stuck on a spinning globe during startup. What does this indicate?
- The Mac is attempting to boot from a network server via NetBoot or network startup (Correct answer)
- The Mac's internal SSD has failed and needs replacement
- macOS is performing a background update automatically
- The Bluetooth keyboard is not paired and the Mac is waiting for input
Correct answer: The Mac is attempting to boot from a network server via NetBoot or network startup
A spinning globe at startup means the Mac is attempting to boot from a network startup source such as NetBoot, NetInstall, or NetRestore.
Question 2: When using Migration Assistant to transfer data from an old Mac, which transfer method generally provides the fastest speed?
- Wi-Fi
- Thunderbolt or USB cable (direct connection) (Correct answer)
- Time Machine backup restore
- iCloud Drive sync
Correct answer: Thunderbolt or USB cable (direct connection)
A direct Thunderbolt or USB cable connection provides the fastest data transfer speeds when using Migration Assistant between two Macs.
Question 3: Which macOS utility can be used to create a bootable installer on a USB drive from the command line?
- diskutil
- createinstallmedia (Correct answer)
- bless
- hdiutil
Correct answer: createinstallmedia
The `createinstallmedia` command, bundled inside the macOS installer app, is the Apple-supported way to create a bootable USB installer.
Question 4: On an Apple Silicon Mac, how do you access Startup Options (previously called Startup Manager)?
- Hold Option key immediately after pressing power
- Hold and press the power button until 'Loading startup options' appears (Correct answer)
- Hold Command+R at power-on
- Press and hold the power button for 10 seconds
Correct answer: Hold and press the power button until 'Loading startup options' appears
On Apple Silicon Macs, pressing and holding the power button until 'Loading startup options' appears gives access to Startup Options including volume selection and Recovery.
Question 5: A technician needs to reinstall macOS on a Mac without erasing the user's data. Which macOS Recovery option should they choose?
- Erase Mac
- Reinstall macOS (Correct answer)
- Restore from Time Machine
- Install macOS from a bootable USB
Correct answer: Reinstall macOS
Choosing 'Reinstall macOS' in Recovery reinstalls the operating system over the existing installation without erasing user data or apps.
Question 6: What is the purpose of the 'Erase All Content and Settings' feature introduced for Mac?
- It securely erases only the user's Documents folder
- It resets the Mac to factory state without requiring bootable media, similar to iPhone reset (Correct answer)
- It removes all third-party apps but keeps system files
- It performs a low-level disk format and reinstalls macOS from a USB drive
Correct answer: It resets the Mac to factory state without requiring bootable media, similar to iPhone reset
'Erase All Content and Settings' (available on Apple Silicon and T2 Macs) wipes the Mac to factory defaults from within macOS, requiring no external media.
Question 7: During an Internet Recovery startup, what URL does the Mac contact to download the recovery environment?
- apple.com/support/recovery
- swscan.apple.com (Correct answer)
- mesu.apple.com
- updates.cdn-apple.com
Correct answer: swscan.apple.com
Internet Recovery contacts Apple's servers at swscan.apple.com (among other Apple CDN hosts) to download a minimal recovery image.
ACSP Installation and Recovery 4
A user's Mac gets stuck on a spinning globe during startup.
What does this indicate?