Network connections like Wi-Fi and Ethernet don’t always work well for low-level tasks, such as installing firmware updates. Guest author Suman Chakrabarti had to ditch wireless entirely and return to the device’s simplest connection method—a USB 2.0 cable—to resurrect a nearly decade-old laser printer.

A TidBITS Talk user was unable to update macOS on an M2 16-inch MacBook Pro, receiving a “Failed to personalize” error each time. The problem turned out to be related to firmware, and the little-known solution required restoring with Apple Configurator.