Honestly, this is one of those situations where you find out who your true friends are… and apparently, Apple isn’t one of them. I get the enthusiasm for things like SMC/PRAM resets or even the old “cross your fingers and try Internet Recovery,” but let’s be real: those gems work about as often as my New Year’s gym resolutions last. Not knocking what @mikeappsreviewer and @vrijheidsvogel chipped in—they’re right that your best shot in the no-Mac, Windows-only desert is either cobbling with open-source tools or leaning into something like FlexiHub.
To add a twist, though, I’d say don’t sleep on using a Linux Live USB just to see if you can access the Mac’s drive at all. Sometimes, you can nudge files off a dying drive, which at least means you’re not just staring at the dreaded folder with a question mark. But yeah, if you’re aiming to actually reinstall macOS? Windows on its own can’t magic up a proper Mac installer, and TransMac is about as reliable as a weather forecast from a Magic 8 Ball. I’ve done the thing where you build a macOS USB from Windows—workaround city, but success isn’t guaranteed and Apple definitely didn’t design it that way.
About FlexiHub: This tool does actually change the game a bit if (and that’s a big if) the Mac you’re trying to revive gets far enough to mount external drives or recognize peripherals. FlexiHub lets you access hardware remotely, so if you need to get files off or troubleshoot with someone else’s help, it’s a slick option. For anyone curious, you can find out more about remote Mac access solutions over at their download page.
In the end, you can try every recovery key combo and even pull out your old install DVDs if your Mac’s vintage enough, but without another Mac, you’re playing on hard mode. For true “completely dead” Macs—like T2-chip ones that need Apple Configurator—Windows just ain’t gonna cut it. Bizarrely enough, your best bet may literally be tracking down a buddy with a Mac or taking the machine to an Apple Store. But hey, at least FlexiHub gives you one more trick before you resort to costly repairs or the recycling bin.
