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HDR / The work we take on / iMac & MacBook Pro recovery

Specialist work · iMacs & MacBook Pros

Hull iMac and MacBook recovery. A question mark means no system found — your files are a separate question.

When a Mac does not boot up, it gives you very little information. If there is a question mark, it means it could not locate an operating system. If there is a circle with a line through it, it indicates it was able to identify an OS but will not run it. When you see a horizontal line that ends in mid-air, this is something else entirely. None of these indicators tell you if you can still access your data. The answer depends solely upon what type of computer you own. Older iMacs use removable disks. Fusion iMacs contain two disks that work together as one. MacBook Pros built from 2016 on have their SSDs (flash) soldered into place, and from 2018 the keys sit in the chip as well: soldered storage like that is not taken on. Therefore, we recommend leaving it unplugged until you determine what model of computer you own, regardless of where in Hull it sits. And, if you are unsure what model you own, please ring us before doing anything.

Only pay if we recover your data, on most jobs Free to look at, then one fixed price Parcels come in from Beverley, Grimsby and Skegness

An engineer will take the details
0800 6890668

Putting a name to the symptom.

Nothing similar? Go to the triage →
What you seeWhat the fault isWhat to try
Flashing question mark at bootupYour Mac cannot locate a system volume it will run fromDo not turn it on; do not reinstall
iMac that was running slow for weeks then stoppedThe hard disk in a Fusion pair is failing under one volumeGet a quote first, then send us both halves of your Fusion pair, not the iMac
Tapping or grinding sounds coming from behind the screenSounds are caused by heads or platters on 3.5in disk; each start-up removes more data off this deviceDisconnect power source immediately
FileVault won't accept passwordVolume is encrypted & recovery key is not located on that volumeLocate recovery key before posting
Recovery wants to install macOS againThat puts the clean system right on top of your containerDon't take the reinstall that's offered to you
A newer MacBook Pro with nothing to unscrewSince 2016, the flash memory has been soldered onto the logic boardNot taken on here; call us first if you don't know which type you have.
Send it to us: get a quote first, either over the telephone or via our online quote form. Then carefully package it to prevent damage in transit, insure it for its full value and post the package using a trackable service to the Leeds intake laboratory; alternatively you may drop it off there (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm, no appointment needed). For laptops, PCs, Macs and recorders, we require only the drive unit itself (storage soldered to the board is not taken on; if you're not sure which kind you have, ring us first); for RAID arrays and servers, we just need the individual disks, labelled by their respective bays; for a NAS, send the drives if you can remove them, but if not, please include the entire NAS device. A single external drive goes whole, with its cable and power adapter. We pay for return postage. If you would like an engineer to inspect the packaging prior to taping the box closed, please give us a call first. Further information is available on our sending page.

Why the Mac model matters more than the symptom.

The model decides the jobWhat model of Mac you have will usually tell us most of what we need to do before we even open your box. The 2011 iMac gives you a 3.5 inch disk. The 2015 MacBook Pro gives you a blade in a slot. The 2019 model gives you a soldered chip (and a board) that cannot be bypassed, and that is not taken on here. More important than what your screen shows is that information.
SATA, blade SSD, solderedThe 2.5 inch SATA disks from all MacBook Pros made up to 2012 may simply be lifted out. From late 2012 until 2015 the MacBook Pro was using Apple blades in slots. To read these, we use an adapter. Since 2016 most have come with flash memory soldered on, and those are not taken on; if you aren't sure which type you have, please call us first.
What a Fusion Drive isA single volume presented by macOS consisting of an SSD and a hard drive, where the busy files reside on the faster side. These combinations were installed into iMacs for most of the 2010s. When data resides across two devices, when one fails the entire collection fails; files may also span both sides of the combination.
Things we will not do to itWe won't perform a reinstall. We won't run "Erase Mac". We won't run "First Aid" on the disk you sent us. All three write to it, and writing to the container is what closes the door. We will only read the disk once, and then we will place it out of harm's way. We will do the repair process on the image (where mistakes cost you nothing).

From the box arriving to the files going back.

01

A case number first, then a free diagnosis Free

Every piece of gear that shows up receives a case number on the very same day it arrives. An engineer examines it and determines what is really wrong with it and there is no charge for this. We give you straight language about which files we will be able to copy from the disk and which ones we won't be able to. Then we provide you with a single price quote, in writing, based upon these findings. We don't begin working on anything until you agree to the quoted price.

The diagnosis is freeOne price, put in writingNothing to pay yet
02

An image first, your disk untouched

Our equipment reads your disk behind a write blocker; then we create a sector-by-sector image of your disk before any file is opened. A Fusion drive produces two images, one for each portion. We complete weak areas in stages. No repairs go back onto what you posted to us.

Each disk clonedNothing written to it
03

Reading what the Mac would not

Once the original is stored securely, all operations take place on the replica. This includes examining the APFS container, putting together the volume group (VG), re-creating the mapping between the two Fusion halves, opening FileVault using your password, and mounting the volume read-only.

Container read on the copyOpened read-only
04

Repairs stay on the image

Each problem (a container that has come apart, a volume that won't mount, a home directory that won't open) is addressed separately at the replica level, and never at your disk level. Each file is then opened individually so only items that work appear in the list.

Fixed on the imageEvery file opened
05

You sign it off, then it comes back

You will not be charged while you think about this. First, you receive a list of everything that was recovered from the drive. Once you have seen the list and given us the go-ahead, the bill comes next. Files are returned to you on media purchased specifically for this job and we cover the return postage as well. Your job is kept open by us until you can view them on your personal computer.

You approve the listing firstCopied onto new mediaReturn postage at our cost

What turns up most often

  • Don't be fooled by what appears on the screen: a question mark may appear just as easily on a dead drive, a container that is unmountable, or when a Mac cannot connect the pieces of a Fusion pair. It is not until we access your disk and see how things are arranged there that they can be separated.
  • What Recovery Mode contains is not your data: Recovery Mode is a small system for reinstalling macOS, and it fetches the rest from Apple's servers. Any subsequent install process places new content directly into the container where your files reside. When you select "Erase Mac," you are telling Recovery Mode to remove those contents intentionally.
  • Many Macs appear dead but are alive and well: many of their drives arrive here with sound flash that is found to contain good data. Many of these cases present themselves due to a broken system volume. We will make an image of your disk. Next, we will mount the data volume on alternative hardware and retrieve your files without any arguments.
  • All modern Macs use encryption regardless of user preference: all Macs since the T2 include a chip that locks the flash memory to its logic board. In addition, newer Apple silicon chips keep the encryption keys inside the SoC. If this is the case and your logic board fails, your encrypted data will remain unrecoverable in any lab. Therefore, we do not take on T2 and Apple silicon Macs for recovery service. If you're unsure about which type of Mac you have, please call before sending anything to us.

What determines these jobs: which Mac you have, whether you have access to the password, and whether someone has done a reinstall since. An older iMac with a failing disk, turned off, is a good candidate. The same iMac after a reinstall, a First Aid run and restarts overnight is going to be a much smaller list. T2 and M-series Macs are not taken on, because on those the issue is always going to be the board; if you're unsure which type you have, ring us first.

One case from the casebook.

HU · HUL-2026-0857LOGGED ✓

An iMac that slowed all summer, then would not get past the logo

This machine originated from a design studio located in the Fruit Market area of Hull. A 27" iMac, this computer began to run slowly around May, then suddenly stopped booting at all. The local repair centre stated that due to the failure, the unit was beyond economic repair. Inside the iMac was a "Fusion Drive." It consisted of a 128 GB flash SSD "blade" along with a 2 TB mechanical hard disk. These two were shown by the operating system (macOS) to be one single storage device. The SSD showed no errors. However, there was a large band of weak sectors in the middle of the mechanical hard disk. Due to these weak sectors both parts of the Fusion Drive could no longer mount together as one. Each part was imaged individually; however, imaging the slow half took multiple passes. Then a map of how the two devices relate to each other was generated from these individual images. FileVault encryption was accessed using the password provided on the original work order form. All the files were restored onto a brand-new drive and the tender for the project was sent out on that same Friday.

Both Fusion halves read2 days to the deadline

Before you box it up.

Do these first

  • Turn it off immediately when it will no longer start booting.
  • Record your Mac's model and year.
  • Find either the FileVault password or recovery key.
  • Obtain a quote first, then send the entire drive (i.e., both halves if you have a Fusion iMac). Do not send the actual iMac.

What not to do

  • Try reinstalling macOS first to see if that resolves the issue.
  • Run Disk Utility's First Aid tool on the disk you wish to restore.
  • Continue attempting to restart the computer hoping it eventually loads.
  • Take apart an iMac's display and remove the Fusion drive (or any internal component for that matter) yourself. Instead, contact a professional repair service who can retrieve the drive for you.

Asked most weeks, answered here.

A flashing question mark — has the disk gone?

That's rarely the case. Usually, what has happened is that the Mac was unable to find a bootable system (one it could use) from the disk under it. Often, both the disk and the files on the disk are still good. It appears that the path to getting the computer to boot has been lost (usually because the volume has split, there's a missing volume, or the Mac cannot connect the two parts of a Fusion pair). Switch it off now.

My iMac's Fusion Drive will not mount. Is it both disks?

Only once in a while. Typically the problem lies with one half of the Fusion Drive, and on an iMac that is nearly always the spinning HD. However, since a Fusion Drive is just one volume made up of an SSD and an HD, a file may be started on one and finished on the other. Remove the broken part, by itself, and now you have fragments. Both parts need to be imaged separately, and then the mapping between them needs to be put back together.

Should I reinstall macOS to get the files back?

Don't do this. When you perform a reinstall, you write a brand new OS onto the same container where your files live. With an APFS volume group, it can also wipe out any snapshots. Worse yet, when you choose to "Erase Mac" in Recovery mode it pulls down everything. And if you're using Apple silicon, doing a restore via Apple Configurator will clear the flash completely. If you want to be able to use your Mac after restoring, have the files taken off first and let the reinstall wait until they're safe.

FileVault wants a password nobody has. What now?

Before posting anything, locate it. Any of these will work: a password for an account that was able to log in; a 24 character recovery key; or a key you've stored in iCloud. All Apple silicon and T2-based computers will encrypt their flash to their logic board regardless of whether FileVault is enabled or disabled. Those computers are not taken on, so call us first if you're not sure what type of Mac you have. On any other Mac, without a password, the perfect image of the disk looks like white noise.

What people read after this.

NAS volumes → A RAID 5 rebuild → Locked up by ransomware → Everything we take in →

A drive left switched off loses nothing more.

Leave it off. There are only a few start attempts left in your failing drive and each attempt uses up a little more of what remains. Our complimentary diagnosis will determine what files are readable.

0800 6890668

Have it looked at How to post it to us