Macbook won't boot - how to recover data?

[qd2008]

My Macbook (loaded with English OS) coun't get started while I am traveling in China. I got a folder and a question mark. I didn't have the reload disk with me. Therefore, I brought it to Apple maintenance center in China. When I got the Macbook back. I got a Chinese OS plus my old Hard Drive. I am trying to recover files from the old hard drive. But I had trouble and don't know how.

I did find an adapter to plug in my old HD to the Chinese OS powered Macbook via USB connection, the old HD did not show up on the desktop. Can anyone help me to find a way to recover the data on the old HD?

The hard disk is Hitachi HD, the green LED can light up.
Thank you very much for helping.

[tsice19]

My Macbook (loaded with English OS) coun't get started while I am traveling in China. I got a folder and a question mark. I didn't have the reload disk with me. Therefore, I brought it to Apple maintenance center in China. When I got the Macbook back. I got a Chinese OS plus my old Hard Drive. I am trying to recover files from the old hard drive. But I had trouble and don't know how.

I did find an adapter to plug in my old HD to the Chinese OS powered Macbook via USB connection, the old HD did not show up on the desktop. Can anyone help me to find a way to recover the data on the old HD?

The hard disk is Hitachi HD, the green LED can light up.
Thank you very much for helping.

Take it to your local Apple store.

[misterredman]

If you can open Disk Utility check if your old drive show up there.

[iToaster]

If you want your Mac to be back in your native language go to System Preferences and the go to the international section (the flag) and then drag English to the top of the list.

As for your data, you hard drive could have simply died, which makes it very hard to actually get anything off it because it doesn't physically work anymore.

[sabregreen]

If you hook it up via a USB adapter and it doesnt show up, check in /Volumes. See if anything is listed there besides Macintosh HD or whatever your hard drive is called in the laptop. Also, when you plug in the drive to the adapter, does the hard drive spin up?

[alphaod]

If they replaced your HDD it's likely it's dead, so you can't recover it without a professional recovery service.

[techound1]

If they replaced your HDD it's likely it's dead, so you can't recover it without a professional recovery service.

Well, there's apple-service-dead and then there's really-actually-pooed-the-bed-dead. Prosoft's data recovery II can often read a hard drive that other utilities can't.

[qd2008]

Take it to your local Apple store.
I tried, since it is still under warranty, so they gave me a new drive. I have to pay deposit to get the old drive back.
They told me they can not fix it.

[qd2008]

If you can open Disk Utility check if your old drive show up there.

May I ask where can I find disk utility?

[qd2008]

If they replaced your HDD it's likely it's dead, so you can't recover it without a professional recovery service. The service center seemed to handle several computer brands.

[qd2008]

Well, there's apple-service-dead and then there's really-actually-pooed-the-bed-dead. Prosoft's data recovery II can often read a hard drive that other utilities can't.
Before I sent the HD to Apple, I can still hear the HD spin.
Now with the external connection via USB. I can not hear the HD spin anymore.

I like to try the data recovery option. Not I found Prosoft data rescue, not data recovery. Are they the same?

http://www.amazon.com/ProSoft-Data-Rescue-II-Mac/dp/B000BFHFXO

[misterredman]

The fact that it doesn't spin when in an enclosure may be due to the lack of power too. Is the enclosure powered through the USB or does it have a dedicated power supply?

Of course the drive may just be completely dead.
I am not sure you will be able to recover anything if it doesn't spin up at all.

[qd2008]

The fact that it doesn't spin when in an enclosure may be due to the lack of power too. Is the enclosure powered through the USB or does it have a dedicated power supply?

Of course the drive may just be completely dead.
I am not sure you will be able to recover anything if it doesn't spin up at all.

The enclosure was powered through the USB. It does not have a dedicated power supply.

[techound1]

The enclosure was powered through the USB. It does not have a dedicated power supply.

Macs have notoriously low power to their USB ports - you almost always need an external power source when plugging drives into a Mac's USB.

Yes, your link is to the correct software - my fingers just weren't talking to my brain :p

[qd2008]

Macs have notoriously low power to their USB ports - you almost always need an external power source when plugging drives into a Mac's USB.

Yes, your link is to the correct software - my fingers just weren't talking to my brain :p

I will try the external power and buy the software to try.
I really appreciate your information. May need your help later. Thank you very much!

[qd2008]

When I went to Amazon site to purchse the Prosoft data rescue,
they pop up an message said that people bought this software alwo bought
"Alsoft DiskWarrior 4.0: Mac Univeral Binary WDD105".

Do I need to purchase this also?

[avingochea]

No, not to use the data rescue software. It was just telling you on a 'for your information' basis.

[alphaod]

When I went to Amazon site to purchse the Prosoft data rescue,
they pop up an message said that people bought this software alwo bought
"Alsoft DiskWarrior 4.0: Mac Univeral Binary WDD105".

Do I need to purchase this also?

The former attempts data recovery and the latter diagnoses and repairs discs.

[sabregreen]

did you look in /Volumes like I said? Disc utility is in /Applications/Utilities/.

[sumitjaitly]

I faced the same issue where my macbook air's os died and was stuck at the grey screen.

I tried all the possible solutions nothing worked.

Finally....I made the mac book boot from an OSX cd from a remote mac.
This way i was able to run cp command to copy my data on a usb.


This is what I will recommend.