Can I backup my hard drive with a broken logic board?

[elliott-08]

I recently sent my computer into applecare to fix because it stopped working and they found water damage on the logic board so the warranty was immediately void. I asked them if they could save my hard drive and they said there was no guarantee but I can take it to my local apple store and they can back it up for $150. I am a design student and havn't backed up my computers data in a few months, but they stuff I have done since then is very very important to me.

The applecare people didn't mention anything about my hard drive being damaged so I am hoping it is still working.

My question is if I can backup the HD myself even though the computer wont even turn on? I have an external HD and access to macs at my school.

Bonus Question: Is it cheaper to repair my mac by taking it to someone myself instead of sending it in? As a student I don't exactly have the $750 that they want to repair my computer lying around.

Cheers!

 

[spaceballl]

As far as recovering your data...

Your logicboard was damaged by water - that sucks. Hopefully the drive wasn't damaged. If it was, you're pretty much screwed.

If your drive was NOT damaged, you should be fine. You need to remove the drive, however, as the computer will not turn on. Pop it into an external drive enclosure and see if another mac can read the drive. If so, just copy everything important off the drive and you are good to go.

As far as repairs...

Not sure - Apple is usually overpriced, but you know that when you get it back, it will be as good as new. check out places like PBMedic.com. I think there are other 3rd party repair sites as well.

 

[aross99]

Chances are, your hard drive is fine. Using an external enclosure is a good idea. You can get USB to SATA enclosures from OWC (http://www.macsales.com) for about $30. You will need to connect the external drive to another Mac (like the ones at school) in order to access the data.

Of course, if you just get a new Macbook, you could probably swap your own drive in and pickup right where you left off.

$750 seems awfully steep if all you need is a new logic board. You might be better off purchasing a new machine or a refurb from the apple store and trying to get a new login board so you can sell it. Worst case, you should be able to get a decent amount for it on eBay, since all of the other parts (case, screen, battery, DVD, etc) are fine.

 

[AuroraTalvor]

$750 seems awfully steep if all you need is a new logic board. You might be better off purchasing a new machine or a refurb from the apple store and trying to get a new login board so you can sell it.

You see, the problem with that logic is becasue it is water damage, you can't guarantee that the only thing that was damaged was the board. That's the reason the price is so steep. For an Apple depot repair (if this was a laptop), you're paying for them to fix anything that is not on the up and up. I really mean anything, too. I've seen machines come back with something as minor as the clutches for the screen replaced. Your $750 is to get the machine back to "like new" condition. As if it were fresh out of the box.

But to answer the actual question, if the liquid did not damage the drive, you could pull the drive from the machine, put it into an external enclosure, and read it from another Mac.