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sunnyjohn2

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 31, 2017
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My 2011 iMac 21 inch died a couple of weeks ago. The hardware is still working but I tried another screen and couldn't get it to work so I'm guessing that the motherboard has gone. I connected it to my 2019 iMac via the appropriate cable and tried target mode but couldn't get a disk image on my new Mac. I've stripped it down and removed the HD and with the 2011 iMac it comes with a pcb, so I can't use a conventional carcass to run it externally. How can I retrieve the data?
 

Fishrrman

macrumors Penryn
Feb 20, 2009
29,233
13,303
a. Open up the dead iMac.
b. Take the hard drive OUT OF it.
c. Put the drive into a USB3/SATA docking station (cheap and plentiful on amazon)
d. Connect this to another Mac.

Note:
To avoid permissions problems, you need to do this:
1. Connect the dock (with the drive in it) to the other Mac
2. Let the drive icon mount on the desktop
3. Click on the icon ONE time to select it
4. Bring up the "get info" box for the drive (command-i)
5. At the bottom of get info, click the lock and enter your password
6. In "sharing & permissions", put a check mark into "ignore ownership on this volume".
7. Close get info

PRINT OUT this reply and keep it for reference.
 
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sunnyjohn2

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 31, 2017
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Thanks, but you missed an essential part of my post. The iMac 2011 21 inch HD comes with a pub attached so that it will not fit in to a standard docking station.

Any other suggestions?
 

CoastalOR

macrumors 68040
Jan 19, 2015
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Oregon, USA
Thanks, but you missed an essential part of my post. The iMac 2011 21 inch HD comes with a pub attached so that it will not fit in to a standard docking station.

Any other suggestions?
It sounds to me that the pcb (printed circuit board) that your 3.5" HDD is still in the Hard Drive Bracket. Take a look at steps 12 - 15 of the iFixit Repair Manual. Is that what you are seeing?

 
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sunnyjohn2

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 31, 2017
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It's a non-standard drive:
Screenshot 2020-10-16 at 18.48.26.png
 

Juicy Box

macrumors 604
Sep 23, 2014
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That looks like a standard 3.5" drive to me. It just has the mounting bracket still attached which can easily come off.

If you are having trouble fitting into an enclosure or dock, just use a cheap, powered USB3/SATA cable.
 

sunnyjohn2

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 31, 2017
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So, if I plug this into the HD and connect it to my working Mac, will it power it and then show up as an EHD on the desktop?
Screenshot 2020-10-16 at 19.18.41.png
 

Juicy Box

macrumors 604
Sep 23, 2014
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So, if I plug this into the HD and connect it to my working Mac, will it power it and then show up as an EHD on the desktop?
View attachment 967480
No, well, maybe.

You need one that is powered, and I don't know if that one is.
[automerge]1602869059[/automerge]
I own a few of these, and they work great:

 

Juicy Box

macrumors 604
Sep 23, 2014
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The one you linked is for 2.5" drives that can be powered via USB, the one I linked can power 3.5" drives.

That said, if you have an enclosure or dock for 3.5" SATA drives, that should also work, and am unsure of the reason why it wouldn't fit.
 

sunnyjohn2

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 31, 2017
208
31
I'll strip the Mac down tomorrow, remove the HD and post a photo. I can't find one on the internet!
 

ptfuzi

macrumors regular
Jan 9, 2019
147
33
I have replaced imac 21.5inch 2011 hdd for ssd.. So I dont see whats so specific..
 

Fishrrman

macrumors Penryn
Feb 20, 2009
29,233
13,303
OP (and all)...

I just took this pic of a 3.5" drive that is sitting in my dock a few minutes ago.
drive close.JPG

I believe the pins "on the left" are for drive power.
By my count, there are seven of them.
And it fits into my run-of-the-mill USB3/SATA docking station just fine.
The "older style" 4 pin connector (extreme left) isn't used, and the docking station doesn't even have a connector for it.

My original post #2 to you still applies.
That's your solution.
Take it or leave it.
 

sunnyjohn2

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 31, 2017
208
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Thanks for your info, Fishman, and for the photo. It doesn't;'t look as though my HD would fit into that docking station because it has a larger power socket. would it accommodate it? If so, I'll follow your advice and buy one.

Connections.jpeg
 

Juicy Box

macrumors 604
Sep 23, 2014
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It doesn't;'t look as though my HD would fit into that docking station because it has a larger power socket.
That looks like a standard 3.5" SATA drive. There is nothing special about it, and it should fit in docks that accommodate 3.5" SATA drives.

If your dock is for only 2.5" drives, it wouldn't fit, but if it is supposed to fit 3.5" drives, I don't see any reason why it wouldn't fit.

If you have trouble fitting it, maybe your dock isn't for SATA drives? Maybe post a picture of your dock?

If you can't figure out how to use your dock with it, you can get a cheap enclosure for 3.5" SATA drives, or get the adapter I posted earlier, it is less than $13:

because it has a larger power socket.
It has a standard SATA power socket. Nothing special about it.
 

DeltaMac

macrumors G5
Jul 30, 2003
13,754
4,579
Delaware
You will probably need to remove the mounting bracket from the side of the hard drive. The drive will probably not fit in a standard drive dock with the bracket still in place.

The only connectors that are needed for connection, are the two "edge" connectors. The article (looks like an iFixit article) is quite misleading (just plain wrong) The Power connector is the longer, 15-pin connector. The 7-pin is the data connector.
The blue connector in the picture from your post #7 shows how the two connectors are usually combined into a single assembly.
Some older SATA drives also came with a second power connector, most users would call a "molex", 4-pin connector. The drive in the picture does not have that extra (and un-needed) power connector, so that somehow confused the poster of those instructions. Your drive has an ordinary, standard connector configuration, and (other than that sheet metal bracket) will fit in a SATA dock, no problem.
 

sunnyjohn2

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 31, 2017
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Thanks for that, all of you - I'm off to buy one on amazon Prime - should arrive on Monday.
 

Fishrrman

macrumors Penryn
Feb 20, 2009
29,233
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The bracket attached to the sides of the drive has to come off before it will fit into the dock.

A dock will have protruding connection "sockets" for only the data pins and 7 power pins on the right.
Here's the inside of my plugable.com USB3/SATA dock:
plugable internal.JPG

As you can see, there is only a small "protrusion" with the connecting pins for the data and 7-pin power plug. There's nothing that will interfere with the old-style power connection plugs on older drives.

I'd be very surprised if the HDD from the iMac WILL NOT fit into a USB3/SATA dock...
 

DeltaMac

macrumors G5
Jul 30, 2003
13,754
4,579
Delaware
The bracket attached to the sides of the drive has to come off before it will fit into the dock.

A dock will have protruding connection "sockets" for only the data pins and 7 power pins on the right.
Here's the inside of my plugable.com USB3/SATA dock:
View attachment 967972
As you can see, there is only a small "protrusion" with the connecting pins for the data and 7-pin power plug. There's nothing that will interfere with the old-style power connection plugs on older drives.

I'd be very surprised if the HDD from the iMac WILL NOT fit into a USB3/SATA dock...
Yes, that's still bass-ackwards (!)
I understand the confusion here - More pins should mean that carries your data, but not in this instance.
7-pin is data - 15-pin is power.
 

Fishrrman

macrumors Penryn
Feb 20, 2009
29,233
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"7-pin is data - 15-pin is power."

Well... ok!
I stand corrected!
But still... it should just fit...
 
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sunnyjohn2

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 31, 2017
208
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Just one other point that's slightly worrying me. You'll notice in my image of the connections on the HD that there is a Molex socket to the left of the main terminal connections. When I took the HD out of the iMac, there was a connecting block plugged into it with wires disappearing into the computer. What would they be for?
 

Juicy Box

macrumors 604
Sep 23, 2014
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there is a Molex socket to the left of the main terminal connections
There is not a molex port on the HDD that you posted above. There is a section for jumpers, but really doubt there was anything actually plugged into it. I wouldn't worry about it.

As a few mentioned before, that is a completely standard 3.5" SATA drive. You shouldn't have any issue if you get a 3.5" SATA enclosure or dock, or a power USB3/SATA cable.
 

sunnyjohn2

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 31, 2017
208
31
OK, vertical smile, and thank you. I've taken the thing apart and put it together so many times now that I am able to say that there is a plug that is plugged into that socket, which I have had to remove, along with the standard plug but hopefully, what ever it does, or did, won't affect the operation of the HD once its in the dock. And I have removed the bracket. I have notification that the dock is to be delivered tomorrow.
 

Juicy Box

macrumors 604
Sep 23, 2014
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I've taken the thing apart and put it together so many times now that I am able to say that there is a plug that is plugged into that socket
There shouldn't be anything plugged into the jumpers. Also, the jumper PIN number vary from one manufacturer to the next, so if there was something plugged in, it would have to be specific to the manufacture and that means Apple would have to mod their iMacs' cables according to the manufacture of the drive, which isn't happening.

You are probably thinking of the SATA Data cable, which is separate from the SATA Power cable on the Mid 2011 iMac.

That is probably what is confusing you, as the adapters above show it being one solid connector instead of two.

Look at it again, and I am sure you are talking about the data port and the not jumper pins:
Connections.jpeg
 

sunnyjohn2

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 31, 2017
208
31
my apologies - you are quite right¡ It was the fact that it is two separate plugs that was confusing me (I'm not sure that's good grammar but you know what I mean¡).
 
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