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Upgrading SSD and recovering data from destroyed MBP 2012

J

JonasDenmark

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 4, 2019
15
0
Hello.

I am not in a good situation since my MacBook Pro mid 2012 13” decided to pass on. According to the experts it’s rhe logic board that has a periodic failure - sometimes it work, sometimes it does not. Therefore, do I not know what to do precisely. Originally I wanted to buy a used MacBook Pro early 2015(ish), but for all retinas macs 2013-2015, they do not use 2.5” SSD. So I can not plug it in right? I thought if I bought an enclosure, if that would work and through USB get my files. I have Apple cloud for 250 GB so maybe my files are in the cloud, but just maybe.
Or do I have to buy an old mid 2012, transfer all my files to an external drive and then to a new one? I also just wonder if I then just should keep the 2012 instead.

Any help is very respected and helpful.

Jonas.
 
JonasDenmark said:
What do you mean by “an open box special”?
Click to expand...

It’s been purchased and returned by someone and comes repackaged, or in a different box.
[doublepost=1564915688][/doublepost]
maflynn said:
This should work, though I wouldn't spend too much time deciding, because its an open box special and I don't think OWC is selling these anymore

https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC...IbBCmoUEOPmfCRnGanEaApCGEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
Click to expand...

That’s a really good deal.
 
It seems like a really good deal, the problem is I am not a resident of USA and if I want it to be delivered to Denmark, it can get really expensive.

But will it work? The SSD is used for both my files and the OSX?
 
JonasDenmark said:
It seems like a really good deal, the problem is I am not a resident of USA and if I want it to be delivered to Denmark, it can get really expensive.

But will it work? The SSD is used for both my files and the OSX?
Click to expand...

Yes it will work. My flynn was nice enough to do the research and find the exact right enclosure.

You mentioned your files might be in the cloud? You can go to icloud.com to check from any phone, windows PC, mac to check.
 
Some of the items are in the cloud, but I am not sure everything is there. I’m on my last year of school, so loosing files would be pretty crucial.

But thanks, will any enclosure work? Or do I have to look for something special?
 
JonasDenmark said:
will any enclosure work?
Click to expand...
No because Apple uses a proprietary SSD, and that changed from 2012 to 2013, which is why OWC's products specify what model its compatible with. You're hands are mostly tied due to the fact that you're trying to retrieve data from a 7 year old computer.

For future reference, I highly recommend backing up your system, Apple includes a great backup app, called time machine, this all could have been avoided, if you had used this. I'm not trying to slam you, just point out that stuff happens, especially as a computer ages.

If you don't want to take a chance on those enclosures, look on ebay for a 2012 MBP, though I can't see how that will be cheaper, but you never know.
 
I have time machine on, it just does not want to work at all, quite annoying. But so that enclosure you posted is the only enclosure, that can help me in this case?
[doublepost=1564918921][/doublepost]I can try and get my Mac up and running, but I don’t know for how long before I got a stop sign. Last time it was like 20-30 minutes (I had to eat, tried to update it, but it just stopped). If then, 1) how can I force it to turn on? 2) When I get in and logged in, what should I do then?

I have a 500 GB HDD I can use if it’s smart to transfer it over there, or would a backup be the to-go thing?
 
JonasDenmark said:
Some of the items are in the cloud, but I am not sure everything is there. I’m on my last year of school, so loosing files would be pretty crucial.

But thanks, will any enclosure work? Or do I have to look for something special?
Click to expand...

Make sure you go and buy an external drive and set up Time Machine. It’s so easy to backup your machine there is no reason to lose files (in future).
 
Frieg said:
Do the symptoms match with this known issue?
http://knownappleissues.com/2019/05/09/2012-13-macbook-pro-ram-slot-failure/
then it's an easy fix for sb who has some experience with micro-soldering
Click to expand...

Not really. I've tried and open it up and its seems everything is in good condition. The place where I bought it said that steam had gotten in the machine and since they did not have the parts do it, I looked somewhere else. Funny enough, they said it was the keyboard that was failing. One side worked, another one didnt. The new place said the keyboard was working, but the logic board was the problem.
 
Sounds like they didn‘t have rossmannlike experience with logic board repair :D
 
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OP posted:
"https://ibb.co/bQpRx8H
This is how it looks inside. Ssd is not screwed in"

WAIT!
STOP RIGHT THERE!

If that is the inside of the MBP you have, it IS NOT a "retina" MacBook Pro.
It's a "unibody" MBP, and the internal drive is easily removable.

Just open the back (if it's not open already).
Lift the drive up and disconnect it from the cable.
Then get something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-Tool-free-Enclosure-Optimized-EC-UASP/dp/B00OJ3UJ2S/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?keywords=2.5"+usb3/sata+enclosure&qid=1564928443&s=gateway&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1

You want either a
2.5" USB3 enclosure
or
USB3/SATA dongle/adapter
or
USB3/SATA "docking station"
(all of the above are cheap and easy to find).

BUT WAIT!
THERE'S MORE!

You didn't tell us WHY you think your MBP is broken.
The 2012 MPB unibody's have a SATA ribbon cable that "goes bad".
This is the flat cable that connects the internal drive to the motherboard.

When this goes bad, the computer will act like there's no drive attached, or it will intermittently slow down, stop, crash, etc.

That's because the "communication" between the drive and the motherboard is no longer good.
That cable can be replaced for cheap, and it will get it running back the way it should be.
Go to ifixit.com to find out how to change the cable and also how to change the drive.

IF "it's just the ribbon cable", you may be able to:
1. Take the drive out
2. Connect it "externally" (using one of the methods I described above)
3. Boot it that way to "get at" your data.

Also... if the data on your drive is important, you should learn something about the concept called "backing up"...
 
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Fishrrman said:
OP posted:
"https://ibb.co/bQpRx8H
This is how it looks inside. Ssd is not screwed in"

WAIT!
STOP RIGHT THERE!

If that is the inside of the MBP you have, it IS NOT a "retina" MacBook Pro.
It's a "unibody" MBP, and the internal drive is easily removable.

Just open the back (if it's not open already).
Lift the drive up and disconnect it from the cable.
Then get something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-Tool-free-Enclosure-Optimized-EC-UASP/dp/B00OJ3UJ2S/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?keywords=2.5"+usb3/sata+enclosure&qid=1564928443&s=gateway&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1

You want either a
2.5" USB3 enclosure
or
USB3/SATA dongle/adapter
or
USB3/SATA "docking station"
(all of the above are cheap and easy to find).

BUT WAIT!
THERE'S MORE!

You didn't tell us WHY you think your MBP is broken.
The 2012 MPB unibody's have a SATA ribbon cable that "goes bad".
This is the flat cable that connects the internal drive to the motherboard.

When this goes bad, the computer will act like there's no drive attached, or it will intermittently slow down, stop, crash, etc.

That's because the "communication" between the drive and the motherboard is no longer good.
That cable can be replaced for cheap, and it will get it running back the way it should be.
Go to ifixit.com to find out how to change the cable and also how to change the drive.

IF "it's just the ribbon cable", you may be able to:
1. Take the drive out
2. Connect it "externally" (using one of the methods I described above)
3. Boot it that way to "get at" your data.

Also... if the data on your drive is important, you should learn something about the concept called "backing up"...
Click to expand...

I thought I had made it clear it was a 2.5'' SSD and not retina version, im new to this :).


Fishrrman said:
You didn't tell us WHY you think your MBP is broken.
The 2012 MPB unibody's have a SATA ribbon cable that "goes bad".
This is the flat cable that connects the internal drive to the motherboard.
Click to expand...

The place that looked my Macbook through said it was the logic board that had a periodic failure. Sometimes it would work, sometimes not. I trusted that and of course I thought it would be that, but maybe it can be the cable too, I am not sure. I can try and get some pictures of it.
 
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
"The place that looked my Macbook through said it was the logic board that had a periodic failure. Sometimes it would work, sometimes not. I trusted that and of course I thought it would be that, but maybe it can be the cable too, I am not sure. I can try and get some pictures of it."

My guess is that it's almost certainly the connecting ribbon cable.
Again:
Go to ifixit.com to get the correct part number.

Then you can order the cable -- ebay might be a good place to look, or someplace in Europe that sells Mac parts.

I'll bet if you replace the cable, the MBP will be back "in good health".

NOTE:
Apple used-to-have a free replacement program for the 2012 MBP ribbon cable (because there were so many problems with it).
That may be over now.
Do you have a brick-n-mortar Apple Store anywhere near?
You could take it to them, and they could probably replace the cable. Not sure what the charge would be.
 
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I've taken a look on it and it doesnt seem anything is ripped and in pretty good condition.
But what happens to the cable if it gets exposed to steam or moisture?
 
Take the drive OUT of the MBP.
Connect it EXTERNALLY using one of the 3 options I posted above.
THEN try to boot from the MBP.

YOU MUST TRY THIS TO DISCOVER THE ANSWER.

If the MBP suddenly boots right up as it should -- it's the cable.

The problem may be tiny breaks or fractures INSIDE the cable that you can't see.
 
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Fishrrman is exactly correct.

This 2012 13" MBP is a "classic" 13" MBP. This was a design that was fixed since 2012 and sold as the low end 13" MBP through 2015. And the design has a tendency for the drive cable to fail since 2009 or so. The cable is semi ridge and makes a number of tight bends in the case so fails with age, heat, vibration, etc. You can get a drive cable for a $15 or so on Amazon and other sites.

So try out the drive in an enclosure. Assuming it is works, you can back up the data some place.

Then you can decide if you want to swap the cable and keep the old system, get a system you can load data on and keep the old system a backup system, or reload the drive with a fresh OS and sell the old system.
 
Last edited:
jerryk said:
Fishrrman is exactly correct.

This 2012 13" MBP is a "classic" 13" MBP. This was a design that was fixed since 2012 and sold as the low end 13" MBP through 2015. And the design has a tendency for the drive cable to fail since 2009 or so. The cable is semi ridge and makes a number of tight bends in the case so fails with age, heat, vibration, etc. You can get a drive cable for a $15 or so on Amazon and other sites.

So try out the drive in an enclosure. If it is good, then you can decide if you want to swap the cable and keep the old system. Or put the drive in enclosure, copy data to a new system, and sell the old system or keep it for a backup system.
Click to expand...

Thanks.
I know the drive is working, since I tried a lot of these shortcuts(?) by resetting SMC and so on and eventually I got into my MacBook, logged in and everything seemed as it was before. Same background picture and so on. Then I tried to update it, but that just resulted in a stop sign.
 
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