Apple Mac Data Recovery

Staines Data Recovery: The UK’s Leading MacBook & iMac Data Recovery Specialists

For 25 years, Staines Data Recovery has been the UK’s premier specialist in recovering lost data from Apple MacBooks and iMacs. Apple’s ecosystem, with its proprietary hardware, unique file systems, and increasing levels of integration, presents distinct data recovery challenges. Our laboratory is specifically equipped with the tools, software, and expertise to navigate these complexities, from legacy PATA iMacs to the latest T2-chip and Apple Silicon Macs with soldered storage.

Supported Mac Models & Operating Systems

We have an extensive inventory of donor parts and deep technical knowledge of the entire range of Apple computers.

Top 30 MacBook & MacBook Air Models:

1. MacBook Air (M1, 2020 & later)

2. MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018-2020)

3. MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015-2017)

4. MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2012-2015)

5. MacBook Pro (16-inch, M1 Pro/Max, 2021 & later)

6. MacBook Pro (14-inch, M1 Pro/Max, 2021 & later)

7. MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020)

8. MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)

9. MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016-2019)

10. MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016-2020, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)

11. MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2012-2015)

12. MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2012-2015)

13. MacBook Pro (17-inch, Late 2011)

14. MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008-2011)

15. MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2015-2017)

16. MacBook (Unibody, Late 2008-2011)

17. MacBook (Polycarbonate, 2006-2009)

18. iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021)

19. iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)

20. iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019)

21. iMac Pro (2017)

22. iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2014-2019)

23. iMac (21.5-inch, 2014-2019)

24. iMac (27-inch, Late 2012-2013)

25. iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2012-2013)

26. Mac Pro (2019)

27. Mac Pro (Cylinder, 2013)

28. Mac Pro (Cheesegrater, 2008-2012)

29. Mac mini (M1, 2020 & later)

30. Mac mini (2018)

Supported macOS Versions & File Systems:

• macOS: Sonoma, Ventura, Monterey, Big Sur, Catalina, Mojave, High Sierra, Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks, Mountain Lion, and earlier.

• File Systems: APFS (Encrypted, Case-sensitive), HFS+ (Journaled, Encrypted), HFS, FAT32, exFAT.

Supported Mac Drive Interfaces:
SATA, PATA (IDE), NVMe (Apple Proprietary), PCIe (AHCI & NVMe), M.2 (Apple Proprietary), Fusion Drive, Legacy Apple Proprietary (ZIF, etc.).

30 Critical Apple MacBook & iMac Data Recovery Faults & Our Technical Processes

Apple-specific hardware and software introduce unique failure modes. Our processes are meticulously designed to address these challenges.

1. Apple T2 Security Chip & Apple Silicon SSD Integration Failure

• Problem: On Macs from 2018 onward, the SSD is paired with the T2 chip (or integrated into Apple Silicon). A logic board failure can render the SSD unreadable, even in a different Mac, due to this hardware-level encryption pairing.

• Technical Recovery Process: Our primary goal is to repair the original logic board. We use schematic diagrams and micro-soldering techniques to diagnose and repair power delivery issues to the SSD. If the board is irreparable, we attempt a “chip-off” recovery: desoldering the individual NAND flash chips from the Mac’s logic board, reading them in a NAND programmer, and using advanced software to reverse-engineer the RAID-like striping and hardware encryption to reconstruct the data. This is one of the most complex procedures in data recovery.

2. APFS (Apple File System) Snapshot & Metadata Corruption

• Problem: The APFS container’s metadata, such as the Volume Superblock or the Object Map, becomes corrupted. The system may fail to boot, or Disk Utility may report errors without providing a repair option.

• Technical Recovery Process: We create a forensic image of the drive. We then use specialised APFS recovery tools that can parse the container’s internal structures. We search for backup metadata within the container. If the primary metadata is corrupt, we manually reconstruct the B-Tree structures that track files and folders by scanning the entire volume for residual node records, effectively rebuilding the file system map.

3. Fusion Drive Logical Volume Corruption

• Problem: The Fusion Drive’s logical volume, which combines an SSD and HDD, becomes unbound or its Core Storage metadata is corrupted. The system may only see the individual drives (“disk0s1”, “disk1s1”) instead of the single Fusion volume.

• Technical Recovery Process: We image both the SSD and HDD components separately. Using Fusion Drive recovery software, we analyse the Core Storage metadata on both drives to determine the block-level mapping that dictates which files are on the SSD (for performance) and which are on the HDD (for capacity). We then virtually reconstruct the logical volume to extract the data correctly.

4. HFS+ Journal Corruption preventing Mounting

• Problem: The journal file on an HFS+ volume becomes corrupted, preventing the operating system from mounting the volume correctly as it cannot replay the transactions to ensure consistency.

• Technical Recovery Process: We image the drive and then use recovery software that can ignore the corrupted journal. It directly scans the volume for the primary file system structures—the Catalog File (which contains the file and folder hierarchy) and the Extents Overflow File (which tracks fragmented files)—to reconstruct the data manually.

5. SSD Controller Failure in Proprietary Apple Blades

• Problem: The controller on an Apple-specific NVMe blade (e.g., in 2016-2020 MacBook Pros) fails. The Mac will not boot and the drive is not detected in Target Disk Mode or by data recovery hardware.

• Technical Recovery Process: Recovery requires a NAND Chip-Off. The blade-style SSD is removed from the Mac. The NAND packages are desoldered from the PCB using a hot-air rework station. Each NAND chip is read individually in a universal programmer. The raw dumps are then processed with software that understands Apple’s specific controller algorithms, including how data is striped across the multiple NAND chips and how hardware encryption is applied.

6. SATA Cable Failure in MacBook Pro/Air (2012-2015 Models)

• Problem: A notoriously common issue where the fragile SATA cable connecting the logic board to the SSD in these models fails. Symptoms include the drive not being detected, kernel panics, or disappearing from the system.

• Technical Recovery Process: We first bypass the internal cable by connecting the SSD directly to our recovery hardware via a standard SATA interface. This confirms the drive itself is healthy. We then replace the faulty cable with a new, genuine part to restore the Mac’s full functionality after data recovery is complete.

7. Liquid Damage to MacBook Logic Board & SSD

• Problem: Liquid spillage corrodes the logic board, damaging power regulation circuits that supply the SSD, or directly damaging the SSD’s components.

• Technical Recovery Process: The logic board is cleaned with ultrasonic baths and specialised solvents. Under a microscope, we trace and repair corroded power lines leading to the SSD. If the SSD is also damaged, we treat it as a separate entity, using the chip-off method if necessary. The goal is to stabilise the power supply to the SSD enough to image it directly.

8. Accidental Enablement of FileVault 2 without Recovery Key

• Problem: FileVault 2 full-disk encryption is enabled, but the user loses both the password and the recovery key. The data is cryptographically sealed.

• Technical Recovery Process: We cannot break FileVault 2 encryption; it is cryptographically secure. However, if the issue is a corrupted FileVault metadata header or a damaged boot sector preventing the login screen from appearing, we can attempt to repair that damage, allowing the user to enter their known password.

9. DFU (Device Firmware Update) Mode Bricking on T2/Mac Silicon Macs

• Problem: A failed macOS update or restoration process leaves the T2 chip or Apple Silicon Mac in a DFU mode loop, making the internal SSD inaccessible.

• Technical Recovery Process: We use Apple Configurator 2 and a second Mac to attempt to revive or restore the firmware on the patient Mac. This process rewrites the firmware without erasing the user data partition. If successful, the Mac boots normally, and we can then image the drive. If it fails, a chip-off recovery may be the only option.

10. Time Machine Backup Corruption

• Problem: A Time Machine backup becomes corrupted, preventing users from restoring their files. The sparse bundle disk image or its internal file system is damaged.

• Technical Recovery Process: We repair the Time Machine sparse bundle using hdiutil and fsck_hfs or fsck_apfs utilities. We mount the repaired image and then use file system recovery tools to extract the data. We can also navigate the backup’s internal structure to recover specific versions of files directly.

11. SSD Wear Out / NAND Degradation in Older MacBooks

• Problem: The SSD in an older MacBook has reached the end of its write endurance, leading to a high bit error rate that the controller cannot correct. The Mac becomes slow, freezes, or fails to boot.

• Technical Recovery Process: We use the PC-3000 system to put the SSD into a factory mode, allowing us to read the raw NAND with custom, stronger ECC algorithms than the built-in controller. If this is not possible, we perform a chip-off recovery to read the NAND directly and apply advanced software-based correction.

12. HDD Head Stack Assembly Failure in iMacs and Older MacBooks

• Problem: The read/write heads in the 2.5″ or 3.5″ HDD have crashed onto the platters. The drive may make a clicking or buzzing sound and is not recognised.

• Technical Recovery Process: The drive is moved to our Class 100 cleanroom. The damaged HSA is replaced with an exact-match donor assembly. The drive is then connected to a stable imaging environment (like DeepSpar or PC-3000) where we use slow, controlled reading to clone the data, bypassing any media damage caused by the head crash.

13. Power Surge Damage to iMac HDD PCB

• Problem: A power surge damages the PCB of the internal HDD in an iMac. The TVS diodes or motor driver IC are shorted.

• Technical Recovery Process: We diagnose the PCB, remove shorted TVS diodes, and if necessary, replace the PCB. Crucially, we transfer the unique adaptive ROM chip from the patient PCB to the donor PCB to ensure compatibility. The drive is then imaged.

14. Disk Utility First Aid Failures

• Problem: Disk Utility’s First Aid fails to repair the disk and may even make the situation worse by altering damaged metadata.

• Technical Recovery Process: We immediately stop and create a sector-level image of the drive. All recovery work is done on this image. We use professional data recovery software (like R-Studio or UFS Explorer) that has more robust and less intrusive repair algorithms than Disk Utility to reconstruct the file system.

15. M.2 SSD Not Recognised in Older Mac Pro or iMac

• Problem: A third-party M.2 SSD installed via an adapter is not recognised by the Mac, often due to compatibility issues with the SSD’s NVMe domain architecture or power requirements.

• Technical Recovery Process: We remove the SSD and connect it to a professional recovery hardware that uses a standard PCIe/NVMe interface, bypassing the Mac’s firmware limitations. This allows us to image the drive successfully.

16. Firmware Password Lock on Pre-T2 Macs

• Problem: A firmware password is set, preventing booting from external media or Target Disk Mode.

• Technical Recovery Process: For pre-T2 Macs, we can sometimes reset the firmware password by removing and reseating the RAM in a specific sequence or by using known service commands. This allows us to then boot the Mac into Target Disk Mode to image the internal drive.

17. Bad Sectors on HDD causing I/O Errors

• Problem: The HDD has developed bad sectors, causing read/write errors, beach-balling, and application crashes.

• Technical Recovery Process: We use hardware imagers that can control the drive’s read retry mechanisms. We disable the drive’s internal retries and use our hardware to perform slow, controlled reads, often adjusting the read channel parameters to “coax” data out of weak sectors.

18. Accidental rm Command or Trash Deletion

• Problem: Files are permanently deleted using the rm command in Terminal or by emptying the Trash.

• Technical Recovery Process: We create a forensic image immediately to prevent overwriting. We then scan the free space on the image for file signatures and residual file system metadata. For APFS, we can also check if any local snapshots exist that contain previous versions of the deleted files.

19. Partition Map Corruption

• Problem: The GUID Partition Table (GPT) is corrupted, so the Mac sees the drive but as uninitialised space.

• Technical Recovery Process: We search the end of the drive for the backup GPT header. If found, we use it to reconstruct the primary GPT. If not, we scan the drive for APFS or HFS+ signatures to manually calculate the partition’s start and size, rebuilding the partition map.

20. Overheating leading to SSD Instability

• Problem: The MacBook overheats, causing the SSD controller to become unstable and drop its connection.

• Technical Recovery Process: We cool the SSD during the imaging process using a Peltier cooling plate. This stabilises the controller and NAND flash, allowing for a consistent and complete image to be acquired.

21. Failed macOS Update or Installation

• Problem: A macOS update or clean installation fails midway, corrupting the file system and leaving the Mac unbootable.

• Technical Recovery Process: We boot from an external recovery drive and create an image of the internal drive. We then work on the image to repair the file system damage caused by the interrupted write processes, often by reverting to pre-update metadata or snapshots.

22. RAID Failure in Mac Pro Systems

• Problem: A software or hardware RAID array in a Mac Pro fails due to multiple drive issues.

• Technical Recovery Process: We image each member drive individually. We then use RAID recovery software to determine the stripe size, order, and direction, and virtually reconstruct the array to extract the data.

23. SMC (System Management Controller) Reset Failure affecting Drives

• Problem: A corrupted SMC can cause incorrect power delivery to the internal drive, making it intermittently detected.

• Technical Recovery Process: We perform a full SMC reset procedure. If this fails, we bypass the Mac’s internal power by connecting the drive directly to our lab’s stable power supply and data recovery hardware.

24. Third-Party Software Encryption Failures

• Problem: Third-party encryption software (e.g., older versions of PGP, TrueCrypt) becomes corrupted, preventing data access.

• Technical Recovery Process: We attempt to repair the software’s volume headers using known structures or backup headers. Without the password, decryption is impossible, but we can often recover the encrypted container file for the user to attempt access with their credentials on a working system.

25. Physical Damage from Impact (Dropped MacBook)

• Problem: The MacBook is dropped, causing physical damage to the HDD or SSD.

• Technical Recovery Process: For HDDs, this typically requires a cleanroom head swap. For SSDs, we inspect the PCB for damage under a microscope and perform necessary micro-soldering repairs. If the NAND chips are damaged, a chip-off recovery is initiated.

26. Boot Camp Partition Corruption

• Problem: The Boot Camp partition (NTFS) becomes corrupted, affecting the ability to boot into Windows or access its files from macOS.

• Technical Recovery Process: We image the entire drive. We then focus on repairing the NTFS file system on the Boot Camp partition using Windows-based recovery tools, repairing the $MFT and boot sector as needed.

27. USB-C Port Failure preventing Target Disk Mode

• Problem: The USB-C ports on a modern MacBook fail, preventing the use of Target Disk Mode to access the internal drive.

• Technical Recovery Process: We open the MacBook and directly connect to the internal SSD using a proprietary adapter, bypassing the failed ports and the Mac’s logic board for data extraction purposes.

28. Spotlight Indexing Corruption

• Problem: The Spotlight index becomes corrupted, causing system slowdowns and application hangs.

• Technical Recovery Process: We boot into Safe Mode and delete the Spotlight index (sudo mdutil -E /), forcing the system to rebuild it. This is a logical repair that resolves performance issues without data loss.

29. Disk Utility Erasure or Partitioning Error

• Problem: The user accidentally erases or repartitions the wrong drive in Disk Utility.

• Technical Recovery Process: We immediately image the drive. We then perform a deep scan of the image to locate the previous partition’s data and file system structures, manually reconstructing the partition map and directory.

30. Firmware Corruption on Legacy PATA iMac HDDs

• Problem: The firmware on an older iMac’s IDE/PATA hard drive becomes corrupted, often due to age or power issues.

• Technical Recovery Process: We use the PC-3000 with IDE support to access the drive’s service area. We then repair the corrupted firmware modules (e.g., the LDR modules) by writing known-good versions from our database, allowing the drive to initialise correctly.

Why Choose Staines Data Recovery for Your Mac?

• 25 Years of Apple-Specific Expertise: We understand the evolution of Apple hardware and software.

• T2 & Apple Silicon Chip-Off Capability: We are equipped for the most modern Mac recovery challenges.

• Proprietary Adapter Inventory: We have the necessary connectors for every Apple SSD, from ZIF to proprietary blades.

• Advanced APFS/HFS+ Logic Recovery: Deep expertise in Apple’s file systems.

• Free Diagnostics: A clear, no-obligation report and a fixed-price quote.

• Critical 48-Hour Service: Available for urgent business-critical recoveries.

• “No Data, No Fee” Policy: Your financial risk is zero.

Contact Staines Data Recovery today for your free, expert diagnostic. Trust the UK’s leading Mac data recovery specialists to retrieve your valuable data.