Apple have changed how Apple uses storage twice, each change reducing what could be recovered after a hardware failure. Working with removable storage is routine work, building back two devices into one volume as with a Fusion Drive is more complex work than other types of storage, and working with soldered storage on a dead logic board is beyond everyone. Before quoting anything, we will determine which type of storage you have.
Recoveries are simple in nature where drives lift out. If your drive is soldered to your logic-board (motherboard) and it’s been damaged, there will be no way to retrieve your data, by us or by anyone; the encryption keys died with it. Prior to quoting for any services we perform a diagnostic test on your equipment to determine which type of storage you have.
Twice, Apple made major changes in how it manages storage. Each time, that resulted in fewer recovery options when you have a hardware problem.
Recovering modern Macs is as much about how files are organised in your file systems as what your hardware is.
APFS is an entirely new file system structure, not a renamed HFS+ (Hierarchical File System), using “containers” that store many different volumes of data that use dynamic shared space, and instead of having just one fixed catalogue for storing all of the metadata in each volume, APFS has copy-on-write metadata and checkpoints. When a single container is corrupted, the entire volume is rebuilt from the most recent complete checkpoint, and then all of the record entries for the files are traversed in order, which often recovers a volume that Disk Utility declares as unreadable.
FileVault is a hard barrier. To recover an encrypted volume, the user’s account password, or the recovery key must be known; we do not and cannot breach this. This applies similarly to both hardware encryption used on T2, and Apple Silicon-based Mac computers. If you know the credentials needed to access the encrypted volume, this will provide no obstacle whatsoever to recovering the data; but if you do not know the required credentials, even a perfect image of the volume will yield nothing that can be read.
Assessed based on storage type, rather than model name.
We assess all generations (with the issue of whether the storage device was removable versus soldered to the motherboard addressed first).
For models with an internal Fusion Drive, it will be necessary to have both devices available at the time of service.
Including models that contain multiple internal drives or have external arrays connected.
External hard drives containing either HFS+ or APFS file systems as well as Time Machine drives and RAIDs.
When the failure occurs with the actual backup drive, it may be the last copy of your data, so recovery needs to be performed carefully and deliberately.
Two prices, determined by the type of storage versus how something goes wrong.
A Mac with a removable drive starts at £300 +VAT. A Fusion Drive costs a flat £550 +VAT because we are recovering and recombining the two devices to form the one single volume they were designed to be. Storage soldered to a logic board is not a service we offer, and we will advise you of this at the time of our complimentary diagnostic, prior to issuing an invoice.
In most cases you only pay if we recover your data; for physical drive-level work we charge a 50% deposit in advance, and the remaining balance is due after successful recovery. Write-ups: a MacBook Air that booted to a black screen, Fusion Drive Recovery: Grinding, and Scored Platters, and a MacBook Pro with a soldered SSD, and why we said no. Also: a MacBook the Genius Bar sent to us.
Simply send your faulty Macintosh hard disk into us for its free diagnostic along with a brief description of the problem and what you believe caused it. One of our engineers will then evaluate it and provide a written quotation for the specific services needed prior to commencing work.
To begin the process of recovering your files, first you’ll need to obtain a quote (via phone) or complete our quotation form before you provide us with your devices. Once we have your devices at our location, we can start the recovery process; we need the removable hard drive, or both halves of the Fusion Drive. When shipping these items, make sure they are properly packaged and include your contact details so that when we perform the free diagnostics, we will be able to send you an exact written quote prior to starting any work on your project.
Posting it? We would suggest using a tracked and insured delivery method. Want to drop it off? That’s okay too. Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5:30pm is good; no appointment necessary: simply prepare the item as described above.
Want a bespoke quotation? Please describe your Mac’s specifications & what’s wrong with it using the quotation request form; then an engineer will review the details and provide you with a quotation that meets your needs.
We’ll be in touch shortly. If it’s urgent, call 01865 593000.
The most common questions people ask when looking to recover data from their Mac.
Yes, where the drive can be pulled out: the drive is copied and the original APFS or HFS+ volume is rebuilt from this image. If, however, the storage chip is soldered to the logic board, and this board has failed, no-one can recover the data from the drive because the encryption keys have been lost at the same time as the logic board.
From £300 + VAT for Macs with removable storage, and a flat £550 + VAT for Macs with a Fusion Drive, where the two devices are recovered as one single volume. We do not currently provide recovery services for soldered storage chips.
It is because there are two units (an SSD and a hard disk) being represented as one logical volume. As such both must be captured and then the CoreStorage must be reconstructed with both units. Thus both must be present.
Yes, provided you have the account password or recovery key. Neither FileVault nor hardware encryption (found on later model Macs) can be bypassed, therefore no matter how well the image may be recovered, if done so w/o access to either the password or recovery key, all images will yield nothing.
Only while the unit still operates. In those models the flash is attached to the circuit board via solder and secured through the security chip; thus, when the circuit board fails, so does the ability to recover the data contained within. For this reason, we ceased accepting these types of machines for recovery purposes as opposed to charging customers to find out that their data was unrecoverable.
Yes and they should be recovered with care; often times a failing Time Machine drive is the sole remaining source of data. These are handled just like all other external drive recoveries.
Receive a complimentary diagnostic, get charged a flat fee of £300 (plus VAT), and in most cases you only pay if we recover your data. We provide data recovery services for MacBook, iMac, Mac mini & Mac Pro computers.