Running MacBook Pro without Screen?

Hi there,

An odd question here. I have damaged the LCD screen of my MacBook Pro, and have subsequently removed it. That is, the whole lid and screen assembly, and am now awaiting a replacement. My question is, can I switch the machine on while it is in this state? I know that on a normal MacBook Pro I can switch on with an external monitor attached and it will treat that as the main screen (I think). But if the internal LCD has been disconnected from the motherboard will the machine even start? I am hesitant to try in case the thing explodes or something. Thing is, there are some files on there that it would be nice to get at. Has this ever been tried? Any help would be greatly appreciated 🙂

Cheers