Retrieve files on a damaged MacBook pro.

y_p_w wrote:

Well, I’m thinking of one particular guy who might be able to do it. This is more like an iPhone or iPad where everything is encrypted and the only hope of getting things back is that the encryption and flash are intact and there’s no major board damage. I thought with water damage it’s mostly caps blowing out and/or contacts getting corroded.

While it is debatable whether an Apple Store will assist with data recovery, an independent AASP should be willing to attempt retrieval of the data using Apple's special device assuming the special Logic Board connector, the SSD and T2 chip are all operational. Apple at first did not provide a way to retrieve data from the T2 models, but later backpedaled to allow AASP's to attempt data recovery on damaged systems. It certainly doesn't hurt to ask around.

If the laptop powers on, then Target Disk Mode may be a possibility if it is still an available option with the default security settings.

If Apple, an AASP and the professional data recovery services are unable to assist or are too expensive, then a last ditch effort would be to try cleaning the boards to see if it will allow the system to at least power on for Target Disk Mode. Don't choose this option without exhausting all the other ones first since more damage could occur to the electronics.

The 2018 MBPro's have the SSD integrated onto the Logic Board and is not removable. You will either need to have Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider try to access the SSD using a special adapter they have to access the SSD on damaged systems. You can also try contacting a professional data recovery service such as Drive Savers or Kroll Ontrack for a free estimate to see whether they can assist you. I don't know if either one can do anything with this particular laptop because of the encryption, but both vendors are recommended by Apple and other OEMs for data recovery and it never hurts to ask them.

Permanently soldered to the logic board, so there’s no pulling it out and putting it in an enclosure. I heard there might be an access port, but I’ve never heard of Apple helping anyone extract data from it.

What you really need is someone to fix it where the repair lasts long enough to extract the data. Maybe even long enough to work longer than that. If it can boot again, I’m thinking it could be backed up to Time Machine or perhaps just placed in Target Mode and cloned. Apple won’t do it for you. You’ll need to research who can do this in your area. A reputable shop will assess it before attempting to fix it, and not charge for it without recovering data.

Well, I’m thinking of one particular guy who might be able to do it. This is more like an iPhone or iPad where everything is encrypted and the only hope of getting things back is that the encryption and flash are intact and there’s no major board damage. I thought with water damage it’s mostly caps blowing out and/or contacts getting corroded.

HWTech wrote:

While it is debatable whether an Apple Store will assist with data recovery, an independent AASP should be willing to attempt retrieval of the data using Apple's special device assuming the special Logic Board connector, the SSD and T2 chip are all operational. Apple at first did not provide a way to retrieve data from the T2 models, but later backpedaled to allow AASP's to attempt data recovery on damaged systems. It certainly doesn't hurt to ask around.

I guess that's a possibility. But the important thing for anyone to understand is that if the board needs some repair in order to extract the data, Apple simply doesn't repair boards and AASPs aren't supposed to either. I certainly get that from a production standpoint it's either it works or it doesn't. My background includes working on a feature that supported board testing and companies which used BGA packages. I went around and asked what happens if there's a production board test failure, and usually it was that the entire board gets scrapped because it's not worth it to try to diagnose and fix them, other than maybe a few samples for failure analysis.

But when it's YOUR DATA and it's not backed up, then that takes on a whole new meaning.

y_p_w wrote:

I guess that's a possibility. But the important thing for anyone to understand is that if the board needs some repair in order to extract the data, Apple simply doesn't repair boards and AASPs aren't supposed to either.

FYI, the special Apple tool has a connection direct to the SSD and the tool provides power to the SSD. The rest of the board can be toast as long as the connector, T2 chip and SSDs are good.

HWTech wrote:

FYI, the special Apple tool has a connection direct to the SSD and the tool provides power to the SSD. The rest of the board can be toast as long as the connector, T2 chip and SSDs are good.

I would assume also the traces need to be intact. I would think worst case scenario would be trying to do stuff similar to using donor boards on hard drives if the board was beyond repair. But that's some heavy duty and very expensive data recovery repair.

That’s not from a 2018 MBP. The latest it could be is a late 2017 “function keys” model. When you said 2018, I assumed it was a Touch Bar model with an integrated SSD on the logic board.

As far as the board goes, it’s in pretty bad shape with obvious corrosion. If you addressed that quickly it might have been possible to fix it - at least long enough to back up the SSD. But the SSD looks intact. I’m not even sure it’s encrypted. However, I don’t know of any enclosures for it. Even Other World Computing doesn’t have anything. It might work in a donor machine if all you need is the data.

https://eshop.macsales.com/Service/Knowledgebase/Article/32/656/Envoy-Pro-PCIe-Apple-Stock-Drive-Compatibility

If you are not repairing the laptop, then you could try cleaning the Logic Board using some Isopropyl Alcohol and a toothbrush. Put a little bit of Isopropyl Alcohol onto the corrosion and let it sit a minute or two before using the toothbrush to very gently brush it clean. Do not press on the toothbrush or you will likely break the very small and delicate surface mount components from the board.

Blow some compressed air across the area to push out any alcohol which may be trapped beneath the components. Let the board sit an hour to let any remaining alcohol evaporate.

Make sure to disconnect the battery from the Logic Board before performing this procedure.

Perhaps it will allow the laptop to power on again and maybe even boot. At least it may allow the laptop to enter Target Disk Mode so you can rescue your data. Even if you cannot see anything on the display the system could still be in Target Disk Mode.

I'm not aware of any external enclosure available to install this style SSD.