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MacBook's motherboard needs to be replaced. Is it true that data from hard-disk can't be extracted?

MacBook stopped from working. Apple representative said the motherboard was malfunctioning and need to be replaced, is it true the data from hard-disk was lost also?

They said the hard-disk is an integral part of the motherboard, and therefore all the data is lost.

I don't know, there must be something we can do to save the data, no?

MacBook Pro 15”, macOS 10.15

Posted on Sep 6, 2020 6:56 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Sep 6, 2020 2:07 PM

Not necessarily. It depends on the problem with the Logic Board and the exact model of the laptop.


If you have access to another Mac you can try putting the defective Mac into Target Disk Mode and connect it to the other Mac to see if the data is accessible. As long as the laptop has minimal power you should be able to access the data.


I don't know if an Apple Store will attempt data recovery from an SSD integrated into the Logic Board, but an independent Apple Authorized Service Provider is probably more likely able to attempt recovering your data depending on the exact model and the severity of the failure. There is a special connector on the Logic Board of the 2016-2017 MBPros which an AASP can use a special device to attempt to access the SSD's data. A 2018+ MBPro with a T2 chip is less likely to have the data recovered since it must be able to be put into a DFU restore mode where an AASP must use a special service utility to read the data from the SSD.


Another option would be to inform Apple or the AASP that you need the data recovered and have Apple or the AASP send the defective Logic Board to a professional data recovery service on your behalf.

7 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Sep 6, 2020 2:07 PM in response to adamshriki

Not necessarily. It depends on the problem with the Logic Board and the exact model of the laptop.


If you have access to another Mac you can try putting the defective Mac into Target Disk Mode and connect it to the other Mac to see if the data is accessible. As long as the laptop has minimal power you should be able to access the data.


I don't know if an Apple Store will attempt data recovery from an SSD integrated into the Logic Board, but an independent Apple Authorized Service Provider is probably more likely able to attempt recovering your data depending on the exact model and the severity of the failure. There is a special connector on the Logic Board of the 2016-2017 MBPros which an AASP can use a special device to attempt to access the SSD's data. A 2018+ MBPro with a T2 chip is less likely to have the data recovered since it must be able to be put into a DFU restore mode where an AASP must use a special service utility to read the data from the SSD.


Another option would be to inform Apple or the AASP that you need the data recovered and have Apple or the AASP send the defective Logic Board to a professional data recovery service on your behalf.

Sep 6, 2020 6:58 AM in response to adamshriki

adamshriki wrote:

MacBook stopped from working. Apple representative said the motherboard was malfunctioning and need to be replaced, is it true the data from hard-disk was lost also?
They said the hard-disk is an integral part of the motherboard, and therefore all the data is lost.
I don't know, there must be something we can do to save the data, no?


You do not say what exact Mac this is?

Sep 6, 2020 8:41 AM in response to adamshriki

adamshriki wrote:

I had a backup drive, but for the past month or two I didn't backed up my data.
The question is - there's nothing we can do about it?


Yes, there is!


Now that you know the consequences of not having recent backups, in a really visceral way, in future be certain those backups have a chance to run, and DON'T put them off.



MacBook's motherboard needs to be replaced. Is it true that data from hard-disk can't be extracted?

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