Locked Out Of 2012 Macbook Pro

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Level 1

8 points

Locked Out Of 2012 Macbook Pro

I have an old 2012 Macbook Pro that I have been locked out of for years that I am now re-attempting to access to remove documents from it.

A few years ago, I turned on the device and the password I had always used to log in, simply did not work anymore. No many how many times I tried, it would not let me into my laptop.

The issue is that FileVault is turned on, and the password does not work to decrypt FileVault either.

I attempted to reset the password using Recovery Mode and I went to the option "my keyboard does not work when entering a password". It then tried to have me unlock FileVault using a password. When I enter a random password that I know is not correct, it simpy gives the message "password is incorrect". However, when I enter the password that I know for a fact is correct, a pop up appears and says "are you sure you want to disable FileVault" once I click YES, it then says the password does not work.

So it is almost like the password is correct since it asks me if I am sure I want to decrypt it, but it doesn't fully process.

I have also attempted to reset my password using my apple ID, but I always get the message "An error connecting to the Apple ID server" and I cannot get any further.

I have taken this device to two different computer repair stores and have had no luck. I have a new device now, but all I want is to get into my old one to access old pictures and documents. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Oct 30, 2020 1:15 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Sharhari

Level 5

6,293 points

Oct 30, 2020 11:27 PM in response to scoop1b51

FileVault is a security feature: Use FileVault to encrypt the startup disk on your Mac - Apple Support.

"If you lose both your account password and your FileVault recovery key, you won't be able to log in to your Mac or access the data on your startup disk."

"* If you store your recovery key with Apple or your iCloud account, there's no guarantee that Apple will be able to give you the key if you lose or forget it."

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Answer 2

HWTech

Level 9

57,008 points

Oct 31, 2020 2:14 PM in response to scoop1b51

After attempting to unlock FileVault using your password check to see the details on the volume/container using Disk Utility (Info or More Info?). See if the volume has been unlocked. I've seen cases where the file system is damaged which prevents macOS from mounting the unlocked volume. If the volume is shown to be unlocked, then you can try using the command line to manually mount the drive in read-only mode. You will need the drive & partition identifier for the volume which you can get from Disk Utility. Replace "diskXsY" with the correct identifier for your volume:

diskutil  mount  readOnly  diskXsY

If your volume is "disk2s2", then the command would be:

diskutil  mount  readOnly  disk2s2

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Answer 3

scoop1b51 Author

Level 1

8 points

Oct 31, 2020 4:44 PM in response to HWTech

I attempted to unlock FileVault like you said and then went back to Disk Utility. The Macintosh HD info says it is encrypted still. But the OS X Base System says it is not encrypted. I'm assuming the Macintosh HD is the one that would need to say it is not encrypted if the password worked like you thought it might. Any other suggestions?

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Answer 4

HWTech

Level 9

57,008 points

Oct 31, 2020 6:19 PM in response to scoop1b51

If you have the non-Retina model, then perhaps the hard drive is failing or the hard drive SATA cable is defective. If it is the non-Retina model I can provide you with an easy way to check the health of the drive using a Linux boot disk. To eliminate the hard drive SATA cable as the problem you can remove the drive and use a USB to SATA Adapter, drive dock, or enclosure to connect it externally.

Did you save the recovery key for Filevault? You could try using the recovery key to unlock the Filevaulted volume.

Otherwise if you don't have any backups, then you can try contacting a professional data recovery service such as Drive Savers or Ontrack. Both vendors provide free estimates and both are recommended by Apple.

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Locked Out Of 2012 Macbook Pro

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