Is there a way to boot from cd? I cannot get in my macbook

That Mac shipped with Lion which was never available on optical media. It will not boot any OS X version earlier than that, so booting from the optical drive is not an option.

About macOS Recovery on Intel-based Mac computers - Apple Support describes how to boot Recovery. If it is not working, troubleshooting becomes problematic.

MacBookPro9.2 A1278 is a Mid 2012 13" non-retina MacBook Pro, it should be able to recover via internet, best to do it with ethernet cable.

It may also boot from a USB if you can create one, search online on how to make a boot disk for Mac if going down this path, Catalina is the latest OS this machine can handle.

MUrphy2018 Said:Contact an AASP:

"Is there a way to boot from cd?: I cannot get in my macbook: I have a MacBook Pro 9,2 i7 a1278 That I cannot remember password for. Command r not doing anything but blank screen. I just bought it online and thought I set my normal people. I can create a disk if I can boot from it but don’t know if possible"

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Extracting Data:

Also, take this to an AASP (Apple Authorized Service provider), asking for assistance. See what services they offer for data recovery. I am thinking that removing the hard drive, and then extracting the data through an adapter is the only official way to do so.

1. Go Here: Find Locations - Apple Authorized Reseller
2. Click: Service & Support
3. Enter: your location information
4. See: if there is an AASP nearby
5. Contact: an AASP that shows up, and find out more about the services that they offer to fix the Mac