MacBook Pro 2016 not charging or starting; can data be retrieved?

geepeeaay wrote:

I have a ‘vintage’ MacBook Pro 2016, Ventura OS, high spec, non charging, non starting laptop

Reluctantly, seems my options aren’t great for repair, probably not possible

Q1. Can the software and files be retrieved from the hard drive?

You're not going to be retrieving anything from that machine unless you can get it working well enough to at the very least start up in Target Disk Mode.

First, if that MacBook Pro is running Ventura without hacks it isn't a 2016 one. For all of them, Monterey was the end of the line. You would need at least a 2017 model to run Ventura.

None of the MacBook Pros which are capable of running Ventura had hard drives. They all had SSDs. In Retina MacBook Pros, those were (a) "circuit board stick" SSDs (which could be Apple-specific) or (b) SSDs soldered directly to the motherboard. Based on what I see on the OWC site, I think your model must be one of those for which the SSD is soldered directly to the motherboard.

Q2. Considering the OS, would it be worth retrieving to put on another machine

You couldn't put it into a new Mac even if it was removable. None of them have user-upgradable internal SSDs. Even those on which the flash chips are on their own board would want different kinds of boards than what you would find in any of the old Intel-baed Macs.

Seeing as how it's not removable, putting it into an external enclosure (like an OWC Envoy Pro 1A, designed for Apple factory-installed SSDs) isn't an option, either.

If it is a 2016 or 2017 MacBook Pro with Touchbar, then you would need to find Apple's little black box which can connect to the Life Boat connector on the Logic Board. As long as the internal SSD is healthy, then you should be able to retrieve the files from the internal SSD.

I seriously doubt an Apple Store has this device to help in recovering data because Apple does not do data recovery since they expect users to be backing up their own devices regularly. An AASP may have this Apple device (or perhaps they can get one) to try & recover data from the internal SSD of those specific models. However, I doubt most AASPs have this device, but it doesn't hurt to check.

You can also try a professional data recovery service.

Battery completely discharged:

Running the battery down to zero is a possible cause of such a problem. A completely dead battery can drag the Voltage down too low for anything to operate.

That includes the System Management [micro-]Controller (SMC) in an Intel system that controls clock speeds and re-charging the battery by initiating a Charge Cycle.

However, trickle-charging may possible (but not guaranteed) and is unbearably SLOW.

Connect the power adapter and leave it connected at least overnight, in hopes of applying a tiny trickle charge to the battery. Later, encourage it to start up (with the Power Adapter connected).

IF it can get enough power from trickle charging, it MIGHT be able to start the SMC, at which point it can initiate a Charge Cycle and break the deadlock.

geepeeaay wrote:

I have a ‘vintage’ MacBook Pro 2016, Ventura OS, high spec, non charging, non starting laptop

Reluctantly, seems my options aren’t great for repair, probably not possible

Q1. Can the software and files be retrieved from the hard drive?

Q2. Considering the OS, would it be worth retrieving to put on another machine

I’d welcome suggestions what to do with the device

Cheers

Both 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pros with Touchbar have a Life Boat connector. Apple has the ability...it maybe possible independent of a professional recovery service(?)

Call Customer Support (800) MY–APPLE (800–692–7753)

In or out of warranty you can get a free over the counter 'Apple Service Diagnostics' test /assessment

Make an appointment for a "hardware issue"

Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple

Outside the USA

Contact Apple Support - Apple Support

If you value your user data

3-2-1 Backup Strategy: three copies of your data, two different methods, and one offsite.

More than one device, more than one backup methodology— and backup regularly.

see Vintage and Obsolete:

Vintage—Apple will repair if parts are available; Obsolete—no.

Note that Apple now considers all of the 2016 MacBook Pros to be Obsolete for hardware repair purposes. That means that the only type of service they might still provide for those MBPs is battery replacement service.

Obtaining service for your Apple product after an expired warranty - Apple Support

"Apple discontinues all hardware service for obsolete products, and service providers cannot order parts for obsolete products. Mac laptops may be eligible for an extended battery-only repair period for up to 10 years from when the product was last distributed for sale, subject to parts availability."

geepeeaay wrote:

Does the unit have any residual value?

If it does not work at all, Apple won't offer anything in trade for it. They'll recycle it for free, but that's it.

I guess the question might be why it doesn't work, and how expensive it would be to fix. If the issue is with the motherboard, getting that replaced could be expensive (if you could even find a repair shop with a replacement motherboard at all). If the issue was with some aspect of the power supply outside the motherboard - and the motherboard was still good – then repair, while still costly, might not be as prohibitively expensive. I'n not a hardware repair person, or familiar with teardown for that machine, so I can only make educated guesses.

I don't know what value the machine might have on the used market – either to a local repair shop or on some electronic "flea market" – if you described it up-front as dead, and said that you were selling it as-is, for parts.

geepeeaay wrote:

Agree. Some of the software and files have been backed up on a LaCie 6t external hard drive

That's good to know and will help when you transition to a replacement computer.

When it hits, it hits hard …

When a computer fails, it's not fun. But yours was a 10-year old device, long past its normal lifetime. My employer requires replenishment of computers every three years. I know computers can last much longer than that, I still have several "museum pieces" that are working, including a 2010 MacBook Air, a 2013 MacBook Air , a 2015 iMac, and a 2019 MacBook Pro 16" which runs fine on Tahoe 26.6.2 but is being replaced soon with an M5 or M6 model.

Apple makes backing up so easy it seems odd that some people still don't do it. All one needs to do is connect a fresh external drive and say "yes" when asked if it should be used for backup. Once that backup completes, it can be used to migrate to a new Mac (when the old one fails) virtually seamlessly.

I would not bother with any steps to try to repair or rescue your old Mac. It is not cost effective. Instead, I would invest available resources in a new Mac, or if cost is an issue there, look at refurbished ones from OWC or Apple only (other providers are not reliable, in my view). Be sure to budget for an external drive for backups.

Might we ask why you chose not to backup your files on a regular basis? That’s the first requirement of protecting your data from a failure like this.