3Yr Old MBP Gray Screen, How to recover data?

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3Yr Old MBP Gray Screen, How to recover data?

AppleCare on my MBP recently expired, and, lo-and-behold, the MBP will not boot anymore - after I took care of it like a baby. It had never left my desk at home. My 12 year old Toshiba is still chugging along. Dang!

When I press the power button on my MBP, I get the gray screen and the spinning wheel, but never get the login window.

I ran AHT at startup by pressing "D" at boot time, and results were A-OK.

I booted with the OS X disk, then looked at the (only) volume with Disk Utility. The volume wasn't mounted. When I tried to mount it, got a message that said "Try running First Aid". I ran "Repair", and the result was "volume appears OK".

SMART Status was "Not Supported" (Before it was always "Verified".)

I booted with a TechTool Deluxe disk and ran all tests. All tests were OK, except for "Drive Hardware Failed".

I did a "safe-verbose" boot by pressing Shift-Command-V. The MBP issues the following messages before it turns into a paperweight:

jnl: unknown-dev: replay-journal: from .....: to .....

disk0s2: I/O error.

0 [ Level 3 ] [ ReadUID 0 ] ... [ErrType IO] [ErrNo 5] [IOType Write] ...

jnl: unknown-dev: update_fs_block : failed to update block 2 (ret 5)

jnl: unknown-dev: journal_open: error replaying the journal !

hfs: early jnl init: failed to open/create the journal (retval 0).

AppleAHCIDiskQueueManager:: SetPowerState... timed out after 109581 ms

If I am to trust TechTool Deluxe, the HD is dead - hardware wise. But am I correct to assume that I may be able to recover the data - because the other TTD tests and the Disk Utility Repair test said the volume was A-OK ?

How are TTD and DU able to scan the volume, but the MBP cannot boot from it? Is the HD not really dead?

I would appreciate any suggestions on how I may get to the data on the volume - Target Disk Mode? (I have a good Mac Pro on hand.)

Mac Pro 2.8GHz (Early 2008), MacBook Pro 17" 2.93GHz (Early 2009), Dell 2408wfp, Mac OS X (10.5.6)

Posted on Jun 22, 2012 4:39 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Bimmer 7 Series

Level 6

10,337 points

Jun 22, 2012 4:51 AM in response to French Roast

I suggest you buy a $10 USB external enclosure and put your defective hard drive there and plug it into your Mac Pro to retrieve the data you need.

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Answer 2

ds store

Level 7

30,725 points

Jun 22, 2012 5:01 AM in response to French Roast

French Roast wrote:

I would appreciate any suggestions on how I may get to the data on the volume - Target Disk Mode? (I have a good Mac Pro on hand.)

Target Disk Mode would be the easiest.

https://support.apple.com/kb/ht1661

Another method for data recovery

Create a data recovery, undelete boot drive

Methods to fix the boot drive afterwards

Step by Step to fix your Mac

Or replace the drive with a new one, videos and tools

http://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/

Reinstall the OS etc.

How to reinstall just OS X or erase/install OS X

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Answer 3

French Roast Author

Level 1

0 points

Jun 22, 2012 9:02 AM in response to ds store

Thanks to reponders.

In my original post, I said that, even though the MBP would not boot from the internal HD, I was able to boot with an OS X disk, and run Disk Utility Repair which said the volume had no problems.

Now, a few hours later, when I try to do the same thing again, DU doesn't see (list) the HD device/volume at all ! It shows only the DVD drive/disk.

The HD has deteriorated even more, to non-existence, within a few hours (few additional attempts to boot from it.)

Can someone tell me what would cause such a sudden catastrophic failure of the HD?

(G-force shocks are out of the question, because the MBP never left my desk at home.)

Wouldn't any attempts to access the data in the HD be futile ? (Any attempts other than taking out the disk platters.)

If DU cannot see the device/volume, would it be accessible as a Target Disk Mode volume?

How would I boot the MBP, to use it as a target?

If I were to remove the HD from the MBP, to access it as an external disk from another Mac, wouldn't it still be DEAD?

Would any efforts and expenses spent trying to access the HD have any effect? (Never mind the value of the data.)

I don't even know what the HD unit looks like, but I imagine it'd be a sealed unit, and the problem is inside the unit?

Message was edited by: French Roast

I don't know how my reply got to be flagged as the solution to my problem. I certainly do not have a solution.

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Answer 4

x130844

Level 1

34 points

Jun 22, 2012 9:55 AM in response to French Roast

Harddrives do fail.

It's really a luck thing, which is why backups and backups of backups are so important if you value your data. I know it *****, but it's the reality.

In my office, we have about 15 laptops (i wont name the brand but not cheap laptop), all PC/windows and we get a rate of about 70% fail within the first 2 years.

The rest (30%) will simply run for what seems for ever.

I would suggest:

1) install new HD drive (if you have the money, might as well go with a good SSD)

2) install your OS

3) cross your finger and externally mount your "dead" HD.

Sometimes a dead HD, with the right adaptor, some luck, some perfect timing (pluging in, out, in etc) may eventually show up, if it does. grab all the files you can before it "disapear" again.

I know i have salvaged a few files that way. I'm not saying it will work for sure but definitely worth a try.

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