how to recover data from bad hard drive

I just brought my computer to Apple once again to find out the hard drive was bad. They could not retrieve my files off my desk top but with further coaxing the technician did put another plug into my computer from his computer and was slowly retrieving some of the data on the desktop ..I did realize it was taking time and they don't want to do this stuff..and to send it out to a data recovery firm could be anywhere from $250.00 to $1000.00 so he told me since we did get a few pieces off the drive to get a Hard Drive Enclosure case that comes with it's wires...and take my old hard drive which mind you I had to pay $50.00 for my own hard drive and yet buy another new hard drive so they can fix my computer SMH...can't see why when I bought the computer in the first place why I have to RE-PAY to get my broken hard drive back..once you buy something and pay for it isn't it yours?? Anyways..he told me if I had time to plug this enclosure into my computer that is going to be fixed with the enclosure of the old hard drive in it and hope that I can get some more information out of it...$50.00 to pay for my own hard drive and a lot of hope..how reassuring.. Oh and that I should also plug in an external hard drive into the computer which should really be done daily..all these wires..all these gadgets..I feel like my poor computer is on the paddles..stand back everyone...we're going to zap it alive..I am wondering..does this enclosure case exist and is that the name I call it..or should I give it a name like Bubba case for a dead hard drive?? Okay..joking isn't going to help my frustration at this point..but he did call it the Hard Drive Enclosure with cables that come with it..and frankly I think Apple really needs to change this I'm going to keep your old hard drive but if you want it back knowing you paid for it...It's going to cost you another $50.00 more to get it back..WHY???? okay don't even answer the WHY in my opinion there is no why I should have to pay for it back..Let's tally this cute little number up..$184.00 plus tax to put in a new hard drive, $50.00 to retrieve dead bubba, another $79.00 for an external hard drive and about $48.00 for the dead drive case. summing up to a nice $361.00 give or take a few dollars...probably take...so I was wondering why he cringed when I said I should maybe go back to a PC...those I can fix easier..and get to keep my burned out Hard Drive ..since I do not know how to take out a Mac Drive..and then he told me for my next computer to buy one where the wheels don't turn..kind a feeling like my brain at this point...He suggested a Solid state Drive or one with Flash Memory..I'm not ready to retire Old Bufford right now..but I can say this Apple this has taught me a big lesson...

I thought it was technical I was wondering if this advice from an Apple Tech to get harddrive enclosures would help me retrieve my files and documents once the new harddrive was installed being that it crashed and they are replacing it and to use this device they recommended. Technical enough for me since I do not understand..I sent the same letter to corporate hdqtrs in California.

Perhaps you should've started a new thread instead of adding to an old one from years ago.

The product in this discussion area would be a PowerPC processor, not available new from

Apple since about 2005, with 2006 the first year of Apple's Intel-based Macs. What's yours?

An ASC Community Host could relocate your posts, if not consider a 'rant'. Did you contact

Apple directly from the main Contact Us page? These ASC discussions are primarily users

who help users with technical issues, and seldom does anyone Apple intervene. You can

contact Apple Feedback* according to the kind or type of issue you want to tell them about.

*Tell us how we’re doing. Select the appropriate feedback option

(we read everything, but can’t always respond):

• Support Feedback
• Website Feedback
• Developer Feedback
• Product Feedback
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•Apple - How to Contact Us:

http://www.apple.com/contact/

In any event...

Good luck & happy computing! 🙂

I went by the title of this discussion..Yes in between a major product the hard drive crashed..Ranting is exactly what it was being so frustrated..and trying to not be a typical human I vented after visiting the Apple store..when in fact they were in the middle of trying to recover the hard drive but then told me it was something they do not do..I wanted to know that this device they suggested would in fact work when I get my damaged hard drive back and not knowing how old this thread is I am sure many people have made the same mistake instead of starting a new thread..This one seemed to fit and yet you did answer..I contacted the corporate Hqtrs... and ty for your reply..feel free to delete all messages..and you have a great day 🙂

Sorry that you've had a unhappy experience in the process of paying for a service or repair. If

your Mac is under three years old, an AppleCare optional service plan should've been bought.

A 'universal USB drive cable kit' could be used to retrieve data from a drive, once removed,

and sitting on the bench; the cable kit attaches to a bare drive and has its own power supply.

An example of that:

•Universal Drive Adapter USB 3.0 -- NewerTech:

connects any 2.5", 3.5" or 5.25" drive via USB 3.0/2.0 interface. Adapter w/Power.

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/NewerTech/U3NVSPATA/

This saves having to re-install a questionable HDD into a powered enclosure for recovery;

at less cost and time than other methods, to access the drive to attempt to get data off.

The use of professional recovery software could be attempted. Some offer trial use online then

if you want to pay $100, you could buy the software to recover files. Or use a freeware or file

recovery product such as •TestDisk & PhotoRec: http://www.cgsecurity.org/

Depending on where you take the computer, your experience can vary. Apple can't help that;

and as a volunteer user-to-user peer help person here, like many, I'm not affiliated with Apple.

Only the Hosts at Apple Support Communities (who represent Apple) can choose to delete

or move posts; I could've tagged your earlier post in this old discussion to get their attention.

And I apologize for adding to this old thread -- that mistakenly was brought back from the dead.😐

Bad luck, really. RE-PAY to get broken hard drive back indeed wronged.

Just some tips, not necessarily accurate

Inspect the drive's controller board carefully to see if it can be removed without exposing the drive's platters. Most drives will have an externally-mounted controller board. If not, stop here.

Find a sacrificial drive. It is important to match the exact same model number and stepping (i.e. firmware revision, printed circuit board number). Matching drives can sometimes be found at places like eBay, inspect the photo in the auction carefully to determine if the model and firmware match. Contact the seller to be sure the drive being auctioned matches the picture prior to buying.

Remove the controller board of the failing drive.

Remove the screws with the correct screwdrivers. Most drives use Torx (star drive) head which is available at home repair stores. Be careful, the screws are soft.

Learn everything about how it is connected to the drive. Most drives are connected via ribbon cables and pin rows. Be gentle. Do not crimp or damage the connectors.

Remove the controller board from the working drive. Again, be extremely careful.

Attach the working board to the failing drive.

Connect the drive to your computer or device and test. If it works, immediately copy your data onto another form of media or a different hard disk drive. If that didn't work, try to re-assemble the sacrificial drive with the working controller board. It should still work.

OR------------------------

You can recover files from the corrupted drive with data recovery software. Recommend EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, to recover files from the corrupted hard drive. If you cannot boot computer after hard drive was corrupted, you can create WinPE bootable CD/DVD to recover lost data.

Well you certainly sound more proficient than the answers I received at the store.. When I went to pick up the lap top they replaced the hard drive..but when I went to pay I was confused..that I did not see a box for the old hard drive I had to pay for..he apologized and came out with the box..this sales person also told me a bit about how to take out the hard drive but he didn't know the name of the tool to take out those screws...but you did mention it..he did also say it was held in by some screws..again..not knowing which ones to take out..and a wire thing..okay so I've come to the conclusion right now..that you had more good information to give on this old thread..than at the store..which I will definitely copy and hold onto it for the future..He also gave me the name of the box I am to look for so I can put my old hard drive into that and try to extract the information..He told me it would cost me about 65.00 but this other sales person found it for me on amazon for 12.99 I am hoping it is the same thing ...one called it the hard drive enclosure as an external HD..but not the external HD you store things on..the other found it and it was called OITTM External Hard Drive Box 2.5 inc USB 3.0 and then there was one called Sata External 9.5 Hard drive Enclosure..also at a cheap price of $15.99 http://www.amazon.com/Oittm-Enclosure-Tool-free-Installation-Compatible/dp/B00VJ C3ESI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1430842851&…

I don't know if this will hold the hard drive from the mac..it looks kind of thin..If I didn't have all my college reports on that drive I wouldn't bother I know I saved some of them but to have to re-write a paper again...ugg..ty sooo much Alice..it was so kind of you to help and understand..I appreciate it..and sorry about this being an old thread..I just jumped on this one because of the title..

If the Apple Store couldn't get files off of the drive, it is unlikely that you will be able to. If you have backups, those would be the best way to go. You could also try booting up the computer and holding down T to boot into Target Disk Mode. Plug the broken computer into another one with FireWire and see if it works to recover data from external hard drive. If you can see it, try booting up the broken computer while holding down Option. Choose Recovery HD from the menu, then choose to Reinstall OS X.

It is unlikely that this will work, because I'm pretty sure that the Apple Store would have tried this. You could try using expensive software to get files off the drive, but it would be risky and the results might not be any good.

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-4273

I stumbled onto an easy solution to data recovery today from a corrupted hard drive volume on my MacBook Pro. Neither Disk Utility or Diskwarrior could solve this hardware problem that will require replacement of the drive. Of course the big concern is data loss. I connected the MacBookPro to my MacPro by Firewire starting the MacBookPro in Target mode. I then started the MacPro in Windows XP (VmWare) and was able to access (but not mount) the Macintosh-HD volume and copy the Mac files directly onto the drive I use exclusively for Windows. I've copied them back to the MacPro and they work. Who knew that Windows could one day save a crashed Mac. I can't promise that my solution will work in other cases, but its worth a try.

No, all data was removed.

HHey gal are

Hey , data recovery is not difficult for normal data loss problem, but if the hard drive is damaged, then the first thing you need to pay attention to is fixing the hard drive.

But you need to notice that after fixing the hard drive, all the files are gone and it seems like it is a new hard drive. At this moment, don't put any new files into the drive 'cause if this happens, you will meet data overwritten situation and if this happens, the chance of data recovery will be reduced.

You can check more details in this post:

My Mac Book Pro hard drive has crashed and I'm in the process of replacing it. However, I had a lot of important data on that hard drive that he needs recovered. Then I found uFlysoft Data Recovery software that recovers data from corrupt/bad hard drives. And fully supported forHFS/ NTFS/FAT32 mac files. Thanks!