How do I remove the hard drive in my MacBook Pro?

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Level 1

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How do I remove the hard drive in my MacBook Pro?

My Macbook Pro (Retina Display, early 2013) just died, letting out a puff of smoke. I've taken it to a Genius Bar and it can be replaced, I just need to get my data off the machine. The Apple store wouldn't remove the hard drive for me, but suggested I take it to a data recovery company.

Every data recovery company I've spoken to said it needs to the hard drive and they won't remove it themselves.

Is there a company anywhere that can remove the hard drive from a MacBook Pro?

A Google search tells me that it is almost impossible to upgrade the Retina model, so I don't know what to do. Is there another way to recover my data if the computer won't turn on?

MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2013)

Posted on Jan 8, 2015 5:38 PM

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Answer 1

kahjot

Level 4

2,469 points

Jan 8, 2015 7:21 PM in response to ecopping

How recently did you back up your drive?

Is there any sign of life at all? If there is none, I am not sure how you would go about recovering anything, unless you can find someone with the skills to disassemble it. Welcome to the brave new world of sealed, non-upgradable systems.

https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/MacBook+Pro+15-Inch+Retina+Display+Late+2013+Tea rdown/18696

"The proprietary SSD has changed to a PCIe format, but still isn't a standard 2.5" drive. However, it is a separate daughtercard, and we’re hopeful we can offer an upgrade in the near future."

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Answer 2

ecopping Author

Level 1

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Jan 9, 2015 4:21 AM in response to kahjot

Thanks for your reply. I read the same article, although it's dated 2012 I thought it might still be relevant, but for this issue it didn't offer any solutions.

An update - it is possible to remove the hard drive. I took it to an authorised Mac repair store in Sydney and they not only retrieved the hard drive but are moving the data from the computer to an external hard drive. It was pretty cheap (AUD $75) compared to the quotes from data recovery companies (min AUD $275).

Problem solved!

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Answer 3

kahjot

Level 4

2,469 points

Jan 9, 2015 8:46 AM in response to ecopping

Yes, from reading that MacFixit article, I thought it might be possible to remove the drive, especially since you didn't have to worry about damage to the rest of the machine, given it seems to be toast. Data recovery is horribly expensive. Nice that you were able to dodge the bullet.

You might want to go for a more aggressive backup strategy with whatever you get next.

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