How to recover data from crashed Mac hard drive?

Data Recovery
1

I need help with my Mac. My hard drive crashed recently, and I can’t access my important files. I tried restarting and using Disk Utility, but no luck. What are the steps to recover data from a crashed Mac hard drive?

5

Sorry to hear about your Mac hard drive! Recovery isn’t always straightforward, but let’s tackle this step-by-step and see if we can get those files back for you.

  1. External Drive Boot Attempt: First, try to boot your Mac from an external drive. If you have another Mac, use its OS to create a bootable external drive. Boot up the Mac while holding down the Option (⌥) key to see the boot menu. Select the external drive and see if you can access the data.

  2. Run First Aid in Disk Utility: You mentioned you’ve already tried Disk Utility, but did you run First Aid on both the volume and the drive? Sometimes running First Aid on both can fix minor disk corruptions. Open Disk Utility > Select your drive (on the left-hand side) > Click First Aid > Run. Repeat the same for the volume under the drive if possible.

  3. Safe Mode Boot: Restart your Mac in Safe Mode by holding down the Shift key while it boots up. This performs a directory check of your startup disk and might fix some issues. Once in Safe Mode, check if you can access your files.

  4. Single User Mode: If Safe Mode didn’t work, try booting in Single User Mode (Command + S during startup). This will bring you to a terminal interface. Run the following commands:

    /sbin/fsck -fy

    If any repairs are needed, it will attempt to fix them. If it repairs, run the command again until it says everything’s okay.

  5. Third-Party Data Recovery Software: If Disk Utility and built-in Mac tools fail, you might need to opt for third-party recovery software. Disk Drill for Mac is a popular choice for this. It’s a powerful tool designed to recover lost or deleted files from a crashed Mac hard drive.

    • Download Disk Drill for Mac: Head to this URL to get Disk Drill for Mac - Download Disk Drill (Mac)
    • Install and Scan: Install the software and select the crashed drive to perform a deep scan. Disk Drill will comb through the drive, and recoverable files will be shown once the scan completes.
    • Preview and Recover: You can preview the files before recovering them. Once you identify the files you need, select them and save to another drive, not the crashed one, to avoid overwriting any more data.

  6. Professional Data Recovery Services: If you’re still stuck, it might be time to consult with professional data recovery services. They have specialized equipment and expertise but can be quite expensive. Companies like DriveSavers and Ontrack are well-known in this space.

Pro Tips:

  • Backup: Once you get your files back, always maintain a backup of important data. Use Time Machine or external storage solutions regularly.
  • SSD vs. HDD Considerations: If your drive is an SSD, know that sometimes they can fail without warning due to their finite write cycles. HDDs tend to show signs of failure like weird noises or trouble reading/writing data before they crash, so keep an eye (or ear) out.

Suggestions to Avoid Future Data Loss:

  • Use Cloud Backup Services: Services like iCloud, Google Drive, or Dropbox can automatically sync and backup your important files.
  • Regular Maintenance: Periodically check the health of your drive using Disk Utility’s First Aid feature. And if you’re tech-savvy, tools like SMARTReporter can check the S.M.A.R.T status of your drive.
  • Avoid Power Surges: Make sure your Mac is connected to a surge protector to avoid unexpected electrical problems affecting your hard drive.

Hopefully, one of these steps will get you your data back. It’s stressful, but there’s a good chance of data recovery with the right approach. Good luck!

4

Ugh, I feel your pain. My Mac hard drive crashed a while back and it’s a nightmare. Disk Utility is useless, tbh. Have you tried booting in Safe Mode? Sometimes that helps. Also, you could give Disk Drill for Mac a shot, but don’t get your hopes up. It worked for some of my files but was buggy and froze a lot. Also, it’is pretty pricy for something that’s not guaranteed. IMO, you’re best bet might be to consult a pro if it’s super important data. Good luck, man.

3

Trying to get your data off a crashed Mac hard drive can be really frustrating. Since restarting and Disk Utility didn’t work for you, here are a few things you could try next.

  1. Safe Mode: Restart your Mac in Safe Mode. Sometimes this allows you to access the drive when you can’t in regular mode.
  2. Recovery Mode: Boot into Recovery Mode (Cmd + R during startup) and use Terminal to try accessing the files. You can use commands like diskutil list to see if your drive is still recognized and fsck -fy to attempt a repair.
  3. Target Disk Mode: Using another Mac, connect your crashed Mac via Thunderbolt, FireWire, or USB-C and booting your crashed Mac in Target Disk Mode (T during startup). This will let you treat it as an external drive.
  4. External Enclosure: Take the hard drive out, put it in an external enclosure, and connect it to another Mac or computer. This lets you see if the drive itself is accessible when it’s not in your Mac.

Sometimes software might be your best bet. I’ve had good luck using Disk Drill for Mac. It’s a solid tool for recovering lost data. Whenever my Mac’s hard drive had issues, Disk Drill’s scanning and easy-to-use recovery process saved the day. You can check out this Disk Drill Review (https://www.pandorarecovery.com/disk-drill-mac-review/).

Avoid reinstalling the operating system or any other intensive operations until you’ve recovered your data, just to be on the safe side. The more you fiddle with your drive, the higher the risk of loss.

Good luck, and I hope you get your files back!

2

Sounds like you’ve got a real mess on your hands. Restarting and Disk Utility failing isn’t surprising. Macs can be a nightmare with these issues. If you haven’t backed up, you’re halfway into the hole already.

Try using data recovery software. ‘Disk Drill for Mac’ might work, but honestly, don’t get your hopes too high. It can restore files from a crashed drive, but it isn’t foolproof and can be a tad expensive for what it offers. Sometimes it doesn’t recover all files or even corrupts them further.

Disk Drill Screenshot
Disk Drill Soft1536×902 217 KB

Check out this list here: Best Data Recovery software for Mac. Plenty of options listed, maybe another one will suit your needs better. Best of luck – you’ll need it.