Salvaging contents of very old MacBook Pro

August 12, 2023 2:07 PM

Hi. I have a MacBook Pro which if memory serves I purchased new way back in 2009. I haven't used it for two or three years. I'm hoping to transfer some of its contents (photos, Word docs) to another computer, either by saving it to a USB flash drive or as an email attachment. Here's the problem:

It doesn't want to let me do ANYTHING anymore. I can't get online or open anything by clicking on desktop icons, nor am I even able to click and drag any of those icons. I went into this fully expecting this process to be tediously slow, but after a good half hour of trying to be patient, I got disgusted and turned it off. Is there anything I can do, bearing in mind that my computer skills are underwhelming to put it politely? Is there anything fairly straightforward and either free or low-cost that I could try, or would I be obliged to hire a professional?

posted by DavidfromBA to Computers & Internet (13 answers total)

If you bought the laptop in 2009, this is back when Apple used regular replaceable drives.

You can remove the HDD from the laptop and connect it to a different computer, since it's a regular SATA hard drive.

The issue will be if you don't have another Mac to connect it to, since it'll be HFS+ formatted, which Windows can't read (but modern macOS and Linux can).

Do you have a Mac you use today? If so this is very easy, take the HDD out, put it in a low cost external SATA to USB3 adapter, connect it to your current Mac, and transfer whatever files you want.
posted by zekesonxx at 2:36 PM on August 12, 2023 [2 favorites]

You should be able to boot it up into Target Disk Mode and pull files off it like you would any external hard drive! (This is essentially the same plan as what zekesonxx is proposing, but you don’t have to take the laptop apart.)

And a trial copy of this software should get you through the process if you are using a Windows machine now, to handle the file system mismatch. A license is only $20 if you think you’ll be doing more of this in the future.
posted by hollyholly at 2:37 PM on August 12, 2023 [5 favorites]

I'm a big fan of Target Disk Mode, but on this one it'll be via Firewire 800 - which'll need that specific cable and a computer of similar vintage with a Firewire port to connect to.

It might be worth setting up File Sharing on the Mac and connecting it to a more recent computer with an ethernet port - though it sounds like if the icons won't load this might not be a great option either : https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/set-up-file-sharing-on-mac-mh17131/mac

This one is easy to open up and pull the drive (https://www.ifixit.com/Device/MacBook_Pro_15%22_Unibody_Mid_2009) and the cable zekesonxx mentions is around $10 on Amazon.
posted by Nekosoft at 5:03 PM on August 12, 2023 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks to everyone who answered so far. I don't really have another Mac. I word it that way because I do have one which was provided for me for the purposes of my work-from-home job, but between my lack of tech savviness and the fact that I'm wondering if my old machine is infected, I hesitate to attempt anything with that. Otherwise, does anybody have a ballpark idea of how much it would likely cost me to bring it to a pro? Are we talking something manageable like 20 or 30 bucks tops, or something likely to be far more expensive than that?
posted by DavidfromBA at 5:21 PM on August 12, 2023

I would guess several hundred dollars. This sounds like a pretty easy job, but they’re going to charge you a minimum of one hour of whatever their hourly rate is, I would expect. If the data isn’t too sensitive and you have a helpful young person in your life, I’d call in a favor.

For example: Best Buy charges a minimum $250.
posted by hollyholly at 6:07 PM on August 12, 2023 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks @hollyholly. Wondering if I should wait until the next time I see my nephew, then. :-/
posted by DavidfromBA at 6:15 PM on August 12, 2023

I sent you a memail.
posted by hollyholly at 6:19 PM on August 12, 2023

An adapter cable should be cheap-ish, and then it's mostly just labor (unless you need fancy screw drivers).

I have used one from this era and getting the hard drive out isn't a terrible chore, if memory serves.
posted by wenestvedt at 8:43 PM on August 12, 2023

Response by poster: @hollyholly I responded.
posted by DavidfromBA at 8:45 PM on August 12, 2023

Response by poster: Thanks again everybody. I'll check back in tomorrow.
posted by DavidfromBA at 8:46 PM on August 12, 2023

I can't get online or open anything by clicking on desktop icons, nor am I even able to click and drag any of those icons.

If you can move the cursor but not click, maybe the trackpad is broken? You could try plugging in a USB mouse instead.
posted by mbrubeck at 7:14 AM on August 13, 2023 [3 favorites]

I'd turn it on and leave it on for a while, with access to the web. It could be doing disk repair or other tasks.
posted by theora55 at 8:36 AM on August 13, 2023

Response by poster: Thank you @mbrubeck and @theora55, I'll have to try that. And thanks again to everyone for your suggestions.
posted by DavidfromBA at 6:17 PM on August 13, 2023