Liverpool Data Recovery — Apple MacBook & iMac Specialists

Liverpool’s No.1 Apple data recovery lab • 25+ years of engineering-led recoveries

We recover data from any Apple desktop or notebook—Intel, T2-equipped, and Apple Silicon (M-series)—covering HDDs, SATA/NVMe SSDs, Apple PCIe blades, soldered NAND, and Fusion Drive (SSD+HDD) hybrids. Our workflow is forensically safe (image-first, never write to originals) and uses PC-3000, DeepSpar, Atola, and Apple-specific toolchains (Target Disk Mode/DFU/Configurator) plus in-house APFS/HFS+ parsers.

Free diagnostics. Critical (expedited) service available (typ. 48h from receipt).

Apple models we routinely recover (representative set)

(Representative models we most frequently see in UK recoveries—useful for expectations.)

• MacBook Air: 2012–2017 (SATA/AHCI SSD), 2018–2019 Retina (NVMe), 2020 M1, 2022 M2 13.6″, 2023 M2 15.3″, 2024 M3 13/15″

• MacBook Pro: 13″ 2012–2015 (SATA blade), 13″/15″ 2016–2019 Touch Bar (NVMe/T2), 14″/16″ 2021 M1 Pro/Max, 14″/16″ 2023 M2 Pro/Max, 14″ 2024 M3

• MacBook (12″) 2015–2017 (NVMe)

• iMac: 21.5″/27″ 2012–2020 (HDD/SATA SSD/PCIe blade/Fusion), 24″ 2021 M1, 24″ 2023/24 M3

• iMac Pro 2017–2020 (NVMe/T2)

• Mac mini: 2012–2018 (HDD/SATA/NVMe), 2020 M1, 2023 M2/M2 Pro (for external disks & Time Machine sets)

macOS versions we support

Classic/OS X: 9.x, OS X 10.0 Cheetah → 10.11 El Capitan
macOS: 10.12 Sierra, 10.13 High Sierra, 10.14 Mojave, 10.15 Catalina, 11 Big Sur, 12 Monterey, 13 Ventura, 14 Sonoma, 15 Sequoia (and later)

Interfaces & storage Apple uses (we handle them all)

• Rotational: SATA HDD (2.5″/3.5″)

• Solid-state: SATA SSD, PCIe/NVMe blades (Apple proprietary connectors), on-board/soldered NAND (T2 & Apple Silicon)

• Buses & form factors: SATA I/II/III, PCIe/NVMe (M.2/U.2/AIC, Apple blades), PATA/IDE (very old iMacs), USB-SATA/NVMe bridges, Thunderbolt enclosures

• Hybrid: Fusion Drive (CoreStorage/APFS Fusion pairs: SSD + HDD)

Our professional recovery process (Apple-aware)

1. Stabilise & identify — Record serials, T2/Activation state, FileVault/FDE status, Fusion pairing GUIDs; no writes to the original.

2. Electronics/firmware work — ROM transfers, PCB donors, SA/translator fixes (HDD), NVMe param tuning, Apple blade pinout adapters.

3. Mechanical interventions (HDD) — Head-stack replacement, platter/motor swap, alignment checks; then controlled imaging per head/zone.

4. Imaging — PC-3000/DeepSpar with head-maps, reverse passes, adaptive timeouts; for soldered NAND (T2/M-series) we perform board-level revival to get a live read (data is hardware-encrypted to the SoC keys).

5. Decryption & containers — FileVault/APFS unlock with user pass/Recovery/Institutional keys; T2/Apple Silicon: data is bound to the logic board—decryption requires valid credentials and a working security enclave.

6. Logical rebuild — APFS (nx superblock, spacemaps, checkpoints, B-trees), HFS+ (catalog/extent B-trees), CoreStorage, Time Machine sparsebundles; targeted carving for gaps.

7. Verification & delivery — Hash manifests, open priority files, deliver securely.

Packaging: Place device/drive in an anti-static bag and small padded box or envelope with your details; post or drop-off accepted.

50 Apple MacBook & iMac faults we recover — and how we fix them

A. HDD hardware (iMac/Fusion/HDD-based Macs)

1. Head crash/clicking → Donor HSA swap; ROM/adaptives; per-head imaging; rebuild APFS/HFS+ from clone.

2. Stiction (heads stuck) → Controlled release to ramp; low-duty imaging; map bad areas.

3. Spindle seizure → Platter/hub transplant to matched chassis; full clone.

4. Media scoring/particulate → Short-window reads; isolate damaged cylinders; partial file salvage.

5. SA/translator corruption → Patch SA modules, rebuild translator; unlock user LBA; image.

6. PCB/TVS/motor driver failure → Donor PCB + ROM move; validate rails; image.

7. G-list explosion/SMART hang → Freeze reallocations; reverse/targeted passes; stabilised clone.

8. USB-only external WD/Seagate in iMac upgrade kits → Bypass bridge; native SATA imaging.

9. HPA/DCO truncation → Remove/normalise in copy; restore full LBA map.

10. Fire/water incident (iMac PSU surge) → Board-level cleanup; electronics first; image with short sessions.

B. Fusion Drive (SSD + HDD pair)

11. Missing SSD half → Image HDD; identify Fusion GUIDs; reconstruct CoreStorage/APFS Fusion mapping; partial recovery with SSD extents absent.

12. Missing HDD half → Image SSD; rebuild mapping; expect small fraction of recent hot data only.

13. Both present, metadata broken → Extract CS/APFS container superblocks from both; reconcile pairing; reassemble logical volume.

14. APFS Fusion after macOS upgrade failed → Choose healthy checkpoint; mount reassembled container RO; export.

15. Incorrect disk swap (post-service) → Brute GUID matching; test candidate pairs; validate via directory coherence.

C. Apple PCIe/NVMe blades (2013–2020 Intel)

16. No enumerate in host → Use Apple blade adapters to stable NVMe host; tune queue depth; image.

17. Controller timeout/CRC → Lower link speed, increase timeouts; thermostabilise; multi-pass clone.

18. Sudden power-loss corruption → Rebuild APFS checkpoint; journal rollback; recover live set.

19. FileVault on blade → Image first; decrypt with password/Recovery key; repair APFS B-trees.

20. Blade connector damage → Microsolder pads; if not viable, donor housing + adapter for readout.

D. T2-equipped Macs (2018–2020 Intel)

21. T2 logic board dead → Board-level repair to bring SEP/T2 up; access via Target Disk Mode/Configurator; data remains tied to this board’s keys.

22. FileVault enabled → Require user password/recovery key; decrypt after imaging; if credentials unavailable, data remains cryptographically inaccessible.

23. BridgeOS corruption → DFU revive/restore to bring board online (non-destructive when possible) to allow Target Disk Mode imaging.

24. Keyboard/Touch Bar dead, data needed → External boot/Target Disk Mode; image internally bound storage once SEP is alive.

25. Erase/replace logic board → Explain data loss (keys differ); attempt component-level repair on original board to re-enable access.

E. Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3) Macs

26. Board won’t boot → DFU revive first (non-destructive); aim to bring SoC/SEP up; if revived, use Share Disk (recovery) to image.

27. DFU restore executed → User data likely erased; recover only from backups (Time Machine/iCloud/local).

28. Soldered NAND fault → Board-level power/PMIC/rail repair; if SEP can be brought up and user pass available, mount & image; chip-off is not viable (per-device keys).

29. Forgotten password, FileVault on → With valid Recovery/Institutional key, decrypt; otherwise data cannot be decrypted by design.

30. APFS container damage (after update) → Use older checkpoint by transaction ID; reconstruct B-trees/spacemaps; export.

F. External/portable Mac volumes (USB/Thunderbolt)

31. Bus-powered NVMe resets → Force BOT/USB2 reader or TB enclosure with lower link; image with throttled QD.

32. Bridge auto-encryption (WD/SanDisk) → Retain original bridge (holds keys); decrypt stream during imaging.

33. Thunderbolt enclosure logic fault → Bypass to native NVMe/SATA; image raw.

G. Filesystem & logical (APFS/HFS+/CoreStorage)

34. APFS nx superblock corrupt → Scan for prior checkpoints; pick healthy epoch; rebuild container/volume trees.

35. APFS spacemap errors → Recalculate free-space structures; mount RO; copy out.

36. HFS+ catalog/extent B-tree damage → Rebuild trees from leaf nodes; recover forks; carve strays.

37. CoreStorage metadata loss → Recreate LVG/LV from headers; decrypt LV if FileVault; mount.

38. Time Machine sparsebundle corruption → HFS+ inside sparsebundle: band map rebuild; export intact snapshots.

39. ExFAT on removable Mac media → Rebuild VBR/bitmap; directory coherence check.

40. Partition table loss (GPT/MBR) → Signature scan; restore GPT with original offsets; mount RO.

H. User/OS events

41. Accidental deletion → Metadata-first (APFS snapshots, HFS+ catalog); minimal carving; keep names/timestamps.

42. Quick/Full format → Restore from secondary headers & snapshots; carve only for gaps.

43. macOS failed update/upgrade → Roll back via snapshot; repair APFS structures; export user data.

44. iCloud Drive sync issues → Recover local originals from Mobile Documents and purgeable caches before OS re-provisions.

45. Mailbox/databases corrupt (Mail, Photos, Lightroom) → SQLite index rebuild; sidecar pairing; media relinking.

I. Power/thermal/environment

46. Liquid spill (laptop won’t power) → Clean & repair board rails just enough to bring SEP/storage online; image immediately.

47. PSU surge (iMac) → Replace TVS/regulators on disk; ensure preamp OK; clone then repair FS.

48. Overheating NVMe throttling → Heatsink + duty-cycle reads; low QD imaging to avoid resets.

J. Security/encryption/forensics

49. FileVault headers damaged → Use backup headers; if both copies gone, partial recovery only (encrypted payload is unrecoverable).

50. T2/M-series erased/Activation Lock → Explain hardware-bound encryption; without valid credentials and original working board/SEP, data is unrecoverable by design.

Why Liverpool Data Recovery

• 25+ years specialising in Apple storage, APFS/HFS+, FileVault, Fusion, T2 and Apple Silicon

• Advanced tooling (PC-3000, DeepSpar, Atola) and Apple-aware methods (Target Disk Mode, DFU/Configurator, checkpoints)

• Extensive donor & adapter inventory for Apple PCIe blades and legacy SATA/PATA

• Free diagnostics and engineer-to-engineer communication; expedited options available

Next steps: Tell us the model & year, symptoms, and must-have folders. Package the device/drive in a small padded box or envelope and post or drop off. We’ll stabilise, image, and recover your data with full technical reporting.