Mac Repair London carries out data recovery on the MacBook Pro 13-inch Unibody from our Central London workshop, for home users and businesses.
Data recovery from the A1278 is usually straightforward because it has a standard SATA drive with no hardware encryption tied to the logic board. If the 2012 hard drive cable failed, your data is often fine, and we can read it directly. Where the drive is physically damaged, we image it on professional recovery hardware.
About this model: The 13-inch unibody MacBook Pro (A1278) is one of the most repairable and long-lived Macs Apple ever made. It has a user-accessible hard drive and two RAM slots, a removable optical drive and a screwed-in battery.
Signs it needs data recovery
- Flashing folder at start-up
- Drive not mounting
- Accidental deletion
- Liquid-damaged MacBook with important files
How we do it
The drive comes out of the Mac and is copied sector by sector on dedicated recovery hardware. All the work on your files happens on that copy, so the original drive is never put at further risk.
Mechanical faults, such as a clicking or silent drive, are handled through our physical recovery service.
We recover documents, photos, video, Mail, Photos and iTunes/Music libraries, and project files from apps like Final Cut Pro, Logic and Adobe Creative Cloud.
At a glance
| Years | 2009–2012 |
|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Core 2 Duo, then Core i5/i7 |
| Storage | Standard SATA drive |
| Memory | Socketed, upgradeable |
| Battery | Screwed in (no glue) |
| Power / charging | MagSafe 1 |
Before you bring it in
Don’t run disk repair tools or reinstall macOS, as both can overwrite what we’re trying to save. Note which files matter most and whether FileVault was switched on.
Which model do you have?
This page covers the MacBook Pro 13-inch Unibody (2009–2012) (MacBookPro5,5 / 7,1 / 8,1 / 9,2; A1278). Look under Apple menu > About This Mac, or check the small print on the bottom case for the A-number. Not sure? Bring it in and we’ll identify it for you.
Price
From £150 + VAT for logical recovery; physical recovery from damaged drives from £350 + VAT. All prices are subject to inspection, and nothing is done without your approval.
Questions we’re often asked
Will you need my password?
Only if FileVault encryption was switched on. Without it, we can read the drive directly. With it, we need your login password or recovery key.