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
Your data is on a standard drive, so first we take it out of the Mac and connect it to our recovery equipment through a write-blocker, which means nothing is written to the drive. We make a full image and work only on the copy.
If the drive has physical problems such as clicking or not spinning, it goes through our physical recovery process instead.
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
Logical data recovery from £150 + VAT; 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.
How much does it cost?
See the price section above. We always quote before starting, and if we can’t fix it, you don’t pay for the repair.
Book a repair
For a free, no-obligation quote, call 020 7394 2528 or email info@mac-repair.london.