If your MacBook Pro 15-inch Unibody needs data recovery, our London technicians can help, usually with a quote on the same day you bring it in.
With no hardware encryption and a standard SATA drive, most data recovery from a failed A1286 is a matter of removing the drive and imaging it. A dead GPU doesn’t affect your data at all. If the drive has mechanical damage we recover it on specialist hardware.
About this model: The 15-inch unibody MacBook Pro (A1286) was the professional’s laptop for four years. It shares the easy-access drive and RAM of the 13-inch but adds a discrete graphics chip, and that’s where the trouble is: the 2011 models with AMD Radeon 6490M, 6750M or 6770M graphics are notorious for GPU failure.
Signs it needs data recovery
- Dead from GPU failure, data needed
- Drive clicking or not found
- Accidental deletion
- Water-damaged laptop
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.
Typical recoveries include Photos libraries, Mail archives, music collections, business documents and creative projects from Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro or Adobe apps.
At a glance
| Years | 2008–2012 |
|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Core 2 Duo, then Core i5/i7 with NVIDIA or AMD graphics |
| Storage | Standard SATA drive |
| Memory | Socketed, upgradeable |
| Battery | Screwed in (no glue) |
| Power / charging | MagSafe 1 |
Before you bring it in
Check iCloud, Time Machine and any external drives first: you may have more backed up than you think. Then bring the Mac in with a short list of the files you need most.
Which model do you have?
This page covers the MacBook Pro 15-inch Unibody (2008–2012) (MacBookPro5,1 to 9,1; A1286). Open the Apple menu, choose About This Mac, then More Info or System Report. The A-number is also printed in small text on the underside. 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.
Do I pay if you can’t fix it?
No. If the repair isn’t possible, you don’t pay for it, and the free initial assessment costs nothing.
Book a repair
Call us on 020 7394 2528 or email info@mac-repair.london to arrange a time to drop it off.