4. Data recovery for MacBook Pro A1707 and A1706

This method is for the 13” and 15” MacBook Pros with touch bar manufactured from 2016 to 2017. The SSD drives in these models are soldered to the logic board and non-removable. The photo below shows the SSD chips soldered on an A1706 MacBook Pro logic board.

Mac data recovery from a malfunction Mac used to be a simple task as all those Apple computers came with a removable HDD or SSD drive. We can remove the hard drive or SSD drive from the faulty Mac, put it into a working Mac, and start the data transfer process straight away, as discussed above. Sometimes we need some data recovery software to assist the data transfer process. We need to replace the data read-write head or the control board inside a hard drive in extreme cases. Armed with these tools and techniques, we don’t have to know how the hard drive internal circuitry works and still can achieve a high data recovery success rate. Unfortunately, these Mac data recovery methods will not work on the new MacBooks.

The new MacBook logic board designs have shifted from the removable hard drives to the non-removable SSD chips from 2015. According to Apple, integrated SSD chips on the logic board will increase data transfer speed and data security. On the other hand, recovering files from a dead logic board with onboard SSD chips becomes more challenging, especially from a water-damaged MacBook. Nowadays, we have to understand how the SSD circuitry works to achieve a specific success rate.

To recover data from a failed Mac of these models, you can use a toolkit called “Apple Data Migration Toolkit” (Apple part # 076-00236). You can connect this toolkit to the “lifeboat” connector on the non-functional logic board as shown below:

The toolkit will provide power to the SSD circuits of the failed logic board. Once the tool has successfully communicated with the SSD chips that contain your data, you can copy the data to a working Mac via the USB-C port. You need a working Mac with USB-C ports and the Apple data migration toolkit to get this job done.

Follow these steps to retrieve data via the “lifeboat” connector on a failed logic board.

Remove the MacBook back case and disconnect the battery.
Remove the two screws on the cap of the “lifeboat” connector and remove the covering cap.
Connect the Apple toolkit to the logic board “lifeboat” connector and power on the tool.
Connect the toolkit to your working Mac with a USB-C data cable.
You will see a popup screen asking for a password. Enter the password of the user account to unlock the hard drive.
The SSD drive of the failed logic board will show on the desktop as an external drive.
Click the external drive and open the contents.
Copy all the folders in your account to your Mac or an external drive.

The above two MacBook Pro A1708 were manufactured in 2017. Both MacBooks use the same background picture and set the brightness to maximum. The screen on the right-hand side is an Apple original screen; the one on the left-hand side is a third-party screen purchased online.

There are significant differences between an original Apple screen and a third-party screen as outlined here:

Apple uses high-quality LEDs as backlight sources. The backlight is pure white. On the other hand, the backlight of the third-party screen is bluish.

Apple’s high-quality LEDs provide brighter lights and remain near the same brightness level even after more the eight years. The brightness of some third-party screens may only maintain half of the original brightness level after a year of use.

Photo sharpness. The Apple original screen produces a much sharper image thanks to the high quality of the LCD panel, as you can see on the right-hand side of the above photo.

r screen in 7 days.

We at IT-Tech Online, provide same-day Mac screen replacement service in Melbourn. We strongly recommend using Apple’s original screen if you have the budget. For more detail please see our MacBook Screen Replacement Price List as price references on the market.

If you prefer to purchase a screen online and replace the screen yourself, you can save some money. You can search on eBay or other online platforms using the keyword " MacBook screen" followed by your MacBook model numbers such as A2141, or A2337. You can find the number on the MacBook back case.

Please remember that all the NEW screens sold online are after-market screens, no matter what the seller says or promises. Another concern is the warranty issue. Most online sellers make a small margin on the item. After the first-month money-back guarantee imposed by eBay or Amazon, how many sellers can afford to provide good warranty service for three months, six months or one year?

If you decide to replace the screen yourself, get a MacBook screen replacement guide for your specific model. There are huge differences in some models. You may need some basic Mac repair tools as well. You can order from iFixit. Also, Apple uses various sizes of screws in the MacBook. Make a photo of the screw’s positions and remember to put them back in their original positions. Last words, remember to disconnect the MacBook charger and battery before you replace the screen. Good luck!