Fix Folder with question mark on Mac12. Repair Mac logic board

 

12. Repair Mac logic board

MacBook Pros manufactured after 2015 always use SSD onboard technology. The SSD chips are soldered on the logic board in the MacBooks. You can’t remove the SSD drive and plug in a new one, just like the pre-2016 MacBook Pros and the pre-2018 MacBook Airs.

When you have a folder question mark on an SSD onboard MacBook and have already ruled out any software issue, you most likely have faulty SSD circuits on the logic board.

There are two types of faults in SSD circuits. The first one is the SSD NAND chips are ok, but the power rails (DC power in different voltages, e.g., 2.7V, 0.9V, 0.8V, etc.) to the SSD chips failed. You need a Mac component(chip) level repairer to repair the power rails. After repair, your data usually will be intact.

The second type of fault is failed SSD NAND chips. When any SSD NAND chips fail, your data will be gone. There is no way to retrieve the data. You can replace the whole set of SSD NAND chips, the SSD controller chip and the Apple T2 security chip. The repair bill usually is costly. You may find that a replacement logic board is cheaper.

Below we take a MacBook Pro and a MacBook Air to demonstrate how to fix the mac folder question mark at the component level