Mac won't boot - SSD, volumes unrecognised

How to use TestDisk to recover lost partition
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Author
Strolls
Posts: 1
Joined: 05 Aug 2015, 12:37

Mac won't boot - SSD, volumes unrecognised

#1 Post by Strolls »

So my mother brought her Macbook to me the other day because it's not booting. When powered on it shows a folder-with-a-question-mark on the screen, indicating that no bootable volumes are recognised.

I have removed the SSD and put it in an external enclosure, and then made an image of the whole SSD using GNU ddrescue. ddrescue completed with no errors.

Log as requested:

Code: Select all

Using locale 'en_GB.utf8'.


Tue Aug  4 21:51:02 2015
Command line: TestDisk /log Mums_Macbook.dead-SSD.2015-07-29.dd.img

TestDisk 7.0, Data Recovery Utility, April 2015
Christophe GRENIER <grenier@cgsecurity.org>
http://www.cgsecurity.org
OS: Linux, kernel 3.10.25-gentoo (#1 SMP Tue Feb 4 15:06:25 GMT 2014) x86_64
Compiler: GCC 4.8
Compilation date: 2015-05-11T00:41:51
ext2fs lib: 1.42.12, ntfs lib: libntfs-3g, reiserfs lib: 0.3.1-rc8, ewf lib: none, curses lib: ncurses 5.9
User is not root!
Hard disk list
Disk Mums_Macbook.dead-SSD.2015-07-29.dd.img - 60 GB / 55 GiB - CHS 7298 255 63, sector size=512

Partition table type (auto): EFI GPT
Disk Mums_Macbook.dead-SSD.2015-07-29.dd.img - 60 GB / 55 GiB
Partition table type: EFI GPT

Analyse Disk Mums_Macbook.dead-SSD.2015-07-29.dd.img - 60 GB / 55 GiB - CHS 7298 255 63
check_part_gpt failed for partition
 1 P Mac HFS                   409600  115961831  115552232 [Apple HFS/HFS+]
Current partition structure:
No HFS or HFS+ structure
 1 P Mac HFS                   409600  115961831  115552232 [Apple HFS/HFS+]
 1 P Mac HFS                   409600  115961831  115552232 [Apple HFS/HFS+]

search_part()
Disk Mums_Macbook.dead-SSD.2015-07-29.dd.img - 60 GB / 55 GiB - CHS 7298 255 63
     Mac HFS                   409640  115961831  115552192
     HFS+ blocksize=4096, 59 GB / 55 GiB

interface_write()
 1 P Mac HFS                   409640  115961831  115552192

search_part()
Disk Mums_Macbook.dead-SSD.2015-07-29.dd.img - 60 GB / 55 GiB - CHS 7298 255 63
     Mac HFS                   409640  115961831  115552192
     HFS+ blocksize=4096, 59 GB / 55 GiB
     Mac HFS                   417283  115969474  115552192
     HFS+ blocksize=4096, 59 GB / 55 GiB
     Mac HFS                   417884  115970075  115552192
     HFS+ blocksize=4096, 59 GB / 55 GiB
     Mac HFS                   418157  115970348  115552192
     HFS+ blocksize=4096, 59 GB / 55 GiB
     Mac HFS                   418502  115970693  115552192
     HFS+ blocksize=4096, 59 GB / 55 GiB
     Mac HFS                   418775  115970966  115552192
     HFS+ blocksize=4096, 59 GB / 55 GiB
     Mac HFS                   419032  115971223  115552192
     HFS+ blocksize=4096, 59 GB / 55 GiB
     Mac HFS                   419129  115971320  115552192
     HFS+ blocksize=4096, 59 GB / 55 GiB
     Mac HFS                   419322  115971513  115552192
     HFS+ blocksize=4096, 59 GB / 55 GiB
     Mac HFS                   419763  115971954  115552192
     HFS+ blocksize=4096, 59 GB / 55 GiB
     Mac HFS                   419940  115972131  115552192
     HFS+ blocksize=4096, 59 GB / 55 GiB
     Mac HFS                   420133  115972324  115552192
     HFS+ blocksize=4096, 59 GB / 55 GiB
     Mac HFS                   420582  115972773  115552192
     HFS+ blocksize=4096, 59 GB / 55 GiB
     Mac HFS                   420935  115973126  115552192
     HFS+ blocksize=4096, 59 GB / 55 GiB

     Mac HFS                   409640  115961831  115552192
     HFS+ blocksize=4096, 59 GB / 55 GiB
Support for this filesystem hasn't been implemented.

     Mac HFS                   417283  115969474  115552192
     HFS+ blocksize=4096, 59 GB / 55 GiB
Support for this filesystem hasn't been implemented.

     Mac HFS                   417884  115970075  115552192
     HFS+ blocksize=4096, 59 GB / 55 GiB
Support for this filesystem hasn't been implemented.

     Mac HFS                   418157  115970348  115552192
     HFS+ blocksize=4096, 59 GB / 55 GiB
Support for this filesystem hasn't been implemented.

     Mac HFS                   418502  115970693  115552192
     HFS+ blocksize=4096, 59 GB / 55 GiB
Support for this filesystem hasn't been implemented.

     Mac HFS                   418775  115970966  115552192
     HFS+ blocksize=4096, 59 GB / 55 GiB
Support for this filesystem hasn't been implemented.

     Mac HFS                   419032  115971223  115552192
     HFS+ blocksize=4096, 59 GB / 55 GiB
Support for this filesystem hasn't been implemented.

     Mac HFS                   419129  115971320  115552192
     HFS+ blocksize=4096, 59 GB / 55 GiB
Support for this filesystem hasn't been implemented.

     Mac HFS                   419322  115971513  115552192
     HFS+ blocksize=4096, 59 GB / 55 GiB
Support for this filesystem hasn't been implemented.

     Mac HFS                   419763  115971954  115552192
     HFS+ blocksize=4096, 59 GB / 55 GiB
Support for this filesystem hasn't been implemented.

     Mac HFS                   419940  115972131  115552192
     HFS+ blocksize=4096, 59 GB / 55 GiB
Support for this filesystem hasn't been implemented.

     Mac HFS                   420133  115972324  115552192
     HFS+ blocksize=4096, 59 GB / 55 GiB
Support for this filesystem hasn't been implemented.

     Mac HFS                   420582  115972773  115552192
     HFS+ blocksize=4096, 59 GB / 55 GiB
Support for this filesystem hasn't been implemented.

     Mac HFS                   420935  115973126  115552192
     HFS+ blocksize=4096, 59 GB / 55 GiB
Support for this filesystem hasn't been implemented.

interface_write()
 
No partition found or selected for recovery
simulate write!

TestDisk exited normally.
I'm afraid I don't really have a clue what I'm doing.

I have attempted to clone the found HFS filesystem onto the second partition of another external drive. I don't really know what I'm doing, so blindly I tried:

Code: Select all

$ sudo ddrescue -i 409640 -o 0 Mums_Macbook.dead-SSD.2015-07-29.dd.img /dev/sdc2 --force                                                            


GNU ddrescue 1.18.1
Press Ctrl-C to interrupt
rescued:    60022 MB,  errsize:       0 B,  current rate:    8085 kB/s
   ipos:    60022 MB,   errors:       0,    average rate:    9559 kB/s
   opos:    60022 MB, run time:    1.74 h,  successful read:       0 s ago
Finished                                     
$ sudo ddrescue -i 419032 -o 0 Mums_Macbook.dead-SSD.2015-07-29.dd.i
mg /dev/sdc2 --force                                                            
Password: 
  

GNU ddrescue 1.18.1
Press Ctrl-C to interrupt
rescued:    60022 MB,  errsize:       0 B,  current rate:    9265 kB/s  
   ipos:    60022 MB,   errors:       0,    average rate:    9548 kB/s
   opos:    60022 MB, run time:    1.74 h,  successful read:       0 s ago
Finished                                     
$ sudo ddrescue -i 4096400 -o 0 Mums_Macbook.dead-SSD.2015-07-29.dd.
img /dev/sdc2 --force                                                           
Password: 


GNU ddrescue 1.18.1
Press Ctrl-C to interrupt
rescued:    60018 MB,  errsize:       0 B,  current rate:    7168 kB/s
   ipos:    60022 MB,   errors:       0,    average rate:    9596 kB/s
   opos:    60018 MB, run time:    1.73 h,  successful read:       0 s ago
Finished                                     
$ 
Each time, the partition was unrecognised, and unrepairable, when I moved the external drive back to my Mac.

I haven't tried Photorec on the drive, yet - I'd prefer to rescue the filesystem intact, if it still remains.

I have no idea what happened to this drive - I can only assume that one or more of its flash (NAND?) chips has suddenly died.

Any suggestions would be gratefully received,

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