System failure/Logic - data recovery ideas?

I recently had a system failure of Mac os 10.4. A black box appeared on my MacBook instructing me to shut down via hard boot. When I fired the system back up an icon appeared, file with question mark, and computer was unresponsive.
I brought the MacBook in to Apple store and they attempted the disk utility and to re-install os to no avail. The files all seemed to be in place, and my personal files seemed to have volume, although not accessible In the end, the hard drive was replaced. The hard drive physically is ok, they described it as a logic failure. I brought the hard drive to Digital Medix to have my personal files recovered - when they performed a raw data recovery, only the system files were recovered - not my personal files.
The only thing I can think of is that I did enable data encryption via FileVault. Any ideas?

You could try the free demo of DataRescuell .
If the demo "sees" your stuff, you can purchase the full version to rescue the bigger files.
 Cheers! DALE

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    com.apple.driver.Apple02DBDMAAudio          2.5.8f1 - last unloaded 6780484378
    loaded kexts:
    com.apple.filesystems.afpfs          9.0.2 - last loaded 120971065342
    com.apple.nke.asp_tcp          4.7.1
    com.apple.filesystems.autofs          2.0.2
    com.apple.driver.AppleTopazAudio          2.5.8f1
    com.apple.driver.AppleTAS3004Audio          2.5.8f1
    com.apple.GeForcePPC          5.4.8
    com.apple.driver.AudioIPCDriver          1.0.6
    com.apple.driver.AppleFCU          1.3.2b0
    com.apple.driver.AppleK2Fan          1.0.10f1
    com.apple.driver.AppleHWSensor          1.9d0
    com.apple.nvidia.nv30hal          5.4.8
    com.apple.driver.AppleCPUVoltage          1.5.2d0
    com.apple.iokit.IOFireWireIP          1.7.7
    com.apple.driver.AppleUSBDisplays          2.0.2
    com.apple.driver.AppleVSP          2.2.2
    com.apple.driver.AppleK2Driver          1.7.2f1
    com.apple.driver.AppleSlewClock          1.5.2d0
    com.apple.driver.AppleHWClock          1.5.2d0
    com.apple.driver.PowerMac7_2_PlatformPlugin          3.4.0d0
    com.apple.driver.InternalModemSupport          2.4.0
    com.apple.driver.AppleMaxim6690          1.9d0
    com.apple.driver.AppleI2S          1.0.1f1
    com.apple.driver.AppleAD741x          1.9d0
    com.apple.driver.AppleLM7x          1.9d0
    com.apple.driver.AppleUSBHIDMouse          1.2.4b3
    com.apple.driver.AppleUSBMergeNub          3.5.2
    com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIMultimediaCommandsDevice          2.1.1
    com.apple.iokit.SCSITaskUserClient          2.1.1
    com.apple.driver.XsanFilter          2.7.91
    com.apple.iokit.IOATABlockStorage          2.0.6
    com.apple.driver.AppleUSBHub          3.4.9
    com.apple.iokit.IOUSBUserClient          3.5.2
    com.apple.iokit.IOATAPIProtocolTransport          1.5.3
    com.apple.driver.ApplePMU          2.5.6d2
    com.apple.driver.AppleK2SATA          1.0.4f2
    com.apple.driver.AppleGPIO          1.3.0d0
    com.apple.driver.AppleVIA          1.5.1d1
    com.apple.driver.MacIOGPIO          1.3.0d0
    com.apple.driver.AppleMPIC          1.5.3
    com.apple.driver.AppleI2C          4.0.0d2
    com.apple.driver.AppleK2SATARoot          1.0.5b1
    com.apple.iokit.AppleGMACEthernet          1.5.9f1
    com.apple.driver.AppleFWOHCI          3.9.7
    com.apple.driver.AppleKauaiATA          1.2.1f4
    com.apple.driver.AppleUSBEHCI          3.4.6
    com.apple.driver.AppleUSBOHCI          3.4.6
    com.apple.driver.AppleK2          1.7.2f1
    com.apple.driver.AppleSPU          2.5.6d2
    com.apple.driver.AppleMacRiscPCI          3.4.0
    com.apple.driver.AppleFlashNVRAM          1.0.5
    com.apple.security.seatbelt          107.12
    com.apple.nke.applicationfirewall          1.8.77
    com.apple.security.TMSafetyNet          3
    com.apple.BootCache          30.4
    com.apple.driver.DiskImages          199
    com.apple.driver.AppleMacRISC4PE          2.0.4d9
    com.apple.driver.AppleOnboardAudio          2.5.8f1
    com.apple.driver.AppleDBDMAAudio          2.5.8f1
    com.apple.iokit.IOAudioFamily          1.6.9fc5
    com.apple.kext.OSvKernDSPLib          1.1
    com.apple.NVDAResmanPPC          5.4.8
    com.apple.iokit.IONDRVSupport          1.0

    It looks lie it crashed doing Network I/O
    Have you blown the dust out of it lately?
    Get Temperature Monitor to see if it's heat related...
    http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/12381/temperature-monitor
    iStat Menus...
    http://bjango.com/mac/istatmenus/
    And/or iStat Pro...
    http://www.islayer.com/apps/istatpro/
    If you have any temps in the 70°C/160°F range, that's likely it.

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    Contact the nearest Apple store for a definitive answer.  We are users like you and cannot provide you with an accurate answer.
    Ciao.

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  • Data Recovery On an iBook G3

    I had an iBook G3 in college (2002, exact model @ http://bit.ly/VGVpSh), and when it died I purchased a new Mac and shoved the iBook in a box (About 7 years ago). It died from the logic board/display issues that all those dual-USB iBooks had. I actually had one, or maybe even two, logic board(s) replaced under warranty, but it eventually went out again, and I just bought a whole new laptop. I know I have a ton of photos from college on there, and that's really the data I'm now after! I can get the screen to work most of the time by placing a clamp under the 'Option' key on the left half of the keyboard. New problem though, as fired it up to take a stab at finding my data; I'm getting a flashing question mark when it boots up, which a little research shows is indicative of hard drive failure... My photos!!! So I've messed around with the computer for an hour or so, and haven't had any luck.
    First and foremost, does the flashing question mark mean that data's dead and gone for good, period? Or could the drive itself be fine, but the controller/cables be bad? Sadly, ten years later I don't have the install CD, so that's not an option. I used a random OS9 disc I found online, but it wouldn't boot off that either; I'm guessing because it's not the original OS CD for this model... I also can't get the 'Firewire target' to work. The oldest computer I have in the house is an Intel 2ghz core duo 2 (exact machine @ http://bit.ly/LqDkzw) running 10.6. I'm guessing the new machine/OS won't do the Firewire target mode, as I've been unsuccessful when I've tried. I just read there are different Firewire 400 vs Firewire 800 cables, so I guess I could just be using the wrong cable as well..? I found an old Firewire cable to even try this in the first place, but I have no idea if it's 400 vs 800. Or would a bad hard drive preclude the Firewire target mode anyway?
    I've also tried random things like Ethernet connections, but no luck. I'm guessing the probably-wide OS gap won't allow them to communicate anyway.
    I found a bunch of these laptops on ebay for $45, So I guess I could just buy one used, and swap the hard drives? That way, if the HD it self’s ok, moving it to a new home might help (plus it'd fix the logic board issue). Downside is that the hard drive swap doesn't look easy at all, and I could end up messing up the HD even more.
    I've never used a data recovery business, but is that possibly my best bet? I have no idea how much they cost, but I think a friend said his data recovery cost like $250. In all honestly I think I'd pay $250 for my old memories, I'm just not sure where to go from here. If anyone has suggestions on fixing it, or ANY suggestions on who’s a good merchant to handle this, I'd greatly appreciate any advice. Thanks all!

    I use the external caddy as edex67 has suggested you try. This is probably the cheapest and easiest way to recover the pics providing that the hard drive is working. The only catch is you must remove the drive in order to attach to the adapter. Since you are not trying to resurect the iBook, the drive removal would be easier as disassembly would not have to be as cautious. Below links to disassembly and a source for an adapter.
    http://www.ifixit.com/Device/iBook_G3_12%22
    http://eshop.macsales.com/item/NewerTech/U3NVSPATA/

  • Display issues, system failures, lock ups- oh my!

    Hi all,
    For the last few months I've begun to experience significant issues with my Macbook Pro. I got it back in early 2006, so I believe it's one of the original models. Specs below:
    Model Name: MacBook Pro 15"
    Model Identifier: MacBookPro1,1
    Processor Name: Intel Core Duo
    Processor Speed: 1.83 GHz
    Number Of Processors: 1
    Total Number Of Cores: 2
    L2 Cache: 2 MB
    Memory: 2 GB
    Bus Speed: 667 MHz
    Boot ROM Version: MBP11.0055.B08
    SMC Version (system): 1.2f10
    Graphics...
    ATI Radeon X1600:
    Chipset Model: ATY,RadeonX1600
    Type: Display
    Bus: PCIe
    PCIe Lane Width: x16
    VRAM (Total): 128 MB
    Vendor: ATI (0x1002)
    Device ID: 0x71c5
    Revision ID: 0x0000
    EFI Driver Version: 01.00.068
    Displays:
    BenQ E2200HD:
    Resolution: 1920 x 1080 @ 60 Hz
    Depth: 32-Bit Color
    Core Image: Hardware Accelerated
    Main Display: Yes
    Mirror: Off
    Online: Yes
    Quartz Extreme: Supported
    Rotation: Supported
    Current Software info:
    System Version: Mac OS X 10.5.7 (9J61)
    Kernel Version: Darwin 9.7.0
    Boot Volume: Macintosh HD
    Boot Mode: Normal
    So, to explain my issues... I have experienced the following:
    *Temporary lockups involving a "beach ball of death" spinning for maybe 5-10 seconds, then going back to normal.
    *Much longer lockups with the spinny ball that can only be solved by the computer's lid being shut, waiting for sleep, and then re-opening it.
    *Lockups you simply don't recover from- the screen getting "messy" with artefacts and scrambled images, bits of random colours, and no movement at all. These I have to restart the laptop physically to recover from.
    As time has gone on in the past few months, these are getting worse and worse. I thought it was overheating, but the temperatures seem okay and I have a laptop cooling pad for it. Then there's the completely random screen tearing and artefacts that seem to be happening; Safari, iTunes, Football Manager 2008, Firefox, Seashore... all these apps that I use on a consistent basis appear to discolour, tear, introduce horizontal lines across the screen, and just generally completely @#$% up the look of the desktop. What's going on there? :S It almost seems like it could be a graphics card issue, but that's why I'm asking here I suppose.
    The issues are getting more frequent, and it's a bit disappointing because, while I imagined that I would get a new laptop one day, I was under the impression macs had a good staying power and I could at least keep it working as a backup at home or give it to my brother. Now it appears that this one might have a terminal problem, be out of warranty, and thus most expensive to fix. Or is it?
    Anyone have an idea what I might be experiencing here?

    A failing hard drive can cause all sorts of problems by operating erratically. Your first priority should be to be sure you have a good backup of your data on an external drive, just in case the drive fails completely. Otherwise data recovery could be very expensive.
    You might try booting from your install disc to the Apple Hardware test. This will take the hard drive out of the equation, and you can see if the video problems persist, even when booted from a disc. Run the extended version of the Apple Hardware test and see if you get any error codes. If so, post back with them.
    While booted from the install disc, you can also navigate to Disk Utility from the menu bar, select your drive, and see if you can repair it. Since it is failing physically, repairing the software part will not actually fix it, but it might make it work better temporarily.
    Replacing your hard drive is worth doing if there are no other serious problems with your Mac. You can upgrade to a faster and bigger drive--up to 500 GB's if you like. However, you do want to be sure that you don't have any logic board problems first.
    One thing you could consider doing is getting an external drive, preferably FireWire, and installing the OS on it with your installation discs. Then you could boot from the external and see how the display behaves when booted from a new drive. That would give you a good idea of how your Mac would run if you replaced the drive.
    Normally I would suggest making a bootable clone of your internal drive using a cloning utility like Super Duper or Carbon Copy Cloner:
    http://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/SuperDuperDescription.html
    http://www.bombich.com/software/ccc.html
    Either one can be downloaded and run for free. If you want to free up the more useful features of Super Duper, you can register a copy for about US $28. CCC is donation ware.
    You could still use one of these to make a clone of your internal drive as a back up, but keep in mind there may be some corruption from the failing hard drive which would just get cloned. But these utilities are great for backing up a good drive.
    Good luck!

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