My new Crucial 500GB SSD died, how can I get my kids videos?

[Sundevil09]

I put a new Crucial 500GB HD in my MBP-mid 2009, 3 months ago. It now will not come off of the grey boot screen. I'm wondering if I can replace it with the original 250GB HD and then try to attach it to the DVD rom drive cable and access it as a secondary slave drive and pull all of the videos of my kids off and put them on a 3rd External HD with enough space to hold them. Crucial said they would send me a new drive once I send them the faulty one.

*Note: Apple store was able to use their machine to access the files on the faulty HD, but it said it would take like 3 days to pull the 300+GB of photos and HD videos to an external HD. These are irreplaceable family memories that I need to get back!! Help please!

Any suggestions? I don't have a 2nd Mac to use to try "target disk", so I need to get this one to boot and use it to retrieve data from the faulty hardware.

 

[techiesteve]

First I would install the original 250GB hard drive into your MacBook Pro and check that it boots. This is to check the Apple diagnosis that the SSD had failed is correct and there isn't a cable problem. If your old drive boots, then buy either a 2.5" USB hard drive case, or a SATA USB dock. With your SSD fitted either into the case or dock, connect t it to your MBP's USB port. Can you access it and pull off some of the video's as Apple suggested? If not, does the the SSD mount on your desktop? If not you will need to move on to the next stage, let us know how you get on.

You cannot connect a SATA HD or SSD to the ODD cable as it will not fit. An ODD uses a different connector than used on a HD. You can buy a carrier to replace the ODD, but using a USB drive case is easier and cheaper. Additionally, your old HD hasn't the capacity to hold the 300GB + of videos you have.

 

[harryb2448]

Ohh dear. Suggest first priority is an external hard drive for use as a backup when things are up and going.

 

[chas_m]

I'm sorry for the problems, but ... who doesn't back up their family photos and videos?? That is a very strange notion to me -- it's the ONE THING people would really want back when a computer fails!

Your initial post indicates that Apple has said they can get the data back for you, given time. Since you have no backup, that's your main option, so you should take them up on it (whatever they charge, it will be less than professional drive recovery companies, which will charge you a couple thousand bucks for that kind of retrieval). And, as suggested, while you are waiting you can buy a backup hard drive so this problem never re-occurs.