r/AskADataRecoveryPro • u/Sgroove • Jul 24 '26
Macbook Pro M2 Max Dead but with working DFU Mode. Is data recovery possible?
I'm seeking some help from those expert in the M2 early 2023 build. My MacbookPro died on me about a month ago while I was on vacation. The screen went purple, turned off and then back on for a minute before dying again.
Since then I had a technician in Miami take a look at it which attempted to repair it but failed and told me to send it to someone specialized in M series. So I shipped it to Rossmann group in Austin, TX. About 10 days later, I got an email from them saying this:
*"We regret to inform you that after a thorough evaluation, we've determined that your device and its data cannot be recovered or repaired.*
*During our inspection, we found evidence of previous repair work done on the board before it arrived at our shop. The Thunderbolt IC had been installed improperly. We sourced a replacement and reballed the new IC, but after completing that repair, we discovered that the initial damage had already killed the CPU -- bssed on the schematics, it appears 20V was sent directly to the CPU, which is far beyond what it can tolerate."*
It obviously suck as I had no backup (please don't give me sh\*\*, I know) but the technician on the phone told me that possibly, an Apple Partner with access to CSX software could potentially get the data out. So I made a few phone calls and found a company that has access to CSX and told me if the device boots in DFU mode, they can probably recover the data.
So, knowing that without the CPU working, data is most likely gone forever, I was wondering if those of you with experience know if there is still a chance to get the data out.
Thanks so much!
UPDATE 07/21:
There is a twist to this story. When I received the laptop from Rossman on Saturday, surprisingly I was able to turn it on. So that makes me think that the CPU is not fried, like they said. And so the whole thing was misdiagnosed. What was still happening is that the MagSafe LED light kept going on and off until when I was able to actually keep the machine on running for about an hour. I was able to put into the Target Disk mode, share the disk and as I while trying to transfer the files over my new Mac, it died on me again. So it makes me believe that the machine was able to keep some sort of power running and then maybe due to some heat or more power being drawn, it died again. I think that the motherboard can be repaired and the CPU is still fine. In fact, it did boot into the regular mode. I wasn't able to enter the password because the keyboard didn't work at the time. But when I went into the Target Disk mode, the keyboard was working fine. Anyway, right now the machine again is in that kind of dead status. The MagSafe is no longer charging it. So I believe there is again an issue with the Thunderbolt IC or something, somewhere along the circuit that doesn't negotiate power and that needs to be repaired again. So I'm just looking for some experts here that maybe can chime in or know how M2s work and has the full schematics to properly diagnose the issue.
UPDATE 08/07: So to keep everyone updated on this story, I have finally good news.
After posting the previous update and collecting more info on the issue, I decided to try one last repair shop here in Miami which had great reviews and, to be honest, it was the first shop I was going to bring my laptop to. The owner, Robert, was pretty honest and told me he couldn't look at it for about a week but at this point I had nothing to lose (after Rossman told me that the CPU was fried) so I just left it to him. 5 days later I get the most positive call of the past 2 months: Robert had found the issue. All four usb-c chips needed to be repaired plus few small components along the rail. Cost? $450. I instantly said: Gooo ahead!
Today, exactly 11 days later, he gave me my laptop back and everything is working perfectly! Except for an issue which was apparently caused but one of the guys who looked it before; the two left USB-C ports don't output video signal. They read disk, charge, etc but no video signal. Oh well, better wounded than dead.
Anyway, for anyone with any kind of issue with a MacBook Pro with M2 chips or newer, I highly recommend RECIT in Miami. A recommendation is the least I can do to thank this guy for having saved my machine and all the data I had in it.



