Using another computer to read movies from a broken hard disk
Using advanced tools to read movies from a faulty disk
Oct. 15, 2020 - Willem L. Middelkoop
This week I received a message from someone with a iMac that crashed. It contained more than 50.000 photos, covering two decades of personal history. As there was no backup, it was up to me to attempt to safe as much as I could. Could I possibly recover the personal photos?
Continue reading![This chip is was originally part of a external USB disk drive - you might have one around that you can use for this](/blog/2020-10-15_rescuing-photos-from-a-crashed-imac/images/i_08_This-chip-is-was-originally-part-of-a-external-USB-disk-drive-you-might-have-one-around-that-you-can_500px.jpg)
![Connecting the disk to a SATA-to-USB convertor](/blog/2020-10-15_rescuing-photos-from-a-crashed-imac/images/i_07_Connecting-the-disk-to-a-SATA-to-USB-convertor_500px.jpg)
![Reading files from the salvaged disk - if you understand Dutch you’ll understand the personal nature of these photos (‘bevalling’ means birth)](/blog/2020-10-15_rescuing-photos-from-a-crashed-imac/images/i_10_Reading-files-from-the-salvaged-disk-if-you-understand-Dutch-you-ll-understand-the-personal-nature-o_500px.jpg)
![It doesn’t hurt to be nice to the damaged disk... “pleasssssse little disky... give me the photos!” - But don’t touch the chips!](/blog/2020-10-15_rescuing-photos-from-a-crashed-imac/images/i_13_It-doesn-t-hurt-to-be-nice-to-the-damaged-disk-pleasssssse-little-disky-give-me-the-photos-But-don-t_500px.jpg)
![The iMac’s innards are visible after removing the display](/blog/2020-10-15_rescuing-photos-from-a-crashed-imac/images/i_05_The-iMac-s-innards-are-visible-after-removing-the-display_500px.jpg)
![The display is fixed using Torx screws - it can be a little tricky to remove the screws as the magnets easily catch them!](/blog/2020-10-15_rescuing-photos-from-a-crashed-imac/images/i_03_The-display-is-fixed-using-Torx-screws-it-can-be-a-little-tricky-to-remove-the-screws-as-the-magnets_500px.jpg)