Help with Apple troubleshooting

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Hello Apple friends,

I'm asking I'm very new to Apple. I've agreed to support a few Apple devices at my agency because nobody else will do it. A friend found out, and asked me to help with their Macbook Pro from early 2011.

It turns on, but stops at the screen with the Apple logo and a spinning cheerio. (It looks more like a clock.)

I would like to:

• connect to this HD and copy off old pictures, etc
• re-install the OS from scratch. (It came with Snow Leopard but can support High Sierra.)
• install a new HD if necessary

I am guessing that to get the data off of the HD, I would use a Thunderbolt cable to simulate the HD as a slave? (Yes I have another Mac that I can use.)

Thanks.

@MichaelS,

Does the device eventually boot fully or not?

If it does, you might be able to use the migration assistant on a newer mac to move the content to newer mac. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204350

If it will not boot up, you may be able to take the HDD and put into to usb enclosure and access the files that way. Then you can do your second step after you verify that the drive is good.

Hi and thanks, Ronnie,

No, the system doesn't boot. Just the spinning cheerio during the boot attempt.

Ok, I will look at moving the HD to another system. Which is what I would have done were this a Windows system.

Hello @MichaelS,
You may find that Target Disk Mode will allow you to resolve your issue without removing the hard drive.

https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/transfer-files-mac-computers-target-disk-mode-mchlp1443/mac

This will work essentially the same as what @Ronnie-Wong suggested, but with less work. If something is wrong with the Mac, Ronnie's solution will work as long as the drive is good.