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I need to backup data files on a hard drive from a non-working 13" mid 2012 MBP (bad logic bd and not sure of OS) to my working 15" MBP late 2011 (El Capitan). I’m assuming if my MBP is running and I plug in the HD (using iFixit adapter cable kit) it will be recognized as a external storage device. Any suggestions / warnings before attempting this?
what kind of backup you want to do? If your disk works fine you can boot externaly with your MBP 15: connect the 13’’ hdd via usb power on and push Alt on the keyboard , there you will have the boot options for the diferents drives, log in the 13 and you can do a full back up, Time machine or other type. other way is just start your 15" connect the 13" hdd via usb and you will see it like a external drive and you can copy everything from it
Just to be clear we are talking about the non-retina model here which is struggling (has a 2.5" SATA drive). There is two ways you can transfer your data: If the system can be booted up in Target Disk Mode you can treat it like an external drive. If the system just won’t start you’ll need to pull the drive and connect it to a SATA to USB adapter. The IFIXIT adapter will be just fine. Once you can physically access the drive the best way is to leverage Apples’ Migration Assistant app. Here’s the Apple T/N’s & other info that explain things: Use target disk mode to share files between two Mac computersMove your content to a new MacMigration Assistant: Transfer Your Data to a New MacYouTube - Apple Migration Assistant
