File transfer from dead 2007 Mac Mini to new Imac help

[moochydoo]

Does anyone have any helpful advice on getting files off of my old, mostly dead, Mac Mini to a new Imac? The 2007 Mac Mini gets as far as chiming, showing the apple logo, and showing a status bar of trying to read the hard drive, but ends up just stalling and never getting to the desktop screen. I've read various options involving using a firewire cable, to trying to use a flash drive, but need more details specific to my machines and what would really work. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated! And will give a virtual high-five and hug to those who save me. Thanks!!!!

 

[organicCPU]

10 years for a HDD is much time. Your HDD is likely dying. Note that every time you power on your Mac Mini lowers the chance to save data and raises the risk of complete data loss. Do you have a backup? How important is the data for you?

If the data is very important to you and you have no backups, don't try to recover the data by yourself and take the Mac Mini to some professional data rescue service.

If you have a backup and/or are just interested to learn data recovery, then you can try booting your Mac Mini into Target Disk Mode by pressing T. Usually a dying HDD will mount, but suddenly unmount. Therefore you'll make a copy of the dying drive to a disk image on a working drive and never work on the original drive. For doing that, there is data recovery software around. One tool like this is the free ddrescue. My hint is to install and learn how to use such a recovery tool in advance on your iMac. Only power on the Mac Mini, if you're really prepared for data rescuing.

Alternatively to Target Disk Mode, you can remove the failing drive and try a block level copy to a new drive with a clone station. One like this icy box or similar.

 

[moochydoo]

10 years for a HDD is much time. Your HDD is likely dying. Note that every time you power on your Mac Mini lowers the chance to save data and raises the risk of complete data loss. Do you have a backup? How important is the data for you?

If the data is very important to you and you have no backups, don't try to recover the data by yourself and take the Mac Mini to some professional data rescue service.

If you have a backup and/or are just interested to learn data recovery, then you can try booting your Mac Mini into Target Disk Mode by pressing T. Usually a dying HDD will mount, but suddenly unmount. Therefore you'll make a copy of the dying drive to a disk image on a working drive and never work on the original drive. For doing that, there is data recovery software around. One tool like this is the free ddrescue. My hint is to install and learn how to use such a recovery tool in advance on your iMac. Only power on the Mac Mini, if you're really prepared for data rescuing.

Alternatively to Target Disk Mode, you can remove the failing drive and try a block level copy to a new drive with a clone station. One like this icy box or similar.

Thanks for helpful info. I mistakingly said it was a 2007 Mac Mini, when it's really 2009, but it probably doesn't matter in the whole scheme of things. It just recently started the dying process, but it is good to know that I shouldn't be powering it up until I have my strategy in place. I don't have a backup (lesson learned,) and I only saved a few files off of it on a flash drive when I had a hunch something was going wrong with it. Murphy's Law, I now have an old client of mine who wants updates on their website and all those files are on my Mac Mini and unattainable. I will look into the data recovery option...thanks for the free ddrescue mention. It's just been a little confusing with all that's out there on the internet to figure out the best/safest route. I know I could bring it in to Apple to see if they could do it, but don't want to spend that kind of money...and find walking into an Apple Store irritating.
Thanks again!!!

 

[organicCPU]

I know I could bring it in to Apple to see if they could do it, but don't want to spend that kind of money...and find walking into an Apple Store irritating.

I don't think that an Apple Store offers data recovery services except for the new built-in soldered SSDs of the latest Mac Book Pro generation. I was talking about an independent data recovery service at your location. And yes, that's not a cheap service. A few hundred dollars is an usual rate for this. But it's worth it, if you depend on that client data.

If you really decide to try recovery on your own, I'll try to give you some further assistance, but can't guarantee any success. Just let me know!