Help me resuscitate mid-2011 iMac so I can salvage files

[mrzeigler]

So I woke my mid-2011 iMac (running El Capitan) and was greeted with the spinning beach ball. After 10 minutes of this, I forced a restart, and without my prompting it started in Mac OS Recovery mode.

Disk Utility didn’t show any problems. Restoring from a backup was not an option.

I tried to reinstall the OS but received an alert that says a required download is missing.

I again restarted, this time in Option-⌘-R newest-version Recovery mode. This started the system-install process, but when it was completed, the machine simply hung on the opening screen ... literally for a few hours. No progress bar, no spinning beach ball, none of the usual internal start-up noise, not even the fan.

So ... by going with the newest-version recovery option, did I install an OS that can’t run on my 8-year-old computer? If that is the case, is the recommended solution to install an older, 2011-iMac-friendly OS? And if so, how do I determine which version to target and how do I find it?

 

[Fishrrman]

The 2011 iMacs were prone to GPU failure.
Just something to be aware of, if YOUR iMac came with a "discrete" GPU (as well as integrated graphics).

It's -possible- (not certain about this) that if you have a discrete GPU:
- the iMac may boot into recovery mode ok (using the integrated graphics)
but
- when you try to boot into "regular" mode, it can't, because it's trying to utilize the failed discrete GPU.

I could be completely wrong about this, perhaps others will correct me.

Or... something could be wrong with the power supply.
Or... a problem with other hardware?

My advice:
Time to start looking for a replacement.
No backup?
In that case, you're getting a HARD lesson in "why one should keep a backup".

If the 2011 can't be revived easily, it might be possible to get to the data a couple of other ways:
1. Take the old drive OUT OF the iMac and connect it to a new Mac using a USB3/SATA dock. But if there's a hardware or software corruption problem with the drive, this may not help.
2. Connect a new Mac to the old iMac and try booting the old one into "target disk mode", and see if you can get "the old drive" to mount on "the NEW desktop" that way.

 

[mBox]

Yep just take the drive out.
Much easier to deal with.
Target works too but that all depends if the other Mac wakes up past boot stage.

 

[mrzeigler]

Thanks for the advice. Yes, I know the “there are two types of people — those who back up their computers and those who will” mantra. Had just grown lazy over the last couple of years with this machine as I’d not been doing any essential “work” work on it ... but have used it to store photos taken in that time.