Need Help ASAP... Sending Mac for repair in 12HRS!!

[Eagle 20]

Long story short, I have a scheduled UPS pickup tomorrow to send my Mac for repair, or worst case scenario for replacement. So I'm in a panicked frenzy trying to figure out how to prepare for this, and am really hoping someone here can help!

I'm currently in the process of setting up a new external hard drive so I can have an updated Time Machine backup, but it seems I should do so much more, and yet I don't know what. Like protecting my data while it's in someone else's hands for repair, or if it needs replaced and isn't returned. In which case, I may not necessarily get the same model Mac I have now.

What all can I or should I do to be prepared for both the best and worse case scenario?

If anyone can help me I'd REALLY appreciate it, but please give step-by-step instructions (the 'Mac for Dummies' version) or a link to them.

Thank you in advance to anyone who replies!!

 

[glenthompson]

In addition to Time Machine I like having a clone made via Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper. If your drive gets zapped in the repair process it makes for a faster and easier recovery. Since laptops have a greater chance of walking away I like encrypted drives. May be too late to get that done. Do you have a good password on your account? Is it going to Apple or someone else? If going to Apple I wouldn’t worry too much about your data being compromised. Any repair has the risk of losing data. Hope for the best but prepare for the worst.

 

[firedept]

The Time Machine backup is good. But as stated a clone of your drive by Carbon Copy Cloner will be good as well. This way you have an exact copy of your drive which you can boot up from. I have had Apple do repairs to an iMac of mine and never felt as if my data was going to be compromised.

 

[Wando64]

If it Is important that your data remains private and you haven’t activated File Vault (too late to do that now), I would probably make a couple of CCC copies on different external disks, then wipe the laptop before handing it in.
But even that will not fully protect your data, so probably the best solution is to postpone the pick-up/repair until you are ready for it.

 

[Eagle 20]

In addition to Time Machine I like having a clone made via Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper. If your drive gets zapped in the repair process it makes for a faster and easier recovery. Since laptops have a greater chance of walking away I like encrypted drives. May be too late to get that done. Do you have a good password on your account? Is it going to Apple or someone else? If going to Apple I wouldn’t worry too much about your data being compromised. Any repair has the risk of losing data. Hope for the best but prepare for the worst.

Unfortunately, Apple said I'd have to pay at least $199 since it's no longer under warranty. But, since I have whole home protection with Asurion I gave them a call, and they will cover everything for $99. So I decided to go with them.

To be honest, I don't know anything about cloning, but was going to buy SuperDuper to give it a try since I've used it for backups in the past. But I don't see anything about whether or not it works with Big Sur

The Time Machine backup is good. But as stated a clone of your drive by Carbon Copy Cloner will be good as well. This way you have an exact copy of your drive which you can boot up from. I have had Apple do repairs to an iMac of mine and never felt as if my data was going to be compromised.

Is Carbon Copy Cloner easy to use? Do they have a free version, or does it need to be purchased to clone? That's the worst part, I can't afford extras like this in a normal month, and with the holidays it couldn't be a worse time

 

[Wando64]

Is Carbon Copy Cloner easy to use? Do they have a free version, or does it need to be purchased to clone? That's the worst part, I can't afford extras like this in a normal month, and with the holidays it couldn't be a worse time

It is very easy to use. It has a fully functional 30 days trial so that should be sufficient for you.

But, if I were you I’d would not give access to my data to any third party repairer.
As i said above, my advice is to reschedule the pick-up for a time when you will have had time to encrypt your drive with File Vault.

 

[ght56]

You're absolutely fine sending it to Apple or a third party with the data on the hard drive if it is encrypted and you are using a password of reasonable complexity. If this is a battery replacement, they do not need to be able to login to your accounts and you do not need to give them the password. (If this is one of the Macs that restricts booting from an external, you may need to verify if they want you to enable this.)

I agree with CCC. However, CCC was not working properly with Big Sur for a little while. I believe it now works with Intel Macs but not M1 Macs with respect to bootable backups but you may want to verify this.

Regardless of whether you choose to delete data from the local hard drive, I think it is best to have a Time Machine backup, a bootable clone, and an offsite backup of your most critical data (a cloud works perfectly fine). This protects against several different forms of data loss.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

If you want to use CCC, it's free to use for 30 days (and fully functional).
Get it here:
Carbon Copy Cloner - Download

 

[clueless88]

Unlike a lot of "free trial" versions of software, CCC is great--able to clone hdds to ssds as well as hdds to hdds without any restrictions (within thirty days of installation).

 

[Eagle 20]

I apologize for the delay in posting an update, but I want to thank everyone for all the help. I couldn't have pulled this off on my own in the time I had, so thank you all!!

I could have rescheduled, but was told it would be at least two weeks before I get my Mac back, and that's best case scenario for a simple battery replacement. Still not sure what happened, but something caused the battery to swell, and the base/keyboard was pillow-shaped. So I'm crossing my fingers no other damage was done, and they can get a new battery. Otherwise it could take even longer, or worst case scenario they may have to replace my Mac altogether

But I did get the CCC trial, which was so easy to use I thought I'd done something wrong the first time and started over LOL And also got File Vault enabled too. The only real trouble I had was transferring my Time Machine backup to my new external hard drive. I tried to drag-and-drop, which after almost three hours it had a file count over a million but still said it was preparing to move the files and none had actually been transferred. I tried CCC but it didn't work. I did end up finding something online that explained how to do it using Disk Utility, which did the trick in under a hour, and was able to update it too.

So I think all my bases were [hopefully] covered and it's out for delivery as I'm typing

Unfortunately, if it weren't for bad luck I wouldn't have any at all! I'm stuck with a Windows laptop until I get my Mac back, and I stupidly didn't think about that fact. So all my files are split between three external hard drives, which are all formatted for Mac, and can't figure out a way to access them

But the real kicker... the battery in the laptop won't take a charge. So even plugged in it randomly shuts off, and I had to order a new battery for it. It should hopefully be here tomorrow, but in the meantime I need to figure out how to access my external drives, IF that's even possible SMFH!

 

[hallux]

but in the meantime I need to figure out how to access my external drives, IF that's even possible SMFH!

Is your network on a router you manage? Does that router have a USB port? Can you find out of that router will support APFS or HFS+ (whichever format your drives are in)? If not, post the model here, maybe someone knows.

If yes to all of the above - you m likely could plug the drives in (possibly one at a time but it's SOMETHING) with file sharing set up from the router in order to access the files.

 

[Yebubbleman]

Long story short, I have a scheduled UPS pickup tomorrow to send my Mac for repair, or worst case scenario for replacement. So I'm in a panicked frenzy trying to figure out how to prepare for this, and am really hoping someone here can help!

I'm currently in the process of setting up a new external hard drive so I can have an updated Time Machine backup, but it seems I should do so much more, and yet I don't know what. Like protecting my data while it's in someone else's hands for repair, or if it needs replaced and isn't returned. In which case, I may not necessarily get the same model Mac I have now.

What all can I or should I do to be prepared for both the best and worse case scenario?

If anyone can help me I'd REALLY appreciate it, but please give step-by-step instructions (the 'Mac for Dummies' version) or a link to them.

Thank you in advance to anyone who replies!!

Time Machine is honestly sufficient enough, especially if you're going to be reloading data to the exact same machine. As for protecting your data; the only way to effectively do that is to wipe your Mac before you send it out. A repair tech will need to test with an operating system installed. But doing that is not that big of a deal if you have a Time Machine back-up. All it really costs you is time (both to wipe and load a clean OS, and then to wipe and load a clean OS again when you get it back and restore from your Time Machine backup), but that's probably the best way to handle sensitive data if you're concerned. Otherwise, having worked as an Apple Certified Macintosh Technician at multiple Apple Authorized Service Providers over the years, I can assure you that techs usually have bigger fish to fry than to go snooping through your data.

 

[Eagle 20]

Well, got my Mac back, and was thrilled until I discovered it was returned with issues it didn't leave with. So I called Asurion about that, and to file a claim on my dads Acer with the bad battery. Come to find out, my plan entitles me to a free laptop battery every year! Yet I had to pay a service fee of $99 + tax for the battery replacement in my Mac, which was returned with issues it didn't previously have and now has to be sent in again!

So I'm absolutely fit to be tied!!!

Is your network on a router you manage? Does that router have a USB port? Can you find out of that router will support APFS or HFS+ (whichever format your drives are in)? If not, post the model here, maybe someone knows.

If yes to all of the above - you m likely could plug the drives in (possibly one at a time but it's SOMETHING) with file sharing set up from the router in order to access the files.

Yes, I have a TP-Link Archer C7v5 and it has a USB port, but the specs says the following...
Supported Partition Formats:
NTFS, FAT32

Supported Functions:
FTP Server
Media Server
Samba Server

Can I format one of my external hard drives from my Mac so I can use it with the Acer/Windows?

 

[hallux]

Can I format one of my external hard drives from my Mac so I can use it with the Acer/Windows?

macOS and Windows will both read and write to FAT32 drives and EXFAT drives.

it was returned with issues it didn't leave with

If I may ask - what new issues did it return with?

 

[Fishrrman]

"Well, got my Mac back, and was thrilled until I discovered it was returned with issues it didn't leave with."

Ummmm.....
It would help if you told us what those "issues" are...?

 

[pshufd]

I have three Time Machine external WD disks and backup my Macs regularly to all three. I'm a bit paranoid about losing data. You should be okay if your data is encrypted and you don't provide your encryption key/password. If they do require it, I would wipe the SSD before sending it in - providing that you have at least two backups.

You can just backup all of your data but I always worry that I'd miss something.

I have a backup system as well and can just move stuff from the system with a problem to the other laptop. My laptops are old which is why I bought a cheap backup.

Good luck; sending your laptop out to service is like sending your kid to college.

 

[petsk]

Time Machine is not able to restore to a 1:1 state. I would only relay on this method to restore user files and not system files.

There’s no need to use a third party app to clone your drive, use the built in Disk Utility application to clone the drive from boot, this will make a true clone of the drive which no third party app is capable of.

 

[Eagle 20]

I apologize for being MIA (again), I'm just overwhelmed with life, and losing track of things. But I am sorry!

macOS and Windows will both read and write to FAT32 drives and EXFAT drives.


If I may ask - what new issues did it return with?

I did end up going with exFAT, and it worked just fine for what I needed it for.

"Well, got my Mac back, and was thrilled until I discovered it was returned with issues it didn't leave with."

Ummmm.....
It would help if you told us what those "issues" are...?

Sorry, wasn't being evasive, I just didn't think it relevant. It was returned to me with two issues... one of the only two USB ports wasn't functioning properly. I would eject my external HDD, plug in another and it wasn't detected. Ran a system report that said the first drive was still connected when it wasn't. This occurred multiple times and was only resolved by restarting each time. It was like the USB port was suddenly freezing. The second issue was my MacBook was randomly turning itself off for no reason.

I have three Time Machine external WD disks and backup my Macs regularly to all three. I'm a bit paranoid about losing data. You should be okay if your data is encrypted and you don't provide your encryption key/password. If they do require it, I would wipe the SSD before sending it in - providing that you have at least two backups.

You can just backup all of your data but I always worry that I'd miss something.

I have a backup system as well and can just move stuff from the system with a problem to the other laptop. My laptops are old which is why I bought a cheap backup.

Good luck; sending your laptop out to service is like sending your kid to college.

I basically did the same as before, created a Time Machine backup and cloned with CCC5


I received my MacBook back yesterday, and the first time I used it had the same issue with the same USB port, but haven't since, and it hasn't turned itself off so far either.

I'm now awaiting callbacks from multi departments because what I've shared here is not even the tip of the iceberg as far as what I have dealt with, and am still dealing with. But I will say this, if you are a customer of Verizon Wireless, DO NOT enroll in Verizon Protect Home (partnered with Asurion) because three-ring circus is an understatement. It's more like a three-ring **** show.

 

[posguy99]

I'm now awaiting callbacks from multi departments because what I've shared here is not even the tip of the iceberg as far as what I have dealt with, and am still dealing with. But I will say this, if you are a customer of Verizon Wireless, DO NOT enroll in Verizon Protect Home (partnered with Asurion) because three-ring circus is an understatement. It's more like a three-ring **** show.

I'm sorry for your pain, but you should always say no to Asurion, but *especially* when it involves Apple kit.