Recovering data from MacBook Pro with flashing folder and partition map issues

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Level 1

4 points

Recovering data from MacBook Pro with flashing folder and partition map issues

Hello all,

I am having severe issues with my old MacBook Pro (Early 2015). It's the base model with 2.7GHz Intel processor, 128GB storage.

My Mac got a flashing folder with a question mark. I am unable to boot, but I can enter recovery mode. I tried to install the macOS through my MacBook to an external drive, but it failed due to PkDownloadError error8. This error is related to a network problem, but I haven't had any issues in the past. I even tried downloading using my mobile data, and that also failed. Long story short, I wasn't able to download it through my Mac, and the only official Apple dealer in my country denied to help me (which I found quite absurd, as all I asked for is to install the macOS onto my own external drive, and even offered to provide purchase proof, etc.) After going through absolute ****, I finally managed to make a bootable flash.

I attempted to create a backup of my internal SSD using different solutions and software, and all of them failed.

I finally ran First Aid, and it said:

"First Aid found corruption that needs to be repaired. To repair the startup volume, run First Aid from Recovery. Click Done to continue."

and

"Problems were found with the partition map which might prevent booting"

At this point, I don't even know what to do. From what I've read online, if First Aid is unable to repair this, the drive has to be erased and formatted.

Two attempts to do a byte-to-byte backup through Disk Drill failed. Interestingly, the size of the backup is nearly identical. One is 4.64GB, and the other is 4.63GB.

I am NOT an advanced user. I might've missed something obvious. For example, IIRC, I only tried to copy the contents of the parent partition (APPLE SSD... something like this; not Macintosh HD).

This whole situation is very exhausting.

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: Help recovering data from a MacBook Pro with a flashing folder with question mark & problems with the partition map

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 10.14

Posted on Aug 16, 2025 3:42 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

HWTech

Level 9

68,228 points

Aug 16, 2025 5:06 PM in response to CuriousGoose

Try booting into Internet Recovery Mode using Command + Option + R to attempt to access the online macOS 12.x Monterey installer. Unfortunately some Macs may only boot to the online installer for the OS which originally shipped with the Mac from the factory regardless of the keys used for booting. The older the online macOS installer, the more likely you will have issues installing it.

Otherwise, most Recovery Mode issues are due to local network issues. Try power cycling your router & waiting at least five minutes for it to finish booting before trying Internet Recovery Mode again. You can also try accessing Internet Recovery Mode from another physical location to eliminate issues with your network & ISP.

Or you need access to another working Mac from 2007 to 2022 in order to create a bootable macOS USB installer so that you can install macOS to an external USB3 SSD. This may be a multi-step process if installing an older version of macOS which would need to be upgraded to macOS 11.x or 12.x in order to access the data on the internal SSD.

macOS 12.x --- a Mac model from 2015 to mid-2022
macOS 11.x --- a Mac from 2013 to mid-2021
macOS 10.15 --- a Mac from 2012 to mid-2020
macOS 10.13 --- a Mac from Late-2009 to 2018
macOS 10.11 --- a Mac from 2007 to 2015

You can try putting the broken Mac into Target Disk Mode and connecting it to another computer to access the data on the internal SSD. Accessing the data can be a bit tricky due to the multiple APFS volumes involved, but it can be done. It will require using a Thunderbolt connection though.

You can also remove the internal SSD and connect it to another Mac running macOS 10.13+ (the newer the OS the better for the host Mac as it may make accessing the "Data" volume easier). Assuming this is the original Apple OEM SSD, then you would need to purchase & use the following SSD enclosure since the Apple SSD uses a special proprietary SSD connector.

https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/MAU3ENP1AW/

If it is a third party SSD, then you can use a standard M.2 SSD enclosure or adapter.

FYI, people should always have frequent and regular backups of their computer and all external media (including the cloud) which contains important & unique data. There are a lot more new ways to permanently lose access to the data on the internal SSD of the recent Macs due to all of the hardware, software, and security changes.

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Answer 2

Aug 17, 2025 12:15 PM in response to CuriousGoose

CuriousGoose wrote:

Finder pop up window that reads:

You may need to enter the name and password for an administrator on this computer to change the item named "Macintosh HD". At this point, Macintosh HD, as well as Apple SSD [...] volumes are not visible in Disk Utility or anywhere else.

...hmm did the internal disk have FileVault turned ON? If yes, maybe it is just prompting your password to decrypt and open it? What happens if you try to open "Macintosh HD" instead copying it?

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Answer 3

Aug 16, 2025 10:39 PM in response to CuriousGoose

So the basic problem is that there is no backup, right? So you can't just try to erase and fix the internal device with Disk Utility (after choosing Disk Utility > View > Show All Devices) while booted to Internet Recovery or to a bootable USB macOS installer.

As HWTech suggested you could try to access and backup the internal disk via another Mac using Target Disk Mode.

Another option might be to be to boot in to Recovery mode and use Terminal.app to copy internal disk's user data files to an external USB disk. That might need some more advanced Terminal skills, though.

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Answer 4

Aug 17, 2025 10:02 AM in response to CuriousGoose

CuriousGoose wrote:

In Finder, I selected Macintosh HD, copied it, and pasted to an external drive.

Now I'm confused because in your initial post you wrote that you were unable to boot normally. So how did you now access Finder?

Anyway, I briefly tested the Local Recovery via Command-R boot and then inspect the internal disk via its Terminal. I could access the internal Monterey data volume via...

cd '/Volumes/HD - Data/Users'

...and then, for example, cd to my user folder and its Documents folder and read a .txt file via 'less file.txt'. If you can replicate that, then maybe the internal disk is not broken and you might be able to copy files and folders via the Terminal to an external USB drive.

You have not said which macOS is installed on that drive. In my Monterey and in Big Sur and later the System and Data volumes are separated unlike in earlier macOS. I have renamed my internal disk as 'HD' so the user data volume is that 'HD - Data'. YMMV.

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Answer 5

CuriousGoose Author

Level 1

4 points

Aug 16, 2025 5:32 PM in response to HWTech

I have a bootable flash now. It didn't matter whether I tried in the standard recovery or the one that offered Monterey.

I only have one Mac in the house, and I don't think it would help me much to have another one, since I am clearly unable to retrieve any data from the SSD. I'll try another software tomorrow and see if I have any luck with that.

I just tried First Aid in the option+command+r, and I got:

Problems were found with the partition map which might prevent booting

Couldn't mount disk. : (-69842)

Operation failed.

This internet recovery is painfully slow. It probably takes an hour for each step. I think that the First Aid took 2 hours, if not more, to give me this message.

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Answer 6

CuriousGoose Author

Level 1

4 points

Aug 17, 2025 2:38 AM in response to Matti Haveri

Yes, the main problem is that I have no recent backup of my internal SSD. The second problem is that I am unable to see inside the internal SSD, so I highly doubt that using Target Disk Mode would be able to see something that the most advanced software on the market isn't. I am just about certain that if such software cannot see folders and files, there isn't a chance Target Disk Mode can.

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Answer 7

CuriousGoose Author

Level 1

4 points

Aug 17, 2025 4:39 AM in response to CuriousGoose

Little update:

I tried viewing the files on Macintosh HD through Finder and even through Marta File Manager, but nothing happens, no matter how long I wait. So, I did something I haven't tried before. In Finder, I selected Macintosh HD, copied it, and pasted to an external drive. The process was long, but eventually, my internal SSD ejected just as it did in Disk Drill, but now I am left with Finder pop up window that reads:

You may need to enter the name and password for an administrator on this computer to change the item named "Macintosh HD". At this point, Macintosh HD, as well as Apple SSD [...] volumes are not visible in Disk Utility or anywhere else.

Should I press Continue? The "copied" Macintosh HD volume is greyed out in Finder (on my external drive), and I can either press Stop or Continue. I just want to make sure that this action doesn't damage my internal SSD. As you can presume, I am extremely cautious about everything I do at this point.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

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Answer 8

CuriousGoose Author

Level 1

4 points

Aug 17, 2025 10:39 AM in response to Matti Haveri

Ah, sorry, I thought I made it clear that I have a bootable flash. So, just to clarify: I am running Mojave off a flash. There, I tried multiple recovery solutions & software, as well as using plain Finder and Disk Utility.

Can you guide me how to navigate through Terminal for my internal SSD? I want to attempt to access my internal files, but don't know how exactly. I need help to get to the internal volume instead of the files and folders from my external bootable flash.

My Mac was running Mojave before all of this, so I installed Mojave on the flash. Now that I have a functional OS on a flash, I could also install Monterey, but I'm still trying out all the options I can in Mojave.

I would still appreciate advice whether I should click Continue on the pop up

In Finder, I selected Macintosh HD, copied it, and pasted to an external drive. The process was long, but eventually, my internal SSD ejected just as it did in Disk Drill, but now I am left with Finder pop up window that reads:

You may need to enter the name and password for an administrator on this computer to change the item named "Macintosh HD". At this point, Macintosh HD, as well as Apple SSD [...] volumes are not visible in Disk Utility or anywhere else.

Should I press Continue? The "copied" Macintosh HD volume is greyed out in Finder (on my external drive), and I can either press Stop or Continue. I just want to make sure that this action doesn't damage my internal SSD. As you can presume, I am extremely cautious about everything I do at this point.

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