Help needed to backup files after worse series of incidences
In short: I have a new MBP 2025 that more or less immediately showed issues with the new OS and migrating my old files from a MBP 2023 which I can’t resolve. After migrating I have had a start screen but no login option nor mouse. Trying to solve the issue for hours and days without positive result, later and on top the display unfortunately broke when it fell from my 30cm high couch table not even leaving me with an image now. Though I managed to attach an external monitor it only shows the startup screen as before, but when entering the recovery mode it won’t even use the external monitor (connected through thunderbolt) and I’m left with zero ways to access it.
** How do I get the MBP to use the external monitor as main in recovery mode?? **
** Most importantly, how would I be able to mount the HD eg with another MBP or by whatever means I’d be able to access the local files to back them up?? **
Complete timeline (for entertainment):
My 2023 MBP fell once again beginning December and though surviving two years without any damages the screen finally broke. As I still have guarantee I decided to buy a current MBP and send the old one in for repair, then keep it as spare. Well thought (so far at least) I purchased a new one, migrated all files from the 2023 (after upgrading it to the current OS) then (without further backup as I had just migrated to the new MBP) I send it in for repair.
When I started the MBP 2025 first time again (some time after shipping the 2023, being the end of the year and trying to spend more time with the family then work) I was confronted with starting issues, maybe caused by the new OS and older apps. However, it resulted in a clean load of the start screen, BUT without any login option nor mouse! Nothing helped, no recovery nothing. Spend hours on the web and talking with Apple support (sorry, but since when their technical support is so clueless? I always remembered being helped by experts in the past, but this time even I knew more) with no solution. What can I say, then on the fifties or so try to fix it I got up, stumbled over the cable and though magsafe, pulled the MBP of the table. Under normal circumstances I’m sure it would have survived the 30cm fall from my couch table without harm, but my two pounds glas ashtray (yes it’s 2025 and I’m still smoking) felt somewhat attached and managed to follow it the exact same path, landing (according to the damage) probably in its most harming way and with the corner on the display…
Now finally my MBP 2023 returned and I had planned to send the 2025 in immediately for repair too when I noticed, that they had completely wiped my old MBP. Maybe naiv but I had thought with just the display defect there wouldn’t be a reason to do that and I would get it returned with all my files. Big mistake, but then again hey, I still have the new which has all the migrated files on the hard drive! Lucky I guess, under normal circumstances, if I could actually manage to somehow access the files.
More amusing: I had also bought a Mac Studio for the office at the same time which I had migrated too (so I actually had two copies of my old HD), non surprising it then had exact the same issues as the MBP: Clean load of the start screen without any login option nor mouse. The Apple technical support couldn’t help (was I the only one with this issue?) and suggested to bring my 3 day old Mac Studio in for repair (yes I had to bring it in, apparently no free ship-in support with Studios, I had to drive 100km to the next apple repair station). It’s still being „repaired“, according to support the mainboard hast to be replaced… Very odd but they are the experts, with MBP & Studio having the same issues I would have thought it is the OS for sure…
