Apple iMac computers are widely used in business environments for their reliability, performance, and seamless macOS ecosystem. However, when an iMac continuously boots to macOS Utilities or Recovery Mode, it often indicates drive corruption, partition table damage, or file system failure, making business data inaccessible.
This case study details how we successfully recovered business-critical data for a local reception-based business from an Apple iMac, after drive corruption left the system unable to boot into macOS.
As Cambridge Data Recovery, with 25 years of experience, we used APFS/HFS+ file system repair, deep sector-level data extraction, and advanced recovery techniques to restore lost business files.
iMac Booting to macOS Utilities Due to Drive Corruption
A local reception-based business contacted us after their iMac failed to start properly, with the following issues:
- The iMac booted directly into macOS Utilities instead of the desktop.
- Disk Utility showed the internal drive, but it could not be repaired or mounted.
- Attempts to reinstall macOS resulted in errors or failed midway.
- The drive contained client appointment schedules, financial records, and business files.
Since attempting a macOS reinstall or Disk Utility repair could overwrite crucial business data, an immediate professional recovery solution was required.
Diagnosis & Evaluation
When the iMac’s hard disk (SSD/HDD) arrived at our cleanroom facility, we conducted a full hardware and software-level diagnostic. Our findings:
- File system corruption (APFS/HFS+) – Preventing macOS from recognizing the drive properly.
- Partition table damage – macOS could not access the correct boot volume.
- No mechanical failure detected – Meaning logical data recovery was possible without hardware repair.
Since Apple’s built-in macOS Recovery tools failed to fix the issue, we prioritized sector-level imaging and manual partition recovery.
The Recovery Process
1. Cloning & Imaging the Hard Drive to Preserve Data Integrity
To prevent further data corruption, we:
- Created a forensic sector-by-sector clone of the iMac’s hard disk.
- Used write-blocking technology to ensure original data remained unaltered.
2. Repairing the APFS/HFS+ File System & Rebuilding the Partition Table
Since the partition table was partially corrupted, we:
- Rebuilt the APFS volume structures to restore missing partitions.
- Repaired the HFS+ directory trees to recover lost file paths.
3. Extracting & Verifying Business Data
Once data extraction was complete, we:
- Recovered client appointment schedules, reception logs, and invoices.
- Repaired corrupted Excel, Word, and PDF business files.
- Transferred the fully restored data to a secure external storage device.
The Results: 100% Data Recovery Success
Thanks to our file system repair and deep sector-level recovery techniques, we successfully recovered 100% of the business’s lost data, including:
✅ Appointment schedules and client records
✅ Financial reports, invoices, and tax documents
✅ Word, Excel, and PDF business files
The reception-based business was able to restore all of its essential records, preventing major disruptions to daily operations.
Why Choose Us?
With 25 years of experience and tens of thousands of successful recoveries, we are the leading Apple iMac data recovery specialists in Cambridge and the UK. Our expertise includes:
✔ APFS & HFS+ file system repair & macOS recovery
✔ Partition table reconstruction & startup disk repair
✔ Business file retrieval & customer record recovery
✔ Secure & confidential data recovery services
If your iMac is booting into macOS Utilities, showing drive errors, or preventing access to important business files, stop using it immediately and contact us for expert data recovery.