Fixing the A1708 MacBook Pro Flashing Question Mark Folder (The Secret Removable SSD Upgrade)

If you opened your 13-inch MacBook Pro (2016 or 2017 Non-Touch Bar, Model A1708) and saw a blinking folder with a question mark, you have run into one of the most infamous hardware failure points in modern Apple repair.

When you bring an A1708 with a flashing folder into an Apple Store, the Genius Bar will plug in their diagnostic USB, declare that the internal drive cannot be detected, and quote you $700 to $900+ for a tier-4 logic board replacement, claiming the Mac is obsolete.

Here is the secret Apple will not tell you:
The A1708 is the last MacBook Pro Apple ever engineered with a modular, removable SSD.

Your logic board, screen, keyboard, and battery are almost certainly in perfect working order. Only Apple’s proprietary custom factory SSD has died.

Below is our complete bench guide on how to temporarily revive the old drive to extract your data, and how to install a modern, lightning-fast M.2 NVMe SSD for under $65.

🔬 Why Do Factory A1708 SSDs Fail?

The 2016–2017 Non-Touch Bar MacBook Pro uses a proprietary 22+34 pin PCIe SSD module manufactured with early SanDisk and Apple custom controllers. Over years of thermal cycles:

1. The controller firmware suffers corruption due to bad block management.
2. The BGA solder joints beneath the NAND flash chips degrade from heat generated directly above the CPU heatpipe.
3. Once the drive hits this threshold, it fails to send its handshake signal during POST boot, and macOS displays the blinking folder.

🛟 The Bench Technician “Warm Boot” Trick (Data Rescue)

Before you throw the old SSD away, try this emergency data extraction protocol that independent repair shops use:

1. Plug your MacBook into its charger and close the display lid.
2. Let the laptop sit plugged in for 15 to 25 minutes to allow the internal chassis to reach ambient thermal equilibrium (~35°C–40°C).
3. Connect an external USB hard drive or flash drive.
4. Open the lid and immediately press and hold Option (Alt).
5. In roughly 40% of failing A1708 drives, the slight thermal expansion temporarily bridges degraded solder traces on the SSD controller. The drive will pop up on the boot picker as “Macintosh HD”.
6. Boot in, drag your critical Documents and Desktop folders to your external USB drive immediately. You will usually have a 15-to-30 minute window before the drive disconnects.

🛠️ Upgrading to a Modern M.2 NVMe SSD (The $65 Fix)

Because Apple no longer manufactures these drives (and used eBay original drives suffer from the exact same failure rates), the permanent, bench-recommended solution is to install a standard modern M.2 NVMe SSD using a passive pin-adapter card.

The Required Hardware Kit:

1. A1708 M.2 NVMe Adapter Card (22+34 Pin): A passive PCB adapter (we recommend Sintech) that maps standard M.2 PCIe lanes to Apple’s proprietary socket.
2. Compatible M.2 2242 NVMe SSD (512GB or 1TB): Use a low-power single-sided M.2 2242 drive (such as a Crucial P3 or Western Digital SN530/SN740).
3. Precision Drivers: A P5 Pentalobe screwdriver (for the bottom cover) and a Torx T5 screwdriver (for the internal SSD screw).

Step-by-Step Installation Protocol

Step 1: Remove the Bottom Cover

1. Power off the Mac and unplug all cables.
2. Flip the MacBook over onto a soft surface.
3. Use the P5 Pentalobe screwdriver to remove the 6 exterior screws.
4. Use a small suction cup or plastic pry pick near the front corners to pop the internal retention clips, then slide the bottom cover forward toward the screen hinge to release the locking tabs.

Step 2: DISCONNECT THE BATTERY (MANDATORY!)

[!CAUTION] Electrical Short Hazard: Never touch or remove the SSD while the battery is connected. The A1708 has a live 12V rail running adjacent to the SSD connector. Peel back the black regulatory tape over the battery data connector, use a plastic spudger to lift the battery data disconnect switch, and unscrew the large T5 battery power terminal screw.

Step 3: Swap the SSD

1. Remove the single Torx T5 screw holding the factory Apple SSD down.
2. Gently pull the old Apple SSD straight out of its socket at a shallow 15° angle.
3. Slide your new M.2 2242 SSD into the A1708 adapter card.
4. Slide the combined adapter and SSD into Apple’s 22+34 pin socket until fully seated.
5. Reinstall the T5 screw to lock the adapter down flush.

Step 4: Reconnect Power & Reassemble

1. Re-tighten the battery power terminal screw and snap the battery data connector back into place.
2. Align the bottom cover, slide it backward into its hinge clips, and snap the side clips down.
3. Reinstall the 6 P5 exterior screws.

Step 5: Format the Drive in Internet Recovery

1. Plug the charger into your MacBook.
2. Turn on the Mac and immediately press and hold Command (⌘) + Option (Alt) + R until you see a spinning globe (“Starting Internet Recovery”).
3. Connect to your Wi-Fi network.
4. When the macOS Utilities menu appears, select Disk Utility → Continue.
5. Click the View menu in the top-left corner and choose “Show All Devices”.
6. Select your new unformatted NVMe drive at the top of the left sidebar and click Erase.
   • Name: Macintosh HD
   • Format: APFS
   • Scheme: GUID Partition Map
7. Click Erase. Once finished, quit Disk Utility and select Reinstall macOS.

Your MacBook Pro will install a clean, modern copy of macOS on a drive that is twice as fast and runs significantly cooler than the original factory drive!

Bench Attribution & Educational Disclaimer

[!NOTE] Primary Authority & Community Thanks:
We extend our sincere gratitude to Louis Rossmann, the Repair.wiki contributors, and the independent Right-to-Repair community. Their tireless reverse-engineering of Apple logic board schematics, component-level power rails, and modular hardware bypasses made this repair possible.

At Arbor Mac Repair, our goal is to translate these board-level engineering insights into accessible, jargon-free guides so everyday Mac owners can save their laptops from premature electronic waste.