Couldn't have been an easier fix

My Problem

My Early 2011 MBPro would not boot past the login screen so diagnosed the problem as a faulty HD cable. I could access the HD from another machine but was particularly anxious to get the past Mail history. I paid for FedEx, so the price almost doubled, but it was worth it for peace of mind.

My Fix

I had tried a fix with electric tape (something I saw on YouTube), this did not work at all, so I was a little nervous that the new cable might not work. It did. VERY thankful. In the meantime, I bought a newer MCPro but stupidly did not upgrade the storage from 128 so am hampered by that issue. One thing at a time.

My Advice

The cable was easy to install but the hardest part was getting the tape off of the two pieces of cable. I had to pry it off with my fingernails and tug a lot harder than I would have liked. Making a tab on the tape for easy removal would have helped.