Questions about upgrading HDD on late 2004 iBook

On an iBook, it's not the most straight-forward operation. Check out the iFixit guide to see how intimidating you think it is. As for drives, go for the largest ATA 2.5" drive you can afford. The more space the better.

I just upgraded my late 2004 iBook's hard drive last night. It took about 1.0 to 1.5 hours for the disassembly and reassembly. The process was pretty straight forward and I didn't have any problems.

I downloaded the iFixit guide for replacing the hard drive and printed it. The instructions were easy to follow and the screw guide was very helpful. I stuck some double-sided tape to the screw guide to keep all the little screws securely in place.

The tools they show you'll need are in fact required. You'll also probably want a small slotted screwdriver for a little extra help popping out the feet and the metal rings under the feet.

I used a HITACHI Travelstar 160GB 5400 RPM hard drive (from Newegg). I also grabbed a Macally external firewire enclosure to stick my old hard drive into (also from Newegg).

160GB is waaay better than 30GB.