Anyone ever change the HDD on a PowerBook?

only problem i had was with the keys on the keyboard. i took apart maybe 10 12" when i worked in IT last year. If possible, get a very skinny hex screw driver (i think they are hex...) and just un-screw the two screws with out taking the keys off. Make sure you grab the screws or you could drop them in the computer case. No big deal really, but can make for a unsetteling rattle.

Other than that their walk thru is very straight forward. Macs are easy to work with.

Just pray you never have the replace the screen on a 12" what a b*tch that was.

I upgraded the hdd on an iBook - Very similar process and a huge pain in the butt. In the end, it worked... But if I had to go back in time, i'd just pay someone else to do it...

Kirbdog said:

My 12" Powerbook is now out of warranty and want to upgrade the hard drive.
Has anyone done this upgrade? If so what issues do I need to watch out for.

I have already gone over the step by step instructions posted on iFixit and don't foresee any issues, but thought I would check to see if anyone here has any experience with this upgrade.

I was considering a new MacBook Pro but I and going back to school soon and am feeling frugal. For the 500 bucks I could sell this machine for I rather try squeeze some more life out of it.

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Use the appropriate tools, take your time, work carefully and you won't have a problem. I think the 12" is actually easier than the 15" to disassemble because it doesn't have a metal latch securing the upper case.

i've changed the drive on a 12" powerbook. wasn't too bad took maybe a half hour or so. use the guide from ifixit.com and get the right tools and take your time. its not super hard, just time consuming and requires you to be careful.

I recently did it but had a bad experience with the power and mic connectors on the logic board. My PB came without a HDD so I immediately had to take it apart. It was fine until I got to the connectors, which would not separate. Unfortunately, the previous owner must have tugged at them a lot because I ended up separating them from the logic board It was pretty bad because I hardly pulled at the stupid things....

Anyway, I have since tried it again and it went great. So, just be careful and take your time. The guide is a great resource and I was able to get the hard drive in and everything back together in a half hour or so (the second time)

I used an iFixit guide when I replaced a HD on a 17 inch Powerbook, got the right tools, got organised (I used little colour coded DIY paper boxes to keep the different screws separated in case they got mixed up) and the process was actually more straightforward than I expected it to be.

As others say really, get the right tools, take your time and you should be fine - you'll know in your gut reading the guide if you are up to the task I think.

Its fairly easy, jut make sure you have the right tools, if not you might end up damaging one of the screws leaving the computer almost impossible to be opened. I took the hdd from an iBook to put it in my PB and holy jesus the iBook is tough to open! it has wayyyy to many screws and lids and metal covers (and I did it half blind-folded since ifixit.com didn't had the 1.33 version) The one thing you want to be extra careful is when removing the keys from the keyboard, they're a tad fragile, I messed up my F2 and F12 Good luck.

-Victor

Kirbdog said:

Thanks for all the good advice.

I had to remove the screen before and it was not to difficult a task. So its not the first time I have got out the tools for this machine.

Now the second question is:
Can I install any Serial ATA 2.5" drive?
Or is there any drives that I should stay away from?

I am leaning toward a 250GB Western Digital 5400rpm HDD.

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Sorry I didn't see this post before, just the original one So Im posting two in a row.

Not really, PowerBooks use an Ultra ATA/100 (ATA-6) drive, look for that one specifically. Also, take your time when removing the screws in the hdd itself, they're very firmly screwed.

-Victor

Yes you can!

Hi!
first of all, go to this address to download the instructions:

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/...2-Inch-1-1-5-GHz-Hard-Drive-Replacement/548/1

Print them out twice. The first printout is for reading, the second to paste the screws and tiny pieces you remove. Then, follow carefully each step: there are very many screws. What I did was, at each stage of the process, pasting (using transparent tape) the screws I had removed to the corresponding picture of the instructions on the second printout. Thus, when I had to put everything back, all I had to do was following the instructions backwards, retrieving every screw and small part from the corresponding instruction I had pasted it on.

The advantage of this method is that you feel quite safe as you work, not being bothered with doubts as to whether you're mixing up parts. Of cours, there are some larger parts: the keyboard, the F1,F2, F11, F12 keys, the upper case, the memory case cover. But if you feel you might mix up these, you'd better not start the job...

Good luck!

It's a bit tedious, but it can be done.