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2012 Mac mini HDD upgrade woes

E

Elbert C

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Mar 23, 2008
535
173
AK, USA
I have a 2012 MM that I had previously installed a 2nd HDD (500 GB SSD) using ifixit upgrade kit. The SSD was getting full so I ordered a 1tb SSD to replace the 500GB disk. Following the fixit tutorial I found that when I got to the step where I remove the screws for the fan, one of them (attached photo) won't come off the fan and cowling. Even when I removed the fan and cowling the screw will not come off for some reason.
Then after removing the fan and cowling I found a spring underneath that I don't remember seeing anywhere when I first installed a second HDD. Then to top it all off I forgot to remove the HDD connector before I pulled out the logic board, snapping it.
There's also a small plastic tube(attached photo) that I've guessed goes onto the third screw of the fan that I'm not too sure about.

1. Has anyone else experienced a stuck screw holding the fan and cowling together and how did you remove it? 2nd photo
2. Where does the spring and the plastic tube go to? Photos 1,3 & 4.
Spring is on a T6 or T8 bit. Forgot which one I was using at the time of the photo.

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The stuck screw is a captive screw, it is not meant to be removed only unscrewed and then the whole fan lifts out with it attached. The tube is not a part of the Mac Mini. I don't believe the spring is part of it either.
 
Intell said:
The stuck screw is a captive screw, it is not meant to be removed only unscrewed and then the whole fan lifts out with it attached. The tube is not a part of the Mac Mini. I don't believe the spring is part of it either.
Click to expand...
That's odd because I remember removing all the screws from the fan and cowling before taking out the fan and cowling individually from the MM when I first installed a second HDD.
 
the torx 6 fan screw are going on top of another torx 9 screw, the spring is between the torx 9 screw and the motherboard. you can use a vice or clamp to hold onto the torx 9 screw and unscrew the torx 6 fan screw. In general, the t9 screw should be tighter than the t6 screw so it won't have both coming out together.. The clear tubing is unknown to me though.
 
I did a 2012 SSD upgrade recently, and went over again in my mind what I encountered. Intell is correct. That one screw closest to the outside on the fan (cowling) does not come out. The other 2 do. The fan comes out nevertheless with that screw staying attached.

I see there's an answer as to where that spring may have come from. In earlier Minis, springs were part of the Airport and Bluetooth antenna assemblies.
 
This why the fastest, easiest and SAFEST way to "add an SSD" to a late-2012 Mini is to plug one into the USB3 port and use it as "an external booter".

Been running my own late-2012 i7 for over FOUR YEARS that way -- still runs beautifully... and fast.
 
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Reactions: Partron22 and mmlogic
Yeah I agree. Doing internal Mini hard drive upgrades can be a little like visiting the casino. Are you feeling lucky? I hope OP was successful.
 
Kaida said:
the torx 6 fan screw are going on top of another torx 9 screw, the spring is between the torx 9 screw and the motherboard. you can use a vice or clamp to hold onto the torx 9 screw and unscrew the torx 6 fan screw. In general, the t9 screw should be tighter than the t6 screw so it won't have both coming out together.. The clear tubing is unknown to me though.
Click to expand...

I tried removing the the tore 6 screw from the tore 9 screw using a pair of pliers but it wouldn't loosen. So the spring goes under the screw thats on the fan and cowling? Upper left hole in the photo below.

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Richard8655 said:
Yeah I agree. Doing internal Mini hard drive upgrades can be a little like visiting the casino. Are you feeling lucky? I hope OP was successful.
Click to expand...

It went pretty smoothly the first time I tried so I thought it would go the same again. I haven't yet received the hard drive cable that I ordered from ifixit so I have the MM is currently running off the old 1tb drive, other than being pretty slow compared to an SSD, it's running fine so far.
 
i am having the exact problems that you faced, the screw wouldnt come off and found a tiny spring after putting my mac mini together. Did they affect the functionality of you mac mini? Cause mine wouldnt boot up.
 
The spring that y'all found is for the heatsink. One of the fan screws, screws into the top of one of the heatsink screws. The reason you are removing the heatsink screw is because a lot of users who upgrade themselves, WAY over tighten the screws. Most of the screws in the Mac mini call for hand tight, nothing more. If you are really torquing down on the screws, you are over tightening them.

And the long T6 screw in the fan assembly, that is "removable" from the rubber grommet, although you do not need to do this when removing the fan. It is meant to be captive once installed.
 
steveniupui said:
i am having the exact problems that you faced, the screw wouldnt come off and found a tiny spring after putting my mac mini together. Did they affect the functionality of you mac mini? Cause mine wouldnt boot up.
Click to expand...
Nope. My MM is still running fine to this day. I'd take it apart again to see if there is a connector that you haven't attached properly.
 
Dopeyman said:
What was wrong with it?
Click to expand...
Nothing was wrong, just that I couldnt get signals on my monitor. I thought my monitor wasnt lighting up because i broke some wires in the process, but it turned out that all i had to do was pushing some command keys during the booting up process.
 
steveniupui said:
Nothing was wrong, just that I couldnt get signals on my monitor. I thought my monitor wasnt lighting up because i broke some wires in the process, but it turned out that all i had to do was pushing some command keys during the booting up process.
Click to expand...

So did you ever have to open it up again to install that tiny spring, or find out what it was for?
 
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