I was trying to do an HDD replacement in my 2011 iMac, and after I reconnected all of the wires, nothing happens. But after I disconnect the display again, the fans turn on and off repeatedly like every 2 seconds. Did I screw something up?
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Did I break my iMac?
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One of the cables feels kind of loose, but it's not clicking in place either. It seems to be difficult to push back in. I replaced it with a 2.5" SATA SSD. Right now, I put the HDD back in place and I'm reconnecting all of the display connectors.
https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iMac+Intel+21.5-Inch+EMC+2428+Hard+Drive+Replacement/5954
Step 8: The LCD Thermal Sensor Cable
Yes, I put the hard drive back in. When the display is connected back up again, nothing happens, no sound, no fans, no picture. When the display is disconnected, the fans will kick on for a second, then stop for a second and does this repeatedly.
As far as I can tell, everything looks normal. Guess I screwed something up! Hope this doesn't cost too much to fix.
Boy that really stinks. I'd be checking over everything over and over again before I have to take it in. Did you bump anything else while taking it apart?
I've checked the entire thing several times, looked at every connector... yeah, I think I broke it!
I'm sorry to hear that. I hope they don't charge you too much to repair it. I'll be curious to find out what went wrong.
Broke the logic board! $580
Yikes. Sorry to hear that. Are you going have it replaced then?
Yeah, they already had it replaced. I'm picking it up today. I asked them if they could install the SSD I purchased into the iMac, but they said that they can only put in Apple certified parts, lame! Guess I'll be stuck with the slow hard drive then.
Right, they won't install third-party hardware because they don't the liability of problems that could happen as a result of potential incompatibility. Plus, they're only trained to work on authorized Apple stuff. That's a rather common policy among companies.
Put the SSD into a Thunderbolt enclosure. It will be just about as fast as internal. You can boot from it...
I almost had the same problem with my 2011 iMac. I had to put the original drive back because the heat sensor connector was not compatible with the slot of the new drive.
Then, there were too many cables to detached, I managed to put the computer horizontal and keep the screen connected but slides a bit and hold it with two shoes giving me enough room to remove the drive. But trust me, is better to have the people of the apple store do it for you, it cost only $150 I think + the drive.
Then, I do not think your broke the mother board but probably you pulled a cable and the connector came out.
Then, there were too many cables to detached, I managed to put the computer horizontal and keep the screen connected but slides a bit and hold it with two shoes giving me enough room to remove the drive. But trust me, is better to have the people of the apple store do it for you, it cost only $150 I think + the drive.
Then, I do not think your broke the mother board but probably you pulled a cable and the connector came out.