Okay, so according to the guy at the Genius Bar, my Mac is dying. Apparently there's a problem with the hard drive, it's barely spinning at all. Finals are coming up and I have dozens of pages of papers due, so I need my mac to last just a couple more weeks. The tech recommended replacing the hard drive myself, rather than paying Apple inordinate amounts of money to have it sent in and replaced. My question is this, where do I get a replacement hard drive, what are the specs I have to look for in buying one, and does anyone have a line on how-to steps for replacing my hard drive myself? The more direct links that can be provided, the better, as my computer is hating me more and more and has become exceedingly difficult. Thanks!
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Replacement Hard Drive for mid-2006 17" White iMac
- Thread starter Krazyceltickid
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You need 3.5" SATA drive, but there might be a capacity limit of 500GB. You can buy e.g. this HD
Video tutorial
Video tutorial
Your iMac wouldn't be mailed in, the service method is typically carry-in, and depending on part availability, could be addressed in 24-48 hrs by a service provider in your area. I'm not saying it would be cheap, since it is a just-shy-of-3-years old computer and likely doesn't have the AppleCare on it anymore, but it wouldn't be a week-long proposition. Unless you are confident in your take-apart and put-back-together capabilities I would say pay up rather than possibly getting a non-functional computer out of the bargain.