My Problem

The iMac was not recognizing the hard drive. The hard drive I had was original to the machine

My Fix

Overall it went pretty well. The main problems I experienced had to do with the pictures on your site/repair manual not lining up with what I was seeing in my machine. For example, there was no temperature sensor on my computer's circuit boards. And, some of the "plugs"/connectors were not in the same location as you pictured or described them. One issue I have been a little concerned about is that the hard drive I took out (a Western Digital approx 260 GB drive) had a connector-point on its side. The hard drive I got from you had no such connector point. So, I left the wire connected to that junction loose. I have a feeling that connection may have something to do with regulating the temperature of the hard drive because the fan on my computer runs continuously on high. The computer does not appear to be overheating at all (in fact, it's WAY cooler than it used to be) but it is quite loud and I wonder if this will hurt it in the long run (e.g. burn out the fan, etc.). That's my only real concern after having done the repair.

My Advice

I think this site is a very valuable site! I was very thankful for its clarity and for the manual(s) you provided!

My Problem

The original 320GB hard drive completely died after 5 yrs of nearly continuous service. Found the ifixit site with great instructions and the necessary parts.

My Fix

The parts arrived in a few days and the repair was easy and fast. Has the ufixit guide on my iPad and followed the step by step instructions. Finished in less than one hour. Everything booted up fine and was able to reinstall from my Time Capsule.

My Advice

Read the entire repair steps first before proceeding to make sure you have everything.

My Problem

Dead hard disk in a vintage iMac 1.83 Ghz Intel Core Duo

My Fix

The pictures and steps were very clear. Changing the hard disk was easy. It was getting the critter opened up that took all the time.

My Advice

1. The credit card needs to be a stiff one, and the invisible latches are flimsy, so it is hard to tell when they release.

2. On an aged machine, the adhesive on the aluminum shielding foil has dried out so you can not peel it back in a strip; it tears and crumbles. iFixit should recommend using new foil strip around the screen.

My Problem

HD was beginning to fail to complete time machine backups, and TechTool Pro indicated a temperature fail indicator.

My Fix

Based on your great photos, video description, and parts sources, I not only replaced the HD but upgraded its capacity.

My Advice

No advice to add, beyond a supportive statement that if you don't rush it it's a straight forward repair. Thanks to everyone at ifixit.com.

My Problem

Owner felt the machine had become very slow and he was running out of disk space. Machine had a 250 GB Drive and only one GB of Ram.

My Fix

It was is an EMC 2210. Like many folks I hesitated to take this type of computer apart because of the lack of a visible and easy way to get inside. iFixit's video made all difference. I figured if that pretty young lady to take one of these things apart so could I. It went well and very quickly. I was bit surprised to see the Apple had used what looked like scotch tape to hold wires down and connections together but it works so why knock it. Machine is running just fine and the owner is pleased.

Thanks iFixit.

My Advice

It is not that hard to work on these machines. It does take a bit longer than the typical desktop computer because there are more screws and parts to take off. The machines are well made and thus everything goes back together easily. Go for it and keep that old machine out of the dump.

My Problem

The hard drive in my 5 year old iMac was crapping out. Actually, on the very day I replaced it it had TOTALLY bit the dust. Total meltdown. Thankfully I'd backed up everything with Time Machine (the day before it died, thankfully). I love my machine, glad I was able to save it and give it a new lease on life. A $200 fix compared to $1500, give or take, to replace the whole thing. Well worth it.

My Fix

Repair went very smooth. Thanks to the step by step video tutorial. Had it not been for that I would have had no idea whatsoever as to how to go about replacing the hard drive. The folks at iFixit have it together, for sure! Great teaching knowledge and competitively priced products, not to mention the ease of finding the right products for the job. Thank you so much, you saved me oodles of $$$! Sadly, I took no photographic evidence of my success. All said it was super easy and only took me about 20 to 30 minutes from start to finish. Now this machine is like new. Thanks for being there! Great company, will use you again for my iMac needs.

My Advice

Some words of advice..... you definitely need the suction cups for this job, and you HAVE to have the right Torx bits. Ended up buying a Torx set for electronics from Home Depot (sorry iFixit. Just needed a couple of bits and got them crazy cheap there. Like $5 cheap). All said it was super easy. Almost surprisingly so.

My Problem

I've had this computer for 6+ years. Machine has run strong and was modern enough to handle my family's current needs. The HDD simply filled up causing it to slow down and throw "startup volume disk is low" errors. 2 teenage boys and iTunes...

My Fix

Even though I live in Tokyo, iFixit got me parts in lighting fast time - and at a reasonable shipping rate!. I'm absolutely satisfied with the service I received. It was easy to find the exact matching parts via the ID my mac feature on the site.

My Advice

Never, ever, try to open a white 20" iMac! This machine was designed from the get-go, by Apple, to not be opened. Using the iFixit guide provided a lot of valuable information. I also found a few YouTube videos of people that made it seem so easy. In reality, opening this case was a major pain. Followed then by all the EMI foil. Knowing what I know now I would have wiped the HDD, resold it and bought a new machine ;-(

My Problem

I originally had a hard disk failure with my iMac's stock internal 500GB Hard Disk from Seagate, so I decided to use ifixit's services to replace that drive since I've had a good experience in the past with ifixit for replacing my iPhone 4's back glass panel.

My Fix

The repair was a challenge but fun to see the guts of my iMac for the first time and to really appreciate all of Apple's work both on the outside and inside of their products, however once I successfully completed the surgery I was thrilled to find my iMac coming back to life, except for the fact that although my iMac now works, I was stuck with this continuous and loud noise from the internal fan, the replacement HDD I picked was the one from Hitachi at 1TB as apposed to the 500GB Apple Seagate and I'm no tech expert so I don't know what the pros or cons are from the two or any other brand except for the storage, never the less I did find a neat trick to sort-of resolve this issue, I found out about HDD Fan Control for the mac http://www.hddfancontrol.com/ and this did the job, the iMac's internal fan now spins quietly, but what I want to know is, has anyone been able to fix or solve this kind of issue without a software fix? Did I miss something in the replacement steps?

My Advice

Dispite the issue with the loud high spinning fan noise after the replacement I actually enjoyed cracking open my iMac and fixing it, it's almost like a giant, delicate and expensive puzzle, lots of fun and appreciation!

Sorry I don't have any pics :/

My Problem

English : The internal hard drive on my iMac was damaged, I was able to retrieve the files, it only remained to change the disc and then just do a bit mechanical !

French : Le disque dur interne de mon IMac était endommagé, j'ai réussi à récupéré les fichiers, il ne restait plus qu'à changer le disque et donc juste faire un peu de mécanique !

My Fix

English : The repair was very easy thanks to the video explanation on this site, taking his time, it really easy !

French : La réparation à été très facile grâce à la vidéo d'explication sur ce site, en prenant son temps, c'est vraiment un jeu d'enfant !

My Advice

Do not be scared by replacing the internal hard drive of a English : Mac I, it is really easy with the video on this site and the right tools. I'm almost to the repair shop, but finally I did it myself, it is much cheaper and quite fun finally !

planning a small vacuum cleaner in case there was a lot of dust inside the computer, like mine!

French : Ne soyez pas effrayé par le remplacement de disque dur interne d'un I Mac, c'est vraiment facile avec la vidéo de ce site et les bons outils. J'ai bien faillit faire la réparation en magasin, mais finallement je l'ai fait moi-même, c'est beaucoup moins cher et assez amusant finalement !

prévoyez un petit aspirateur au cas où il y avait beaucoup de poussière à l'intérieur de l'ordinateur, comme le mien !

My Problem

I have several early 2009 iMacs with hard drives that are dead or dying. I was told by a mac specialist there was a problem with the HDDs in this particular model.

My Fix

Without a hitch! I tore apart the first machine with some trepidation. I've built PCs before, but have always had this feeling that it was taboo to open up a Mac box. After my initial queasiness when the glass came off and the top bezel was lifted I realized, this is a machine like any other - not some mystical medium of Steve Jobs. I've replaced HDD in three machines now and am ready for the next challenge - swapping a logic board from one dead machine to another almost dead machine.

My Advice

Be meticulous about dismantling. I ordered the magnetic project map and am so glad I did. No screws rolling off the table onto the floor to be kicked into a hidden corner where the Brownies have a chance to make off with my hardware!