My Problem

Hard drive died. Computer would not boot. Got new hard drive. Got firewire enclosure to put old drive in. Old hard drive happy in new home, and completely accessible. No idea why.

My Fix

Easy. Followed directions.

My Advice

I now buy an enclosure for all my retired harddrives. Nothing like extra back-up space when you need it. Great solution.

My Problem

I needed more room on my hard drive due to a large music library, a large number of pictures and video, etc.

My Fix

The repair went quickly and easily with no problems. I took advantage of having the laptop open to clean up dust with some canned air.

My Advice

Keep anti-static bags from previous upgrades, they make great places to place sensitive equipment during a job.

My Problem

I became concerned about my aging HD in my 2007 era Macbook. No problems were present other than what a recent memory (1G to 4G) upgrade solved. And, I now have a bootable backup copy on my old drive.

My Fix

After watching the helpful video (3 times) from iFixit I was able to clone my new drive via SuperDuper using my new Firewire 400 SATA Laptop Hard Drive enclosure and and then exchanged my new drive for the old one in my laptop. Worked like a charm.

My Advice

The Pro Tech Toolkit made the swap a breeze, and the SSD Hybrid HD loads programs much faster - It's like having a new laptop!

I found it to be simple and fun to do.

My Problem

Nvidia chip fried the logic board on my MBP a1226

This was covered by Apple, as, this was apparently recalled some time ago...

Apple then informed me that my HD was about to fail...

used that as an opportunity to upgrade my RAM and HD with an SSD seeing as the cost of the logic board was covered by Apple and the upgrades were cheaper than buying a new logicboard.

My Fix

In my case, cloning my OS was problematic due to the HD failure.

SuperDuper, and CarbonCopyClone both failed to successfully clone my OS due to many errors on the partition.

I was able to copy my data to another external HD that I use for my music library, once that was safe and secure, I had to install a fresh OS to the NEW SSD, confirm that I could boot off of the new drive, then install the new drive into the MBP.

Hardware install is relatively simple if you are familiar with opening up your Mac, even if you are not, its still pretty straightforward.

Alot time wasted on troubleshooting to figure out why both clone softwares were failing, but once I loaded a new OS and I could confirm the new OS was booting off the new drive, the complete swap took probably 20-30 minutes.

Power up.... good to go.

Now begins the process of getting all of my software back..... (cringe)

My Advice

Make sure you back up regularly.

Provided you are coming from a working HD, SuperDuper or CCC work great.

If you have any HD errors, use that as a good chance to install a fresh OS and start on a clean slate.

Install is quick, easy.

From power on to desktop in less than 10 seconds... pretty amazing.

Battery lasts longer as well.

I opted for 120gb SSD as I use external TB for my library files (music, movies, etc.)

120 is fine for any of my mobile needs (design, Ableton creations, etc).

Bottom line, its like a brand new MBP, and blazing fast.

for most laptop needs, 120gb is more than enough space.

it wasn't that long ago that a 250gb disk HD was 3 or 4 hundred...so, well worth the upgrade for $250 bucks.

Overall, extremely satisfied with the purchase, service, and write-ups on ifixit.

this is the 3rd purchase and repair I've done through the site (including fixing a shattered LCD).

shipping is always fast, write ups and pictures are more than helpful.

ifixit always saves the day

Literally performs better than a brand new computer, my roomate has a new MBP, and mine is much quicker.

I refuse to buy a new MBP ... I will run my a1226 till the end !

:o)

My Problem

Initially I though I was just upgrading to a larger, faster drive in my laptop... come to find out the old drive was failing and I didn't know it.

My Fix

The firewire 400 SATA laptop hard drive enclosure from iFixIt worked great with simple instructions on how to load and use the enclosure. The drive upgrade had a set back early on when the drive would not clone due to an unreadable/unwritable file on the old drive. The software I used, which was suggested by iFixIt (www.shirt-pocket.com) showed me the file causing the issue so I deleted it. The software also requested that I support the issue for review so I did that too. That morning I had a response back from the software publisher with the answer. (Amazing)!. Once the drive was cloned I used the iFixIt instruction set for drive replacement (specific to my MacBook Pro version) which was by far "The Best" tech instructions I have encountered. The upgrade was by far a success story!

My Advice

Make sure to get the correct instruction set for your specific machine before you start. iFixit has a great instruction resource! I had two machines so I was able to go back to the website for more info. Use a bin for your hardware (screws, etc..). I took a clear bin and made a grid using tape to seperate each step into areas for each step's hardware. I was able to put the machine back together in reverse order in a snap! Wouldn't have been able to do it without iFixit's great instructions & videos! I was so excited to fix the machine I forgot to take pics... next time!!!

My Problem

After eight or so years I ran out of hard drive space (who thought 70GB was too small way back then?). And dealing with the ethernet cable running through the floor from the basement was getting old - what's the point of a laptop if you can't use it on your lap top?

My Fix

The repair was pretty boring. Printed out the instructions, taped the screws to the appropriate photos, followed the instructions to the end and then moved to the other side of the table and followed them backwards (not really). Hit the power button and everything booted up the same - only faster and from further away (no ethernet cable). I also now have a nice, "new", 70GB external hard drive to back up another old computer.

The only concern now is what the heck am I going to do with 500GB? (I know, I know...)

No problems, no issues, no story. Sorry...

My Advice

Don't worry, be happy - upgrade now.

(One piece of info unrelated to ifixit: the new OS Lion won't run on the older Intel Core Duo - you need at least the Core 2 Duo.)

My Problem

Filled 120GB on my 2006 MacBook Pro

My Fix

Smooth as silk. Easy as pie. Never opened a computer before and you would have thought I was a pro.

My Advice

Follow the guides and you will have no problems