You can skip this step if you bought your putty knife from iFixit. Putty knives purchased from iFixit come with pre-ground edges. You'll need a putty knife in order to open the case. A 1.5 inch thin putty knife will work well, but you'll want to grind the edge down. Rub the putty knife's short edge back and forth on a sheet of all purpose rough grit sandpaper (100 grit will work fine) until it attains a beveled edge. /Guide/Mac-mini-Model-A1283-Hard-Drive-Replacement/1063/all#s6151 Carefully insert a putty knife into the crevice in between the top cover and bottom housing. Start on the left side first. Push the blade down until you meet firm resistance (roughly 3/8 of an inch). Gently enlarge the existing crevice by rotating the putty knife downward and away from the mini. /Guide/Mac-mini-Model-A1283-Hard-Drive-Replacement/1063/all#s5668 Carefully insert a putty knife into the crevice in between the top cover and bottom housing. Start on the left side first. Push the blade down until you meet firm resistance (roughly 3/8 of an inch). Gently enlarge the existing crevice by rotating the putty knife downward and away from the mini. /Guide/Mac-mini-Model-A1283-Hard-Drive-Replacement/1063/all#s5668 Repeat the prying motion until a portion of the bottom housing has been nudged upward. /Guide/Mac-mini-Model-A1283-Hard-Drive-Replacement/1063/all#s5669 Repeat the same prying procedure on the right side. /Guide/Mac-mini-Model-A1283-Hard-Drive-Replacement/1063/all#s5670 The top cover should now be marginally separated from the bottom housing. Use your fingers to completely separate the two, starting with the I/O side of the mini. /Guide/Mac-mini-Model-A1283-Hard-Drive-Replacement/1063/all#s5671 In the next few steps you will be removing the AirPort and Bluetooth antennas (shown in red) from the internal frame. Be very careful, as breaking the brackets will require replacing the internal frame. We will first remove the AirPort antenna, located in the lower left corner of this picture. /Guide/Mac-mini-Model-A1283-Hard-Drive-Replacement/1063/all#s5672 Slightly squeeze the two retaining arms toward each other and lift the AirPort antenna off its post. Squeezing the two posts excessively will surely break them off the internal frame. Work delicately. During reinstallation, you will have to slightly squeeze the two posts together so they fit into the openings on the AirPort antenna board. /Guide/Mac-mini-Model-A1283-Hard-Drive-Replacement/1063/all#s5673 Slightly squeeze the two retaining arms toward each other and lift the AirPort antenna off its post. Squeezing the two posts excessively will surely break them off the internal frame. Work delicately. During reinstallation, you will have to slightly squeeze the two posts together so they fit into the openings on the AirPort antenna board. /Guide/Mac-mini-Model-A1283-Hard-Drive-Replacement/1063/all#s5673 The two Bluetooth antenna boards simply lift off the internal frame. Grab the Bluetooth antenna nearest the port side of the computer by the edges of the board and pull it straight up off the internal frame. /Guide/Mac-mini-Model-A1283-Hard-Drive-Replacement/1063/all#s5675 The two Bluetooth antenna boards simply lift off the internal frame. Grab the Bluetooth antenna nearest the port side of the computer by the edges of the board and pull it straight up off the internal frame. /Guide/Mac-mini-Model-A1283-Hard-Drive-Replacement/1063/all#s5675 Remove the antenna board near the front of the mini by pulling it straight up off the internal frame. If necessary, remove the piece of tape securing the antenna leads to the internal frame. Be sure to keep track of the springs under each of the three antenna boards. /Guide/Mac-mini-Model-A1283-Hard-Drive-Replacement/1063/all#s5674 Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the audio ribbon cable connector up off the audio board. /Guide/Mac-mini-Model-A1283-Hard-Drive-Replacement/1063/all#s5676 Remove the four Phillips screws securing the internal frame to the bottom housing. The screw in the lower right corner of this image is recessed deep in the internal frame and longer than the other three screws. A flashlight and a thin screwdriver aid in removal. /Guide/Mac-mini-Model-A1283-Hard-Drive-Replacement/1063/all#s5677 Lift the internal frame off the bottom housing, minding any cables that may get caught. /Guide/Mac-mini-Model-A1283-Hard-Drive-Replacement/1063/all#s5680 In this step, make sure to only disconnect the connector from its socket, and not the entire socket from the interconnect board. Use the tip of a spudger to gently pry the hard drive thermal sensor connector away from its socket on the interconnect board. Make sure to only detach the connector and not the socket that is soldered to the interconnect board. NOTE that this connector is tiny, hard to remove and VERY easily damaged. Instead of trying to pry the sensor connector out and risk breaking it, you can jump to Steps 18 and 19 (gently pry the thermal sensor board off of the hard drive and un-tape the wire). Then proceed with Steps 15-17 (unscrewing and removing the hard drive). Once the new hard drive is installed you can attach the thermal sensor to it. /Guide/Mac-mini-Model-A1283-Hard-Drive-Replacement/1063/all#s5688 In this step, make sure to only disconnect the connector from its socket, and not the entire socket from the interconnect board. Use the tip of a spudger to gently pry the hard drive thermal sensor connector away from its socket on the interconnect board. Make sure to only detach the connector and not the socket that is soldered to the interconnect board. NOTE that this connector is tiny, hard to remove and VERY easily damaged. Instead of trying to pry the sensor connector out and risk breaking it, you can jump to Steps 18 and 19 (gently pry the thermal sensor board off of the hard drive and un-tape the wire). Then proceed with Steps 15-17 (unscrewing and removing the hard drive). Once the new hard drive is installed you can attach the thermal sensor to it. /Guide/Mac-mini-Model-A1283-Hard-Drive-Replacement/1063/all#s5688 De-route the hard drive thermal sensor cable from under the clip on the internal frame. /Guide/Mac-mini-Model-A1283-Hard-Drive-Replacement/1063/all#s5689 Remove the two Phillips screws connecting the underside of the hard drive to the internal frame. /Guide/Mac-mini-Model-A1283-Hard-Drive-Replacement/1063/all#s5690 Remove the two Phillips screws securing the side of the hard drive to the internal frame. /Guide/Mac-mini-Model-A1283-Hard-Drive-Replacement/1063/all#s5725 Slide the hard drive toward the speaker to disconnect it from the interconnect board. Lift the hard drive from the edge opposite the fan and remove it from the internal frame. /Guide/Mac-mini-Model-A1283-Hard-Drive-Replacement/1063/all#s5691 Slide the hard drive toward the speaker to disconnect it from the interconnect board. Lift the hard drive from the edge opposite the fan and remove it from the internal frame. /Guide/Mac-mini-Model-A1283-Hard-Drive-Replacement/1063/all#s5691 Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the hard drive thermal sensor board off the adhesive securing it to the side of the hard drive. /Guide/Mac-mini-Model-A1283-Hard-Drive-Replacement/1063/all#s5696 Remove the strip of tape holding the thermal sensor cable to the hard drive and remove the thermal sensor from the hard drive. You'll want to transfer this thermal sensor to the same position on your new hard drive. /Guide/Mac-mini-Model-A1283-Hard-Drive-Replacement/1063/all#s5697