MacBook Core Duo Optical Drive Replacement: Step 1 Use a coin to rotate the battery-locking screw 90 degrees clockwise. /Guide/MacBook-Core-Duo-Optical-Drive-Replacement/286/all#s1066 MacBook Core Duo Optical Drive Replacement: Step 2 Lift the battery out of the computer. /Guide/MacBook-Core-Duo-Optical-Drive-Replacement/286/all#s1067 MacBook Core Duo Optical Drive Replacement: Step 3 Remove the three evenly-spaced Phillips screws from along the rear wall of the battery compartment. The screws are captive to the metal memory cover. /Guide/MacBook-Core-Duo-Optical-Drive-Replacement/286/all#s1068 MacBook Core Duo Optical Drive Replacement: Step 4 Lift up on L-shaped memory cover, slide it to the right, and lift it out of the computer. /Guide/MacBook-Core-Duo-Optical-Drive-Replacement/286/all#s1069 MacBook Core Duo Optical Drive Replacement: Step 5 Remove the following 3 screws: One 11 mm Phillips #00 in the middle of the case. Two 14.5 mm Phillips #00. If the screws stick in the case, you can use a magnetized screwdriver to draw them out. The shorter of the three screws goes in the middle. /Guide/MacBook-Core-Duo-Optical-Drive-Replacement/286/all#s1075 MacBook Core Duo Optical Drive Replacement: Step 6 Remove the following 3 screws from the rear wall of the battery compartment: Two 3 mm Phillips #00. One 4 mm Phillips #00 on the right side. When reinstalling these screws, it may be helpful to push down on the lower case to line up the screw holes. /Guide/MacBook-Core-Duo-Optical-Drive-Replacement/286/all#s1076 MacBook Core Duo Optical Drive Replacement: Step 7 Remove the two 6 mm Phillips #00 screws from either side of the right wall of the battery compartment (not the ones closest to the battery connector). /Guide/MacBook-Core-Duo-Optical-Drive-Replacement/286/all#s1077 MacBook Core Duo Optical Drive Replacement: Step 8 Remove the four 3 mm indicated Phillips #00 screws from the front wall of the battery compartment. When working from the left, remove the 2nd, 4th, 7th and 9th screw. /Guide/MacBook-Core-Duo-Optical-Drive-Replacement/286/all#s1078 MacBook Core Duo Optical Drive Replacement: Step 9 Remove the following 4 screws from the back of the computer: Two 7 mm Philips on the far sides. Two 10.5 mm Phillips toward the center. Do not over-tighten these; you can cause the case to distort. /Guide/MacBook-Core-Duo-Optical-Drive-Replacement/286/all#s1080 MacBook Core Duo Optical Drive Replacement: Step 10 Remove the two 5.2 mm shouldered Phillips #00 screws from the optical side of the computer. It is not necessary to remove the similar screws on the other side of the computer. /Guide/MacBook-Core-Duo-Optical-Drive-Replacement/286/all#s1081 MacBook Core Duo Optical Drive Replacement: Step 11 Starting near the display and working around to the front of the computer, pry up on the upper case. It is held with clips on the right above the optical drive. These will release with some firm lifting pressure. Be careful when prying up the upper case. It's very easy to slice open a fingertip and thus provide the blood sacrifice the Mac gods sometimes require of those who insist on doing their own repairs. There's a trackpad and keyboard ribbon connecting the upper case to the logic board, so don't pull the upper case off entirely just yet. If you have trouble getting the clips to release, be careful that you are not prying the plastic top of the upper case away from its metal frame. /Guide/MacBook-Core-Duo-Optical-Drive-Replacement/286/all#s1082 MacBook Core Duo Optical Drive Replacement: Step 12 While holding up the upper case, use a spudger to pry up the orange trackpad and keyboard cable from its connector. If you happen to break your upper case cable when removing the upper case, we stock the cable individually and we have a guide that makes replacing it easy. /Guide/MacBook-Core-Duo-Optical-Drive-Replacement/286/all#s1083 MacBook Core Duo Optical Drive Replacement: Step 13 Grasp the white plastic tab attached to the hard drive and pull it to the left, removing the hard drive from the computer. /Guide/MacBook-Core-Duo-Optical-Drive-Replacement/286/all#s1084 MacBook Core Duo Optical Drive Replacement: Step 14 Remove the two Phillips screws from the front edge of the optical drive. The shorter screw is recessed nearest the RAM modules. /Guide/MacBook-Core-Duo-Optical-Drive-Replacement/286/all#s1085 MacBook Core Duo Optical Drive Replacement: Step 15 Disconnect the orange optical drive ribbon cable from the logic board. /Guide/MacBook-Core-Duo-Optical-Drive-Replacement/286/all#s1086 MacBook Core Duo Optical Drive Replacement: Step 16 Disconnect the newly-revealed display data cable. If there is no pull-tab on the top of the connector, it may be helpful to use a spudger to disconnect this connector. /Guide/MacBook-Core-Duo-Optical-Drive-Replacement/286/all#s1087 MacBook Core Duo Optical Drive Replacement: Step 17 Disconnect the (once again) newly-revealed hard drive cable. /Guide/MacBook-Core-Duo-Optical-Drive-Replacement/286/all#s1088 MacBook Core Duo Optical Drive Replacement: Step 18 Peel up the foil tape between the fan and the optical drive. Remove the Phillips screw securing the display data cable to the metal framework. /Guide/MacBook-Core-Duo-Optical-Drive-Replacement/286/all#s1089 MacBook Core Duo Optical Drive Replacement: Step 19 Pull up the display data cable from along the edge of the optical drive to reveal a silver Phillips screw. /Guide/MacBook-Core-Duo-Optical-Drive-Replacement/286/all#s1090 MacBook Core Duo Optical Drive Replacement: Step 20 Remove the Phillips screw securing the optical drive. The Bluetooth cable may be covering the screw; carefully push it aside before removing the screw. Do not over-tighten this screw when re-mounting. You could break the plastic enclosure. After removing the screw, push the metal tab backwards, towards the fan, to release the front of the optical drive. /Guide/MacBook-Core-Duo-Optical-Drive-Replacement/286/all#s1091 MacBook Core Duo Optical Drive Replacement: Step 21 Lift the Bluetooth antenna board from the right side of the optical drive. /Guide/MacBook-Core-Duo-Optical-Drive-Replacement/286/all#s1092 MacBook Core Duo Optical Drive Replacement: Step 22 Deroute the hard drive cable from along the front of the optical drive. /Guide/MacBook-Core-Duo-Optical-Drive-Replacement/286/all#s1093 MacBook Core Duo Optical Drive Replacement: Step 23 Lift the front edge of the optical drive and slide it up and out of the computer. /Guide/MacBook-Core-Duo-Optical-Drive-Replacement/286/all#s1094 MacBook Core Duo Optical Drive Replacement: Step 24 Peel up the orange tape partially covering the orange optical drive cable. /Guide/MacBook-Core-Duo-Optical-Drive-Replacement/286/all#s1095 MacBook Core Duo Optical Drive Replacement: Step 25 Disconnect the orange cable from the optical drive. /Guide/MacBook-Core-Duo-Optical-Drive-Replacement/286/all#s1096 MacBook Core Duo Optical Drive Replacement: Step 26 Use a spudger to carefully pry the silver metal bracket off the left side of the optical drive. Be careful not to bend the bracket, as it is very thin and bends easily. If the bracket doesn't come free easily, heating the adhesive may make prying the bracket off easier. /Guide/MacBook-Core-Duo-Optical-Drive-Replacement/286/all#s1097 MacBook Core Duo Optical Drive Replacement: Step 27 Peel up the L-shaped piece of black tape from the top of the drive. You'll want to reapply this tape in the same position on your replacement drive. /Guide/MacBook-Core-Duo-Optical-Drive-Replacement/286/all#s1098 MacBook Core Duo Optical Drive Replacement: Step 28 Peel up the silver foil tape from the optical drive. You'll want to reapply this tape in the same position on your replacement drive. /Guide/MacBook-Core-Duo-Optical-Drive-Replacement/286/all#s1099 MacBook Core Duo Optical Drive Replacement: Step 29 Remove the two Phillips screws securing the mounting bracket to the right side of the optical drive. This bracket is designed to slide back and forth slightly, so don't tighten the screws so much that the bracket is unable to slide. /Guide/MacBook-Core-Duo-Optical-Drive-Replacement/286/all#s1100 MacBook Core Duo Optical Drive Replacement: Step 30 Use a spudger to pry the gray Bluetooth antenna holder off the top of the optical drive. You'll want to reapply this piece in the same position on your replacement drive. If you have a CD or any other object jammed in your optical drive, we have an optical drive repair guide. /Guide/MacBook-Core-Duo-Optical-Drive-Replacement/286/all#s1101