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Installing MacBook Unibody Model A1278 Dual Hard Drive

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This guide has been found to be exceptionally cool by the iFixit staff.

Use this guide to install a second hard drive in place of the optical drive.

Author: Jake Devincenzi
Difficulty: Moderate

There are many benefits to adding a second hard drive to your laptop such as improved speeds, greater storage space, and less heartache when installing new software. Use this guide to install one using our optical bay hard drive enclosure.

Sections

Access Door 2 steps
Battery 1 step
Lower Case 2 steps
Optical Drive 8 steps
Optical Drive Replacement 2 steps
Dual Hard Drive 6 steps

Tools

Relevant Parts

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Edit Step 1 — Access Door ¶

With the case closed, place the Unibody top-side down on a flat surface.
Depress the grooved side of the access door release latch enough to grab the free end. Lift the release latch until it is vertical.

Edit Step 2 ¶

The access door should now be raised enough to lift it up and out of the Unibody.

Edit Step 3 — Battery ¶

Be sure the access door release latch is vertical before proceeding.
Grab the white plastic tab and pull the battery up and out of the Unibody.

Edit Step 4 — Lower Case ¶

Remove the following eight screws securing the lower case to the chassis:
- One 3 mm Phillips screw.
- Three 13.5 mm Phillips screws.
- Four 3.5 mm Phillips screws.