Installing iMac Intel 27" EMC 2429 Dual Hard Drive Kit
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Install the dual hard drive kit in an iMac Intel 27" EMC 2429.
- Author: Phillip Takahashi
- Difficulty: Difficult
This guide will help you install the dual hard drive kit.
Sections
- Access Door 1 step
- RAM 2 steps
- Glass Panel 2 steps
- Display 7 steps
- Optical Drive 4 steps
- Dual Hard Drive Kit 19 steps
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Step 1
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Access Door
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Loosen the three Phillips screws securing the access door to the bottom edge of your iMac.
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These screws will remain captive in the access door.
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Remove the access door from your iMac.
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During reassembly, fasten the access door loosely and align it with the pocket cut into the outer case of the iMac before fully tightening the screws.
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Step 3
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Pull the black plastic tab away from the iMac to eject the RAM chip from its socket.
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The RAM modules are firmly seated and may require a fair amount of force to remove.
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Use your fingers to slide the RAM chip out of its socket.
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If necessary, repeat this process for the other RAM module(s).
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Step 4
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Glass Panel
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Stick a suction cup near each of the two top corners of the glass panel.
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To attach the suction cups we sell, first position the suction cup with the movable handle parallel to the face of the glass panel (as highlighted in the first and second pictures).
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While lightly holding the suction cup against the glass, raise the movable handle until it is parallel with the other handle (as highlighted by the third picture).
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If your suction cups refuse to stick, try cleaning both the glass panel and the suction cup with a mild solvent.
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Step 5
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Gently lift the glass panel perpendicular to the face of the LCD enough to clear the steel mounting pins attached along the underside of the top edge of the glass panel.
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Pull the glass panel away from the lower edge of the iMac and carefully set it aside.
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During reinstallation, be sure to meticulously clean the inside of the glass panel and the face of the LCD as any dust or fingerprints trapped inside will be annoyingly visible when the machine is turned on.
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Step 7
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Carefully lay the iMac stand-side down on a flat surface.
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Due to tight tolerances, you will have to use a thin hooked tool to lift the display out of the outer case. As seen in the first picture, we made one out of a bent paperclip.
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Alternatively, our Dual Hard Drive Kit includes a pair of tweezers with an angled tip that are great for this task.
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Use a thin hooked tool to lift one side of the top edge of the display by its steel outer frame.
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After lifting the top edge of the display on one side, hold it out of the outer case while you use a hooked tool to lift the other side.
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Raise and hold the display high enough to access the cables.
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Do not lift the top edge of the display out of the outer case too far, as several short ribbon cables still connect the two components.
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Step 22
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Locate the AirPort card at the top center of the logic board and just below the hard drive.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to gently pry each of the antenna cables off their sockets.
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Do not disconnect the antennas by pulling on the cables as this may damage the cables, connectors, or sockets.
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The antennas have markings to help you identify their order. The antenna with no marks goes to "CH0", the antenna with one mark goes to "CH1", and the antenna with two marks goes to "CH2".
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Step 33
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Route the new SATA cable through the indentation that the primary SATA cable goes through and into the optical drive bay.
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Set the logic board back into place, being careful not to catch, cover, or pinch any cables.
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Be sure that the SATA cable has as much slack as possible and that it is not tangled with any other cables.
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Step 34
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To secure your new drive in your iMac, you will need to place high strength double-sided tape at the four corners on the side of the drive with the SATA connectors.
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Peel the backing off one side of the double sided tape.
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Press the exposed adhesive side of the double sided tape to the corner of the SSD.
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Be sure not to cover the SATA connectors with the double sided tape.
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Repeat the above process for the remaining 3 corners.
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Step 35
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Connect both the SATA data and SATA power connectors to their respective sockets on the SSD.
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Peel the backing off of the double sided tape.
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Carefully set the SSD into the iMac optical bay as close to the lower left corner as possible.
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Do not to repeatedly stick and un-stick the tape, as the adhesive will become weaker.
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Once you are happy with the SSD's placement, firmly press down along its edges to ensure full adhesion.
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When re-installing the optical drive, the SATA cable will be sandwiched between the foam padding and the optical drive.
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