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Mac mini Mid 2010 Hard Drive Replacement

What you need

  1. Mac mini Mid 2010 Hard Drive Replacement, Bottom Cover: step 1, image 1 of 2 Mac mini Mid 2010 Hard Drive Replacement, Bottom Cover: step 1, image 2 of 2
    • Place your thumbs in the depressions cut into the bottom cover.

    • Rotate the bottom cover counter-clockwise until the white dot painted on the bottom cover is aligned with the ring inscribed on the outer case.

  2. Mac mini Mid 2010 Hard Drive Replacement: step 2, image 1 of 1
    • Tilt the mini enough to allow the bottom cover to fall away from the outer case.

    • Remove the bottom cover and set it aside.

  3. Mac mini Mid 2010 Hard Drive Replacement, Fan: step 3, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the two 11.3 mm T6 Torx screws securing the fan to the logic board near the antenna plate.

  4. Mac mini Mid 2010 Hard Drive Replacement: step 4, image 1 of 1
    • Lift the ear of the fan nearest the RAM up off the standoff secured to the outer case.

    • If the fan doesn't separate from the standoff screw with a moderate amount of force, you can use a T6 Torx driver to simply remove this screw.

  5. Mac mini Mid 2010 Hard Drive Replacement: step 5, image 1 of 1
    • Lift the fan out of the mini for enough clearance to access its connector.

    • Carefully pull the fan cables upward to lift the fan connector up out of its socket on the logic board.

    • Remove the fan.

  6. Mac mini Mid 2010 Hard Drive Replacement, Cowling: step 6, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the single 3.5 mm T6 Torx screw securing the cowling to the heat sink.

  7. Mac mini Mid 2010 Hard Drive Replacement: step 7, image 1 of 1
    • Lift the cowling from the end nearest the antenna plate.

    • Rotate the cowling away from the outer case and remove it from the mini.

  8. Mac mini Mid 2010 Hard Drive Replacement, Antenna Plate: step 8, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the following screws securing the antenna plate to the mini:

    • Two 6.6 mm T8 or T9 Torx screws

    • Two 5.0 mm T8 Torx or 2.0 mm Hex screws (either will work)

  9. Mac mini Mid 2010 Hard Drive Replacement: step 9, image 1 of 2 Mac mini Mid 2010 Hard Drive Replacement: step 9, image 2 of 2
    • Slightly lift the antenna plate from the end closest to the RAM.

    • Carefully pull the antenna plate straight away from the circular rim of the outer case.

    • Do not remove the antenna plate yet. It is still attached to the AirPort/ Bluetooth board.

  10. Mac mini Mid 2010 Hard Drive Replacement: step 10, image 1 of 1
    • Use the tip of a spudger to carefully pry the antenna connector up off the AirPort/Bluetooth board.

  11. Mac mini Mid 2010 Hard Drive Replacement: step 11, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the antenna plate from the mini.

  12. Mac mini Mid 2010 Hard Drive Replacement, Hard Drive: step 12, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the following three screws:

    • One 5.0 mm T8 Torx or 2.0 mm Hex screw (either will work)

    • One 16.2 mm T6 Torx screw

    • One 26 mm T6 Torx standoff

    • Note: This standoff may have been removed with the fan.

  13. Mac mini Mid 2010 Hard Drive Replacement: step 13, image 1 of 2 Mac mini Mid 2010 Hard Drive Replacement: step 13, image 2 of 2
    • Carefully pull the wires for both hard drive thermal sensors upward to lift their connectors up and out of their respective sockets on the logic board.

  14. Mac mini Mid 2010 Hard Drive Replacement: step 14, image 1 of 2 Mac mini Mid 2010 Hard Drive Replacement: step 14, image 2 of 2
    • Use the flat end of a spudger to pry both the hard drive and optical drive connectors up out of their sockets on the logic board.

  15. Mac mini Mid 2010 Hard Drive Replacement: step 15, image 1 of 3 Mac mini Mid 2010 Hard Drive Replacement: step 15, image 2 of 3 Mac mini Mid 2010 Hard Drive Replacement: step 15, image 3 of 3
    • For enough clearance to remove the hard drive, the logic board must be slightly removed. To accomplish this, two cylindrical rods must be inserted into the holes highlighted in red.

    • Inserting instruments into any logic board holes other than the ones highlighted in red may severely damage the logic board.

    • Insert a Mac mini Logic Board Removal Tool into the two holes highlighted in red. Be sure it makes contact with the outer case below the logic board before proceeding.

    • If you don't have a Logic Board Removal Tool handy, you can use two tools having a maximum diameter of 2.5 mm instead. Just insert one into each of the highlighted holes.

    • Carefully pull the tool toward the I/O board. The logic board and I/O board assembly should slightly slide out of the outer case.

    • Cease prying when the I/O board is visibly separated from the outer case. Remove the Mac mini Logic Board Removal tool.

  16. Mac mini Mid 2010 Hard Drive Replacement: step 16, image 1 of 3 Mac mini Mid 2010 Hard Drive Replacement: step 16, image 2 of 3 Mac mini Mid 2010 Hard Drive Replacement: step 16, image 3 of 3
    • Simultaneously push the two plastic clips on the far left and right sides of the I/O board toward the middle of the I/O board and pull the I/O board slightly away from the outer case.

    • Pull the I/O board/logic board assembly out of the outer case a maximum of 5 mm. Pulling the assembly out further may damage the IR sensor connector (highlighted in red in the third picture).

  17. Mac mini Mid 2010 Hard Drive Replacement: step 17, image 1 of 2 Mac mini Mid 2010 Hard Drive Replacement: step 17, image 2 of 2
    • Lift the hard drive from the edge nearest the logic board and remove it from the mini, minding the RAM socket and any cables that may get caught.

    • When reinstalling the hard drive, be sure the two T8 Torx lugs on its far end are inserted into the two rubber grommets highlighted in red in the second picture before sliding the logic board back into place.

  18. Mac mini Mid 2010 Hard Drive Replacement, Hard Drive: step 18, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the strip of tape covering the hard drive connector.

  19. Mac mini Mid 2010 Hard Drive Replacement: step 19, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the hard drive cable by pulling its connector straight away from the hard drive.

  20. Mac mini Mid 2010 Hard Drive Replacement: step 20, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the piece of tape covering the thermal sensor attached to the edge of the hard drive.

  21. Mac mini Mid 2010 Hard Drive Replacement: step 21, image 1 of 1
    • Carefully peel the thermal sensor off the end of the hard drive.

  22. Mac mini Mid 2010 Hard Drive Replacement: step 22, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the two 6.2 mm T8 Torx screws from the side of the hard drive.

  23. Mac mini Mid 2010 Hard Drive Replacement: step 23, image 1 of 1
    • Carefully peel the hard drive cover off the hard drive.

    • Hard drive remains.

    • If you are installing a new hard drive, we have an OS X install guide to get you up and running.

Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

422 other people completed this guide.

37 Comments

These instructions and a little common sense can also be used to replace the lower hard drive in the server version of the Mac Mini. Luckily that was the drive that had failed in my case. Replacing the upper drive looks like a tougher proposition.

Bozo Z Clown - Reply

Fantastic guide, thank you very much Mr. Bookholt!

As with the above commenter, I accidentally mistook the fan's standoff for a screw and removed it while removing the fan. Also the top right fan screw's standoff came out along with it. I edited the guide with a note on this.

While replacing the antenna, it wasn't immediately clear why the screws weren't lining up, until I realized that two of the screws were in the (otherwise free-floating but for the back grommets) hard drive, I also added a note on that.

Jon Bailey - Reply

STEP 15: If you don't have the time to purchase the Mac Mini Logic Board Removal Tool, the round stock on a large binder clip is PERFECT for the job. It requires a little bending and cutting but it worked perfectly!!

And as jon jon stated, it works like a lever - not a pull. You can feel it kind of click in to the lever points below.

Bravo to ifixit.com for the easy to follow instruction!!

blavin - Reply

Hey, what about the 2nd harddrive? how does that come out?

This was a superb guide. Thank you very, very much.

Tyrone Steele - Reply

Ok, just did here. 1 tera HD working fine. Thanks iFixit, for repacking my tools because the Brazilian mail lost them. So, for those who want to do the same, just have in mind that not ALL things happen just like the how-to. I have to figure out What to do with the logic board removal tool... And, no, I did not fuss with those initial thermal stuff, because they are impossible to unplug. I only fuss with the HD thermal.

giorio - Reply

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