Installing PowerBook G4 Aluminum 15" 1.67 GHz Hard Drive

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Want more storage capacity? Replace your hard drive with a higher capacity unit.

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Add Note Edit Step 1 — Battery  ¶ 

  • Use a coin to turn the battery locking screw 90 degrees clockwise.

  • Lift the battery out of the computer.

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Add Note Edit Step 2 — Upper Case  ¶ 

  • Remove the following 10 screws:

    • Two 3 mm Phillips in the battery compartment, on either side of the battery contacts.

    • Four 3 mm Phillips around the memory compartment.

    • Four 16 mm Phillips along the hinge.

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Add Note Edit Step 3  ¶ 

  • Remove the memory compartment cover.

  • Remove the two 12 mm Phillips screws on the Aluminum bracket at the top of the memory compartment.

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Add Note Edit Step 4  ¶ 

  • Rotate the computer 90 degrees clockwise so the power receptacle faces you.

  • Remove the three 3 mm Phillips screws along the edge of the lower case.

  • When replacing these screws, you must install them in the correct order. Begin by installing the screw closest to the display hinge, then work your way toward the front of the computer.

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Add Note Edit Step 5  ¶ 

  • Turn the computer 90 degrees clockwise so the hinge faces you.

  • Remove the lower 5 mm Phillips screw on each side of the hinge (two total).

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Add Note Edit Step 6  ¶ 

  • Rotate the computer 90 degrees clockwise so the ports face you.

  • Remove the three 3 mm Phillips screws along the edge of the lower case.

  • When replacing these screws, you must install them in the correct order. Begin by installing the screw closest to the display hinge, then work your way toward the front of the computer. Also, be careful not to put the screws in the two holes on either side of the video out port.

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Add Note Edit Step 7  ¶ 

  • Turn the computer over and open the display.

  • Remove the two 4.2 mm long, 1.5 mm hex screws at the top corners of the upper case (two total).

  • A T6 Torx driver will work, but repeated use will strip the screws.

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Add Note Edit Step 8  ¶ 

  • Grasp the back corners of the upper case and pull up.

    • Do not pull the upper case off yet; you still need to disconnect the keyboard and trackpad cable.

  • Lift the back of the case up and work your fingers along the sides, freeing the case as you go. Once you have freed the sides, you may need to rock the case up and down to free the front of the upper case.

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Add Note Edit Step 9  ¶ 

  • Rotate the upper case up and toward the screen, so that the upper case rests against it.

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Add Note Edit Step 10  ¶ 

  • Remove the amber tape securing the trackpad ribbon to the logic board.

  • Disconnect the trackpad ribbon from the logic board by pulling up on the connector.

  • Remove the upper case from the computer.

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Add Note Edit Step 11 — Hard Drive  ¶ 

  • Remove the three 6 mm long silver Phillips screws from the retaining bracket on the left side of the optical drive.

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Add Note Edit Step 12  ¶ 

  • Remove the retaining bracket.

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Add Note Edit Step 13  ¶ 

  • Disconnect the large orange hard drive cable from the logic board, removing tape as necessary.

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Add Note Edit Step 14  ¶ 

  • Lift the hard drive up by the right side and remove it from the computer.

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Add Note Edit Step 15  ¶ 

  • Remove the two silver Phillips screws and black rubber bumpers from either side of the hard drive (four sets of screws and bumpers total).

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Add Note Edit Step 16  ¶ 

  • There is a black pad on one end of the hard drive that you should peel off and transfer to your new hard drive.

  • Lift the plastic shield off of the hard drive.

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Add Note Edit Step 17  ¶ 

  • Disconnect the hard drive cable from the hard drive using a spudger by gently loosening one side at a time. (Be careful not to pry to hard or you may bend the pins.) You may need to remove a piece of orange tape attaching the ribbon cable to the hard drive.

  • This is a bit tricky. If you bend the pins, do your best to straighten them using the hard drive cable as a guide.

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

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

For more information, check out the PowerBook G4 Aluminum 15" 1.67 GHz device page.

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