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iMac Intel 20" EMC 2266 Hard Drive Replacement
- Author: Walter Galan
- Difficulty: Moderate
Use this guide to replace or upgrade your hard drive for more storage space.
Sections
- Access Door 1 step
- Glass Panel 2 steps
- Front Bezel 3 steps
- Display Panel 4 steps
- Hard Drive 5 steps
- Hard Drive Replacement 6 steps
Tools
Tools (continued)
Relevant parts
- View:
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Step 2
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Glass Panel
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The glass panel is fixed onto the front bezel with fourteen magnets around its perimeter.
Stick two suction cups to opposing corners of the glass panel.
To attach the suction cups we sell, first position the suction cup with the movable handle parallel to the face of the glass panel. While lightly holding the suction cup against the glass, raise the movable handle until it is parallel with the other handle.
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 3
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Gently pull the glass panel straight up off the iMac.
The glass panel has several positioning pins around its perimeter. To avoid shearing these pins off the glass panel, be sure to only pull straight up during removal.
Be meticulous about cleaning the LCD and the inside face of the glass panel before reinstallation, as any fingerprints or dust trapped inside will be annoyingly visible when the display is on.

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Step 4
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Front Bezel
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Remove the following 12 screws securing the front bezel to the rear case:
Eight 13 mm T8 Torx.
Four 25 mm T8 Torx.
On the 24" iMac Intel Model A1225, the bottom center two screws are long (26mm), four on sides (two left, two right) are medium (18mm), and the remaining 6 (four top, two bottom corners) are short (14mm).

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Step 5
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The front bezel is still attached to the iMac by the microphone cable.
Gently lift the front bezel from its top edge off the rear case.
Once the top edge of the front bezel has cleared the rear case, rotate the front bezel toward the stand and lift it off the rear case.
Rotate the front bezel away from the rest of the device and lay it above the top edge of the iMac.
When reinstalling the front bezel, start at the lower edge and make sure it is flush with the rear case before lowering the top edge onto the iMac.

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Step 10
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With the display panel still lifted, disconnect the four inverter cables.
During reinstallation, place the four inverter cable connectors in voids between components attached to the rear panel so the display panel will sit flush on the edges of the rear case.
(combined into one plug in on the 24")

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Step 11
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Hard Drive
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To remove the hard drive bracket, squeeze the middle against the side of the hard drive while rotating the top left edge toward yourself.
After the left edge has been freed, rotate the bracket toward the right edge of the hard drive.
Lift the hard drive bracket straight up off the chassis.

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Step 14
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Rotate the top of the drive toward yourself, then lift the hard drive straight up off its lower pins.
The hard drive is still connected via the SATA cables.
When reinstalling your hard drive, be careful not to push the rubber grommets through the openings in the chassis with the lower hard drive pins as retrieving them may require logic board removal.

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Step 15
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Insert the flat end of a spudger between the SATA data cable and the edge of the hard drive.
Twist the spudger to separate the SATA data cable from the hard drive.
Disconnect the SATA data cable from the hard drive.
Repeat this process for the SATA power cable.
Lift the hard drive out of your iMac, minding the thermal sensor cable that may get caught.

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Step 20
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Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the hard drive thermal sensor bracket up off the adhesive securing it to the hard drive.
If the adhesive gets dirty or will not stick to your new hard drive, place some double-sided tape under the two semicircular ears of the thermal sensor bracket.

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Step 21
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Use a spudger to remove the small piece of EMI foam from the top of the hard drive.
Don't forget to transfer this to your new hard drive.
If you are installing a new hard drive, we have an OS X install guide to get you up and running.
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