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iPod Mini Hard Drive Replacement

What you need

  1. iPod Mini Hard Drive Replacement, Top Bezel: step 1, image 1 of 1
    • Before opening your iPod, ensure that the hold switch is in the locked position.

  2. iPod Mini Hard Drive Replacement: step 2, image 1 of 1
    Tool used on this step:
    Jimmy
    $7.95
    Buy
    • Carefully insert a small flathead screwdriver or Jimmy in the seam between the metal casing and white plastic top. Use the screwdriver to pry up the white plastic top bezel. Be careful not to damage the soft plastic with your screwdriver.

    • The top bezel is held on with an adhesive, so it may be necessary to pry up in several different locations to free the part.

    • To make this job easier, heat up the adhesive with a hairdryer on low heat for a few seconds.

  3. iPod Mini Hard Drive Replacement: step 3, image 1 of 1
    • Lift the top bezel off of the iPod.

  4. iPod Mini Hard Drive Replacement, Bottom Bezel: step 4, image 1 of 1
    Tool used on this step:
    Jimmy
    $7.95
    Buy
    • Carefully insert a small flathead screwdriver or Jimmy in the seam between the metal casing and white plastic bottom Use the screwdriver to pry up the white plastic bottom bezel. Be careful not to damage the soft plastic with your screwdriver.

  5. iPod Mini Hard Drive Replacement: step 5, image 1 of 1
    • A small pair of snap ring pliers is the easiest tool to remove the metal retaining bracket.

    • You can also use a flathead screwdriver to pry out the metal retaining bracket beneath the bottom bezel as shown. You can free the bracket by first pushing in the metal arms on the corners and then lifting the bracket.

  6. iPod Mini Hard Drive Replacement: step 6, image 1 of 1
    • Lift the metal retaining bracket out of the iPod.

  7. iPod Mini Hard Drive Replacement, Hard Drive: step 7, image 1 of 1
    • Use a spudger or the tip of your finger to carefully disconnect the orange click wheel ribbon from the logic board.

  8. iPod Mini Hard Drive Replacement: step 8, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the two #00 Phillips screws securing the headphone jack to the casing.

  9. iPod Mini Hard Drive Replacement: step 9, image 1 of 1
    • Carefully slide the iPod out of its casing by pushing on the logic board near the bottom edge of the click wheel.

    • Do not pull on the headphone jack board at the top of the iPod, as the connector to the logic board is fragile.

  10. iPod Mini Hard Drive Replacement: step 10, image 1 of 1
    • After pushing the logic board out sufficiently, gently grasp the logic board on either side of the display, and continue to slide the iPod out of its casing.

  11. iPod Mini Hard Drive Replacement: step 11, image 1 of 1
    • Lift the battery off of the logic board and lay it to the side of the iPod.

  12. iPod Mini Hard Drive Replacement: step 12, image 1 of 1
    • Use a spudger or the tip of your finger to carefully disconect the orange hard drive ribbon from the logic board.

  13. iPod Mini Hard Drive Replacement: step 13, image 1 of 1
    • Lift the hard drive out of the iPod.

Conclusion

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

120 other people completed this guide.

iRobot

Member since: 09/24/09

1 Reputation

636 Guides authored

25 Comments

I have been tinkering with the iPod classics, the 5th gens and now the iPod minis. I think the minis have a cool form factor and the plug and play for a compact flash card is handy. I have purchased a compact flash adapter to SD card, I then put a 128GB microsd into an SD to micro adapter and now I have 128GB mini. As a note, I did have to format the new card to FAT32 with AOMEI prior iPod restore.

djcfuzz - Reply

Hello good sir i unfortunately speakn't good english but i try best now .. having a good day are you… i am also have a service and for fixing ipods … if you want i will give it too you send me an email albertogeniusipodfixes@gmail.com

Alberto Ambréña de la Cejã -

can i change the type of hard disk

valery labiche - Reply

Hello good sir i unfortunately speakn't good english but i try best now .. having a good day are you… i am also have a service and for fixing ipods … if you want i will give it too you send me an email albertogeniusipodfixes@gmail.com

Alberto Ambréña de la Cejã -

Yes www.iflash.xyz has good stuff for these or u can just use a CF Card and it'll be Plug N Play…literally

the bongo guy -

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