My Problem

So the reason I had to fix the screen of my macbook pro was because it came crashing out of my bag one day and onto the pavement. A nice dent in the back made a crack in the front that made a nice L shaped colored bar in the top third of my screen. Had to fix it otherwise i'd be doing all my stuff on a much smaller screen andI just don't want to do that.

My Fix

I'm not fantastic at computer things but a buddy of mine is. I handed it to him. He managed to do most of the stuff until I get a phone call from him saying the glass broke. I'm not sure exactly what he meant, after a small panic, he told me about the fragile glass that is on the outside of the LCD that is basically a cover and protector. I can live without it and am looking at a cheap alternative with some glue and maybe some clear plastic. Repair went fine, he told me the instructions on the ifixit website were pretty good but that the glass is so fragile that it is hard to even get on there. I also, apparently, had one of the macbook pro models that didn't have some magnetic strip on the glass so it couldn't just pop on. Had to require hot glue and all sorts of fun. Other than that not half bad. Got my screen back to full awesome!

My Advice

read all instructions. Be very very very gentle.

My Problem

The hard drive had S.M.A.R.T errors

My Fix

I followed the instructions from iFixit on taking the iMac apart and managed to replace the hard drive.

The new hard drive was the same size and model from the same manufacturer that I got in Compusa.

The tools I got from iFixit really worked in the way described.

My Advice

After replacing the hard drive the iMac starting having a loud noise due to high RPMs in the fan.

I got HDD Fan Control (http://www.hddfancontrol.com) and after installing it the noise disappeared.

My Problem

As bad luck would have it, my 13" MacBook Pro was on the floor next to the couch and my work 15" MacBook Pro was on the arm of the couch. One MB fell and dented the lid of the other, causing the LCD to break from the back. After crying for a few days, I looked at my options:

- trust the guys on ebay to fix it (very cheap for some strange reason and some bad reviews made me nervous)

- pay Apple repair tons of money for a whole new lid (not worth it...might as well buy a new machine)

- fix it myself for cheaper, but the repair was rated 'very difficult'

I decided trying to fix it myself was the best option...cross my fingers that I didn't make another costly mistake.

My Fix

The instructions were easy to follow, until I got to removing the glass. No matter how long and hot I made the edges of the glass with the blow dryer, I was unable to get the glass up with the suction cups. I broke one suction cup trying. Finally I dug around with the spudger and found that I was making progress. Slowly I heated up the glass and worked my way around. Despite my careful efforts, the glass cracked and I was forced to order a new piece.

The only other trouble that I had was figuring out which part to 'lift' in order to remove the LCD cable. The image in the instructions was hard to follow and I was a little freaked out after having just broken the glass. I finally figured out what they were talking about and soon had my new LCD up and running.

Putting things back together was easy and putting a new piece of glass on was simple. I have things back together and good as new. My pocket book is a little lighter, but it was definitely cheaper than purchasing a new MacBook.

My Advice

I can't stress enough how patient you need to be when removing the glass. Watch some YouTube videos on how to do this and go really really slow!

My Problem

I had been preparing my "old" iMac to give it to my church for the bookstore and had wiped the HD, installed all new software and was ready to deliver it. I set it down on a bench and the cushion slowly squished down, dumping the computer on its screen. Fortunately the LED screen was still OK, just the glass was broken. Instead of having to pay for the repair, I just bought the glass, the suction cups and went to work.

My Fix

Mostly great. While trying to put in the new glass =I realized that one of the aligning pins had broken off in the case so I had to remove the front of the computer to get it out. A minor bump in the road, helped by videos on YouTube (I watched 3 different ones)

My Advice

Take it slow, keep it clean and it isn't a difficult job.

My Problem

Replaced a 2TB HDD that came with my iMac with a 120 gb 3g SATA SSD from OWC (Mercury Pro)

My Fix

Repair went well, first time that i have ever opened up my iMac

My Advice

make sure you have all the equipment handy before you start!

My Problem

The hard drive was failing so I had to replace it

My Fix

Once I got the suction cups to remove the glass panel, the repair was quick and simple. I replaced the hard drive and installed Mac OS X, and it's once again running like a dream

My Advice

ifixit is the one stop shop for all the tools and apple guides you need

My Problem

This was actually an upgrade for me. Work ordered me a new laptop and it came with a low-res screen. I wanted to upgrade to the high-res version.

My Fix

It went ok. My original glass did get damaged in the process. I think I gave it too much heat, mainly because my glass was EXTREMELY difficult to get off. It took almost an hour of heat cycles before I was finally able to get it off. From all the reviews I've seen, that's pretty uncommon.

I'm up and running on my new high-res screen now though, so it all worked out in the end.

My Advice

I'd strongly recommending watching this video to get a good idea of how to get the glass off.. They do it a bit differently than the ifixit guide, but it gives you an idea of how much heat you should have to apply, best way to get the glass off, etc:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4LLOhLH2...

My Problem

Accidentally slipped my sdcard into the dvd rom slot

My Fix

I followed the visual instructions and it worked like a charm.I did NOT want to make a device to fish for it :)

My Advice

Take your time

My Problem

My original Hard Drive (250 GB) was showing signs it would soon crash and die forever.

My Fix

Changing out hard drives was pretty quick and easy, especially since I ordered all of the correct tools... it's all about the tools!

My Advice

Go slow, watch the video to aid with the step-by-step directions (but don't rely solely on the video), and be ready to ask for help when disconnecting the LCD screen.

My Problem

The iMac computer in question was slowly losing its performance. The hard drive was determined to be failing, so I had to replace it.

My Fix

Apart from one dropped screw, the repair went well. iFixit had just what I needed in terms of tools and advice. It took longer to remove data from the hard drive than it did to fix the machine. Luckily, everything was recoverable from backups or the drive itself.

My Advice

A lightly magnetized screwdriver is a huge boon when working in these machines, as it will keep the screws from venturing into places they should not!