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Why remove the back panel for HD swap?

Sorry if this has been asked before but I could not find the relevant post.

My plan is to swap the HD from my old iBook G4 (1.2) that has died with the one in a newer one (1.33) I just got of Craigslist.

I have done the operation before during an upgrade and have already removed the old drive using the awesome guide but now I am wondering why the back panel needs to be removed.

The way I see it I should be able to get to the HD from the top alone. Only the two small screws inside the battery compartment come from below.

Or am I missing a crucial step?

Why does the AC connector need to be removed, for example?

Answered! View the answer I have this problem too

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If you've been a tech for long, you know that the manuals are generally written by people that write manuals, not the people that do the work. I correct the guides almost every time I follow one. The guides can be changed and amended. I made four or five changes today myself. (they were minor and just about screw sizes). These changes will be voted on and accepted or denied. So the guide evolves. It takes a lot of time to write and photograph a guide. I did one a couple of weeks ago that cut 2/3 of the steps out. It's unpublished but take a look: MacBook Core 2 Duo LCD & Inverter A1181 (fast method) Replacement This was a radically different method and involved a alteration to a part so I did not want to change the traditional method. So you put forth the effort.

It involves cutting a small alteration to the clutch cover but cuts and hour off the repair time. I did not alter the original guide but this illustrates the difference between a guide writer and a working tech. If you have a better way, publish it and let other techs evaluate what you've done and help us all. Thanks so much.

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Hi Batmick, the truth is that there are many screws under the bottom cover that secure the top case of the iBook G4 to the machine. You have to open up the bottom cover, remove the screws as shown in the iFixit guide to be able to remove the top shell. Failure to do so will result in a cracked/snapped top case, and that's not good! Hope this helps.

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batmick will be eternally grateful.
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