Installing MacBook Pro 15" Unibody Late 2008 and Early 2009 Dual Hard Drive

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Introduction

There are many benefits to adding a second hard drive to your laptop such as improved speeds, greater storage space, and less heartache when installing new software. Use this guide to install one using our optical bay hard drive enclosure.

What you need

Step 1 Access Door

Installing MacBook Pro 15" Unibody Late 2008 and Early 2009 Dual Hard Drive, Access Door: step 1, image 1 of 2

Installing MacBook Pro 15" Unibody Late 2008 and Early 2009 Dual Hard Drive, Access Door: step 1, image 2 of 2

With the case closed, place the Unibody top-side down on a flat surface.
Depress the grooved side of the access door release latch enough to grab the free end. Lift the release latch until it is vertical.

Step 2

The access door should now be raised enough to lift it up and out of the Unibody.

Step 3 Battery

Installing MacBook Pro 15" Unibody Late 2008 and Early 2009 Dual Hard Drive, Battery: step 3, image 1 of 1

Be sure the access door release latch is vertical before proceeding.
Grab the translucent plastic tab and pull the battery up and out of the Unibody.
If the latch is depressed it will lock the battery in place.

Step 4 Lower Case

Installing MacBook Pro 15" Unibody Late 2008 and Early 2009 Dual Hard Drive, Lower Case: step 4, image 1 of 1

Remove the following eight screws securing the lower case to the chassis:
One 5.4 mm Phillips screw.
Three 14 mm Phillips screws.
Four 3.5 mm Phillips screws.

Step 5

Using both hands, lift and remove the lower case off the upper case.

Step 6 Optical Drive

Installing MacBook Pro 15" Unibody Late 2008 and Early 2009 Dual Hard Drive, Optical Drive: step 6, image 1 of 1

Disconnect the camera cable by pulling the male end straight away from its socket.

Step 7

Deroute the camera data cable from the channel in the optical drive.

Step 8

Use a spudger to pry the optical drive connector straight up off the logic board.

Step 9

Remove two 8 mm Phillips screws securing the camera cable bracket to the upper case.
The rightmost screw may remain captive in the camera cable.
Lift the camera cable bracket out from the upper case.

Step 10

Remove the following three Phillips screws securing the optical drive to the upper case:
One 3.5 mm Phillips screw.
Two 2.5 mm Phillips screws.

Step 11

Lift the optical drive from its left edge and pull it out of the computer.

Step 12 Optical Drive

Installing MacBook Pro 15" Unibody Late 2008 and Early 2009 Dual Hard Drive, Optical Drive: step 12, image 1 of 1

Remove the optical drive cable by pulling it straight away from the optical drive.
If you have a CD or any other object jammed in your optical drive, we have an optical drive repair guide.

Step 13

Remove the two black Phillips #0 screws securing the small metal mounting bracket. Transfer this bracket to your new optical drive or hard drive enclosure.

Step 14 Dual Hard Drive

Installing MacBook Pro 15" Unibody Late 2008 and Early 2009 Dual Hard Drive, Dual Hard Drive: step 14, image 1 of 2

Installing MacBook Pro 15" Unibody Late 2008 and Early 2009 Dual Hard Drive, Dual Hard Drive: step 14, image 2 of 2

Remove the plastic spacer from the optical bay hard drive enclosure by pressing in on one of the clips on either side and lifting it up and out of the enclosure.

Step 15

Installing MacBook Pro 15" Unibody Late 2008 and Early 2009 Dual Hard Drive: step 15, image 3 of 3

Make sure that the hard drive connectors are facing down before placing it into the enclosure.
Gently place the hard drive into the enclosure's hard drive slot.
While firmly holding the enclosure in place with one hand, use your other hand to press the hard drive into the enclosure connectors.

Step 16

Once the hard drive is snug, reinsert the plastic spacer while holding the hard drive against the bottom of the enclosure.

Step 17

Use two Phillips #1 screws to secure the drive to its enclosure.

Step 18

Attach the optical drive bracket to the new enclosure with two Phillips #0 screws.
Reconnect any cables you have removed from the original optical drive onto the optical bay enclosure.

Step 19

Installing MacBook Pro 15" Unibody Late 2008 and Early 2009 Dual Hard Drive: step 19, image 3 of 3

Don't ditch that drive! You can still use your optical drive externally with the help of our SATA Optical Drive USB Cable.
Align the cable's SATA connector with the drive's port and plug in securely.
Plug the USB connector into your laptop and your optical drive is ready for use.