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MacBook Pro 17" Models A1151 A1212 A1229 and A1261 Hard Drive Replacement

What you need

  1. MacBook Pro 17" Models A1151 A1212 A1229 and A1261 Hard Drive Replacement, Battery: step 1, image 1 of 1
    • Use your fingers to push both battery release tabs away from the battery and lift the battery out of the computer.

  2. MacBook Pro 17" Models A1151 A1212 A1229 and A1261 Hard Drive Replacement, RAM Shield: step 2, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the four identical Phillips 3.4 mm screws from the memory door. These screws have 4 mm diameter heads rather than the 3 mm heads on the body screws.

  3. MacBook Pro 17" Models A1151 A1212 A1229 and A1261 Hard Drive Replacement: step 3, image 1 of 1
    • Lift the memory door up enough to get a grip on it, and slide it toward you, pulling it away from the casing.

  4. MacBook Pro 17" Models A1151 A1212 A1229 and A1261 Hard Drive Replacement, Upper Case: step 4, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the three Phillips screws in the battery compartment near the latch. Apple was nice enough to tilt these screws at a slight angle to make them easier to remove. On the A1261 these screws have 4 mm diameter heads rather than the 3 mm heads on the body screws.

  5. MacBook Pro 17" Models A1151 A1212 A1229 and A1261 Hard Drive Replacement: step 5, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the following six screws:

    • Two 14.5 mm T6 Torx screws on either side of the RAM slot.

    • Four 3.4 mm Phillips screws along the hinge.

  6. MacBook Pro 17" Models A1151 A1212 A1229 and A1261 Hard Drive Replacement: step 6, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the four 3.4 mm Phillips screws on the port side of the computer.

  7. MacBook Pro 17" Models A1151 A1212 A1229 and A1261 Hard Drive Replacement: step 7, image 1 of 1
    • Rotate the computer 90 degrees and remove the two Phillips screws from the rear of the computer.

  8. MacBook Pro 17" Models A1151 A1212 A1229 and A1261 Hard Drive Replacement: step 8, image 1 of 1
    • Rotate the computer 90 degrees again and remove the four Phillips screws from the side of the computer.

  9. MacBook Pro 17" Models A1151 A1212 A1229 and A1261 Hard Drive Replacement: step 9, image 1 of 1
    • Do not yank the upper case off quickly. The case is attached to the logic board via a ribbon cable.

    • Lift up the back of the case and work your fingers along the sides, freeing the case as you go. Once you have freed the sides, you may need to rock the case up and down to free the front of the upper case.

  10. MacBook Pro 17" Models A1151 A1212 A1229 and A1261 Hard Drive Replacement: step 10, image 1 of 1
    • Disconnect the trackpad and keyboard ribbon cable from the logic board.

    • Remove the upper case.

  11. MacBook Pro 17" Models A1151 A1212 A1229 and A1261 Hard Drive Replacement, Hard Drive: step 11, image 1 of 1
    • Peel up the orange ribbon cable taped to the top of the hard drive. This cable is still connected to the hard drive, so you will only be able to lift up on the cable a little.

  12. MacBook Pro 17" Models A1151 A1212 A1229 and A1261 Hard Drive Replacement: step 12, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the two T6 Torx screws securing the hard drive retaining bracket to the lower case.

  13. MacBook Pro 17" Models A1151 A1212 A1229 and A1261 Hard Drive Replacement: step 13, image 1 of 1
    • Lift the hard drive retaining bracket up and out of the computer.

  14. MacBook Pro 17" Models A1151 A1212 A1229 and A1261 Hard Drive Replacement: step 14, image 1 of 1
    • Lift the hard drive by tilting it from the right hand side, then lift it gently out of the lower case.

    • If present, remove the piece of tape holding the hard drive connector in its socket on the hard drive.

  15. MacBook Pro 17" Models A1151 A1212 A1229 and A1261 Hard Drive Replacement: step 15, image 1 of 1
    • Disconnect the hard drive cable by pulling its connector away from the hard drive.

  16. MacBook Pro 17" Models A1151 A1212 A1229 and A1261 Hard Drive Replacement, Hard Drive: step 16, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the two silver T6 Torx screws and white (or black) rubber bumpers from the right side of the hard drive.

    • You'll need to transfer these screws and bumpers to your new hard drive if you're changing drives. Make sure to put these on the right side of the drive when looking at the label with the SATA connector at the far end.

  17. MacBook Pro 17" Models A1151 A1212 A1229 and A1261 Hard Drive Replacement: step 17, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the two silver T6 Torx screws from the left side of the hard drive (the rubber bumpers remain in the case for the left side of the drive)

    • You'll need to transfer these screws to your new hard drive if you're changing drives.

    • If you are installing a new hard drive, we have an OS X install guide to get you up and running.

Conclusion

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

634 other people completed this guide.

iRobot

Member since: 09/24/09

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636 Guides authored

19 Comments

On my A1212, all four rubber bumpers were attached to the hard drive.

michael leahy - Reply

While this is listed as moderate difficulty, I think it's on the easy side of moderate. If you're used to replacing PC parts, it won't be a problem. Worst problem is dealing with tiny screws with my big hands. I used SuperDuper to clone the drive before swapping.

glenthompson - Reply

Actually, you can install hard drives up to 12mm thick

spsantos - Reply

Actually the tools you only need are the T6-Torx and the Phillips screwdrivers. Everything else is optional for this operation. By the way: thank you, for the guidance! :)

azolee1848 - Reply

Excellent guide. For anyone who's replaced PC parts before the job is a piece of cake. Tip: Use a muffin tin to put the screws from each step in a different muffin hole in order. Easy to reassemble. I used SuperDuper to clone the new drive.

Bill Carpenter - Reply

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