Parts
- 500 GB 5400 RPM 2.5" Hard Drive
- 500 GB 7200 RPM 2.5" Hard Drive
- 750 GB 7200 RPM Seagate SATA Hard Drive (New)
- MacBook Unibody (Model No. A1342) Hard Drive Bracket
- Universal Drive Adapter
- 320 GB 5400 RPM 2.5" Hard Drive
- 500 GB SSD Hybrid 2.5" Hard Drive
- 1 TB 5400 RPM 2.5" Hard Drive
- 128 GB SSD
- 256 GB SSD
- 512 GB SSD
- 1 TB SSD
Introduction
When replacing your hard drive, you must transfer the Torx screws from the old drive to the new one.
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Remove the eight 4 mm Phillips screws securing the lower case to the MacBook.
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Slightly lift the lower case near the vent opening.
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Continue running your fingers between the lower and upper cases until the upper case pops off its retaining clips.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to lift the battery connector up out of its socket on the logic board.
you do not need to remove the battery when replacing the hard drive or ram
Be careful of the corner of the battery cable connector when trying to pry it off with the spudge. I knocked the corner of mine. No operational impact but was not very pleasing!
Not necessary, but a good idea, so as to avoid any spurious charges going through the boards...
@Svenaustx - What could happen if not removing this battery? Worst case? Not a geek on this but did change RAM on my Macbook Pro "15. Can't remember disconneting the battery back then. Shouldn't it be sufficient shutting the Mac off and ensure it has been used for an hour or so before replacing RAM?
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Remove two 11 mm Phillips screws securing the hard drive bracket to the upper case.
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Lift the retaining bracket out of the upper case.
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When putting the bracket back after replacing the drive, it is easy to put in backwards. If it doesn't seat smoothly, then reverse it and try again.
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Lift the hard drive by its pull tab and pull it away from the upper case, minding the cable still attaching it to the logic board.
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Remove the hard drive cable by pulling its connector straight away from the hard drive.
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Remove the two T6 Torx screws from each side of the hard drive (four screws total).
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
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12 Comments
can i install an ssd instead of a normal hd?
Yes, absolutely. I switched mine out with a Kingston 120GB SSD.
By the looks of it. The Crucial MX100 is explicitly said to be compatible and has SATA III:
Albert -
I replaced the original 250GB Hitachi hard drive with a 1TB Samsung HN-M101MBB. Everything worked fine, but now the fan is always running. Maybe the temeprature sensor of the hard drive doesn't connect with the computer?
Thank you! I was able to easily change the hard drive of my daughter's Macbook. Didn't need the spudger at any point though, which is good as only had makeshift options available for that.
(Wasn't able to update the OS on same drive as it didn't show as an option in OS installation even after trying Erase/Partition steps using the Utility, as mentioned at several places online. But did finally manage to clone from Time Machine backup and then update the OS onto that.)
Can I use/nstall a 7mm thick 2.5-inch SSD (solid state drive)?
Hey I have a 2011 13" that needs a new hard drive , would this work ? Also any other options ? Plz help!!
Hey I need to know what hard drive I could use for my 2011 MacBook Pro. Also is there other options ? Thanks !!
No Torx screwdriver? No problem! You can easily remove and replace the Torx screws with some good pliers or vice grips.
According to this page http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1651?viewl..., the 8 screws are not identical.
Can anybody tell me where each kind of screw is supposed to go?
Gregoire - Reply
They are all 100% Identical. You were probably looking at a different model, or Apple has entered the wrong information... Hey, It happens...
weeowey weeowey -
The screws on the Late 2009 are identical. The blue lock compound might make tightening some require a little more effort.
svenaustx - Reply
Can I replace it with a SATA 3 cable?
nm - Reply
A1342 macbook does not have the right controller to support sata III
weeowey weeowey -
hi, i just got back from the apple store and they are really keen for me to upgrade to a new laptop since my battery is old and the screen is cracked, so glad i found ifixit i would love to upgrade this puppy! gonna make it a real sleeper! styler hall wrote about sticking 16 gb of ram in his a 1342 ? is this a simply mather of ordering 3 4gb sticks ?aslo i currently have 4 gb and would like to upgrade to 8 ( or indeed 16) does that mean i need to buy all new sticks or can i continue to use the old one and stick a new one next to it ?
thanks again mick van aar, perth western aus.
michelvanaar - Reply
The A1342 will take up to 16 GB of RAM, however, there are only two RAM slots, so use two 8-GB RAM modules. Other World Computing (OWC) is a great reference source for info on exactly which RAM to use with which model; prices are usually much better on EBay though. Add an SSD from OWC and your machine will really scream!
I hope that helps!
gdesbrisay -