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iMac Intel 20" EMC 2266 Hard Drive Replacement

What you need

  1. iMac Intel 20" EMC 2266 Hard Drive Replacement, Access Door: step 1, image 1 of 1
    • Lay your iMac front side down on a table with the lower edge facing yourself.

    • Loosen the single Phillips screw in the center of the access door.

    • This screw is captive in the access door.

    • Remove the access door from your iMac.

  2. iMac Intel 20" EMC 2266 Hard Drive Replacement, Glass Panel: step 2, image 1 of 2 iMac Intel 20" EMC 2266 Hard Drive Replacement, Glass Panel: step 2, image 2 of 2
    Tool used on this step:
    Heavy-Duty Suction Cups (Pair)
    $14.95
    Buy
    • The glass panel is fixed onto the front bezel with fourteen magnets around its perimeter.

    • Stick two suction cups to opposing corners of the glass panel.

    • To attach the suction cups we sell, first position the suction cup with the movable handle parallel to the face of the glass panel. While lightly holding the suction cup against the glass, raise the movable handle until it is parallel with the other handle.

    • If your suction cups refuse to stick, try cleaning both the glass panel and the suction cup with a mild solvent.

  3. iMac Intel 20" EMC 2266 Hard Drive Replacement: step 3, image 1 of 1
    • Gently pull the glass panel straight up off the iMac.

    • The glass panel has several positioning pins around its perimeter. To avoid shearing these pins off the glass panel, be sure to only pull straight up during removal.

    • Be meticulous about cleaning the LCD and the inside face of the glass panel before reinstallation, as any fingerprints or dust trapped inside will be annoyingly visible when the display is on.

    • When replacing the glass, be sure there's nothing between the glass and the frame. Stray cables could be damaged or crack the glass.

  4. iMac Intel 20" EMC 2266 Hard Drive Replacement, Front Bezel: step 4, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the following 12 screws securing the front bezel to the rear case:

    • Eight 13 mm T8 Torx.

    • Four 25 mm T8 Torx.

    • On the 24" iMac Intel Model A1225, the bottom center two screws are long (26mm), four on sides (two left, two right) are medium (18mm), and the remaining 6 (four top, two bottom corners) are short (14mm).

  5. iMac Intel 20" EMC 2266 Hard Drive Replacement: step 5, image 1 of 2 iMac Intel 20" EMC 2266 Hard Drive Replacement: step 5, image 2 of 2
    • The front bezel is still attached to the iMac by the microphone cable.

    • Gently lift the front bezel from its top edge off the rear case.

    • Once the top edge of the front bezel has cleared the rear case, rotate the front bezel toward the stand and lift it off the rear case.

    • Rotate the front bezel away from the rest of the device and lay it above the top edge of the iMac.

    • When reinstalling the front bezel, start at the lower edge and make sure it is flush with the rear case before lowering the top edge onto the iMac.

  6. iMac Intel 20" EMC 2266 Hard Drive Replacement: step 6, image 1 of 1
    • Disconnect the microphone cable connector, removing tape as necessary.

    • For the front bezel to sit properly, be sure to tuck the microphone cable and connector into the void next to the camera board.

  7. iMac Intel 20" EMC 2266 Hard Drive Replacement, Display Panel: step 7, image 1 of 1
    • Pull the LCD temperature sensor connector straight up off its socket on the logic board.

    • (located at the top of the logic board on the 24")

  8. iMac Intel 20" EMC 2266 Hard Drive Replacement: step 8, image 1 of 2 iMac Intel 20" EMC 2266 Hard Drive Replacement: step 8, image 2 of 2
    • Remove the two T6 Torx screws securing the display data cable to the logic board.

    • Use the attached black tab to pull the display data cable connector straight away from the logic board.

  9. iMac Intel 20" EMC 2266 Hard Drive Replacement: step 9, image 1 of 2 iMac Intel 20" EMC 2266 Hard Drive Replacement: step 9, image 2 of 2
    • Remove the eight T8 Torx screws securing the display panel to the rear case.

    • Lift the display panel from its left edge and rotate it toward the right edge of the iMac.

  10. iMac Intel 20" EMC 2266 Hard Drive Replacement: step 10, image 1 of 2 iMac Intel 20" EMC 2266 Hard Drive Replacement: step 10, image 2 of 2
    • With the display panel still lifted, disconnect the four inverter cables.

    • During reinstallation, place the four inverter cable connectors in voids between components attached to the rear panel so the display panel will sit flush on the edges of the rear case.

    • (combined into one plug in on the 24")

    • Be sure to keep track of the cables, as they do not have proprietary sockets. Mismatched cables can cause screen issues.

  11. iMac Intel 20" EMC 2266 Hard Drive Replacement, Hard Drive: step 11, image 1 of 3 iMac Intel 20" EMC 2266 Hard Drive Replacement, Hard Drive: step 11, image 2 of 3 iMac Intel 20" EMC 2266 Hard Drive Replacement, Hard Drive: step 11, image 3 of 3
    • To remove the hard drive bracket, squeeze the middle against the side of the hard drive while rotating the top left edge toward yourself.

    • After the left edge has been freed, rotate the bracket toward the right edge of the hard drive.

    • Lift the hard drive bracket straight up off the chassis.

  12. iMac Intel 20" EMC 2266 Hard Drive Replacement: step 12, image 1 of 1
    • If present, remove the small piece of tape covering the hard drive and optical drive temperature sensor cables.

  13. iMac Intel 20" EMC 2266 Hard Drive Replacement: step 13, image 1 of 1
    • Pull the hard drive temperature sensor cable straight away from its socket on the logic board.

    • When removing this connector, it is helpful use your thumbnails to push the ears on either side of the connector toward the top of your iMac.

  14. iMac Intel 20" EMC 2266 Hard Drive Replacement: step 14, image 1 of 2 iMac Intel 20" EMC 2266 Hard Drive Replacement: step 14, image 2 of 2
    • Rotate the top of the drive toward yourself, then lift the hard drive straight up off its lower pins.

    • The hard drive is still connected via the SATA cables.

    • When reinstalling your hard drive, be careful not to push the rubber grommets through the openings in the chassis with the lower hard drive pins as retrieving them may require logic board removal.

  15. iMac Intel 20" EMC 2266 Hard Drive Replacement: step 15, image 1 of 2 iMac Intel 20" EMC 2266 Hard Drive Replacement: step 15, image 2 of 2
    • Insert the flat end of a spudger between the SATA data cable and the edge of the hard drive.

    • Twist the spudger to separate the SATA data cable from the hard drive.

    • Disconnect the SATA data cable from the hard drive.

    • Repeat this process for the SATA power cable.

    • Lift the hard drive out of your iMac, minding the thermal sensor cable that may get caught.

  16. iMac Intel 20" EMC 2266 Hard Drive Replacement, Hard Drive: step 16, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the two T8 Torx screws and their attached rubber grommets from the hard drive.

  17. iMac Intel 20" EMC 2266 Hard Drive Replacement: step 17, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the two T8 Torx pins from the side of the hard drive nearest the power and data connectors.

  18. iMac Intel 20" EMC 2266 Hard Drive Replacement: step 18, image 1 of 1
    • Peel off the piece of foam tape covering the hard drive thermal sensor.

  19. iMac Intel 20" EMC 2266 Hard Drive Replacement: step 19, image 1 of 2 iMac Intel 20" EMC 2266 Hard Drive Replacement: step 19, image 2 of 2
    • To remove the hard drive thermal sensor, use the sharp end of a spudger to lift the center finger of the thermal sensor bracket while applying slight tension to the thermal sensor cable.

    • If the thermal sensor is stuck to the hard drive, skip to the next step.

  20. iMac Intel 20" EMC 2266 Hard Drive Replacement: step 20, image 1 of 1
    • Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the hard drive thermal sensor bracket up off the adhesive securing it to the hard drive.

    • If the adhesive gets dirty or will not stick to your new hard drive, place some double-sided tape under the two semicircular ears of the thermal sensor bracket.

  21. iMac Intel 20" EMC 2266 Hard Drive Replacement: step 21, image 1 of 1
    • Use a spudger to remove the small piece of EMI foam from the top of the hard drive.

    • Don't forget to transfer this to your new hard drive.

    • 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.

246 other people completed this guide.

19 Comments

Because there are no instructions for the 24", I used these and they worked fine. I shelled out $10 for the suction cups ifixit provides, but honestly the glass is really thin and lightweight, so cheapo suction cups from Home Depot should work just fine.

Len - Reply

I couldnt agree more. The "Glass" is of couse plastic. I bought some whimpy suction cups in multi pack from Target and after i stuckem to the glass, it came off almost to easy. I was expecting a fight, i didnt get one.

Scott Mutterer -

I am about as untechnically proficient as you can imagine, yet replacing the hard drive was not as daunting as it first seemed when following these FANTASTIC step by step instructions. I was forced to do this because of a lack of money, but having done it, I'm glad I did. Even if I had the money, it's not worth the $500 it costs to have an Apple dealer or Apple themselves replace the hard drive. Just take your time and don't force anything, and you should be done in no more than an hour. Kudos ifixit!

Len - Reply

On my 24" iMac, I only needed to disconnect the first LCD Cable (before removing the LCD's torx screws), then I was able to pivot the LCD up 90 degrees, to get access to the hard disk. It was nice not having to disconnect (and reconnect the 2nd and 3rd cables. Now I have 3TB! (Seagate Barrracuda ST3000DM001). Note: I first tried putting the 3TB disk into an SATA USB enclosure, so I could transfer the data before opening up the iMac, but I found out the some of the older USB enclosures don't work with >2TB disks.

Jeff D - Reply

I followed the guide, and it worked fine. The new HD is working without problems. But now my Mac has a buzzing noise on it's top left part. What should I do?

Paulo Cesar - Reply

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