Introduction
Use this guide to replace or upgrade your hard drive for more storage space.
What you need
-
-
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.
-
Remove the access door from your iMac.
-
-
Tool used on this step:Heavy-Duty Suction Cups (Pair)$14.95
-
Stick two suction cups to opposing corners of the glass panel.
-
-
-
Remove the following 12 screws securing the front bezel to the rear case:
-
Eight 13 mm T8 Torx.
-
Four 25 mm T8 Torx.
-
-
-
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.
-
-
-
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")
-
-
-
-
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.
-
-
-
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.
-
-
-
With the display panel still lifted, disconnect the four inverter cables.
-
(combined into one plug in on the 24")
-
-
-
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.
-
-
-
If present, remove the small piece of tape covering the hard drive and optical drive temperature sensor cables.
-
-
-
Pull the hard drive temperature sensor cable straight away from its socket on the logic board.
-
-
-
Rotate the top of the drive toward yourself, then lift the hard drive straight up off its lower pins.
-
-
-
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.
-
Lift the hard drive out of your iMac, minding the thermal sensor cable that may get caught.
-
-
-
Remove the two T8 Torx screws and their attached rubber grommets from the hard drive.
-
-
-
Remove the two T8 Torx pins from the side of the hard drive nearest the power and data connectors.
-
-
-
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.
-
-
-
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.
-