My Problem

My wife got the dreaded gray screen and her Macbook Pro wouldn't boot. I figured it must be the hard drive so I while doing some research online I diagnosed the issue using the ifixit.com answers section. I then read they sell repair kits so I thought I would give it a shot based on the success from previous users.

My Fix

Actual HD replacement was very easy. The iFixit bit drive kit was amazing and a great value. The instructions were very clear and easy to follow. I had a more difficulty reinstalling the OS since my wife, of course, didn't keep her recovery discs. Luckily, I have a Macbook Air and was able to download Mountain Lion from the App store and created a bootable USB drive to reinstall OS X on her laptop. We have time capsule so using Migration Assistant to get back all of her data was a breeze.

My Advice

If you own a Mac you should use Time Capsule or Time Machine to backup your data. If you store data on your laptop that you want to keep you must back it up otherwise it is just a matter of time before the HD fails. The applies to PC or Mac. Online backup systems are okay if it is less the 50GB. Anything over that and it will take you more then a month to redownload it on your restored device or your ISP will throttle your connection for excessive data consumption.

My Problem

The track pad on my daughter's 2006 MacBook stopped working and her computer was slow.

My Fix

Easy. Followed the guides. Made sure I kept track of which screw went where. Piece of cake. This was my 4th laptop that I have repaired.

My Advice

Make sure you have a bootable CD, thumb drive, etc. with the operating system you are running to get started and make sure your backup is current. I ended up downloading a free app to clone the old hard drive to the new hybrid drive. It worked. Booted up the first time. Still had to re-enter registration codes

My Problem

I am not a computer person. I mean - I use a computer - but I have never opened one up to do anything. Anyway, my 5 year old mid-2010 Macbook Pro was excruciatingly slow. I was definitely going to have to either fix it or replace it. And money is tight right now, so I figured I'd try to fix it first.

My Fix

I read through iFixit's guide and watched a few YouTube videos before I started in on this.

The SATA/USB connector was a little fiddly. But I eventually got the HD attached and cloned my old HD using Carbon Copy Cloner (https://bombich.com/). It took a couple of hours to clone my system.

When that was done, I set myself up near something grounded (in my case my kitchen faucet) and got to work. After making sure I was not carrying any static charge, I got to work. Swapping out the hard drive and upgrading my RAM took less than an hour. It was really, really easy. And now my computer works like new!! Totally saved myself $1000.

My Advice

I'd watch a few YouTube videos.... there are plenty... just to get the idea of how it goes.

My Problem

The original factory HDD in my MacBook Pro 15" Unibody (Mid 2010) was failing, but still bootable. Wanted to get a new HDD in before it fully died and before my newborn came (because I knew it'd be harder to ever get the repair done after she was born).

My Fix

It went so well. The delivery of the replacement Hard Drive was a day after the guaranteed delivery date, which kind of stunk because I had paid extra for the two-day shipping. Anyway, instead of coming the day before the baby was born, it came after she was here, so I had to keep an eye on her while I did the repair, which was challenging. Luckily, the instructions were so clear that I was able to get the hardware part done in probably about 30 minutes. Then, thanks to a plan that I had worked out in advance with some iFixit folks, the formatting and Time Machine restore of my stuff was done in just a few hours more.

My Advice

Don't be afraid to do a repair like this, even if you think it's going to be too much work, or too risky. You can do it. And if you have questions, just ask iFixit. They're great.

My Problem

I had some bad sectors on my my book pro 13 inch 2009's hard drive. Needed a replacement.

My Fix

Originally the wrong drive came in though I didn't notice. Before I installed it, I got an email informing me of the mishap and the correct drive was already on its way. The return box was pre-labelled and ready to go. The new drive fits like a glove and the installation kit is absolutely worth the money. Excellent customer service.

Will buy parts here again.

My Advice

Make sure you look at the label on the drive before installing. This was an honest mistake though and corrected by fixit without even me requesting.

My Problem

Hard drive was 4 years old and slowing so I thought I would replace it before it died.

My Fix

The install guides were easy to follow and the drive worked without issue.

My Advice

While the drive is faster than my 4 year old drive, it's not as fast as I expected. Really thought a hybrid drive was faster. But for the price, you can't beat it.

My Problem

I wanted the speed of an SSD drive and the ability to backup internally to the replaced drive.

My Fix

I followed all of the instructions. You HAVE to read them all very carefully! Pull connections in the right directions! The physical change, removing the original drive, installing the SSD drive, removing the optical drive and installing the original drive in the optic drive bay all took about an hour.

Removing the optical drive was the trickiest part. Moving the camera cable by teasing it out of the channel was daunting but I went slow.

Everything went very well and worked first time on power-up.

My Advice

I took the time to create the image of the original drive using the recommended software "SuperDuper". It takes a couple hours to back up the drive but it was worth the time. I also created a Yosemite flash drive installer as a precaution.

Now that the SSD drive is the default boot drive, I'm taking my time deleting programs off the original drive by running them off the SSD first, making sure they function properly before deleting them. Once I have the original 500GB drive clean, I will use it as my Time Machine backup instead of my external Seagate.

My Problem

Brought temperamental MacBook Pro to the Apple Store where the "genius bar" diagnosis revealed a failing HD. They recommended iFixit.com for the parts and install guide. I ordered a 500GB HD kit which included a comprehensive tool set.

My Fix

The drive was a perfect fit. The tool kit was certainly worth the extra cost. Could not partition the HD however. Received "cannot allocate memory" messages. Internet research led me to try partitioning with HD connected via USB cable which worked perfectly. The"bad" HD was performing normally as well.

Internet threads suggested the internal HD ribbon cable was the culprit. A new one is on the way!

Cable arrived on 10/16, installed it and my original HD. All is well again!

My Advice

1. Kudos to iFixit.com. Great service, great guides. Smart suggestions.

2. The tool kit included was a smart acquisition. My 6-piece home center screw drivers have since been retired.

3. The internet is a good starting place for diagnosing hardware/software problems. The Apple Store's diagnostics rivaled a Las Vegas magician's act but, in the end, was incorrect.

My Problem

Brought temperamental MacBook Pro to he Apple Store where a guy from the "genius bar" diagnosis revealed a failing HD. He recommended iFixit.com for the part and install guide. I ordered a 500GB HD kit which included a comprehensive tool set. t

My Fix

The drive was a perfect fit. The tool kit was certainly worth the extra cost. Could not partition the HD however. Received "cannot allocate memory" messages. Internet research led me to try partitioning with HD connected via USB cable which worked perfectly. The"bad" HD was performing normally as well.

Internet threads suggested the internal HD ribbon cable was the culprit and I ordered a new one.

My Advice

1. Kudos to iFixit.com. Great service, great guides. Smart suggestions.

2. The tool kit included was a smart acquisition. My 6-piece home center screw drivers have been retired.

3. The internet is a good starting place for diagnosing hardware/software problems. The Apple Store's diagnostics rivaled a Las Vegas magician act but, in the end, was incorrect.

My Problem

Had a 160gb HD and it was full

My Fix

This stuff is ridiculously easy thanks to the guides on ifixit and the fact they supply you with the tools when you buy the parts!!

I figured I may as well upgrade the Ram to 8gb while I was there so I did that too.

My Advice

Ok so it's the second time I've done the HD and the first time I bought a cheap tool set from the hardware store and rounded off a few screws. Just buy the toolkit from these guys, so much better and the screwdrivers won't round off your screws. Dodged a bullet to be honest as one screw holding the HD in is stuck but you can just sort of slide the HD out and then slide the new one back in.