My Problem

Never used the optical drive on my old Macbook so I figured I would replace it with a HDD. Heard about doing this online so I thought I would give it a shot. Having an extra 2.5 inch HDD lying around was also good motivation.

My Fix

Good and bad. I did not realize there were so many screws in a Macbook. Sadly I ended up stripping one really badly so it did not get put back in.

If you don't have the proper screw driver for this ... be sure to buy it here. I was lucky since I had one from a tool box.

My Advice

Have a mason jar or something handy that you can put all the screws into. I almost lost a few several times.

Be gentle when working on your macbook. Don't yank, pull or force anything. If something isen't moving ... there is probably a screw you missed somewhere.

Book about one to two hours. It's not a difficult job ... it's just that there are a lot of screws.

My Problem

Just wanted more storage capacity.

My Fix

It was smooth! iFixit has awesome instructions! Highly recommend any fix! YOU CAN DO IT!

My Advice

YOU CAN DO IT!!!

My Problem

I got a used 2007 Macbook Core 2 Duo a couple years ago. When I got it the SuperDrive wasn't reading discs, so one of the first things I did was replace it. However, as that era of SuperDrives were notoriously faulty, my new SuperDrive also failed, so bad that I had to pry a DVD out of it with tweezers. Left a nasty scratch but thankfully the disc still plays.

Anyway, a after having a useless drive for over a year, my HDD started to go out, so I decided to replace the optical drive while I replace the HDD.

My Fix

I used ifixit's HD enclosure and life saving guide to install my new 750GB HD where my broken optical drive had been, and while I was at it I replaced my old HD with a new 90GB SSD. For daily tasks, my 2007 Macbook now feels lightning fast, especially compared to previous performance. Very happy to be making use of all the space in the laptop after having a dead drive for so long.

The repair went super smoothly. Thanks to ifixit's guides I am now fairly familiar with the inside of my Macbook. Best of all I didn't lose any screws this time!

My Advice

Best way to speed up an old MacBook without losing storage space: Put a SSD where the HD was and a HD where the optical drive was.

My Problem

The original 200 Gb hard drive was no longer sufficient for my storage needs, so it was time to upgrade it to a 1 Tb (hybrid) drive. The DVD drive was swapped out with the 200 Gb drive to have Windows 8.1 as the dual boot option.

I have an older set of tools that generally work very well when dealing with desktop computers, but are inadequate when dealing with laptops (and smaller devices in general). It was time for new tools along with the Optical Bay Hard Drive Enclosure.

My Fix

It was good. I followed the steps for the 'MacBook Pro 15" Core 2 Duo Models A1226 and A1260 Hard Drive Replacement' guide and essentially continued from step 10 of 'Installing MacBook Pro 15" Core 2 Duo Models A1226 and A1260 Dual Hard Drive' guide.

My Advice

I cloned the contents of the original 200 Gb hard drive to the new 1 Tb (hybrid) drive FIRST! The new drive was connected via a SATA to USB connector. If anything was wrong with the new drive, it would've been MUCH easier to simply pack it up for an exchange/return to vendor without having to open up the laptop again. But since the cloning went without a hitch, it was time to put my new tools to use...

I already knew to proceed cautiously, but this was most emphasized when dealing with the hard drive ribbon cable, specifically, loosening the adhesive that secures the portion of the cable on the top of the (older) hard drive. The spudger that comes with the Pro Tech Toolkit was the best tool for this. I decided to leave this ribbon cable connected to the logic board so that I wouldn't have to deal with the adhesive that kept it on the metal plate (next to the left fan and ExpressCard connector). But in order to still have room to remove the old hard drive itself, I disconnected the sleep light and IR sensor connectors from the ribbon cable.

When reconnecting the SuperDrive ribbon cable to the logic board, I found that it can be tricky to get it plugged back in, but some patience and a close look with a flashlight can make it easier.

When it comes to installing Windows 8.1, Boot Camp is only needed to download the latest Windows support software. Make sure this software is put on a USB flash drive formatted in FAT16 or ExFAT; without this, the Windows installation will stall and go nowhere. With an external USB blu ray drive, it was just Option key away from installing Windows 8.1. As long as the older hard drive is selected for partition deletion(s) and reformatting, the Windows installation should go normally.

My Problem

I have other more powerful desktops in the house and office but for some reason I continue to want to use my MacBook Pro it is my workhorse. Well, my work horse has been acting a little like an old mare for the past year, so I decided to upgrade the RAM an solve other problems. Adding more hard drive space was the last thing I needed to do.

My Fix

With the step by step walkthroughs provided by iFixit I had the confidence to do the work that would have cost an arm and a leg to fix using a repair shop or the Apple store

My Advice

The only advice I can probably gig that I sure everyone has heard before is, read all the instructions BEFORE you start!

My Problem

I never use my DVD drive anymore and when I travel I still prefer to take my MacBook Pro with me vs my windows laptop. So I wanted to boost the performance on this little guy.

My Fix

The repair guide went smoothly. Because I was replacing the optical drive with an ssd I was focused on making it a fusion drive since my MacBook runs 10.9. It was smooth sailing.

My Advice

I would say get a recovery USB of the is you want to install, as there won't be a DVD drive to rescue you in case you thought you'd just use the original Mac discs. I also realized after creating the fusion drive that I needed to use a trim application for my brand new fusion ssd drive.

My Problem

Wanted a faster Macbook. Added SSD as main drive and used previous drive in adapter for second drive in place of the DVD.

My Fix

15 minute installation. No issues whatsoever.

My Advice

Take it easy, follow the instructions.

My Problem

Back in 2010, I bought a used 2008 Penryn Black Macbook as an upgrade from an old Mac Mini that i'd just sold. I didn't want to splurge on a new MBP because I was waiting for the MBP to be redesigned (which ended up being the 2012 Retina MBP) so I thought this computer would suit me fine. Well it survived being in Okinawa, Japan and a deployment to Afghanistan and back while still kicking. When I got back to the States, I decided to buy a ridiculous HP laptop to play a Star Wars MMO that no one plays now. It was the worst decision ever. Eventually I left the Marines and moved to CA to be with my boyfriend (now husband.) I'm in school while he finishes up his degree. Money is a little tight, so instead of splurging on the $2500 Retina MBP I want, I decided to dust off my old Macbook and refurbish it. I decided to upgrade to an SSD drive, take out the optical drive, and put the old HD in an enclosure and put it in it's place. I also redid the thermal paste for the CPU.

My Fix

I was a bit frustrated at first because the enclosure I got from Amazon ended up not having the PATA connector, which meant that it was useless. I blasted the seller and the product on Amazon, returned it, and got this one instead. It's amazing. It fit right the slot and works perfectly. I would say that the hardest parts were removing and replacing the screw that holds the optical drive in place and not ripping the black tape when pulling it off the old bay and putting it on the new one. I ripped it, but luckily it went back on just fine.

My Advice

Always check things like connectors when replacing drives. I got 3/4 the way through my repair the first time before realizing that the enclosure I bought wouldn't work.

My Problem

Ich benutzte das eingebaute DVD Laufwerk so gut wie gar nicht.

Zudem gab meine Festplatte langsam ihren Geist auf. Sodann die Entscheidung: DVD raus, neue Festplatten rein.

My Fix

Mit dem bestellten Material und der Anleitung von FixIt hab ich zwar zitternd aber souverain mein Vorhaben erfolgreich durchgeführt. Alles läuft nun wie geplant.

My Advice

Ratschlag:

Man halte sich vertrauensvoll an die Anleitung von FixIt.

My Problem

My optical drive had failed long ago and after having already updated my HD to an SSD I had found the space to be lacking. My fan has also sounded like a baseball card in bicycle spoke for the last couple of years, it was often so loud that I could not leave this machine running and sleep in the same room.

My Fix

I felt like whatever guide I followed was a bit lacking. There is a screw in the regular HD bay hidden behind some rubber codding that holds the optical drive down. There is also a wire running along the optical drive enclosure that is held down with some tiny clips. I had to carefully work it free and with the drive bay in place it now floats freely in there.

The new fan is completely silent. After reassembly I was concerned because I didn't have any felt tape to secure the fan to the rear vent nor did I bother to tape it down with anything else. But the results were evident after a bit of uptime. This was well worth $50 bucks.

My Advice

The first time I took my Macbook apart I lost some screws and poorly seated some that I managed to retain because I lacked proper tools. I was in Afghanistan. This time I ordered a spudger because removing the upper case is the most tricky portion of this task. I have the cracks in the edges of my case to prove it. This machine will continue to be a super stable workhorse in my collection well beyond a decade of use. This is not an upgrade for the clumsy or disorganized, nor is it as simple as the install video seems to portray, but it is worth the trouble and cash.