Easy Fix for quite a common problem

My Problem

My MacBook Pro 2012 suddenly froze one day while working. When I restarted my computer, I saw the flashing question mark inside a folder. So I researched quite extensively to find the source of problem. I bought a SATA to USB cable to see if there was something wrong with hard drive. Found that hard drive cable was faulty. Went to Apple Store, told me $50 to fix it and would take two days to repair.

My Fix

The repair was extremely simple. The shipping took an extra but the cable arrived in anti-static bad and was nicely packaged. I ordered used cable without bracket. The bracket holds the IR sensor which connects to hard drive cable. Took me about 10 mins to put everything back and now don't have to carry hard drive as external drive.

My Advice

To be the safe side, make sure to work on a wooden desk and avoid touching any plastic. Touch any metal object to discharge any static electricity.

Make a stair fold where the cable bends around the CD drive before removing adhesive.