Easy replacement of the MacBook Pro 13" Early 2011 Hard Drive Cable

My Problem

When I turned my computer on, the white screen would come up, and after about 20 seconds an icon with a folder and a question mark on top started to flash. After googling the issue, I was 99% sure it was the hard drive cable. I found the part here on iFixIt and ordered it.

My Fix

This repair was incredibly easy. Now maybe it's because I've gone into my laptop before to upgrade the RAM and the hard drive, but this repair was easy. You remove 10 screws to get the cover off, unplug the battery, and you remove 6 other screws. Put in the new part, re-screw everything in, and voila, it's like a new computer :) Seriously, anyone who saw "moderate" and got nervous, don't get nervous. This is an easy to very easy repair.

My Advice

YES! Put a piece of electrical tape underneath where the new hard drive cable will lie between the two screws and the big plug that plugs into the hard drive. Apparently, these hard drive cables go bad all the time because the construction of the aluminum inside the MacBook is not smooth, and the little ridges cause the cables to wear over time (this is the second time I've had to replace the cable). I watched a YouTube video that showed how to replace the cable, and how to reduce the likelihood of encountering this issue again. The short version is to put a piece of electrical tape down over the aluminum to create a smooth surface for the new cable. It adds one step and hopefully prevents me having to do this a third time!