Hard Drive Swap Out

brian green · January 29, 2003 6:11PM

Hello everyone, I have a good question I'm hoping you all can help me and anyone else who has a 12" 600 MHz iBook. Mine currently has a 20 Gig hard drive. While this hasn't been completely filled, you can imagine how a healthy collection of songs for iTunes, not to mention an interest in creating movies in iMovie have quickly filled up my current hard drive. While external storage remains an option, I'm also curious about replacing my 20 gig with a 60 gig. Does anyone out there know how to do that? What hard drives are compatible? What are the procedures? I'm sure I'm not the only one wanting to know this and if someone out there knows how to make the swap, I'd certainly appreciate the details. Thank you for your time.

murbot · January 29, 2003 8:19PM

Carl Norum from the MacNN boards has a good page on iBook modifications:

<a href="http://homepage.usask.ca/~cjn339/index.html"; target="_blank">iBook Modification at the University of Saskatchewan</a>

There's a guy there (MacNN) named CyberGreg too... maybe do a search there. I seem to recall him having a good page on the same.

Just have LOTS of patience man.

[ 01-29-2003: Message edited by: murbot ]</p>

luca · January 29, 2003 8:39PM

I can't provide directions for replacing your HD, but just make sure the drive you get is 9.5 mm in height or less. While you're at it, get a 5400 RPM one with fluid bearings - the fluid bearings will make it super quiet, even quieter than it is now, and the higher rotational speed will improve performance.

I might replace my iBook's hard drive in a year or two as well. Perhaps by then there will be 80-120 GB notebook drives and I can just splurge and get one of those. Mine has a 30 GB hard drive, and I still have almost 12 GB free, but I'd like more room for sure.

mqa · January 30, 2003 4:07AM

I've done this, it took me 3 hours and I ended up with an extra screw when I was done.

I also had to file down one of my hex wrenches just to get it to fit. It's an adventure like no other that's for sure.

gardenofearthlydelights · January 30, 2003 6:05AM

Interesting. I just did this last night with instructions from MacFixit (actually <a href="http://www.yourmaui.com/ibook.html"; target="_blank">from this guy</a>).

Anyways, that was the hardest upgrade I've done so far. I put in a Fujitsu 60GB. At least, that's what Other World Computing sold me. It's actually identified as a Toshiba, which was the cheaper drive that I wanted.

You may want to take digital photos at various steps, so you know what screws go where.

I had the 600MHz with 8MB VRAM. Here's a quick run down of instructions.

1. Remove screws from the bottom cover.

2. Remove bottom cover. Everyone says be careful, and they're correct. Start where the battery is. That seemed to be the easiest.

3. There's a metal heat shield covering the circuit board. I removed it, but I don't think it's necessary. It has holes showing screws underneath it that are on the motherboard. Remove these screws. They hold on to the top portion.

4. Remove the keyboard.

5. Remove the Airport caddy.

6. Disconnect the keyboard connector.

7. Remove the top plastic cover (and disconnect trackpad).

8. Remove metal heatshield.

9. Remove hard drive.

10. Put everything back together.

11. There is no step 11!!

icruise · January 30, 2003 12:48PM

I can do it pretty easily now, but the first time I had the hardest time getting that %^$*@!ing bottom case off. It really is snapped into place well.

drewprops · April 14, 2003 10:22PM

Hey Brian, did you replace your drive yet?

I'm in EXACTLY the same place and just might try to put in a 60Gb drive, I'm forever down to 5Gb or less and would like some more overhead. I'll price getting a new drive from OWC....very SCARY!!!

But if I do it I'm going to VIDEO every step that I make along the way to make sure that I know what's happening on the re-assembly.

Hard Drive Swap Out

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