iMac G4 17 800 MHz EMC 1936 Hard Drive Replacement

Unplug all the cables from the computer, including the power cable. Lay the computer face-down, supporting the neck and base with a soft cloth under the screen.

Loosen the four Phillips #0 screws.

Carefully remove the base access panel.

Remove the four 25mm T-15 screws.

Open the housing plate.

A fixed plug connector between the logic board and upper unit will cause some resistance. Pull gently but firmly.

Remove the 2 torx 10mm screws on the EMI shield

Carefully remove shield and copper tape

Remove the 4 10mm torx screws attatched to the drive carrier.

Grasp the carrier with both hands on each side.

Remove the carrier by lifting up and out.

Flip the removed carrier to the right and pull out power cables.

Peel back the white paper, revealing the screws that connect the hard drive to the carrier.

Remove the 4 T-10 5mm screws connecting the hard drive and frame. (There are 2 screws on each side)

Slide the hard drive out from the frame and optical drive.

Before you reassemble the computer, double check that your new hard drive has the same jumper configuration as the old one. This ensures the IDE "Master-Slave" protocol isn't interrupted. Some systems do not require this, but if you are having issues booting up afterwards with the storage or the disc drive, this could be the source of the problem.