Einleitung

Diese Anleitung zeigt dir, wie du die Festplatte austauschen kannst, um mehr Speicherplatz zu gewinnen.

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    • Lege den iMac mit der Vorderseite nach unten auf einen Tisch, so dass die Unterkante zu dir zeigt.

    • Löse die einzelne Kreuzschlitzschraube in der Mitte der Abdeckung.

    • Diese Schraube bleibt in der Abdeckung hängen.

    • Entferne die Abdeckung vom iMac.

    The grid won't fall off by itself. You'll have to help it. Use the smallest screwdriver you have; the Torx 6 worked fine for me. It should enter in one of the many holes composing the grid. Use it as a lever to ploy the grid a little bit. You may catch it with your fingers and that's it.

    Be carefull not to damage the hole by a too strong leverage.

    Laurent -

    much more safer to use duct tape, instead of torx 6. (glue it along the length of the grid and pull). it will loose instantly and smooth;)

    Hofmann78rus -

    Anyone know a guide to replace the plastic piece this screw connects to? I accidentally forgot this step - went to remove the front bezel and bent the plastic piece the access door connects to.

    Jason Augustin -

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    • Die Glasscheibe ist mit vierzehn Magneten an der Frontblende rings um den Rand befestigt.

    • Befestige zwei Saugnäpfe in gegenüberliegenden Ecken der Scheibe.

    • Damit du den Saugnapf, den wir verkaufen, befestigen kannst, musst du ihn erst mit dem beweglichen Griff parallel zur Oberfläche aufsetzen. Dann drückst du den Saugnapf leicht gegen das Glas und legst den beweglichen Griff nach oben um, so dass er parallel zum anderen verläuft.

    • Wenn der Saugnapf nicht halten will, dann reinige ihn und die Oberfläche des Glases mit einem milden Reinigungsmittel.

    A good alternative to the two heavy duty suction cups is a regular household plunger.

    Russell Knight -

    Also, 2" wide packing tape. Maybe a 6 or 8" piece, folded in the middle to give you say, a 1-2" "handle". Make a pair of these. They look like a capital T but with a short vertical part (the handle), and a wide top I the sticky wings). Get the good 3M tape, it's strong, and it peels off clean without leaving any glue from the screen.

    Barry Coyle -

    for me one household plunger did the trick!

    Ronald Huygen -

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    • Hebe die Glasscheibe vorsichtig gerade weg vom iMac.

    • Die Glasscheibe hat verschiedene Stifte um den Rand herum, um sie richtig zu positionieren. Vermeide es, diese abzuscheren und ziehe die Scheibe nur direkt nach oben.

    • Sei akribisch genau beim Reinigen der Innenseite der Glasscheibe und des LCD, bevor du sie wieder einbaust. Jeder Fingerabdruck und jedes Staubkorn im Inneren sind störend sichtbar, wenn der Bildschirm an ist.

    • Achte beim Zusammenbau darauf, dass sich nichts zwischen Glasscheibe und Rahmen befindet. Lose Kabel könnten beschädigt werden oder die Scheibe zerbrechen.

    Another approach that worked for us was to get 4 small plastic wedges (the kind used in iphone screen replacements). Working one corner at a time you can use a cheap suction cup to pry just that corner up enough to slide the wedge in. Then proceed to the next then next, etc. Once all 4 have the wedges under them the glass should be away from the body all the way around, then just carefully lift it the rest of the way up.

    A___K -

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    • Entferne folgende zwölf Torx Schrauben, welche die Frontblende am Rückgehäuse befestigen:

    • Acht 13 mm T8 Schrauben

    • Vier 25 mm T8 Schrauben

    • Am 24" iMac Intel Modell A1225 sind die unteren mittleren Schrauben lang, (26mm), die vier an den Seiten (zwei links, zwei rechts) sind mittellang (18 mm) und die restlichen 6 (vier am oberen Rand, zwei in den unteren Ecken) sind kurz (14 mm).

    I would strongly suggest taping the screws down on a piece of paper towel or cloth in the same order you take them out, as there are different lengths in no particular order and they don't all fit into just any hole. Unless you keep track of which hole each screw belongs, there is no other way of knowing. I stress taping because I didn't tape mine down and after bumping the table I was working on they scattered, leaving me to guess.

    Len -

    Even better, use an ice cube tray to keep the screws from each step together.

    maccentric -

    how about using the magnets near the screws to keep their positions?

    Andy -

    I use an 18 count egg carton (or two) and label each egg slot with a Sharpie. Works great.

    airira -

    As a rule with iFixit repairs, for years I've been printing the guides, applying scotch magic tape near each picture (which allows me to reutilise the paper prints in the future), neatly putting the appropriate screw next to their picture and taping them down with scotch magic tape.

    Even if I have to wait for spare parts, this allows me to neatly file the guide + screws in a copy safe and a binder (or in a cardboard filing box together with the rest of the parts) for later reassembly. Hardly any mistake possible...

    Bart Van Dessel -

    I think the caption on the picture is wrong here for 24" iMacs - it says: "On the 24" iMac Intel Model A1225, the bottom center two screws are long (26mm), four on sides (two left, two right) are medium (18mm), and the remaining 6 (four top, two bottom corners) are short (14mm)." I think actually bottom centre two are long, then all the rest are medium apart from the two either side of the CD/DVD drive

    HBloomfield -

    I print out the steps. Get a roll of scotch tape ready. Every screw, or set of screws I remove, I lay on some tape, and then tape them to the number on the directions. Then you have each screw labeled, with direction, and in order, or reassembly. Just working backwards in the directions.

    Barry Coyle -

    I agree with @HBloomfield’s comment overall, but to add to that comment, mine was a little different.

    (2) Long: bottom center

    (4) Medium: bottom left and right; on either side of the CD/DVD drive

    (6) Short: everything else

    Jake Thornberry -

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    • Die Frontblende ist immer noch mit dem iMac über das Mikrofonkabel verbunden.

    • Hebe die Frontblende vorsichtig vom oberen Rand her aus dem Gehäuse.

    • Wenn der obere Rand frei ist, kannst du die Frontblende zum Fuß hin kippen und aus dem Gehäuse heben.

    • Drehe die Frobtblende weg vom restlichen Gerät und lege sie über die Oberkante des iMac.

    • Beim Zusammenbau musst du die Frontblende erst an der Unterkante einsetzen, so dass sie bündig mit dem Rückgehäuse ist, bevor du die Oberkante auf den iMac setzt.

    Contrary to the pictures, to lift the front bezel off, start at top of the computer screen lifting up while apply a little bit of pressure to the foam in the upper corners of the screen. This will give you the leverage needed to get the bezel to lift up. Be careful to not pull to fast, as the camera cable is still attached.

    armand -

    you'll need to add this step in all the other tutorials about iMac 20" EMC 2210, where it is missing ; they all jump from step 5 to step 6, which is a little annoying...

    Armel h -

    Easy way to remove bezel, insert the longest screws a quarter turn into the two top most edge screw slots. Use the screws as anchors to press against as you pull the bezel toward you. Then a simple twist to remove the screws, and the rest of the bezel comes off easy.

    armand -

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    • Löse den Stecker am Mikrofonkabel, entferne das Klebeband, wenn nötig.

    • Damit die Frontblende gut sitzt, musst du das Mikrofonkabel und den Stecker in die Leerstelle in der Nähe der Kameraplatine hineinstecken.

    During reinstallation of the LCD panel, be sure that the iSight microphone cable does not become trapped behind the panel.

    Ocean Yamaha -

    I actually didn't have to remove the cable. With the iMac laying on its back, just rotate the front bezel (bottom edge rotating around top edge) so that it's laying upside down, above the iMac. When reassembling, just rotate back into place.

    Brian Tsai -

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    • Ziehe den Stecker vom LCD Thermosensor gerade aus seinem Sockel auf dem Logic Board.

    • (am 24" Modell befindet er sich oben am Logic Board)

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    • Entferne die beiden Torx T6 Schrauben, welche das Displaydatenkabel am Logic Board befestigen.

    • Ziehe den Verbinder des Displaydatenkabels an der schwarzen Lasche gerade weg vom Logic Board.

    I found this to be the most frustrating thing to remove out of everything under the hood. I had to have my wife use her skinny, smaller fingers to jimmy it up, but the tape kept pulling up and separating from the connector. I was worried that I was pulling in the wrong direction (what do I know about logic boards?) and that the tab was going to come off as it is slick tape. She eventually got it, but she did have to use some force. If you don't have a set of skinny fingers, just be patient and use a little force. I think the instructions should tell you to pull straight UP on the black tab, rather than 'away from the logic board', for those of us that don't really understand the technical components/guts of a computer. Honestly, my wife knows less than I do, but she could have done this as easily as me.

    Len -

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    • Entferne die acht Torx T8 Schrauben, welche das Display am Gehäuse befestigen.

    • Hebe das Display an der linken Kante an und drehe es zur rechten Kante des iMac.

    Some extra tools I found to be invaluable in this whole process was canned air (used for keyboards and office dust), a microfiber cloth (preferably the one that came with your iMac if you still have it, but you can get these almost anywhere these days)and one of those soft foam monitor covers to put over the monitor while your friend is holding it up (a soft sheet or towel might work too). If your computer is a few years old like mine, there will be a considerable amount of dust that you will want to clear out (and will fly everywhere anyway). Once you cleared that out and replace the hard drive, wait until you've got the bezel and screws back on before using the canned air and microfiber cloth to make sure all dust and lint is clear of the monitor. This is where the second person will come in handy again. They can wipe while you spray. Get your glass top with suction cups still attached ready and wipe that with the cloth and air as well. While your friend does one last wipe of the glass and then the monitor, put the glass on as soon as possible so no more lint or dust falls onto the monitor. I did this and the monitor looks as beautiful and clear as the day I bought the iMac. It is truly a brilliant and beautiful design by Apple and LG.

    Len -

    In this step, as I lifted the display, there was also a small cord in the front, near the fan, that was connected from the display to the inside panel. As I lifted, it unplugged. Anyone know what this is and where it goes when I put it all back together? Pic of the cord I'm referring to: http://i68.tinypic.com/keubkg.jpg

    shauhncy -

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    • Während das Display immer noch angehoben ist, kannst du die vier Inverterkabel lösen.

    • Beim Zusammenbau musst du diese vier Inverterkabel so in Leerräume zwischen den Bauteilen an der Rückwand einsetzen, dass das Display bündig zu den Kanten des Rückgehäuses sitzen kann.

    • (beim 24" Modell sind sie in einem einzigen Stecker verbunden)

    I did a HD replacement on my 24 inch iMac. It's mostly the same, but it does not have disconnectable inverter cables. Instead, there's a single cable that can't be disconnected. It sits too tight to rotate the display to the degree that you can lean it against something, so the only way to get the job done was to call in an extra set of hands to hold the display while I took out the hard drive.

    Marijn -

    I'm almost sure by HD you meant HDD (Hard disc drive).

    Charles Hess -

    As Marijn said, there are no disconnectable inverter cables on the 24" iMac, just a single thick cable in the middle of the back that is heavily taped with black electrical tape. I imagine you could remove that and retape, but it seems like it would be more trouble than it's worth. There is definitely enough clearance for someone else to hold the monitor up and away from the hard drive. For this reason, I would not attempt to replace the hard drive on a 24" without another person to help. The monitor is not heavy, and it doesn't take a ton of time to remove the old hard drive. It would also help if one of you has skinny fingers ;-).

    Len -

    Mark them before unplugging so you can reconnect them the right way when reinstalling!

    Dirk Simons -

    On the 24" iMac, the single inverter cable can be easily disconnected from the back of the LCD panel after peeling back some of the thin black plastic film. It is not necessary to disconnect the panel if you have four hands, but sure makes the job easier.

    Geoff Shepherd -

    sh******t I didn't mark the connectors and now I don't know how to plug them back. I'm doomed ! any trick to identify them ?

    cheers

    Julien Waroux -

    Same here. What did you do? Try them both ways?

    Leon Wagner -

    hold the led with my head lmao

    b12amyh -

    You have to mark the Cables so you can reassembly them in the right order.

    If you don't (like me) and go with trial and error you probably have a purple screen.

    If so, you might also have been close to a heartattack… do a PRAM Reset by pressing command-Option-P-R at restart.

    My iMac works fine now.

    Pascal -

    OMG, Thank you for this comment. I didn't initially label the inverter cables either. I did a fan replacement and RAM upgrade on a friends 20" iMac and had staticy, purplish screen. I thought I'd damaged the LCD. The PRAM reset fixed the display issue. Thank you so much for this!!!

    gwarren -

    I have the purple screen. :( I tried the pram reset. Do I switch the inverter cable connectors first?

    jaredrod -

    I didn't mark the cables either, and now have a gray screen. I´m doing trial and error but can't get it to work. Any tips on finding the right cables?

    Marcus Svensson -

    There should be a “star” at the beginning of this step to mark the wires as they are not color coded. Wish I read these comments first. Hope it works when I turn it on,

    John Rosati -

    Of course I mismatched a pair and colors were distorted. After a trial by error switch of cables it worked perfect. MAKE SURE YOU LABEL THE CABLES AS NOT TO MIX THEM UP.

    John Rosati -

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    • Um die Halterung der Festplatte zu entfernen, musst du das Mittelteil gegen die Seite der Festplatte drücken und gleichzeitig die obere linke Kante zu dir drehen.

    • Wenn die linke Kante frei ist, musst du die Halterung zur rechten Kante der Festplatte hindrehen.

    • Hebe die Halterung der Festplatte gerade aus dem Gestell heraus.

    Prying the plastic bar that locks the HDD into place was probably the most difficult part of the operation, for me. It just didn't want to let go, and until you've actually removed one, it's not exactly clear how it's holding on. The left side basically has a thin wedge on the back that wedges in between the rubber grommet and the mounting bracket

    modsolok -

    Thank you for this tutorial. I tried and tried and could not get the drive out. Found this tutorial and this comment too and it was a tremendous help! My iMac 24 (March 2009) hard drive was quite stubborn to remove but I finally got it!

    TAPTRONIC -

    Actually this step is quite easy, provided you follow exactly the instructions presented here. :)

    Marius Zota -

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    • Entferne, falls vorhanden, das kleine Stückchen Klebeband, welches die Kabel zu den Thermosensoren der Festplatte und des optischen Laufwerks bedeckt.

    If there is some clear tape holding the excess play in the HDD thermal sensor wire, against the body back, peel it up to free the wire and give yourself as much free play as possible. When reassembling, tape back to the body.

    Brian Tsai -

    Mine was completely different. There was some black foam with the sensor underneath, held in with a plastic bracket that is attached (glued?) to the hard drive.

    Joey Johnston -

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    • Ziehe das Kabel zum Thermosensor der Festplatte gerade aus seinem Sockel auf dem Logic Board.

    • Beim Lösen dieses Steckers ist es hilfreich, wenn du die Nasen auf jeder Seite des Steckers mit den Daumennägeln zur Oberkante des iMac hin drückst.

    I found it was not necessary to do this step if you do step 20 first - i.e disconnect the temperature sensor cable from the hard drive, but not the logic board

    HBloomfield -

    As HBloomfield said, you do NOT have to remove the sensor from the iMac body. Instead, remove the sensor from the HDD while it is still connected to the body.

    If the sensor is covered with a 4mm black foam square, use your index fingernail to scrape off one of the corners where there is adhesive. If you pull on just the foam part, it will tear the foam.

    Brian Tsai -

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    • Drehe die Oberkante des Laufwerks zu dir , hebe dann die Festplatte gerade aus den unteren Stiften.

    • Die Festplatte ist noch über das SATA Kabel angeschlossen.

    • Achte beim Zusammenbau darauf, dass du die Gummitüllen nicht mit den unteren Stiften an der Festplatte durch die Öffnungen im Gestell durchschiebst. Um sie wieder herauszuholen, müsstest du unter Umständen das Logic Board ausbauen.

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    • Setze das flache Ende des Spudgers zwischen SATA Datenkabel und der Kante der Festplatte.

    • Verdrehe den Spudger, um das SATA Datenkabel von der Festplatte zu trennen.

    • Löse das SATA Datenkabel von der Festplatte.

    • Wiederhole das Verfahren für das SATA Stromversorgungskabel.

    • Hebe die Festplatte aus dem iMac heraus. Achte dabei darauf, dass sich das Kabel zum Thermosensor nicht verfängt.

    I honestly didn't find the spudger to be necessary for most of this replacement. It is a nice little tool that makes one or two steps easier, but it is far from necessary. I imagine an old stylus you may have laying around would do just as good a job. I would definitely suggest putting the iMac on it's stand straight up to remove the hard drive bracket from it's post, as it sits very tightly in there. I found it popped out a LOT easier on it's stand than laying down, which was next to impossible. You do have to do some careful manuevering with your partner in order to accomplish this, but it's worth it. Take it slow.

    Len -

    When replacing, the SATA data cable did not extend to the new drive.

    Nathan Suri -

    THIS. A hundred times THIS. I wanted to put in an SSD, and was miffed to see that the SSD was to be placed in the middle of the 2.5" to 3.5" adapter. Unfortunately, that means that the SATA cable did not reach. I tried three different adapters, all the same. I even tried to BUILD an adapter myself from flat pieces of metal (I wouldn't recommend it). In the end, I got a SATA extension cable and simply taped the SSD into the case where the HDD used to be. We'll see if any problems crop up. Since it's very light though and doesn't produce much heat I don't think there should be a problem.

    Wolf Dapp -

    You will need a dock that puts the connectors in the same place if you want to use an SSD. I've had decent luck with the Icy Dock.

    maccentric -

    I have stopped using brackets for most SSD replacements. I bought some circular hook and loop dots with strong adhesive and merely velcro the drive to the case. The cables are long enough to allow the drive to sit flat against the case if you turn the drive upside down after attaching it. Otherwise, the data cable is too short. SSDs are so light that there is no reason for over-engineering the attachment. Most tape is not strong enough but two velcro dots work great.

    Greg Worrel -

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    • Entferne die beiden Torx T8 Schrauben und die daran befestigen Gummitüllen von der Festplatte.

    replacing the 3.5” hard-drive with a 2.5” ssd - needed to use a 2.5 to 3.5 chassis and discovered that the existing sata cables are too short (in particular the sata data cable). purchased an 8” extension ($7) and squirreled the excess behind the chassis. worked fine.

    pprod -

    One of the screws came out easily but the other took a great deal of convincing. To get it out I tightly wrapped a medium-thick rubber band around it to improve grip. I then applied downward pressure with my palm, and with my other hand, rotated the screwdriver. If at first you don’t succeed, try taking a break for a few minutes to let your grip strength return. You’ll get it eventually!

    Jake Thornberry -

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    • Entferne die beiden Torx T8 Bolzen an der Seite der Festplatte in der Nähe der Stecker für Datenkabel und Stromversorgung.

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    • Ziehe das Stück Schaumstoff ab, welches den Thermosensor der Festplatte bedeckt.

    There was no tape on the drive you sent me...

    andymcdonell -

    Zitat von andymcdonell:

    There was no tape on the drive you sent me...

    Transfer the piece of foam tape from the old drive to your new drive. If it is no longer sticky, it is fine to use a strip of electrical or duct tape to hold the foam tape down against the drive.

    Andrew Bookholt -

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    • Um den Thermosensor der Festplatte zu entfernen, musst du den mittleren Finger der Halterung des Thermosensors mit dem scharfen Ende des Spudgers anheben und gleichzeitig leicht am Kabel zum Thermosensor ziehen.

    • Wenn der Thermosensor in der Festplatte klemmt, dann gehe zum nächsten Schritt über.

    I found these instructions to be a little unclear. What you are looking at after removing the foam, is a bracket that is basically holding down the thermal sensor at the end of those wires coming out(which you can't see because it's UNDER the bracket). I found the bracket to be fairly easy to just pull up and off. The spudger (or even a tiny flathead screwdriver) can easily accomplish this if it's glued on tight. Once the bracket comes off, the thermal sensor is freed, and in my case fell away from the bracket. Just try to keep those pieces together in the order they came off. Fortunately, as easy as the bracket came off, it was easily pushed back onto the new hard drive with no trouble at all. The foam was pretty sticky still as well, although I had to double tape one side of it to secure it over the bracket.

    Len -

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    • Hebele die Halterung des Thermosensors der Festplatte mit dem flachen Ende des Spudgers aus der Klebeverbindung zur Festplatte.

    • Wenn der Kleber schmutzig wird oder nicht an der neuen Festplatte festkleben will, dann kannst du etwas doppelseitiges Klebeband unter die beiden halbkreisförmigen Enden der Halterung des Thermosensors kleben.

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    • Löse das kleine Stückchen EMI Schaumstoff oben an der Festplatte ab.

    • Vergiss nicht, es auf deine neue Festplatte zu übertragen.

    • Wenn du eine neue Festplatte einbauen willst, dann benutze unsere OS X Installationsanleitung, um das System zum Laufen zu bringen.

    Make sure you don't forget this step! I forgot this step, got everything back together, then had to take it all apart again to affix this! Not fun. That said, the second time went MUCH faster, and I found myself appreciating this design a lot more. It is much less daunting now, and is much easier than upgrading the RAM in a Mac Mini.

    Len -

    I followed this to replace hard disk with an SSD. These instructions and comments pretty much cover it. Only had to disconnect #7 cable and a little cable near the center of the system board; flipping/rotating bezel/screen avoided other disconnects. I used a permanent marker to label bezel holes "L" and "VL" (long and very long) to put those screws back properly.

    My main problem: I expected a 2.5" hard disk but found a 3.5". Micro Center talked me into an IcyDock 2.5" --> 3.5" adapter, defective (ended up just taping the SSD down). Between that and not loading OS on the SSD before installing (basically: attach SSD via USB, boot while pressing command-R) meant I got to do this disassembly/assembly several times.

    Worth it to buy a bottle of air to blow out dust, a 3.5" external enclosure (for the former internal hard disk), and maybe a CR2032? coin battery while you're at it. Group permissions on the hard disk's user files will be broken afterwards, easily fixed.

    David Menges -

    i can not install osx on the new disk

    don't assume the usb pen i have to install the osx can you help me?

    djactomicoutblast -

    What is the purpose of this piece of foam and is it necessary when replacing the hard drive with an SSD?

    Greg Worrel -

    Is this really needed? I have changed HDD to SDD on my old iMac 2009 and cannot install OS from bootable USB because after clicking on the selected bootable device I see a white screen with a picture of the directory and a question mark in the middle. Could it be related somehow?

    Eugene Kopaev -

    I suspect you experienced the same issue I had. I had to extract the hard drive I put in, format it for mac use, and reinsert it. Transmac is useful for that on any WIndows machine assuming you don’t have another mac to work from.

    (I know this response is waaay late but I figured better late than never.)

    Thomas Keats -

Abschluss

Um dein Gerät wieder zusammenzusetzen, folge den Schritten in umgekehrter Reihenfolge.

Walter Galan

685540 Reputation

19 Kommentare

Because there are no instructions for the 24", I used these and they worked fine. I shelled out $10 for the suction cups ifixit provides, but honestly the glass is really thin and lightweight, so cheapo suction cups from Home Depot should work just fine.

Len -

I couldnt agree more. The "Glass" is of couse plastic. I bought some whimpy suction cups in multi pack from Target and after i stuckem to the glass, it came off almost to easy. I was expecting a fight, i didnt get one.

Scott Mutterer -

I am about as untechnically proficient as you can imagine, yet replacing the hard drive was not as daunting as it first seemed when following these FANTASTIC step by step instructions. I was forced to do this because of a lack of money, but having done it, I'm glad I did. Even if I had the money, it's not worth the $500 it costs to have an Apple dealer or Apple themselves replace the hard drive. Just take your time and don't force anything, and you should be done in no more than an hour. Kudos ifixit!

Len -

On my 24" iMac, I only needed to disconnect the first LCD Cable (before removing the LCD's torx screws), then I was able to pivot the LCD up 90 degrees, to get access to the hard disk. It was nice not having to disconnect (and reconnect the 2nd and 3rd cables. Now I have 3TB! (Seagate Barrracuda ST3000DM001). Note: I first tried putting the 3TB disk into an SATA USB enclosure, so I could transfer the data before opening up the iMac, but I found out the some of the older USB enclosures don't work with >2TB disks.

Jeff D -

I followed the guide, and it worked fine. The new HD is working without problems. But now my Mac has a buzzing noise on it's top left part. What should I do?

Paulo Cesar -

Hi everybody,

I followed this guide, step by step to replace the former HDD by a brand new SDD.

Unfortunately, since my iMac is reassembled, I've been facing an issue with the display.

It shows like statics in from of the image. We see the desktop, icons and system in background but there are glittering red and grey points in front of it. i've tried to disassemble, check the different cables and plugs, but nothing... Could you help me, please ?

Fred -

Ok, just for you to know. I solved the problem by zapping the PRAM (apple-alt-p-r)

Fred -

I think that worked on mine as well. Instantly saw the flickering go away and the sound was way louder.

jjdperryman -

Great tutorial, works for the 20inch iMac as well. MAKE SURE TO LABEL YOUR CABLES!

Zach -

Awesome like always! Practical, concise and didactical! I've done well. Very satisfied.

Five stars and congrats to you at ifixit. I love this website!!!

PaTo

pgomezddv -

I just replaced my 20" iMac hard drive with a Solid State Drive (SSD) using these instructions. The only difference is that you need to buy a 2.5" to 3.5" hard drive bay adapter/converter, and mount the SSD drive onto the adapter with screws. Everything else is the same.

Dennis -

Hello Dennis,

What brand 2.5" to 3.5" hard drive bay adapter/converter did you use?

Thanks! Tedd L

Tedd Lupella -

Dear people, thank you for this great guide. It worked good. We replaced the Hard Drive for a SSD in a bracket. This speeds up the iMac very much! I recommend to do the work with 2 persons. We found out that the spudger wasn't neccessary.

Arnold -

The glass is glass Scott. It will shatter if you don't take it straight off. If you lever it open like a door, you will either break off the metal pins that are bonded to the glass, or crack the screen or both.

If you can get a pick in the edge, you can remove it without Suction cups, though they do help to remove it straight off without bending the pins.

If you are just doing the drive, then you can do it all without taking off the Screen completely. You just need to unplug the Inverter cables to lean the screen back then you can remove the drive, replace the drive and close it all up again.

Be aware the drive cables are very short in the 20" model. You will need a drive carrier that places the SSD data and power connectors in a similar location to a 3.5" drive (which these carriers are quite rare). Or get an SATA+Power extension cable for a couple of bucks.

You could do away with a bracket and use double sided foam tape or strong double lock velcro blocks to position a SSD on the back of the iMac.

Charlie Nancarrow -

I wish I would have read some of the comments, especially about needing a particular kind of adapter to install a 2.5" SSD. A note at the top about this would be the only way to improve these most excellent instructions. I found a stainless steel, vented adapter that has one open side, and a connector for the SSD. The outside of the case has the SATA connectors in exactly the same place as a 3.5" HDD, so the lack of slack in the SATA cables is no issue. The metal is thick enough to properly seat the mounting pins. I don't want to violate any iFixit TOS, so I'll just say that the unit I bought, a 3.5 Inch SATA Bay Adapter Converter Bracket Mounting Kit, is very, very cool. Freezing cool, a perfect dock for your new SSD.

modsolok -

i used the suction cup on my GPS...it worked and it was FREE

Rich Glunt -

Great, clear instructions. I had no trouble removing the hard drive from my damaged A1224. Instead of the suction cups, I simply used balled-up duct tape, which I learned from a related YouTube video.

ralph.h.earle -

I used the guide to replace the original 250 Gb hard drive with a SSD. Worked great! While in there I replaced the CR2032 because why not. The guide was thorough and made a big difference to me as I had never disassembled this Apple iMac before. Thank you!

Roger Edwards -

Ok, I just replaced the HDD in my iMac Early 2008. The conversion kit containing the new SSD was not a perfect fit, but I managed to use the holes closer to the connectors, ignored the remaining holes, and the end result was acceptable. Overall a very good guide.

Jan van Rendek -