MacBook Pro 15" Unibody Mid 2010 Optical Drive Replacement

Written By: Walter Galan
  • Comments: 11
MacBook Pro 15" Unibody Mid 2010 Optical Drive Replacement

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

6

Time Required

No estimate

Introduction

This guide is an internal guide used as a prereq.

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    • Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the AirPort/Bluetooth ribbon cable connector up off the logic board.

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    • Disconnect the camera cable by pulling its connector away from the socket (toward the optical drive) on the logic board.

    This step is optional. If the cable is to hard to remove, you can just leave it connected and just make sure the cable stays on the side while you remove de optical drive.

    Bernak -

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    • Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the optical drive connector up off the logic board.

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    • Remove the two Phillips screws securing the AirPort/Bluetooth board housing.

    • Carefully rotate the AirPort/Bluetooth board housing (with AirPort/Antenna cables still attached) out of the lower case.

    Be extremly carefull while unscrewing these screws. They are made from a more delicate metal than the ones on the outside of the Mac. If You bought the 54 piece set available on Ifixit - be warned - the phillips screwdriver caps do not do the job, and You should have a "shallower" phillips screwdriver here.

    michalwoloszanski -

    Hi guys - this is the second last remaining screw (last one is underneath the board housing at the far corner as seen in Step 11) that's in my way before I can remove the CD-drive.

    I believe I've used a wrong Philips screwdriver and now the screw itself has lost it's groove.

    Problem is - the screw is really tight (first time opening up this particular MBP) - is there a way in which I can "extract"the screw?

    Thanks.

    theimperialdragon -

    Did you ever figure this out? I'm facing the same issue.

    William Kuan -

    This is my second time installing a hard drive into the optical bay of this model MacBook Pro. I’d forgotten the nightmare I had last time when I stripped the screw. I had to drill it out using an electric drill and drill bit. It did the job. What it basically did was take the head of the screw off and leave the rest of the screw stuck in the hole. It worked but it was pretty terrifying going at your macbook with a huge power tool. I was able to remove the part and fit my drive. I couldnt replace the screw though but ive never had a problem from it and its been a few years at least.

    So, I just got to this screw again on my second time and got the same problem. I watched a few youtube videos and this one helped.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WHgxcbI...

    yumyab -

    (Continued from above)

    The guy is saying that if you use a different type of drill bit (left twist rather than the usual right twist) then you should be able to remove the screw completely and then be able to replace it with a new one. I dont have a left twist drill bit so I thought it should do the same job to set the drill to the opposite spin. Tried it and it did the trick! The screw is out completely.

    Thank god this screw isnt on the logic board!!!

    yumyab -

    I think that it’s too different size of screw. The tutorial don’t add more details, but one is longer than the other one. I suppose that’s why people get trouble to screw out.

    Victorien -

    Set these two screws in a special place. I use a loop of masking tape on my workdesk. They heads appear identical but the size and thread are very different to all other screws in this procedure. Trying to use one of the other similar-appearing screws will be annoying if not damaging to its threads.

    py -

  5. lm3LJDgWpqwN1uZH

    • Remove the following three Phillips screws securing the optical drive to the upper case:

    • One 4.5 mm Phillips screw securing the optical drive bracket to the upper case near the fan.

    • Two 2.5 mm Phillips screws securing the optical drive to the upper case near the optical drive opening.

    These screws actually use a #000 Phillips bit. The kit for this repair comes with everything you need *except* that. The difference between the two bits is night and day. I'll bet some—maybe even most—people can unscrew them with the included #00 bit, but mine were seated pretty firmly. With work, I got two of the three out. I nearly stripped the last one beyond use before I went out and bought a new bit to try. I'm not sure how to suggest adding that size bit to this guide, but I think that should maybe happen.

    When getting back to this step for re-assembly using the dual HD housing, just know that the screws might not actually fit. I found that the heads of the screws were actually too big to fit flush against the housing. So I only used two of the three screws to re-mount. One of them is at a bit of an angle, too.

    Overall, I am still happy with this whole setup.

    dentondon -

    The two 2.5mm screws circled in orange are close to impossible to put back in due to the deep inset of their mounting tabs. Either use the tiniest dab of grease to adhere them to the tip of your 000 Phillips driver or magnetize the screwdriver.

    py -

  6. n2jc2VYeEZbTtWwy

    • Lift the optical drive near its connector and pull it away from the upper case to remove it from the computer.

    The biggest problem I had with re-assembly was getting the two 2.5mm screws back into position. My driver is non-magnetic so the screws would not ‘lock’ in place on the 000 driver. I ended up with a tiny piece of Kleenex to wedge the driver into the screw and then carefully removing the tissue after the screw was in place.

    damaclac -

Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

Author

Walter Galan

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