PowerBook Repair: change (upgrade) a PowerBook Hard Drive
Introduction
This tutorial show you how to fix your PowerBook by changing (and upgrading) your PowerBook’s hard drive. The repair is performed on a Apple aluminum (alubook) PowerBook G4 (1.5GHz), with Firewire 800. This procedure applies to the above mentioned laptop and shouldn’t be attempted on other variations unless you are confident you can cope successfully with the unexpected.
Disclaimer
I wish we would live in a world where this section wouldn’t be necessary, but here goes anyways.
This information is provided to you for educational purposes only.
Should you decide to go on and follow the instructions described here (and on the other pages), you should be aware that your warranty (if it’s still valid), will be voided.
There is even a possibility that you fail to repair your machine and that you create more damage than it had (if any) in the beginning. If you feel confident enough to embark on this voyage and open the guts of your shiny Apple laptop, please be warned that whatever happens, it’ll be your fault. I believe that, in true DIY spirit, you’re ultimately responsible of your own actions.
If you do go ahead, please make sure that you do have the same computer as I have…
Why?
Why would you want to change your hard drive yourself?
There’s several good answers here. A valid answer could be “My hard drive is dead and I can get a new one in an hour, why should I send my machine in for days, I need it to work NOW. Another good answer could be I want a bigger hard drive, I want a faster hard drive, etc. This page was originally in French on another of my blogs and I got an email from a guy in Nice, France. He told me he wanted to change his drive because “Apple technicians don’t wipe their asses with confetti”. I’m not sure what he meant exactly, but I’m guessing that he wanted to say that it would be expensive to have this done by an Apple technician.
My Reason
The reason why I changed my drive is that it was dying out on me. While the computer was showing no disk activity whatsoever, it would start to swap like crazy, and not stop, for hours. I suspect that the disk was failing and that it was struggling to copy the data to good sectors. Modern drives do stuff like that, so that’s nice, it gives you time to react. So I did. As the controller wasn’t issuing commands to the disk and it was moving data back and forth so I decided that I needed to change it ASAP.
Tools, in a perfect world
Before starting, you should know that you’ll be needing these tools (or suitable replacements):
- Magnetized plate
- Magnetized Phillips screwdrive (#0)
- Allen key (1.5mm) or Torx T6
- Dentist pick (the one they use to remove plaque)
- Flat screwdriver whose blade is made of plastic. Two would even be better.
- A coin
- Anti-static, non abrasive piece of cloth
Tools, in realityMaybe you don’t have everything listed. It’s OK. You can probably improvise a bit:
- The magnetized plate is to keep the screws in nice little bundles. You could use a multi-compartment container, a bunch of Ziplocs or even some paper envelopes. Anything that can ensure that you don’t lose or mix up your screws
- I didn’t have a Magnetized #0 Phillips screwdriver, so I used a Victorinox Cybertool, whose smallest Phillips screwdriver is, conveniently, a #0. I stuck a magnet to the screwdriver’s shaft so that it would be magnetized. Ultimately, any screwdriver that fits well with the screws will do. You don’t want to strip them.
- I didn’t have a dentist pick (I do ask them if they have old ones every time I go though), so I used a 1.5mm Allen Key with a small Vise Grip. It works pretty well. A photo will follow so you can see what I mean.
- The plastic blade flat screwdriver is used to pry the computer case apart, so anything thin and soft (but not too soft) will do. If you’re extra careful, you can probably manage to get the case open without damaging it (your mileage will vary)
- As for the anti-static surface, I used a cotton T-shirt. Don’t use wool or synthetics like nylon or polyester because they’ll build up a static charge, which can fry sensitive electronic components.
