Macbook Pro Hard Drive Replacement Tips

This past weekend I upgraded the hard drive in my Macbook Pro (aka my computer) from the stock 160GB 5400rpm Fujitsu to a shiny new 320GB 7200rpm WD Scorpio Black. Besides doubling my storage capacity (I can actually have MP3s on my laptop again!), the increased speed and responsiveness of my "computing experience" makes this feel like a whole new machine. I'd highly recommend the upgrade for people working with apps that generate lots of data and rely on high throughput, e.g. recording musicians. Unfortunately, the actual replacement process was a bit of a pain, and though there are a number of thorough tutorials available online, I'd like to add a few notes on my experience for others who run into the same issues I did. My apologies to non-techies- there'll be more self-centered reportage coming soon, I promise.

If you've read through an existing tutorial (like the one from iFixit.com linked above), then you already know pretty much everything there is to know about carrying out this replacement. The two steps I'd like to elaborate on are the removal and replacement of the top case i.e. the piece of aluminum with the keyboard, trackpad, speakers, etc.

Once you've removed all the screws from your MBP case, pretty much every guide I looked at (and I looked at a few) tells you to lift the case off starting from the edge closest to the LCD and moving forward. So far so good. Then they tend to say something like "you might need to finesse the front edge of the case to get it to come loose from the chassis." Slow down. At least in my case, you've got to do a lot more than "finesse" the case. I spent a good half-hour gingerly rocking, prodding and prying the top case trying to get the damn thing to come loose, but to no avail. Considering the cost of these laptops and the fact that this sort of replacement isn't covered under warranty, I think it's pretty understandable to not want to take a crowbar to the thing. As it turns out, this is one of those situations where you've got to use a lot more force than you think you do.

There are five plastic clips that hold the front of the MPB top case to the chassis, and the only way to get them to detach is to pry the top case up at close to a forty-five degree angle. At least to me this felt like enough to snap the case in half, but lo-and-behold, once I actually committed and started working the top case up and down farther than I dared before, the clips let go one by one. A note on this: that loud CRACKing sound is normal. That's just the sound the clips make when they pop out of their sockets. Talk about nerve-racking! It's OK though, multiple sources (citation needed) have corroborated that this is normal and to be expected. It's just not fun. Here's the video I found that convinced me that "gentle" was not the word of the day in this case.

OK, skipping ahead: you've got the top case off, you've pried up a couple of sticky ribbon cables, replaced the hard drive, and put everything back. Time to replace the top case. Well, wouldn't you know it: the clips strike again! It turns out that you're once again going to have to use way more force than you'd expect in order to get the clips to re-seat in the chassis. Line everything up, making sure no screw tabs are out of alignment, and then PUSH DOWN HARD on the top case above each clip. Since four of the clips happen to be above the optical drive slot, it's helpful to put something non-compressible into the slot while you're working over it to avoid bending the aluminum; I used a piece of paper folded a few times and gently inserted about a quarter-inch into the drive. You'll know you've re-seated a clip when it makes another cracking noise. Do this for all five clips along the front of the case, and you're free to screw everything back together! Now you too will understand why Apple calls the MBP "non user serviceable."

I hope this ends up being helpful to someone. Oh, and I guess I should protected myself from litigation and say that I'm not responsible if you break anything following these instructions. So don't sue me. Please.

Until next time!