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Replacing The Hard Drive On A MacBook Pro - 17 inch MacBook Pro |
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Please note: you should have a clean, non-obtrusive work environment when doing this. Also note that replacing the hard drive on your MacBook Pro can and may ultimately result in forfeiture of the warranty that is provided by Apple. Performing the following is done at your own risk. The following work was done on a MacBook Pro 17', model is MacBookPro3,1 . | 
full size image here | Tools Needed: - Torx screwdriver - T-6 size ( link ) - Phillips #00 Screwdriver ( link ) - Rosewill Anti-Static wrist strap ( link , read here to learn more about grounding oneself ) We recommend the kit featured in the links above. If you have a Home Depot ( Store Locater ) near you we know they carry them, it’s where we purchased this one. It has served us well when working on everything from laptops to cell phones. You should also have a generic tool kit that includes the basic tools. | Task:
Replacing original MacBook Pro 160 GB hard drive with Western Digital 320GB ( 5400 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s ). We (me in particular) needed more space for music, personal work and Oscot development. We run XP, Vista, and Ubuntu through VMware Fusion here, we’ll eventually give everyone a peek at what this machine actually goes through daily. ;) |
First you must make sure your MacBook Pro is:
- Turned off
- No power source plugged in
- Battery removed Now, looking at the photos below you will notice two color circles. The red circle refers to the Phillips screwdriver, and the green to the Torx screwdriver. In the kit outlined above you simply switch the bit to the needed one. | Remove the battery from your MacBook Pro. Pull down the two tabs and lift battery.
|  full size image here | Next remove all the screws outlined below.
|  full size image here | After you have removed all of the screws, pull the cover opposite of where the battery was to the right slightly and up. This will reveal access to your memory sticks. Here you can upgrade your memory or replace it if ever need be. For now let’s just remove the memory in order to protect it from electric shock. Gently pull the tabs on the side away from the memory stick with one hand while gently lifting and pulling the memory out with the other. Here you have to remove the two Torx screws. | 
full size image here | Once you have all of those removed, you should look to each side of the casing. There are a series of screws from each side that need to be removed. Look to the photos below for direction on where the screws are located.
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full size image here | Please note there are also two screws on the backside of the laptop. Please remove both from each side of the LCD screen. 
full size image here | Now turn your MacBook Pro right side up. Open the LCD cover as you normally would if you were going to turn you laptop on. Once the LCD cover is open, slowly start lifting the keyboard. Prying it apart gently with your fingers all the way around the entire bezel that holds the keyboard, mouse pad and speaker grilles.
| Start from the top corners 
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full size image here |  full size image here | | Once open please be VERY gentle lifting it as the ribbon cable for the keyboard is still attached to the motherboard. | 
full size mage here | It is quite the amazing machine to look at. Amazing how they cram all that power into such a small area. Anyhow, let’s focus on the task at hand, the hard drive area. You need to be extra careful with the two ribbon cables that are around the area of the hard drive. There is also a set of screws that need to be removed; they are highlighted below in green circles. Loosen the screws and remove the brace they are holding down.
|  full size image here | Once you have the brace out, put in the flathead bit or use a small flat head screwdriver and gently lift the right hand side of the hard drive.
|  full size image here | Gently lift and pull the hard drive out of its cage. Once the drive is out carefully remove the adhesive tape from the top of the hard drive and remove the SATA connecter. Prep your new hard drive for installation by removing it from its packaging contents. From your old hard drive you will need to remove the rubber grommet from each corner and place them onto the new hard drive. The grommet is outlined below.
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full size image here | When replacing the hard drive be sure to be careful and angle it slightly and slide into the left. You will see the two slots where the grommets fit into perfectly. Be sure to replace the adhesive tape with similar new tape or if the previous is still n good shape you can re-use it as well.
| Carefully place everything back in its place just the way you found it. It’s good to set aside 30 uninterrupted minutes to accomplish this task if you have prior experience dismantling and fixing electronics. If you are a novice, make sure you give yourself an hour’s worth of time. You can never be to careful when touching expensive equipment. We have almost a decade’s worth of hardware experience, in due time we’d like to share it all with you.
| Read about how to Clone your current hard drive here.
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We are going to make the rings a little more visible so as to avoid any problem like this again.