Whether you’re looking to fix your broken optical drive, or maybe swap it out for an
internal hard drive enclosure with a SSD, the process is pretty easy, and shouldn’t
take you more than an hour.
Hi, I’m MJ with iFixit, and today I’m going to show you how to replace an optical
drive in a non-unibody MacBook Pro; there were several iterations of MacBook Pro between
2006 and 2008, so while this video is a good overview of the repair process, make sure
you look up the step-by-step instructions for your specific model of computer on our
site before you get started, as there are subtle differences in the process.
You can find your Macbook Pro’s model number on the bottom of your computer, but if it
has worn off you can head to the ID your Mac page on our site.And look it up that way.
Before I begin, I’m going to get all of my tools and parts together.
Which really isn't a whole lot.
I’ll need: a Spudger,
A Phillips #00 screwdriver and A T6 Torx screwdriver, both of which i
got from our 26 piece bit driver kit. and my replacement Optical Drive.
Or a hard drive enclosure if that is the route you are going.
I am also going to have my very favorite organizational tool handy, a screw tray because there are
lots of teeny tiny screws involved and i want to make sure to keep them all organized.
Now that all of my tools together, I can get started by flipping the computer over and
removing the battery.
Once it’s out, were going to get to work on removing the top case, and in order to
do that,we have to remove the memory cover.
Once the memory cover is out we will be able to see all the screws on the bottom that we
have to take out in order to get the top case off.
With the last of the bottom screws removed, I can started removing the ones along the
sides.
You really want to make sure that you consult the repair guide at this point because they
tend to blend in and you want to make sure you remove all the necessary screws before
you start pulling the case off.
Now that all the screws around the perimeter are removed, the next step is to take off
the top case.
So were going to flip the computer over, and open it up, and begin to pry the top case
off near the screen of the computer.
Rotating it back towards the front of the computer.
When you get to the front, there is going to be some latches that you need to release
and thats when the spudger comes in handy.
Okay when you get that last clip released, don't go pulling the whole thing off just
yet.
It is still attached to the logic board via a ribbon cable.
So you want to do is lift it up gently and disconnect that ribbon cable with your spudger.
Once that ribbon cable is disconnected.
This whole case just comes right off and the bulk of our repair complete.
You can see the optical drive now and all that is standing in our way is a ribbon cable
and some screws.
So I will go ahead and take care of those now.
Once those screws are out and this cable is disconnected, the optical drive should just
slide right out.
The only thing that is left for me to do is transfer these brackets and the cable over
to my new drive.
So I will go ahead and take care of those now.
Now all I have to do is attach that cable and those brackets to my new optical drive
and reassemble my computer.
You can find all of the parts and tools for this and many other repairs at ifixit.com.
If you run into any problems during your repair, there are a lot of solutions in the answer
section of out site.
For all the latest tear downs and repair videos, subscribe to our youtube channel, and check
us out on twitter at www.twitter.com/ifixit.
Thanks for watching, and happy repairing.