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Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

16

Time Required

                          10 - 30 minutes

Sections

4

  • Battery
  • 1 step
  • Upper Case
  • 9 steps
  • Hard Drive
  • 3 steps
  • Hard Drive
  • 3 steps

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  • BackPowerBook G4 Aluminum 15" 1.5-1.67 GHz

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Introduction

What you need

Step 1

              Battery
  • Use a coin or a spudger to turn the battery locking screw 90 degrees clockwise.
  • Lift the battery out of the computer.

Use a coin or a spudger to turn the battery locking screw 90 degrees clockwise.

Lift the battery out of the computer.

1024

Step 2

              Upper Case
  • Remove the four Phillips screws from the memory door.
  • Slide the memory door away from the memory compartment.

Remove the four Phillips screws from the memory door.

Slide the memory door away from the memory compartment.

Step 3

  • Remove the following 8 screws:
  • Two 3 mm Phillips in the battery compartment, on either side of the battery contacts.
  • Two 12 mm Phillips on either side of the memory compartment.
  • Four 16 mm Phillips along the hinge.

Remove the following 8 screws:

Two 3 mm Phillips in the battery compartment, on either side of the battery contacts.

Two 12 mm Phillips on either side of the memory compartment.

Four 16 mm Phillips along the hinge.

Step 4

  • Rotate the computer 90 degrees clockwise, so that the power receptacle faces you.
  • Remove the three 3 mm Phillips screws.
  • When replacing these screws, you must place each screw in the correct order. Begin by installing the screw closest to the display hinge, and go out from there.

Rotate the computer 90 degrees clockwise, so that the power receptacle faces you.

Remove the three 3 mm Phillips screws.

When replacing these screws, you must place each screw in the correct order. Begin by installing the screw closest to the display hinge, and go out from there.

Step 5

  • Turn the computer 90 degrees clockwise so that the hinge faces you.
  • Remove the bottom 5 mm Phillips screw on either side of the hinge (two total).

Turn the computer 90 degrees clockwise so that the hinge faces you.

Remove the bottom 5 mm Phillips screw on either side of the hinge (two total).

Step 6

  • Rotate the computer 90 degrees clockwise, so that the ports face you.
  • Remove the three 3 mm Phillips screws.
  • When replacing these screws, you must place each screw in the correct order. Begin by installing the screw closest to the display hinge, and go out from there.

Rotate the computer 90 degrees clockwise, so that the ports face you.

Step 7

  • Turn the computer over and open the display.
  • Remove the two 1.5 mm hex screws in either corner, next to the display (a T6 Torx driver will work, but repeated use will strip the screws).

Turn the computer over and open the display.

Remove the two 1.5 mm hex screws in either corner, next to the display (a T6 Torx driver will work, but repeated use will strip the screws).

Step 8

  • Grasp the back corners of the upper case and pull up. Do not pull the upper case off yet; you still need to disconnect the keyboard and trackpad cable.
  • Lift the back of the case up and work your fingers along the sides, freeing the case as you go. Once you have freed the sides, you may need to rock the case up and down to free the front of the upper case.

Grasp the back corners of the upper case and pull up. Do not pull the upper case off yet; you still need to disconnect the keyboard and trackpad cable.

Lift the back of the case up and work your fingers along the sides, freeing the case as you go. Once you have freed the sides, you may need to rock the case up and down to free the front of the upper case.

Step 9

  • Rotate the upper case up and toward the screen, so that the upper case rests against it.

Rotate the upper case up and toward the screen, so that the upper case rests against it.

Step 10

  • Remove the orange tape securing the trackpad ribbon to the logic board.
  • Disconnect the trackpad ribbon from the logic board.
  • Remove the upper case from the computer.

Remove the orange tape securing the trackpad ribbon to the logic board.

Disconnect the trackpad ribbon from the logic board.

Remove the upper case from the computer.

Step 11

              Hard Drive
  • Remove the three long silver Phillips screws from the retaining bracket on the left side of the optical drive.
  • Remove the retaining bracket.

Remove the three long silver Phillips screws from the retaining bracket on the left side of the optical drive.

Remove the retaining bracket.

Step 12

  • Disconnect the large orange hard drive cable from the logic board, removing tape as necessary.

Disconnect the large orange hard drive cable from the logic board, removing tape as necessary.

Step 13

  • Lift the hard drive up from the right side and remove it from the computer.

Lift the hard drive up from the right side and remove it from the computer.

Step 14

              Hard Drive
  • Remove the two silver Phillips screws and black rubber bumpers from either side of the hard drive (four sets of screws and bumpers total).
  • There is a black pad on one end of the hard drive that you should peel off and transfer to your new hard drive.
  • Lift the plastic shield off of the hard drive.

Remove the two silver Phillips screws and black rubber bumpers from either side of the hard drive (four sets of screws and bumpers total).

There is a black pad on one end of the hard drive that you should peel off and transfer to your new hard drive.

Lift the plastic shield off of the hard drive.

Step 15

  • Disconnect the hard drive cable from the hard drive by applying even pressure on both sides while maintaining a firm grip on the drive itself. You may need to remove a piece of orange tape attaching the ribbon cable to the hard drive.
  • This is a bit tricky. Try holding the drive against your body while pushing the cable away from you, or rocking the cable gently from side to side while applying even pressure, or both. If you bend the pins, do your best to straighten them, using the hard drive cable as a guide.
  • If you are installing a new hard drive, we have an OS X install guide to get you up and running.

Disconnect the hard drive cable from the hard drive by applying even pressure on both sides while maintaining a firm grip on the drive itself. You may need to remove a piece of orange tape attaching the ribbon cable to the hard drive.

This is a bit tricky. Try holding the drive against your body while pushing the cable away from you, or rocking the cable gently from side to side while applying even pressure, or both. If you bend the pins, do your best to straighten them, using the hard drive cable as a guide.

If you are installing a new hard drive, we have an OS X install guide to get you up and running.

Step 16

  • When re-installing the adapter cable, be sure to place it over the large field of pins so that the small connector lines up with the motherboard.

When re-installing the adapter cable, be sure to place it over the large field of pins so that the small connector lines up with the motherboard.

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

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Attached Documents

  • Aluminum-15"-Screw-Guide.pdf
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Aluminum-15"-Screw-Guide.pdf

PDF - 647.44 kb

Author

                                      with 9 other contributors 


                    iRobot

Member since: 09/24/2009

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Twetter - Feb 27, 2013

Reply

Thankyou for this guide i fixed my powerbook by replacing the harddisk and it is working great again!

Pamela Angelini - Feb 21, 2017

Reply

Very well done, clear and precise. Thank you/