Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

16

Time Required

Suggest a time??

Sections

4

  • Battery
  • 1 step
  • Upper Case
  • 9 steps
  • PRAM Battery
  • 2 steps
  • Optical Drive
  • 4 steps

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  • BackPowerBook G4 Aluminum 15" 1.67 GHz

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Introduction

What you need

Step 1

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

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

Lift the battery out of the computer.

1024

Step 2

              Upper Case
  • Remove the following 10 screws:
  • Two 3 mm Phillips in the battery compartment, on either side of the battery contacts.
  • Four 3 mm Phillips around the memory compartment.
  • Four 16 mm Phillips along the hinge.

Remove the following 10 screws:

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

Four 3 mm Phillips around the memory compartment.

Four 16 mm Phillips along the hinge.

Step 3

  • Remove the memory compartment cover.
  • Remove the two 12 mm Phillips screws on the Aluminum bracket at the top of the memory compartment.

Remove the memory compartment cover.

Remove the two 12 mm Phillips screws on the Aluminum bracket at the top of the memory compartment.

Step 4

  • Rotate the computer 90 degrees clockwise so the power receptacle faces you.
  • Remove the three 3 mm Phillips screws along the edge of the lower case.
  • When replacing these screws, you must install them in the correct order. Begin by installing the screw closest to the display hinge, then work your way toward the front of the computer.

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

Remove the three 3 mm Phillips screws along the edge of the lower case.

When replacing these screws, you must install them in the correct order. Begin by installing the screw closest to the display hinge, then work your way toward the front of the computer.

Step 5

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

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

Remove the lower 5 mm Phillips screw on each side of the hinge (two total).

Step 6

  • Rotate the computer 90 degrees clockwise so the ports face you.
  • Remove the three 3 mm Phillips screws along the edge of the lower case.
  • When replacing these screws, you must install them in the correct order. Begin by installing the screw closest to the display hinge, then work your way toward the front of the computer. Also, be careful not to put the screws in the two holes on either side of the video out port.

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

When replacing these screws, you must install them in the correct order. Begin by installing the screw closest to the display hinge, then work your way toward the front of the computer. Also, be careful not to put the screws in the two holes on either side of the video out port.

Step 7

  • Turn the computer over and open the display.
  • Remove the two 4.2 mm long, 1.5 mm hex screws at the top corners of the upper case (two total).
  • A T6 Torx driver will work, but repeated use will strip the screws.

Turn the computer over and open the display.

Remove the two 4.2 mm long, 1.5 mm hex screws at the top corners of the upper case (two total).

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 amber tape securing the trackpad ribbon to the logic board.
  • Disconnect the trackpad ribbon from the logic board by pulling up on the connector.
  • Remove the upper case from the computer.

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

Disconnect the trackpad ribbon from the logic board by pulling up on the connector.

Remove the upper case from the computer.

Step 11

              PRAM Battery
  • Use a spudger to pry up the PRAM battery from the optical drive.

Use a spudger to pry up the PRAM battery from the optical drive.

Step 12

  • Disconnect the PRAM battery cable from the logic board and remove the PRAM battery.
  • Remove tape as necessary.

Disconnect the PRAM battery cable from the logic board and remove the PRAM battery.

Remove tape as necessary.

Step 13

              Optical Drive
  • Remove the short black Phillips screw from the front right corner of the optical drive.
  • Remove the three longer silver Phillips screws from the retaining bracket on the left side of the optical drive.

Remove the short black Phillips screw from the front right corner of the optical drive.

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

Step 14

  • Remove the retaining bracket.

Remove the retaining bracket.

Step 15

  • Disconnect the large black connector from the logic board.

Disconnect the large black connector from the logic board.

Step 16

  • Lift the optical drive out of the computer from the side with the connector on it.
  • The optical drive is held in place by an alignment peg in the lower left corner.
  • If you have a CD or any other object jammed in your optical drive, we have an optical drive repair guide.

Lift the optical drive out of the computer from the side with the connector on it.

The optical drive is held in place by an alignment peg in the lower left corner.

If you have a CD or any other object jammed in your optical drive, we have an optical drive repair guide.

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 6 other contributors 


                    Andrew Bookholt

575,478 Reputation

                                      618 Guides authored                  



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harwood - Jan 28, 2012

Reply

This otherwise excellent guide omits the cmos battery which is stuck to to optical drive. I did not need to disconnect the top tray, I just stood it up against the display. I was fitting a slightly older drive on which the right hand bracket was a different design.I used the bracket from the original drive. Ifixit rocks!

georgevp1 - Jun 29, 2017

Reply

I installed a sata hdd caddy in my Powerbook and thought it did work it seemed to run slow. Might have been faster with a ssd… Good that I went back in my Powerbook since the right usb cable was loose and not working.