Introduction
Replacing the hard drive requires separating the display and removing the left speaker.
Before beginning any work on your iMac: Unplug the computer and press and hold the power button for ten seconds to discharge the power supply's capacitors.
Be very careful not to touch the capacitor leads or any exposed solder joints on the back of the power supply.
Tools
Parts
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Starting on the left of the display, near the power button, insert the iMac Opening Tool into the gap between the glass panel and the rear case.
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Use the tool like a pizza cutter—roll it along through the gap, and it will cut the foam adhesive through the center.
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Run the tool up along the left side of the display.
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Set the iMac face-up on a table.
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Starting from the top right corner of the iMac, insert a plastic card between the display and frame.
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Gently twist the plastic card to open the space between the display and frame.
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Move slowly and be careful not to stress the display glass too much—you only need to make a gap of about 1/4".
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Put the card into the corner again and let it stay there to keep the adhesive from resettling.
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With the cards inserted as shown near the corners, gently twist the cards to increase the gap between display and case.
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If there are any sections that seem to stick and won't separate, stop twisting and use one of the cards to cut the adhesive in the problem area.
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Begin to lift the top of the display up from the frame.
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While holding the display up with one hand, use the other to unplug the display power cable.
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Flip up the metal retaining bracket on the display data cable.
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Disconnect the display data cable.
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If necessary, a plastic card can be used to cut any remaining sections of the bottom adhesive strip.
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Lift the display up from the frame and remove it from the iMac.
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It may be necessary to slowly lift from one side, to peel against the remaining adhesive.
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With the hinge free to move, the iMac will be unbalanced and hard to work on. Repairs can be completed with the iMac laying down, but are faster and easier with an .
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Unplug the left speaker cable from its socket on the logic board. Be sure to pull straight up out of the socket.
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De-route the cable from the gap between the hard drive and logic board.
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Grab the hard drive and left hard drive bracket together.
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Tilt the left side up away from the rear case, and slide the assembly to the left.
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Remove the hard drive and left hard drive bracket from the iMac.
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Remove the four 8.1 mm T9 screw posts from the hard drive, and transfer them to the replacement drive.
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To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse and use our [invalid guide link] to reattach the display glass.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse and use our [invalid guide link] to reattach the display glass.