I installed a new 7200rpm hard drive in my brother's MacBook Pro this morning. Mixed feelings on the installation process. I followed iFixit's disassembly guide here:
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/85.0.0.html
On one hand, it's a fairly simple process, requiring a #0 Philips (+) screwdriver and a #6 Torx tool (both available at Home Depot, just buy a jewel kit). On the other hand, it's so extensively integrated, it's hard to put back together correctly. I'm having major problems trying to get the upper case (with the keyboard) back in place properly. Here are some tips:
1. Work in a "safe" area - you can't afford to lose ANY scews; make sure you're not in a messy area where you could potentially lose a screw if it should fall out.
2. Some of screws on the sides of the MacBook Pro use blue Loctite (a type of glue) and requires additional force to remove. My trick is to use a pair of pliers, clamp them onto the screwdriver, apply downward force, and twist. All you need to do is loosen the screw in order for it come out by hand.
3. Get a paper towel and draw a diagram of your MacBook Pro in pen. As you remove the screws, place them in the appropriate locations on your diagram. The paper towel helps prevent the screws from rolling off your desk and the diagram ensures that you put the correct screw back into the correct slot.
4. Be very gentle with the ribbons; they are VERY easy to tear. Go slowly when removing the upper lid/keyboard - the ribbon can snap easily if you're not careful about it.
The real trick is getting the lid to shut correctly. Mine upper lid isn't clamping down correctly, which is preventing the lid from shutting properly. Also, should you need spare parts, don't count on the local Apple store for help. For example, the guides that I looked at (like OWC's installation video) show four rubber grommet/screw combos attached to the hard drive; mine only had three on the stock drive. I called up the local Apple store to see if I could snag a replacement (I didn't even lose it...it just wasn't there!) and they politely informed me that I had voided the warranty and they couldn't sell spare parts over the phone or at the store. Dumb. He advised me to try calling Apple Care to see if I could get the replacement part. I'm not looking forward to disassembling the laptop again when/if I can get the part.
OS X is installing now. Just pop in the first disc, let it boot up, and then go into Tools and use the Disk Utility to erase the drive. After you do this, your drive will appear as a place to install OS X to. By the way, the rep on the phone at the Apple store said they will not install hard drives, but said something about doing it if it was the day that you bought it. Not sure if he meant they would install a drive if you brought it the day that you bought it or if you're stuck with the stock disk.
Bottom line? If you want the fast 7200rpm hard drive or the big 120gb hard drive, just buy it from Apple. Installing the ram is painless; not so much with the hard drive. That's just my advice, and I work on laptops all the time.
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/85.0.0.html
On one hand, it's a fairly simple process, requiring a #0 Philips (+) screwdriver and a #6 Torx tool (both available at Home Depot, just buy a jewel kit). On the other hand, it's so extensively integrated, it's hard to put back together correctly. I'm having major problems trying to get the upper case (with the keyboard) back in place properly. Here are some tips:
1. Work in a "safe" area - you can't afford to lose ANY scews; make sure you're not in a messy area where you could potentially lose a screw if it should fall out.
2. Some of screws on the sides of the MacBook Pro use blue Loctite (a type of glue) and requires additional force to remove. My trick is to use a pair of pliers, clamp them onto the screwdriver, apply downward force, and twist. All you need to do is loosen the screw in order for it come out by hand.
3. Get a paper towel and draw a diagram of your MacBook Pro in pen. As you remove the screws, place them in the appropriate locations on your diagram. The paper towel helps prevent the screws from rolling off your desk and the diagram ensures that you put the correct screw back into the correct slot.
4. Be very gentle with the ribbons; they are VERY easy to tear. Go slowly when removing the upper lid/keyboard - the ribbon can snap easily if you're not careful about it.
The real trick is getting the lid to shut correctly. Mine upper lid isn't clamping down correctly, which is preventing the lid from shutting properly. Also, should you need spare parts, don't count on the local Apple store for help. For example, the guides that I looked at (like OWC's installation video) show four rubber grommet/screw combos attached to the hard drive; mine only had three on the stock drive. I called up the local Apple store to see if I could snag a replacement (I didn't even lose it...it just wasn't there!) and they politely informed me that I had voided the warranty and they couldn't sell spare parts over the phone or at the store. Dumb. He advised me to try calling Apple Care to see if I could get the replacement part. I'm not looking forward to disassembling the laptop again when/if I can get the part.
OS X is installing now. Just pop in the first disc, let it boot up, and then go into Tools and use the Disk Utility to erase the drive. After you do this, your drive will appear as a place to install OS X to. By the way, the rep on the phone at the Apple store said they will not install hard drives, but said something about doing it if it was the day that you bought it. Not sure if he meant they would install a drive if you brought it the day that you bought it or if you're stuck with the stock disk.
Bottom line? If you want the fast 7200rpm hard drive or the big 120gb hard drive, just buy it from Apple. Installing the ram is painless; not so much with the hard drive. That's just my advice, and I work on laptops all the time.