Apple PowerBook Hard Drive Installation

PowerBook 1400 Series

Please refer to your owner's manual on "Memory Installation" to get a good idea on how to access the hard drive location.

• Remove the battery and unplug the ac cord. Turn the laptop upside down. Remove the three screws on the edge of the battery bay. Remove one screw closest to the PCMCIA slots now located on the right hand side. Turn the laptop upside right.
• Lift and tilt the monitor back until almost horizontal. Place a soft cloth to protect the screen.
• Gently lift up the left side of the speaker grill just enough to clear the edge of the PowerBook.
• From the right side of the grill, push the grill towards the left. This will release the grill from the base. Remove the grill.
• Pry or lift up the keyboard assembly at the top aluminum edge. Raise the keyboard only one inch high and set it on the monitor.
• The hard drive is now visible on the lower left hand corner of the keyboard bay.
• Remove the two screws on the tail end of the drive tray.
• Lift up the top cover of the PowerBook at the left lower corner by the battery bay.
• Carefully lift the tail end of the hard drive and pull back , exposing the ribbon connector. Carefully untuck the
• HDD ribbon cable from the side wall of the laptop.
• Pull the connector off the hard disk.
• Remove the 4 screws underneath the hard disk. Install the new drive.
• Connect the cable to the new drive. Carefully tuck the ezcess cable back into the sidewall.
• Seat the hard disk back into the drive bay. Secure the tail of the tray with the two screws removed in step #7.
• Replace the keyboard back into the bay.
• Reattach the speaker grill to the laptop in reverse order.

PowerBook 190 Series, 3400, 5300

Please refer to your owner's manual on "Memory Installation" to get a good idea on how to access the hard drive location.

• Close the lid of the laptop and make sure it is latched down. Turn Laptop upside down. Locate the three Torx 8 screws across the bottom of the laptop. Unscrew and remove the Torx 8 screw.
• Turn note right side up. Lift up and tilt the screen as far back as possible. Place a soft towel over the screen.
• Remove the battery. Lift up the keyboard, from the Space Bar, about one inch.DO NOT LIFT ANY HIGHER THAN ONE INCH.There is a flex cable connected to the keyboard. Lifting the keyboard any higher than allowed might pull this cable out of its socket. Pull the keyboard back towards you until the tabs clear top of the laptop bezel.
• Keeping the keyboard close to the surface of the laptop, move it over the screen and set it on top of the soft towel.
• Locate the plastic hold down tab by the right palm rest. Using a small flat head screwdriver, insert the tip into the slot and gently push forward, toward the screen. At the same time lift up the palm rest until the hold down tab is free.
• Carefully lift the remainder or the palm rest panel and pull back towards you. The palm rest will come free of the back clips. Once free, tilt the palm rest forward and lift out until the corner hold-downs are free. The palm rest is connected with a flex cable for the touch pad. Do not lift higher than possible. Carefully lift the palm rest panel and set it down on where the keyboard was.
• Locate the three silver Torx-8 screws towards the edge. Unscrew and remove the three screws. Carefully lift the plastic hard drive casing up. Place hand under the hard drive and unscrew the four black Torx-8 screws the Harddrive will fall into your hand. Remove the hard drive casing.
• Locate the flex cable connection for the hard drive. Using the small flat head screw driver, carefully pry the connector off starting on the sit without the bare pins exposed. Once disconnected, hold the hard drive on the sides and place it down. Install the new hard drive in the same orientation as the original one. It should be the silver cap of the hard drive on bottom and the circuit board on top.
• Reassemble the hard drive to the casing and reverse the procedures to finish installation.

PowerBook G3 Series

Please refer to your owner's manual on "Memory Installation" to get a good idea on how to access the hard drive location.

• Place the PowerBook on a hard, flat surface.
• Unplug the power adapter and any other devices from your PowerBook.
• Adjust your display till it is at a 90-degree angle to the computer.
• Pull out both expansion bay release levers to eject the modules or batteries in both the expansion bays.
• Remove the modules or batteries from both the expansion bays.
• Place your fingers inside the expansion bays and locate the small plastic tabs that hold the keyboard in place. The plastic tabs have small ridges on them and are located on the underside of the top shell of the PowerBook approximately one inch inside each expansion bay.
• Slide the plastic tabs toward you until you see the lower portion of the keyboard pop up.
• Lift the lower portion of the PowerBook keyboard up slightly and pull it back enough to displace the five metal tabs that hold the front of the keyboard in place.
• Flip the keyboard over and lay it on the palm rests and trackpad.
• Remove the two screws that secure the internal heat sink (using a Phillips or Torx T-8 screwdriver) and then lift it up by pulling on the small metal tab.
• Locate the hard disk drive on the upper right hand corner.
• Gently touch the metal surface on the left side of the inside of the computer to discharge any static electricity buildup on your body.
• Loosen the screw that locks the hard disk in place. NOTE: The screw stays attached to the hard disk tray; you do not need to remove it completely.
• Gently pull up on the metal tab (located on the left side of the hard disk) to disengage the hard disk from the logic board.
• Carefully lift the hard disk out of the PowerBook.
• Remove the 4 Torx T-8 screws holding the hard disk to the metal tray. Replace with the new hard disk and screw back onto the metal tray.
• Reinstall the new hard disk in the reverse order.