Hey everyone, it's Colin, how's it going?
Not too long ago, I found an older iMac that was destined for the recycle bin.
But all that was wrong with it was a dead hard drive.
Stick around and I'll show you how I replaced it.
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This iMac is from 2008.
It features a 2.66 gigahertz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 4 gigs of RAM, and a 20 inch screen.
The original 320 gigabyte hard drive is reporting a ton of errors,
so to get the machine functional again, I need to swap it out.
On this generation of iMac, all the components are accessed from the front.
I started by using a small suction cup to pull off the glass screen cover,
which is held on by strong magnets.
I set it face up on a pair of cups to keep dust off the back side.
You'll see why a bit later.
I laid the machine face up on a towel to keep it and my floor from getting scratched.
I used a Phillip screwdriver to remove the cover for the RAM slots on the bottom on the iMac,
then switched to a Torx T9 driver to remove the screws for the aluminum front bezel.
The four along the bottom are a bit longer, so I kept those separate.
I carefully lifted up the top of the bezel and disconnected the cable for the microphone.
Then I could remove it the rest of the way and set it aside.
This gives us our first peek at the internal components and...
Eh, dang. It's... pretty dusty in here.
This computer has probably never been taken apart before,
so now would be a good time to clean it out.
The LCD panel needed to come out next, and I started by disconnecting the screen temperature sensor.
Then I can use a T6 screwdriver to remove the display video cable.
I took out the screws holding the panel to the chassis, then hinged it up into the right.
This is because the screen uses CCFL backlight tubes, instead of LEDs like in newer displays,
and the cables are hidden behind it on this side.
If you had someone who could help, they could just hold the panel in this position,
but in my case, I needed to disconnect these cables one-handed, which was a bit tricky.
With the screen out of the way, you can access all the parts in the system.
The motherboard is in the middle, with the CPU and graphics chip facing the back,
and connected by heat pipes to the heat sinks on the left.
Air blows from the fan below to cool 'em,
then across the power supply, which is in the upper-left.
On the opposite side is a slot-loading optical drive,
and right in the middle is the 3½ inch hard drive that I needed to replace.
I peeled the piece of foam off the drive, then moved the temperature sensor out of the way.
The hard drive lifts out by squeezing the bracket at the top, so the SATA, power, and data cables could be disconnected.
The replacement drive I had on hand wasn't anything special:
An ordinary 250 gig 7200 RPM drive from Seagate.
I transferred the bracket and screws from the dead drive to the replacement, then reconnected it and snapped it into place.
The machine goes back together the same way it came apart, with the only tricky bit being that glass display cover.
Both the LCD panel and the back of that cover need to be *really clean*
because any dust or fingerprints will be *very obvious* when the computer's on.
Reinstalling the glass is pretty easy.
Just line it up and the magnets will pull it back into place.
This iMac has certainly seen its share of use, with lots of scratches, dings, and marks...
And while it's too old to run the latest version of macOS, it's still perfectly usable for simple tasks.
This one is getting passed on to an organization that can put it to use.
But I should note that not all older technology is suitable to be donated like this.
If equipment is too old to be usable or broken in some way, it can actually put a burden on the people who receive it.
They'll have to deal with either recycling or repairing it, which can cost money.
It's best to ask the organization of your choice
if what you have to donate would be a help or a hindrance.
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