Introduction
MacBook Pro not reading CDs? Use this guide to replace a burned-out optical drive.
Tools
Parts
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Remove the following ten screws securing the lower case to the upper case:
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Three 13.5 mm (14.1 mm) Phillips screws.
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Seven 3 mm Phillips screws.
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Using both hands, lift the lower case near the vent to pop it off two clips securing it to the upper case.
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Remove the lower case and set it aside.
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Remove the two 7.4 mm Tri-point screws securing the battery to the upper case.
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Note: For certain repairs (e.g. hard drive), removing the battery is not necessary but it prevents any accidental shorting of electronics on the motherboard. If you do not remove the battery, please be careful as parts of the motherboard might be electrified.
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Use the tip of your finger to carefully peel back the corner of the warning label to reveal a hidden Tri-point screw.
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Remove the last 7.4 mm Tri-point screw securing the battery to the upper case.
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Lift the battery by its plastic pull tab and slide it away from the long edge of the upper case.
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Tilt the battery away from the logic board enough to access the battery cable connector.
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Pull the battery cable connector away from its socket on the logic board and remove the battery from the upper case.
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Charge it to 100%, and then keep charging it for at least 2 more hours. Next, unplug and use it normally to drain the battery. When you see the low battery warning, save your work, and keep your laptop on until it goes to sleep due to low battery. Wait at least 5 hours, then charge your laptop uninterrupted to 100%.
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If you notice any unusual behavior or problems after installing your new battery, you may need to reset your MacBook's SMC.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the AirPort/Bluetooth ribbon cable connector up off the logic board.
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Disconnect the camera cable by pulling its connector away from the socket (toward the optical drive) on the logic board.
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Remove the two Phillips screws securing the AirPort/Bluetooth board housing.
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Carefully rotate the AirPort/Bluetooth board housing (with AirPort/Antenna cables still attached) out of the lower case.
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Remove the following three Phillips screws securing the optical drive to the upper case:
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One 4.5 mm Phillips screw securing the optical drive bracket to the upper case near the fan.
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Two 2.5 mm Phillips screws securing the optical drive to the upper case near the optical drive opening.
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Lift the optical drive near its connector and pull it away from the upper case to remove it from the computer.
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Remove the two black Phillips #0 screws securing the small metal mounting bracket. Transfer this bracket to your new optical drive or hard drive enclosure.
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To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
5 comments
Used this guide to replaced optical with ssd with caddy. Perfect! :-)
Thanks. Very helpful.
Chris -
Used this in combination with the disc/foreign object removal guide to clear some junk from my optical drive. It finally accepts discs again! Great guide, thank you!
Step 1 (technically step 9 - replacing the base plate) Apparently one of my screws was a micron or two smaller than the others. This screw belongs to the hole above the optical drive, which is also apparently a couple of microns smaller than the others. It took seven attempts to figure which screw had originally been in that hole; all the other screws were too large, but fitted perfectly everywhere else.
Bizarre much?
Will -
It might be a matter of how the screws are driven in, and not that they're slightly different sizes. When I reassembled my MacBook, a couple of the screws, including the one over the optical drive you mention, were hard to drive in and jutted up a little bit instead of sitting entirely flush. Swapping screws didn't help. The solution was to unscrew them and drive them in at a bit of an angle - perpendicular to the slightly curved surface of the back plate where the screw holes were, instead of fully vertical with respect to the ground the Macbook is sitting on. Doing it that way, the screws were easier to drive in and they all ended up flush in their holes. Didn't matter which screws they were. (I swapped a few around just to check after reading this.)
Andrew Janke -
I had no such screw issues. Either there are differences in manufacturing lots or I just got incredibly lucky during reassembly!
xtophr -