iMac Intel 20" EMC 2266 Hard Drive Replacement

Written By: Walter Galan
  • Comments: 12
iMac Intel 20" EMC 2266 Hard Drive Replacement

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

5

Time Required

No estimate

Introduction

Removing the hard drive.

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    • To remove the hard drive bracket, squeeze the middle against the side of the hard drive while rotating the top left edge toward yourself.

    • After the left edge has been freed, rotate the bracket toward the right edge of the hard drive.

    • Lift the hard drive bracket straight up off the chassis.

    Prying the plastic bar that locks the HDD into place was probably the most difficult part of the operation, for me. It just didn't want to let go, and until you've actually removed one, it's not exactly clear how it's holding on. The left side basically has a thin wedge on the back that wedges in between the rubber grommet and the mounting bracket

    modsolok -

    Thank you for this tutorial. I tried and tried and could not get the drive out. Found this tutorial and this comment too and it was a tremendous help! My iMac 24 (March 2009) hard drive was quite stubborn to remove but I finally got it!

    TAPTRONIC -

    Actually this step is quite easy, provided you follow exactly the instructions presented here. :)

    Marius Zota -

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    • If present, remove the small piece of tape covering the hard drive and optical drive temperature sensor cables.

    If there is some clear tape holding the excess play in the HDD thermal sensor wire, against the body back, peel it up to free the wire and give yourself as much free play as possible. When reassembling, tape back to the body.

    Brian Tsai -

    Mine was completely different. There was some black foam with the sensor underneath, held in with a plastic bracket that is attached (glued?) to the hard drive.

    Joey Johnston -

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    • Pull the hard drive temperature sensor cable straight away from its socket on the logic board.

    • When removing this connector, it is helpful use your thumbnails to push the ears on either side of the connector toward the top of your iMac.

    I found it was not necessary to do this step if you do step 20 first - i.e disconnect the temperature sensor cable from the hard drive, but not the logic board

    HBloomfield -

    As HBloomfield said, you do NOT have to remove the sensor from the iMac body. Instead, remove the sensor from the HDD while it is still connected to the body.

    If the sensor is covered with a 4mm black foam square, use your index fingernail to scrape off one of the corners where there is adhesive. If you pull on just the foam part, it will tear the foam.

    Brian Tsai -

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    • Rotate the top of the drive toward yourself, then lift the hard drive straight up off its lower pins.

    • The hard drive is still connected via the SATA cables.

    • When reinstalling your hard drive, be careful not to push the rubber grommets through the openings in the chassis with the lower hard drive pins as retrieving them may require logic board removal.

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    • Insert the flat end of a spudger between the SATA data cable and the edge of the hard drive.

    • Twist the spudger to separate the SATA data cable from the hard drive.

    • Disconnect the SATA data cable from the hard drive.

    • Repeat this process for the SATA power cable.

    • Lift the hard drive out of your iMac, minding the thermal sensor cable that may get caught.

    I honestly didn't find the spudger to be necessary for most of this replacement. It is a nice little tool that makes one or two steps easier, but it is far from necessary. I imagine an old stylus you may have laying around would do just as good a job. I would definitely suggest putting the iMac on it's stand straight up to remove the hard drive bracket from it's post, as it sits very tightly in there. I found it popped out a LOT easier on it's stand than laying down, which was next to impossible. You do have to do some careful manuevering with your partner in order to accomplish this, but it's worth it. Take it slow.

    Len -

    When replacing, the SATA data cable did not extend to the new drive.

    Nathan Suri -

    THIS. A hundred times THIS. I wanted to put in an SSD, and was miffed to see that the SSD was to be placed in the middle of the 2.5" to 3.5" adapter. Unfortunately, that means that the SATA cable did not reach. I tried three different adapters, all the same. I even tried to BUILD an adapter myself from flat pieces of metal (I wouldn't recommend it). In the end, I got a SATA extension cable and simply taped the SSD into the case where the HDD used to be. We'll see if any problems crop up. Since it's very light though and doesn't produce much heat I don't think there should be a problem.

    Wolf Dapp -

    You will need a dock that puts the connectors in the same place if you want to use an SSD. I've had decent luck with the Icy Dock.

    maccentric -

    I have stopped using brackets for most SSD replacements. I bought some circular hook and loop dots with strong adhesive and merely velcro the drive to the case. The cables are long enough to allow the drive to sit flat against the case if you turn the drive upside down after attaching it. Otherwise, the data cable is too short. SSDs are so light that there is no reason for over-engineering the attachment. Most tape is not strong enough but two velcro dots work great.

    Greg Worrel -

Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

Author

Walter Galan

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