BYTEROT - retro PCs, consoles and lost software
home | articles | how-tos | what's new | library | repair | connect | contribute | links
 
Get an account
Accounts are free. Join #retro on irc.fxnet.org, identify with NickServ and type !req.
[ how ]

IRC
#retro on irc.fxnet.org
6697 ssl · 6667 plain
modern + vintage clients welcome
[ vintage how-to ]

Sections
OS 1,075
DRIVERS 61
SOFTWARE 22
GAMES 10
UTILS 37
DOCS 561
INCOMING 0
REQUESTS 0
LIBRARY 25,406 files

Some stats
releases1,766
last 24h+750
online404.1 GB
library1.2 TB
members0
updated2026-10-04 23:30

 
Macintosh PowerBook 1400 Series Hard Drive Replacement
DeviceMacintosh PowerBook 1400 Series
DifficultyEasy
Time10 - 20 minutes
Steps25
This guide is by Jeffrey Huntley on iFixit and is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0. ByteRot mirrors it for non-commercial preservation: formatting changed and photos resized for old browsers; full-size photos and the text are on the FTP in /DOCS/REPAIR. Original guide >>

This guide will show how to open up the PowerBook so that you may access the hard drive, and then show how to remove the hard drive.

Tools: Phillips #0 Screwdriver; Phillips #1 Screwdriver; Spudger


Step 1
[step 1 photo]
• Turn the device upside down and then locate the battery latch near the front of the device.

Step 2
[step 2 photo]
• Slide the latch to the left to release the battery.

Step 3
[step 3 photo]
• Continue holding the latch then gently pull the battery out of the device.
• NOTE: Place the battery in a safe location.

Step 4
[step 4 photo]
• Locate the CD-ROM Drive latch.

Step 5
[step 5 photo]
• Slide the latch to the right to release the CD ROM drive.

Step 6
[step 6 photo]
• Continue holding the latch then gently pull the CD-ROM Drive out of the device.
• NOTE: Place the CD ROM drive in a safe location.

Step 7
[step 7 photo]
• Locate the speaker cover.

Step 8
[step 8 photo]
• Press firmly on each end of the speaker cover and slide it to the left.

Step 9
[step 9 photo]
• Gently lift the speaker cover to remove it.

Step 10
[step 10 photo]
• Lift the keyboard up from the back using a spudger(wedge side).

Step 11
[step 11 photo]
• Gently lift the keyboard until only the ribbon cable remains attached.

Step 12
[step 12 photo]
• Tilt the keyboard away from the screen.

Step 13
[step 13 photo]
• Locate the six screws that secure the heatsink.

Step 14
[step 14 photo]
• Remove the six screws from the heatsink using the Philips #1 screwdriver.

Step 15
[step 15 photo]
• Lift the heatsink from the side closest to the laptop screen.

Step 16
[step 16 photo]
• Remove the heatsink.

Step 17
[step 17 photo]
• Gently pull up on the beige ribbon lock until it moves a short distance on both sides to separate the ribbon cable from the connector.

Step 18
[step 18 photo]
• Detach the ribbon cable.

Step 19
[step 19 photo]
• Remove the keyboard.

Step 20
[step 20 photo]
• Locate and identify the two screws that attach the hard drive to the computer.

Step 21
[step 21 photo]
• Remove the screws with a Phillips #0 screwdriver.

Step 22
[step 22 photo]
• Once the screws are removed, lift up the end of the hard drive using your finger tips.

Step 23
[step 23 photo]
• Fully lift the hard drive vertically against the side of the computer.

Step 24
[step 24 photo]
• Push a finger down onto the plastic strap.

Step 25
[step 25 photo]
• Remove the hard drive from the computer by pushing down on the plastic strap and pulling up on the hard drive.

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

Credit
This guide is by Jeffrey Huntley on iFixit and is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0. ByteRot mirrors it for non-commercial preservation: formatting changed and photos resized for old browsers; full-size photos and the text are on the FTP in /DOCS/REPAIR. Original guide >>
[ all repair guides ]

[ByteRot] [FTP] [IRC] [Any Browser] [HTML 3.2]
© 2026 ByteRot · plain HTML 3.2, no JavaScript: works in Mosaic, Netscape, IE, Lynx and whatever you're using now · built 2026-10-04