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iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement

Introduction

Upgrade your hard drive for an increase in storage space.

This guide also includes steps to upgrade your iMac's hard drive with a SSD. It describes how to install the SSD's temperature sensor so that the Mac's fans will operate at the correct speed.

Before beginning any work on your iMac: Unplug the computer and press and hold the power button for ten seconds to discharge the power supply's capacitors.

Be very careful not to touch the capacitor leads or any exposed solder joints on the back of the power supply.

What you need

  1. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement, Glass Panel: step 1, image 1 of 2 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement, Glass Panel: step 1, image 2 of 2
    Tool used on this step:
    Heavy-Duty Suction Cups (Pair)
    $14.95
    Buy

    • Before beginning, unplug your iMac and lay it on a soft surface as shown.

    • Stick a suction cup near each of the two top corners of the glass panel.

    • To attach the suction cups we sell, first position the suction cup with the movable handle parallel to the face of the glass panel. While lightly holding the suction cup against the glass, raise the movable handle until it is parallel with the other handle.

    • If your suction cups refuse to stick, try cleaning both the glass panel and the suction cup with a mild solvent.

    Edit

  2. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement: step 2, image 1 of 2 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement: step 2, image 2 of 2

    • Gently lift the glass panel perpendicular to the face of the LCD enough to clear the steel mounting pins attached along the underside of the top edge of the glass panel.

    • Pull the glass panel away from the lower edge of the iMac and carefully set it aside.

    • During reinstallation, be sure to meticulously clean the inside of the glass panel and the face of the LCD as any dust or fingerprints trapped inside will be annoyingly visible when the machine is turned on.

    Edit

  3. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement, Display: step 3, image 1 of 3 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement, Display: step 3, image 2 of 3 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement, Display: step 3, image 3 of 3

    • Remove the eight 8 mm T10 Torx screws securing the display to the outer case.

    • The last two pictures are detail shots of each side of the display.

    Edit

  4. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement: step 4, image 1 of 1

    • Slightly lift the top edge of the display out of the outer case.

    • Do not lift it too much. There are several cables attaching the display to the logic board. Twisting or pulling the display assembly with the cables attached will damage your iMac.

    Edit

  5. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement: step 5, image 1 of 2 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement: step 5, image 2 of 2

    • Pull the vertical sync cable connector out of its socket on the LED driver board near the top left corner of your iMac.

    Edit

  6. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement: step 6, image 1 of 2 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement: step 6, image 2 of 2

    • Rotate the display out of the outer case enough to disconnect the LED backlight power cable from the LED driver board.

    • Disconnect the LED backlight power cable by depressing the locking mechanism while pulling the connector away from its socket (toward the bottom edge of the iMac).

    Edit

  7. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement: step 7, image 1 of 3 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement: step 7, image 2 of 3 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement: step 7, image 3 of 3

    • Grab the plastic pull tab secured to the display data cable lock and rotate it towards upwards.

    • Pull the display data cable straight out of its socket on the logic board.

    • Do not lift up on the display data cable, as its socket is very fragile. Pull the cable parallel to the face of the logic board.

    Edit

  8. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement: step 8, image 1 of 2 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement: step 8, image 2 of 2

    • Disconnect the LCD thermal sensor cable connector from its socket on the logic board.

    Edit

  10. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement: step 9, image 1 of 1

    • Carefully pull the display toward the top edge of your iMac and lift it out of the outer case, minding any cables that may get caught.

    Edit

  11. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement, Hard Drive: step 10, image 1 of 1

    • Remove the two 9 mm T10 Torx screws securing the upper hard drive bracket to the outer case.

    Edit

  12. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement: step 11, image 1 of 1

    • Slightly rotate the hard drive out of the outer case and lift it up off its mounting pins toward the top edge of the iMac.

    • Be careful not to contact the AirPort card as you lift the hard drive out of its recess.

    Edit

  13. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement: step 12, image 1 of 2 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement: step 12, image 2 of 2

    • Disconnect the SATA data cable and SATA power connector from their respective sockets by pulling each connector away from the hard drive.

    Edit

  14. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement, Hard Drive: step 13, image 1 of 1

    • Remove the two T8 Torx screws securing the upper bracket to the hard drive.

    • Remove the upper bracket from the hard drive.

    Edit

  15. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement: step 14, image 1 of 1

    • Remove the two T8 Torx pins from the other side of the hard drive.

    Edit

  16. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement: step 15, image 1 of 1

    • Carefully peel off the piece of EMI foam attached to the front of the hard drive.

    • Don't forget to transfer this to your new hard drive.

    Edit

  17. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement, Replace the hard drive with an SSD: step 16, image 1 of 3 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement, Replace the hard drive with an SSD: step 16, image 2 of 3 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement, Replace the hard drive with an SSD: step 16, image 3 of 3

    • Follow the next steps if you are replacing your hard drive with an SSD kit.

    • If your SSD enclosure looks like the first image, follow this guide instead.

    • Line up the SSD connectors with the metal enclosure's sockets.

    • Press the drive against the enclosure sockets until the SSD is firmly seated.

    • The SSD connects with the enclosure in only one direction. If the connectors don't line up, rotate the SSD and try again.

    Edit

  18. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement: step 17, image 1 of 3 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement: step 17, image 2 of 3 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement: step 17, image 3 of 3

    • Use a Phillips screwdriver to install the four silver screws (two on each side) along the edges of the SSD to secure it to the enclosure.

    Edit

  19. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement: step 18, image 1 of 2 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement: step 18, image 2 of 2

    • Plug the included sensor-enabled SATA power cable into the enclosure's port.

    • The cable is keyed to connect in only one orientation. If you can't connect the cable, rotate it 180° and try again.

    Edit

  20. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement: step 19, image 1 of 3 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement: step 19, image 2 of 3 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement: step 19, image 3 of 3

    • Peel the white liner off the back of the small temperature sensor board in order to expose the adhesive.

    • Adhere the temperature sensor board to an exposed, metal surface of the SSD, close to the SATA connector.

    • Fold the excess temperature sensor wires so that they are out of the way while you install the enclosure.

    Edit

  21. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement: step 20, image 1 of 2 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement: step 20, image 2 of 2

    • Use a T8 driver to install the mounting pins from the old hard drive onto the sides of the enclosure.

    Edit

  22. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement: step 21, image 1 of 2 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement: step 21, image 2 of 2

    • Attach any mounting brackets removed from the old hard drive onto the enclosure.

    Edit

  23. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement: step 22, image 1 of 2 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement: step 22, image 2 of 2

    • Connect the iMac's SATA power cable to the other end of the new sensor-enabled SATA cable.

    Edit

  24. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement: step 23, image 1 of 2 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement: step 23, image 2 of 2

    • Connect the iMac's SATA data cable to the enclosure.

    Edit

  25. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement: step 24, image 1 of 3 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement: step 24, image 2 of 3 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2428 Hard Drive Replacement: step 24, image 3 of 3

    • The images used in this step come from a 2017 iMac. Your cables may look slightly different, but the procedure remains the same.

    • Slide the SSD enclosure into the space previously occupied by the hard drive.

    • Route the SATA cables so that they will not interfere with any other components.

    • Try to keep the cables free from any sharp bends, and route them such that they are not pinched.

    Edit
Conclusion

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

314 other people completed this guide.

80 Comments

Hi guys, the tools arrived today and I did already chage the default harddisk against the WD Velociraptor 500GB. For now everything is working fine. The iMac is in the middle of restoring the time maschine backup. Everything worked out as described. Excellent! I was just a little surprised by the magnetic forces which one needs to overcome gently...

tholst - Reply

Is there a temp sensor that monitors the HD? I did the upgrade but now my fan is always on. I must've done something wrong.

Funkpolvo - Reply

Did you use the same brand hard drive? Did check the instructions about cable orientation on the hard drive? Did you double check the LCD thermal sensor cable?

Scott Dingle -

Take a glance at this page for full explanations:

http://www.hddfancontrol.com/imac-hard-d...

I had the same issue here (after replacing the original HDD by a 1TB WB Caviar Blue) and it has been fixed by this utility.

HTH,

Jo Campos -

In response to the software, that does work, however, it can be taken care of hardware wise if our recommendations are followed.

Scott Dingle -

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