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Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive

Introduction

Use this guide to trade your optical drive for a second hard drive.

What you need

  1. Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive, Top Housing: step 1, image 1 of 2 Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive, Top Housing: step 1, image 2 of 2

    • Power down your Mac mini, disconnect all of the cables, and flip it over.

    • Insert the Jimmy into the crack between the aluminum top housing and the plastic lower housing.

    • The Jimmy should reach a stop about 3/8" down.

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  2. Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 2, image 1 of 3 Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 2, image 2 of 3 Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 2, image 3 of 3

    • Gently bend the Jimmy outwards to pry the crack open a little larger and lift the lower housing up a small amount.

    • There are several plastic clips on the lower housing that fit into a channel in the aluminum top housing. Your goal is to use the Jimmy to push these clips inward enough to free them from the channel, while gently pulling up on the lower housing.

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  3. Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 3, image 1 of 2 Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 3, image 2 of 2

    • Once you have the first side free, rotate the Mac mini and start prying up on the front edge.

    • Use the same prying motion to both bend the clips inward and lift the lower housing up out of the top housing.

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  4. Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 4, image 1 of 2 Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 4, image 2 of 2

    • You may need to move the Jimmy along the edge to pry up all of the clips. Be patient and do a little bit at a time.

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  5. Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 5, image 1 of 2 Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 5, image 2 of 2

    • Keep working around the perimeter, freeing the clips along the final edge.

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  6. Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 6, image 1 of 2 Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 6, image 2 of 2

    • Flip the Mac mini back over and lift the top housing off of the lower housing.

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  7. Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive, Internal Frame: step 7, image 1 of 3 Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive, Internal Frame: step 7, image 2 of 3 Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive, Internal Frame: step 7, image 3 of 3

    • Later in this guide you will remove several recessed Phillips screws. Bit drivers are generally too large to fit in the recesses, so be sure to have a thin shafted Phillips screwdriver on hand.

    • First remove the AirPort antenna (the larger of the two), located near the power button.

    • Slightly squeeze the two retaining arms toward each other and lift the AirPort antenna off its post.

    • Squeezing the two posts excessively will surely break them off the internal frame. Work delicately.

    • During reinstallation, you will have to slightly squeeze the two posts together so they fit into the openings on the AirPort antenna board.

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  8. Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 8, image 1 of 2 Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 8, image 2 of 2

    • Use the tip of a spudger to slightly lift the left side of the ZIF cable lock up from its socket.

    • The ZIF cable lock will lift about 1 mm and stop. Do not try to completely remove the ZIF cable lock.

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  9. Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 9, image 1 of 1

    • Lift the audio board ribbon cable up out of its socket.

    • If it refuses to lift from its socket, the ZIF cable lock is not fully released. Make sure it is evenly lifted about 1 mm from the socket on the interconnect board.

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  11. Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 10, image 1 of 2 Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 10, image 2 of 2
    Tool used on this step:
    Tweezers
    $4.99
    Buy

    • Rotate the mini so that the SuperDrive slot loading mechanism is facing you.

    • Use a pair of tweezers to lift the hard drive thermal sensor cable connector up off its socket on the logic board.

    • Use tweezers to grab the connector (as seen in the picture), not the wires.

    • The connector is located under the optical drive opening, next to the PRAM battery.

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  12. Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 11, image 1 of 2 Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 11, image 2 of 2

    • In the next few steps, you will remove the four Phillips screws securing the internal frame to the bottom case. Included in each step is an overview picture showing the general location and a closeup showing the actual screw.

    • Remove the recessed Phillips screw near the power button securing the internal frame to the bottom housing.

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  13. Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 12, image 1 of 2 Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 12, image 2 of 2

    • Remove the recessed Phillips screw near the sleep light securing the internal frame to the bottom housing.

    • This screw is the longest of the four screws securing the internal frame to the bottom case.

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  14. Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 13, image 1 of 2 Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 13, image 2 of 2

    • Remove the Phillips screw from the internal frame near the Bluetooth antenna.

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  15. Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 14, image 1 of 2 Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 14, image 2 of 2

    • Remove the Phillips screw near the audio ports securing the internal frame to the bottom case.

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  16. Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 15, image 1 of 2 Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 15, image 2 of 2

    • Gently lift the internal frame up from the bottom housing, minding the AirPort antenna and any other cables that may get caught.

    • It may be necessary to pull up near the interconnect board to separate it from the logic board.

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  17. Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive, Optical Drive: step 16, image 1 of 1

    • The Bluetooth antenna is removed by simply lifting it up off the internal frame.

    • Remove the Bluetooth antenna from the internal frame by pushing up on both sides of the board as close to the center post as possible.

    • This may require a bit of force.

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  18. Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 17, image 1 of 1

    • Remove the two Phillips screws securing the optical drive to the internal frame.

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  19. Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 18, image 1 of 1

    • Turn the mini 180 degrees and remove the two Phillips screws securing the optical drive to the internal frame on the other side.

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  20. Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 19, image 1 of 1

    • Remove the two Phillips screws securing the interconnect board to the optical drive.

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  21. Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 20, image 1 of 1

    • Use the flat end of a spudger to separate the interconnect board from the optical drive.

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  22. Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 21, image 1 of 1

    • Lift the optical drive out of the internal frame.

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  23. Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive, Dual Hard Drive: step 22, image 1 of 2 Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive, Dual Hard Drive: step 22, image 2 of 2

    • Remove the plastic spacer from the optical bay hard drive enclosure by pressing in on one of the clips on either side and lifting it up and out of the enclosure.

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  24. Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 23, image 1 of 3 Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 23, image 2 of 3 Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 23, image 3 of 3

    • Make sure that the hard drive connectors are facing down before placing it into the enclosure.

    • Gently place the hard drive into the enclosure's hard drive slot.

    • While firmly holding the enclosure in place with one hand, use your other hand to press the hard drive into the enclosure connectors.

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  25. Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 24, image 1 of 2 Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 24, image 2 of 2

    • Once the hard drive is snug, reinsert the plastic spacer while holding the hard drive against the bottom of the enclosure.

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  26. Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 25, image 1 of 2 Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 25, image 2 of 2

    • Use two Phillips #1 screws to secure the drive to its enclosure.

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  27. Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 26, image 1 of 1

    • Attach the optical drive bracket to the new enclosure with two Phillips #0 screws.

    • Reconnect any cables you have removed from the original optical drive onto the optical bay enclosure.

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  28. Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 27, image 1 of 3 Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 27, image 2 of 3 Installing Mac Mini Model A1176 Dual Hard Drive: step 27, image 3 of 3

    • Don't ditch that drive! You can still use your optical drive externally with the help of our SATA Optical Drive USB Cable.

    • Align the cable's SATA connector with the drive's port and plug in securely.

    • Plug the USB connector into your laptop and your optical drive is ready for use.

    Edit
Conclusion

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

29 other people completed this guide.

Author

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Brittany McCrigler

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6 Comments

Is there any drivers or anything that needs to be done on the Mac itself to install this hard drive? Can you use this hard drive to install applications onto as well?

Nathan - Reply

Here's something important to be aware of. DVD Player will not function without a physical dvd drive installed. This is even if you use DVD image files, which I do. The explanation I got is that without that optical drive DVD Player can't check regions. If you want to watch DVDs on your mac mini, even DVD image files, don't remove the optical drive.

Bob Church - Reply

Or, if you want to play dvd files just use vlc player... if vlc can't play it, it can't be played.

cort -

Just added a 500 gig HD I had laying around to a 2007 Mac Mini I got on eBay.....worked like a charm. Thanks iFixit!

Alexsander Jevtich - Reply

although my optical bay hard drive enclosure did not use or have the bracket shown above with two Phillips #0 screws. And the hard drive had a different attachment system. The screws did not come in from the bottom. They came in from the side....no matter still a great solution.

Alexsander Jevtich - Reply

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