On Dec 1, 2010, at 4:09 PM, Tom wrote: > My sister-in-law has a G4 eMac that came with a 40-gig drive, which > has filled up. The computer is perfectly functional, though, and > serves all her needs; she just needs more storage room. > > I bought a 500-gig drive for her from OWC and intended to replace the > old one with the new. Then on searching for instructions to swap out > the drive online, I find numerous warnings that this is not a Mac > intended for owners to open up. Certain interior parts that have to be > removed are fragile and easily broken, and the electrical charge in > the CRT is very dangerous. So says websites such as EveryMac. (Why, > then, does OWC sell drives that are advertised as upgrades for an > eMac? Just who is supposed to replace the drives, if the owner can't?) > > So, I called the local Apple store (in Albuquerque) to see if they'd > put the drive in for me, and was told that "we don't service older > Macs. And that one is even dangerous to open up." > > Well, thanks for nothing, Apple. Just how new does a Mac have to be > before an Apple technician will service it? Brand new, or nearly so? > And do you really build computers so dangerous that even an Apple tech > is afraid to open it up? > > What kind of a crummy company is this, anyway? Methinks they really > need some competition. As it is, they obviously feel free to jettison > owners of their products once those products have passed a certain > age. > > Believe me, if i didn't have so much money invested in Apple products > and software, my next computer would not be an Apple, after treatment > like this.
Sorry you've been given the runaround. Actually, replacing the hard drive in an eMac is not that difficult, assuming you've got the patience of Job. Basically, you unplug it and put it face down on a soft surface such as a towel. (If the eMac has an Airport card, it's best to remove it first by pulling down the optical drive door, removing the two screws holding the black plate in place, disconnecting the antenna cable and pulling out the Airport card.) Using a 2.5 mm hex driver, remove all the chrome screws. Do the same with the Phillips head screws (the screw in the RAM door should be captive, so don't break something trying to extract it). Then slap the case to loosen it and lift it up. BE CAREFUL! You don't want to rip the thin wires out of the power button. Holding the case up with your left hand (if you've got a helper, let him/her hold the case), stick your right hand in and gently disconnect the cable from the button. I find this easiest to do while sitting down. Finish removing the case and set it aside Keep your hands away from the CRT and anything on the top side of the eMac. The service manual suggests discharging the CRT, but it's not necessary when doing a hard drive replacement as long as you don't touch anything on the exposed CRT "side" of the eMac. Spend a few minutes looking at the eMac. Basically, there are two parts. The first is what Apple calls the Analog/Video Assembly. This is the CRT and all the stuff directly attached to it. The second is what Apple calls the Digital Assembly, which includes the optical drive, the hard drive, the logic board and the down converter. What you have to do is remove the Digital Assembly in order to gain access to the hard drive. Before you do that, go to this web site: <http://lancej.blogspot.com/2006/01/macintosh-upgrading-700-mhz-emac.html> There are other places online that also tell how to replace a hard drive, as well as offer suggestions for migrating data from old to new drive. Simply Google "eMac hard drive replacement." Be aware that exact instructions for your sister-in-law's eMac may not be available. But the general principles apply to all eMacs as the hard drive is in the same location. To remove the Digital Assembly, first remove the fan's four screws and disconnect the fan. Put it aside. Remove the four screws holding the fan bracket in place and put them on your work surface in the order in which you removed them; CAUTION: the screws are a mix of fine and coarse threads, so remember which came from which location. Move the bracket up and to the right. Next, remove the 4 screws holding the silvery shield in place, then tap the top of the shield on each side to pop it loose. Now your job is to disconnect all the connectors on the bottom left, as well as the video cable on the top left. You may or may not have to remove the speakers, depending on the model of eMac. Now you have to go around the periphery of the Digital Assembly and remove less than a dozen screws. Take care to note how the video cable you disconnected is routed, as well as how the power button cable is routed through the shield. Once all the screws have been removed, grab hold of the assembly and pull it gently but with some force toward you. What you are doing is disconnecting the Digital Assembly from one or two blind mate connectors (depending on model). Assuming you disconnected all wires and cables and removed all attaching screws, you should have the Digital Assembly in your hands. Put it down on the work surface and examine how the hard drive is screwed in place. Remove and replace, making sure you've connected the ribbon cable securely and that you've set the hard drive jumper(s) like the one you're replacing. (Note: This should work, but it's entirely possible that jumper settings for the replacement hard drive will be different. So be prepared to redo the jumper settings. If you're replacing a Maxtor with a Maxtor, you shouldn't have a problem. But if you're putting in a Western Digital, you've got some fun awaiting. If the hard drive can't be found when you get it all back together, it's because the jumper settings are wrong. I've had more experience with this little bit of fun and games on eMacs and G4 iMacs than I'd like to remember.) Once the new hard drive is installed, reverse disassembly to put it all back together. Be especially careful rerouting the video cable and the power button cable, as well as installing the power button cable into the connector. There are tiny little pins inside the button that you really don't want to bend. Don't ask me how I know that. :^) As with all things you've never done before, study up, ask questions, take your time, and label the position of everything you remove. Good luck. Jim Scott -- You received this message because you are a member of G-Group, a group for those using G3, G4, and G5 desktop Macs - with a particular focus on Power Macs. The list FAQ is at http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-list.shtml and our netiquette guide is at http://www.lowendmac.com/lists/netiquette.shtml To post to this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/g3-5-list
