Introducción
Sigue los pasos en esta guía para actualizar o reemplazar el disco duro SATA en un iMac de 21.5" Retina 4K de 2017. Nota que si estás actualizando tu disco duro, necesitarás clonar tu disco duro existente en el reemplazo antes de realizar esta actualización para conservar tus archivos y tu sistema operativo.
Algunas imágenes de esta guía usan un iMac de 2015, que tiene diferencias visuales menores. Estas diferencias no afectan el proceso de reparación.
Qué necesitas
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Antes de comenzar el trabajo en su iMac: Desenchufe la computadora y mantenga presionado el botón de encendido durante diez segundos para vaciar los condensadores de alimentación de energía.
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Comenzando a la izquierda de la pantalla, cerca del botón de encendido, inserte la herramienta de apertura iMac en el espacio entre el panel de vidrio y la carcasa trasera.
Don’t get too worried about starting exactly where the picture says. The glue is stronger in some parts so just start wherever is easier and then work slowly and patiently around in the direction shown.
As this guide doesn’t cover replacing the adhesive strips, I found referring to the following was useful (noting that it’s not for the same model of iMac, so the modification they mention wasn’t necessary): Reemplazo de tiras adhesivas de la pantalla de iMac Intel 21.5"
This part of the exercise should be done with extreme patience. I took my sweet time with the opening tool, rolling it through the entire panel and enclosure gap over and over again, until I was very sure no parts were sticking together anymore. And when I thought I was I done, I decided to do it over again.
You can "warm up" the adhesive before try to cut it with the tool using a hair dryer. Heat the edges for about a minute, keep moving it so you don't cause stress in the glass. Also the above note.. use the tool and then the cards. Do not use a guitar pick or other objects as the thickness will cause you to break the front glass, which is a bonded part of the display (expensive).
Merci pour ce conseil
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Use la herramienta parecido a un cortador de pizza: gírelo a lo largo de la abertura para cortar el adhesivo de espuma por el centro.
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Mueva la herramienta hacia arriba a lo largo del lado izquierdo de la pantalla.
If re-opening a screen that was opened and re-attached using iFixit’s adhesive strips, I would strongly recommend heating it first with an iOpener, heat gun or hair dryer. 20 minutes after attaching with the iFixit adhesive I tried to open it again with the pizza slicer to fix something and cracked the screen on the left-hand side.
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Continúa por la parte superior de la pantalla.
In this step can I cut along the display without make any damage to the front camera?
Hi! Actually - there is no need to cut the tape around the camera area - there is no tape to cut at all! And so, the way go is easy - just pass 10 mm to the left and to the right from camera and start cutting!
P.S. Just did the whole procedure to replace a RAM and to add SSD on PSIe an hour ago! Seems to be different reading the instructions... you know - 2/10 and so on. But it's really not that hard, trust me. I'll give it 5/10.
P.P.S. By the way there is one trick to pass the difficult steps. Any action which requires pulling smth (motherboard, speaker, power supply unit) from the narrow crack (or should i say - slit?) at the bottom of your Imac is really not so easy.
And the trick is to first remove a thin metal stripe with some kind of insulation on it which held by 5 small (very small!!) screws at the bottom of your Imac. After you done it - it's easy to pull everything! Pay attention to the fact that one of this 5 screws at the center are more shortly than others.
If you're changing cracked EMC 2638 display to new assembly, there's two more steps:
Step 24: Use the tip of a spudger to flip up the metal retaining bracket on the display data cable.
Carefully pull the display data cable from its socket on the display assembly.
Step 25: Use the tip of a spudger to unplug bracket of the thermal sensor small cable near display data cable.
Carefully remove scotch tape covering thermal sensor. Using iSesamo or flat tip of the spudger carefully peel the thermal sensor away.
omg - forgot to switch the termal sensor from the old display...
now fan runs like crazy...
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Finalice empujando la herramienta de apertura hacia la parte inferior del lado derecho de la pantalla.
Yes, do it many times to loosen the adhesive.
Would be good data to show the 3 areas (wifi antennas where the "tape" is larger and covers them. The rest of the "tape" is 1.4" and easy. Also after removing the display, be sure to remove the old "tape" from both the display and the rubber parts of the case. Use the spudger to start an end and it should pull off easily. Careful on the baackside of the display as you can scratch off the black paint/covering.
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Comenzando desde la esquina superior derecha del iMac, coloque una tarjeta de plástico entre la pantalla y el marco.
this step is extremely important NOT to stick in the cards too far….. doing so, you risk a 600 euro replacement as I experienced………
I drew a 3/8” line on my cards with a marker first.
I’m reading this on the EU store, please change all measurements to cm/mm.
@ifixit The next batch of cards you create should have a line printed on the card 3/8” in from the edges. Would make a nice reference.
Better to remove stand wedge at this point? Can’t see from pics
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Gire suavemente la tarjeta de plástico hacia los lados para crear un espacio entre la pantalla y el marco.
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Muévase despacio y tenga cuidado de no estresar demasiado el cristal de la pantalla; solo necesita hacer un espacio de aproximadamente 1/4 ".
This part must be done very carefully or you can damage the flat cable from display, despite it was under a iron cover.
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Deslice la tarjeta hacia el centro de la pantalla para cortar el resto del adhesivo a lo largo de la esquina superior derecha del iMac.
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Sostén la pantalla con una mano, mientras usas la otra para desconectar el cable de energía de la pantalla.
Can this cable be replaced? I am worried mine is damaged. I have no display after the screen fell and stressed the display flex cables following an SSD upgrade.
This step should be done with extreme caution and care, as this step 19 is not described in great detail (sorry, author).
The first (most outward) cable will slide out by gently pulling it by its tabs. The second (inner) cable is more tricky, as the locking lever must be moved backward first, before gently pulling backward on the cable connector. The angled tweezers are useful here, to help lift that locking lever, because fingers are too big for this.
I found the best way to unplug this display power cable was to use my right hand, and the fingernails of my index finger and thumb to grab the ends of the tabs on either side of the connector, squeeze, and pull the connector out gently.
i think the cable nearest the case edge is held in by friction and can be gently pulled, maybe with fingernails or a spudger. The next cable is held by a wire lever clip as described above it unlocks so the cable can be removed. These cables are also fiddly to re-insert, I didn't get one of them home and had no display after power-up, so at the end, don't re-seal the screen until tested.
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Continúa sosteniendo la pantalla con una mano, mientras muevas hacia arriba el soporte de metal en el cable de datos de la pantalla.
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Con cuidado tira el cable de datos de su zócalo en la placa lógica.
Cannot seem to find a replacement cable for this, as I suspect mine is damaged. Can’t even find a part number. Anyone know what it might be?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08TTL...
That's the part I ordered for mine and it seems to work ok. I did make a point of contacting the seller and advising them of my requirement and they ensured I got the right part and it matches the description of the link. Bear in mind I bear no responsibility if yours does not work since I am just sharing what I did and what I ordered. Thanks.
I also need that cable.
It's a little difficult to tell... but looking at the connection to the logic board on the video data cable, are the pins faced up or down?
On the display, same question since it appears you have to "twist" the cable during the reconnection step.
For this particular cable, take a good look before pulling on anything. Plug is locked on its socket with a bracket. You can lift this bracket by holding the small, flat black plastic handle that is attached to it. If you're struggling to grab it, use the end of the pizza roller handle to lift it, or the tweezers. Cable then comes off by pulling parallel to the main board.
How can I tell if either of this cable is bad? My iMac display won't turn on after reconnecting it. I'm using an external display and everything is working except for the iMac display. If I go to settings - display the built-in display is recognize. But again nothing shows up in the screen - not even the apple logo when turning it on.
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Levanta la pantalla en una posición casi vertical.
The best way to remove the chin adhesive is to use the tabs at either end (there are two strips that run from each outside corner to near the centre). Carefully pull the tabs up and the strips should peel off.
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Agarre la pequeña pestaña en el final de uno de las tiras adhesivas de la pantalla del abajo y tire el adhesivo hacia el tope de la iMac para quitarlo
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Repita este paso con la otra tira adhesiva y retirelo.
At step 21-22, releasing the adhesive strips from the bottom of the display, I noticed a tab on the outer end of each strip. Pull the tab to remove the whole strip, no need to mess around with the plastic cards!
Instead of the plastic cards, use the flat end of a spudger. Use it as scraper. Be careful as there are antennas mounted on the inside edge of the frame on the right side (facing you), and the top right (facing you). The original adhesive strips are on those as well. - ECJ
A little bit of hot air (eg. hair dryer) will help soften the adhesive. Use a piece of cardboard or equivalent if you want to avoid blowing hot air towards the electronics.
Be careful to remove absolutely everything - any remainder will create a bump and prevent your screen from sticking back to the frame when reassembling.
A little bit of hot air (eg. hair dryer) will help soften the adhesive. Use a piece of cardboard or equivalent if you want to avoid blowing hot air towards the electronics.
Be careful to remove absolutely everything - any remainder will create a bump and prevent your screen from sticking back to the frame when reassembling.
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Levanta la pantalla hacia arriba del marco y quítala del iMac.
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Podría ser necesario levantarla lentamente de un lado para pelar el adhesivo restante.
Après l'étape 23, j'ai suivi les instructions de la vidéo intitulée: Upgrade RAM in a mid-2017 21-inch iMac without complete disassembly.
Lien: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_k9I7N9B...
J'ai pu upgrader la RAM en enlevant juste le ventilateur.
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Retira los siguientes tornillos Torx T10 que aseguran los soportes del disco duro al iMac:
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Dos tornillos de 21 mm.
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Un tornillo de 9 mm.
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Un tornillo de 27 mm.
At step 26, when reassembling, it's super easy to over-tighten the 9mm screw and strip the brass ferrule out of its hole in the plastic bracket (%#*@).
Mine has 4 different length screws, the two red colored 21mm screws in this guide are actually two differ lengths
buongiorno, l'imac del 2019, non monta alcuna ssd, ma monta una m2 direttamente sulla scheda madre!
pertanto nella guida andrebbe aggiunto il cavo sata con sensore temperatura da aggiungere sulla scheda madre, per poter collegare un nuovo hd ssd altrimenti rimarrete come me bloccati con un imac aperto e non assemblato, in attesa di ricevere il cavo acquistato su internet da amazon o terze parti.
vi consiglio inoltre di aggiungere una foto reale del ò'imac 2019 nella guida in cui manca l'ssd, renderà subito la problematica che avranno in molti!
Hi, mine doesn’t HAVE an HD/SSD to remove, the bay is empty (yes it was fully working yesterday. So what do we do ? I see someone else with the sane issue above….
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Levante el disco duro del borde más cercano a la placa y extráigalo ligeramente de su alojamiento.
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Use una punta plana para desconectar el cable SATA individual y sepárelo con cuidado del disco duro.
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Extrae el disco duro del iMac.
Not only is it useful to loosen up the speaker next to the SATA connector I found it helpful to use a pen to mark the exact location of the edges of the SATA connector on top of the new drive, so I could guide the connector in place. It also helps to put the bumpers in after you get this SATA connector in place.
Waiting to put the bumpers on until after the SATA cable is attached was a must! Also loosing the speaker and moving over a couple centimeters was a huge help. Thanks
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Despega el tope de goma de un lado del disco duro.
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Repite para el otro lado.
reconnecting the new drive can be a little tricky as the sata connector in the Mac is hard to align. I found that it helps to move the end of the bumpers out of the way, then push them back into position once the drive is connected.
Thank you for the tip!
Can I install a Samsung 850 EVO 500GB to replace my 1TB 5400rpm disk? and is a seperate thermal sensor/cable needed to prohibit the fan to run at 100% all the time?
Yes you can install ANY SATA SSD.
And no … there is no thermal sensor on the drive. You don’t need them on these models.
Can I install a Seagate FireCuda 2TB to replace my 1TB 5400rpm disk? and is a seperate thermal sensor/cable needed to prohibit the fan to run at 100% all the time?
Did you ever find out if you could replace your 500 GB with that Firecuda? I’m looking at doing that. I need more storage for my 500 GB photos library and don’t want to pay so a ton for the SSD that is big enough.
The SSD was a HUGE performance boost over the 5400rpm drive my iMac came with. If you’re pulling your hair out because Lightroom has become excruciatingly slow, upgrade your hard drive to SSD. You will not be disappointed.
The kit has everything you need. Follow these instructions carefully and you’ll be fine.
Huge improvement! It’s like a new machine. Highly recommended upgrade.
Take care with the adhesive strips, and don’t forget to set new SSD as the boot disk (System Preferences, Startup Disk) after you’ve tested its bootable.
I previously had a fusion drive and installed a SSD. Will there be any issues with the ssd portion of the fusion drive? I still see it there in disc utility. Also, I’m showing two SSDs, along with the 32 gig one. Is that correct or did I create something that shouldn’t be there?
I have this same question. I’m showing 2 drives but 1 is grayed out on the computer screen when I click on it nothing happens.
Frank -
A fusion drive combines two physical disks via software to act as one. It it something that has to be done manually and expressly. When you first got the computer, your fusion drive combined disks A (SSD) and B (HDD). If you replaced B, then you probably have an unused 32 GB blade SSD along with your new SSD. It possible to create another Fusion drive, but you’d have to start from zero, because creating a fusion drive erases the individual disks completely.
also, not 100%, but I tried for several hours the other day and I’ve come to the conclusion that my version of Big Sur (11.1) doesn’t support Fusion Drives. Correct me if I’m wrong. Or maybe it’s because I’m running Big Sur on an unsupported iMac.
David -
The hardest part was to plug the connector into the new SSD. I loose the two screws of the adjacent (left) speaker and move it just enough to have sufficient space to introduce my fingers to push the conector into the SSD. Left the replace of the rubber bumpers after reconnect the SSD, is easy to handle without it.
I bought Samsung QVO 1TB SSD and now the fan is blasting fast and loud. So if these don’t use the thermal cables then what seems to be triggering the high temp? Obviously it’s the hard drive but could it be that the drive was cloned? I’m kinda stumped, I know I can control with software but some of you are saying it should run normal after install. Thanks for the info.
Is there a PCIe slot for an SSD instead of the SATA 3.0 2.5”?
thank you,
Not unless your iMac shipped with a Fusion drive or SSD.
The step-by-step guide was awesome and easy to follow. As others have commented, getting the SATA connector onto the SSD is tricky but not impossible. Just pull back the rubber bumpers long enough to reach the connector, then flip them back into place before seating the drive. One comment for my machine (late 2015 21.5”): There is no mic hole for my model, so while I was a little confused at the instructions on reinstalling the adhesive, the drive replacement went like a dream. And I saved myself the $120 labor the local Mac shop wanted to charge me.
Hat alles prima funktioniert. Leider läuft der Lüfter jetzt auf 100% und kernel_task Prozess ist bei über 300%. Was habe ich falsch gemacht. Diagnose meldet jetzt einen SMC Fehler und CPU-Proximity liefert keinen Wert.
Kann jemand helfen?
schau doch mal hier https://apple.stackexchange.com/question...
This is the least accurately described step (sorry, author). While removal is easy, inserting the new drive in its place is a bit tricky. The key here, is to insert the new drive with its rubber bumpers back in its space, so that it is fully seated down in its place *before* the connector can be re-attached. Once it is seated in place, use the flat end of the spudger to gently manoeuver the connector back into place until it is firmly connected to the drive.
Reassembling the iMac is not simply following these instructions in reverse order (sorry, author).
Before embarking on the home stretch, it is very important to carefully study the guide about the Adhesive Strips Replacement (iMac Intel 21.5" Retina 4K Display (2017) Adhesive Strips Replacement - iFixit Repair Guide), as this a tedious and time consuming process. Perfect alignment of those adhesive strips takes some concentration, because you will want to have your display panel back nice and tight and fully aligned with the case. Once all strips are in place, the 2 display connectors need to be gently reattached to the motherboard, before closing up the panel. I took my sweet time for that step, and thankfully have a perfectly aligned display panel back in place looking no different from the factory fit.
Here’s the rest of the information you need.
There needs to be more added to cover the first part of re-assembly. To connect up my SSD, I needed to remove screws that held in place the black plastic to the left of the drive bay. This was only way to get the added space needed to connect the SSD to the drive cable. I also connected the SSD first, then attached the rubber bumpers, simply to give me more room to maneuver the drive next to the connector. All in all, yes, a person well familiar with tearing down iMacs could do it in an hour or so. But frankly, the design of this iMac is a total horror show when it comes to repair or replacement of parts, especially given its reliance on glue and adhesives. Gee, just like other Apple products.
Ben, after you replaced the HDD with SSD, did you have any fan issues on the A1418 model iMac? Thinking of doing this but I’ve been reading for hours and seeing mixed reports about thermal sensors.
This iFixit tool (iFixit Opening Tool) will be your best friend when it's time to install your new 2.5" hard drive. Simply hook the tool to the back top corner of the iMac SATA adapter, connect your hard drive loosely to the SATA ports and use the tool to pull the SATA adapter forward into the hard drive.
After replacing the hard drive. All went well BUT -now my mic does not work. It's the single hole on the bottom. Any ideas anybody?
Did you notice step 14 in the guide to replacing the adhesive strips?
Please update the end of this guide, pointing the customer to the guide for replacing the display adhesive strips. You provide a single kit for this procedure, and the customer has to figure out that they must follow two independent guides, in order to successfully complete the installation.
Ich habe den unteren Klebestreifen gar nicht gelöst! --> Monitor (Glasscheibe) nach vorne auf ein dickes Kissen gelegt - so dass das Glas nur ca. 80° Winkel nach vorne zu liegen kommt und dann habe ich die Festplatte getauscht! So konnte ich die untere Klebeleiste wieder verwenden und hatte genügend Platz um die senkrechten und oberen Leisten zu verkleben! ⏎
Tip: Klebestreifen zuerst auf dem Alugehäuse befestigen...... -
Para volver a armar tu dispositivo, sigue estas instrucciones en orden inverso.
Para volver a armar tu dispositivo, sigue estas instrucciones en orden inverso.
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35 comentarios
What type of SATA SSDs are compatible with iMac? I don't want to buy the kit because I have the necessary tools, but I'd like to know which brand of SSDs work the best.
>Will take any SATA SSD.
>On a mac with a fusion drive, it just removes the spinning drive from the mix, leaving you with a separate 28gig or 128 gig SSD drive that will appear on your desktop along with the newly installed SATA SSD.
>NO TEMPERATURE monitor is needed. This generation of iMacs has done away with the propietary temp sensor. It just relies on S.M.A.R.T. tech now.
Does the screen stick back on with the same adhesive or do you have to reapply new adhesive? If yes, does it come in the kit?
You have to apply new adhesive. Go slow and careful, it’s really not hard at all.
Will this work similarly for an iMac with a fusion drive? -> (what about upgrading the ssd portion?) Will there be a guide for that in the future?
The 1TB fusion drive is simply a 1tb standard SATA spinning drive combined with a separate 28gig blade SSD. The blade SSD is much harder to get to, but when you replace the 1tb SATA drive with an SSD, you then have access to both drives, the 28gig blade SSD appears on your desktop to use and format as you wish, and you then have the newly installed SSD to use and format as you wish.
Is the temperature probe/OWC cable nescessary for the Imac to register temps from a 3rd party SSD? I'm thinking about changing the 1TB hdd for a Samsung EVO SSD
No temp sensor is used on these 2017 models. Put in the new drive and you’re good to go.
Is there any posibility to replace the normal 1tb HDD by a NVMe SSD like the FusionDrive Model has?
thanks
Only if your iMac shipped with an SSD or Fusion drive.
Can I replace the 1TB HDD to 2TB HDD? Will it still work as Fusion Drive?
And do you need a iMac specific model HDD or whatever brand of HDD?
As far as I know, the fusion drive models actually have a HDD and a separate nvme SSD. 2tb upgrade will work.
If we replace the data drive with a new SSD drive will the connections be the same? or do we need to buy some sort of adapter plug?
Do I need to clone my Drive before or is it possible to install a fresh Version of MacOS without cloning my Drive? Would prefer a clean install but I am not sure if the Setup will start on the new SSD.
You can use internet recovery to do a clean install without cloning the original drive. After recovery mode loads, format the new drive and then continue with the installation.
I decided to install the latest macOS to the new SSD connected to my main iMac using an external HDD case I had. After swapping the new SSD into the project iMac I just turned it on, waited for the new SSD's initial startup (1-2 minutes) and everything looked like a new computer.
Dave -
Adhesive Strip application directionsa: Reemplazo de las tiras adhesivas del iMac Intel 21.5" Retina 4K Display (2017)
I have a 2017 iMac 21.5” with Retina, Serial Number C02WN5FQJ1G5
I upgraded to an SSD and increased the ram. I cracked the screen glass during the reinstall. I have searched and can only find a complete display for around $300. The display is working fine. I only need the glass. Can you advise if any of the older model’s screen glass would fit.?
Ich habe bereits die neue SSD eingebaut ohne die vorher mit der alte zu Klonen. Besteht jetzt eine möglichkeit im bereits eingebautem Zustand die zu Klonen?
Amazing difference. Thanks for the guide—everything worked great. After cloning my old hard drive, putting it all together was a piece of cake. I took my time and didn’t rush, and everything came apart and went back together just as the guide said. Couldn’t be happier. I feel like I’ve got a brand new machine. Wouldn’t have felt comfortable without following something like this. Thanks!
Wow, what an improvement in performance! It’s like a totally different computer. I should have done this ages ago. Actually, they never should have sold the device with the original slow hard drive.
This is about as easy as it gets with iMac upgrades. The hardest part is scraping off the old adhesive. Also, be sure not to cover up the microphone when you add the new adhesive strips!
I am trying to replace the 1TB HDD on a Retina 4K Display (2017 iMac 21.5" with a Crucial 1TB SSD.
— Booted into Recovery Mode to use Terminal commands to split the two drives into a 28GB blade SSD and a 1TB HDD
— Opened up the iMac and replaced the HDD with the 2.5" SSD
— Booted the iMac from a macOS 12.5 installer drive and tried to format the SSD using Disk Utility. But whether I formatted it as HFS+ or APFS, it would fail validation (via First Aid)
— To test if it was a bad SSD, I connected the SSD to another Mac running macOS 12.5 and reformatted the drive successfully as either HFS+ or APFS. I then installed macOS 12.5 on the SSD and booted the Mac from the SSD. I also booted the iMac from the SSD in an external enclosure. So I know I have a good SSD that WILL boot this iMac
— However, when I connected the SSD to the iMac’s internal 2.5” bay it would not “see” the above SSD and obviously would not boot — However, it DOES “see” the original 1TB HDD
Why is this iMac have a problem with this SSD?
Sounds like maybe the NVMe drive needs to be wiped to get rid of any record of the Fusion drive setup.
My iMac did not come with a 2nd drive from the factory. Would I be able to add one?
This guide was excellent and I was able to install a new SSD without problems. I used a Western Digital 1TB WD Blue SA510 SATA Internal Solid State Drive SSD WDS100T3B0A. I purchased the iFixit adhesive strips and used my well worn iFixit iMac tools for this repair.
Thank you for making this difficult job so easy.
I done all this when i tryed to test and put power on… nothig hapend, black screen, nothing?
Just picked up a secondhand 2017 iMac with a 1tb drive & 16gb ram.
Once it's up and running it's plenty fast, but not does boottime drag!
It'll guide will be perfect to bring my iMac up to speed!
I have to agree with other comments. For reassembly, simply saying to follow the comments in reverse is a disservice to your readers.
A short simple guide showing the steps for cleaning/prepping and putting the strips in place before reassembly would be advised.
or...
1. Clean areas of residual sticky residue.
2. Carefully attach strips, but don't remove their protective covers.
3. Follow the guide re. re-attaching the cables in Steps 19 and 20.
4. Remove the strip covers.
5. Replace the screen.
I agree with previous comments: I can figure out how to install the SSD once the HDD has be removed, but it is not straightforward to re-attach the display without instruction on how to glue it.
The wedge is an extremely tight fit for this model. I was worried that the amount of force needed to use it as shown might damage the stand, so I used it with the long side down instead. It worked fine that way and didn’t need anywhere near as much force to insert.
roberttrevellyan - Contestar
Here’s a good YouTube vid on upgrading the RAM: Can a Normal Person Upgrade the RAM in the 2017 21.5" iMac?
Dan - Contestar
Here are a couple tips from me:
1) Expose the adhesive to extreme temperatures. I did this by transporting my iMac in my car, screen-down on a piece of cardboard on a cold February morning (in Chicago). When I went to pick up the iMac, the screen practically fell off the chassis. I would have been distraught by this if I hadn’t already planned this replacement. So it was a happy accident.
2) Remember to expell the residual power from the power supply by pushing the power button while the iMac is unplugged. This does NOT guarantee it’s safe to touch, but when I accidentally brushed the solder and exposed capacitors, I didn’t get shocked.
jerrid_foiles - Contestar
Instead of using the wedge, I placed the iMac faced up with the top side (web cam) facing me while I ran the pizza roller around. It worked out great!
Sam Fung - Contestar
“All iMacs also come with a traditional hard drive” mine doesn’t!! it’s HDD bay is completely empty, no SATA cable or anything. I guess I’ll have to upgrade the PCIe SSD instead.
Chris Hughes - Contestar
There is no replacement glass for this model, it is part of the LCD and impossible to remove or replace- the entire LCD has to be replaced unfortunately if the glass is cracked or damaged. You will have to Google search for a replacement. Also be careful with some of the lock tight tork screws as I broke one of my screw mounts taking one out.
Phil Tesone - Contestar
I used this service wedge but also found it a very tight fit. The same stabilization can be achieved by using a big rolled up towel.
Ernst - Contestar
While this is a good instruction guide, I recommend to also look at OWC’s instruction video about drive installation, before starting the exercise. Those install videos are very detailed and useful.
Ernst - Contestar
Main advice: TAKE YOUR TIME with the pizza roller.
Make several passes, until you really feel like there's no more sticker in the way. Stay away from the camera though (approx. 1inch / 2.5cm on both sides). This will reduce the work left with the plastic card. Adhesive is really on the edge of the screen so there is absolutely no need to go any further than the recommended 1cm / 3/8inch depth.
Where are the sensitive parts?
Facing your iMac, imagine you're looking at a watch. There are antennas on 1, 2 and 4 o'clock. Do not insert any metal piece there (nor anywhere else, btw). Other than that AND the screen cables underneath the camera, not much danger.
Froggy Manny - Contestar