Same day Apple Mac computer repairs in Sydney
Are you looking for repairs for your Apple Mac computer? Learn more about our Apple repairs here.
We’ll show you what problems Apple Mac computers commonly have, how & where you can get it repaired, plus what you can do first yourself, what manufacturers can and cannot help you with.
We are rated in Best 3 Apple Mac Repair Centre in Sydney from 2016 to 2022! Since 2004, we’ve repaired a number of problems on Apple Mac computers; this includes Apple iMac, Mac Mini, MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Pro with Retina display, MacBook Air, Mac Pro, PowerBook.
We service Sydney, Inner city, Inner West, lower north Sydney. Walk-in is accepted 7 days a week, no appointment required.
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Repairing your Apple Mac computer has a number of benefits over than buying a new one, because:
- Cost for repairs is always cheaper than buying new. This is especially true because Apple computers are premium product.
- You can keep your existing software license.
- You can avoid hidden costs of buying new computer (purchase of new software license such as Microsoft Word, Excel, antivirus).
- You can avoid cost of re-setup of computer, printer.
- Even when you eventually decide to buy a new one, you’ll have a spare computer or you can resell it.
- A greener planet. Small effort can help reduce the massive e-Waste problem: “The best thing that we as consumers can do is fix the stuff we have, and only buy exactly what we need“.
- If we cannot repair your Mac, you can have it recycled responsibly for Free. We partner with an eWaste recycling company. You can have your computer sent to eWaste recycling for free of charge.
Apple Mac computers may have these problems that need repairs
Apple Mac computers and laptops are premium computers, well built with great innovation. However, they are not immune to breakdowns.
Below are problems that Apple Mac computers may have, even though you have done nothing wrong to it:
- Apple Mac computer does not turn on at all. This could happen to all types of Apple Mac computers. When this happen, it is most likely that it will need repairs.
- Freezing problem. Not responding. Not opening apps. Mouse clicking does not respond.
- Apple Mac computer may become very slow, taking a long time to start up and to open apps, documents.
- Blank grey screen at startup and does not boot to macOS.
- Apple Mac computer does not boot, showing a folder icon with a question mark, or a circle with a slash through.
- MacOS does not boot. You see a loading bar when the computer starts, it takes a long time then freezes or turns off itself.
- Apple Mac laptops does not charge. The charger light may come or may not come in.
- Apple Mac computer turns off itself, blacks out and shut down without warning.
- Keyboard keys are sticky, not responding or jammed.
- Keyboard key caps fell off by itself.
- Touchpad (aka trackpad) cursor does not move properly, it may jump around, or clicking / opening apps randomly.
- Loud noise from Apple Mac computers. This can happen to Apple iMac, Apple MacBook Pro or Apple MacBook Air laptops.
- Shift key is always engaged or stuck. All letters become caps letters when you type.
- An error message shows “Your computer has restarted from a problem…” at startup.
- Wireless Airport in Apple Mac computer does not work. It remains disabled and you cannot enable it.
- Battery in Apple Mac computer does not hold charge for long. It may only last for minutes, or suddenly turns off even though it has some charge left.
- Battery in Apple MacBook laptop has stopped working completely. The laptop needs to be plugged in with its charger to work. If you unplug the charger, the laptop turns off immediately.
- Battery in Apple MacBook laptop shows “Service battery” message, or “Replace soon”, or “Replace now”.
- Both keyboard and touchpad in Apple Mac laptops stop working altogether.
Other than that, your Apple Mac computer may break down because of accidents such as drop, water liquid spill, power surge:
- Impact damages such as drop, knock.
- Cracked screen due to drop, knock, or an object was left on keyboard and the screen lid was closed.
- Water liquid spill damage on Apple Mac laptops, or Apple iMac or Mac Pro (less common).
- Virus spyware problem.
- Power outage, power surge causing Apple Mac computer not turning on.
- Overheating problem, Apple Mac computer gets really hot and may turn off itself. This is caused by dust clogging fan and heatsink inside the computer.
Let us help you. Apple Mac computer repair services in Sydney include
Learn more about our award-winning computer repair services.
- Apple hardware computer repairs.
- Repair water damaged Apple Mac laptops.
- Repairs on Apple Mac not turning on problems, including MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, Mac Mini and Mac Pro.
- Repairs on Apple Mac freezing problems, not responding, or is very slow.
- Fix slow Mac, boost speed, improve performance.
- Repairs on Apple iMac desktop computers with blank grey or black screen.
- Remove virus spyware on Apple Mac computers.
- Set up BOOTCAMP, install and troubleshoot Windows PC system inside a Mac computer.
- Reset your Apple Mac computer to factory settings.
- Apple MacBook laptop screen repairs, including replacing broken glass cover, replacing broken screen, fixing flickering screen, fixing screen backlight issues.
- Replace Apple Mac laptop batteries. This includes Apple MacBook Retina, Apple MacBook Pro Retina, Apple MacBook Air battery replacement, and vintage model Apple MacBook Pro and Air battery replacement.
- Repair problems with Apple Mac computers running slow, unstable, crashes.
- Replace or repair Apple MacBook keyboard, including MacBook, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air.
- Replace or repair Apple MacBook touchpad / trackpad, including MacBook, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air.
- Repair sticky keyboard keys on Apple MacBook laptops, including MacBook, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air.
- Repairs on Apple Mac with jammed keyboard keys, fix problems with Shift key always engaged.
- Fix Apple Mac problems at startup, i.e. folder icon with question mark, or stuck at Apple logo and spinning wheel at startup, or circle with a slash through, or error message “press and hold the power button for 5 seconds…”, etc.
- Replace or repair charging port for Apple MacBook laptops.
- Replace or repair damaged logic board for MacBook, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air.
- Replace Apple Mac hard drives, RAM, graphics video card, CD DVD drive, battery, power adaptor.
- Replace and repair damaged Apple Mac parts.
- Fix problems with Apple Mac making loud fan noise, dust, over-heating issues.
- Recover data from Apple Mac computers and laptops.
- Help to set up Apple Mac computers and laptops, printers, connect to the Internet network, set up a secured wireless network, firewall.
- Help to set up and troubleshoot Time Machine backup, AirPort wireless routers.
- and much more.
Though most Apple Mac computer repair services are standardized, services can be tailored to your needs when necessary. For example, help to back up and restore specific files in your Apple Mac, or help to set up certain email account in Microsoft Outlook.
Why Apple Mac computer breaks down
Apple Mac computers are expected to last 3-4 years then it will need to be repaired. If you’re unlucky, it will only last 1-2 years then a repair is needed.
There is no single reason for Apple Mac computer to break down. It is often difficult to trace back to find the exact cause of the issue.
Below is common causes for Apple Mac computers to break:
- Age of the computer: After 3 to 4 years, parts inside Apple Mac computers would have worn out and due for repairs or replacement.
- Manufacturing problems: Though Apple have high standards and quality control, human errors can happen that lead to unexpected component failure later on.
- Overheating problems: every computer, including Apple Mac computers, have a cooling system inside. Clogged dust, rust over the years causes overheating problem which lead to component failure.
- “Planned obsolescence”: similar to the light bulb conspiracy, and it’s necessary in technology. You can read more about planned obsolescence of tech on BBC.
- Computer user error such as knock, drop, water liquid spill. Sometimes this could happen unknowingly. For example, water may have leaked from behind into the laptop. You did not see it because the screen lid was up blocking the view.
- Humidity: Wet weather could be the blame for your Apple Mac computer problems. Moisture in the air can short components inside computers.
- Power outage power surge: This could also happen without you knowing it. A storm, lightning strike in the area can kill your Apple Mac computers. Power board with surge protector is inadequate to prevent this from happening.
- Consumable parts: every battery is a consumable part. Computer batteries are expected to last 2 to 4 years and they degrade over time. This is perfectly normal.
- Third-party manufacturer’s errors: Apple cannot manufacture everything. Many Apple parts are actually manufactured by third-party manufacturers. These manufacturers may have had errors in their production line.
- Bugs: I’m referring to real bugs and insects here. Cockroaches could have gone inside your Apple Mac computers and caused troubles.
What you can try first yourself to fix the problem
There are basic troubleshooting that you can try first before sending your Apple Mac computer to repairs.
First, check your warranty cover. Your computer might be covered by warranty from Apple or your supplier. Standard warranty for new Apple computers is 1 or 2 years. You may have purchased extended warranty or Apple Care.
If any of these applies, contact Apple store or place or purchase. This is your best option. The repairs will be either Free or at a much discounted price.
Check Apple quality program. Some Apple Mac computer problems are known issues that are covered by Apple quality program. Apple or one of Apple authorized service centers will repair the covered issues for free of charge as long as it is within the program.
Other than that, DIY repairs or paying for professional Apple Mac computer repairers will be your options.
It is recommended to always have backup of your data before any repair is attempted. Data loss may occur during any computer repair process.
At-home Do-It-Yourself repairs
The common starting point for DIY repairs is to go through the basic troubleshooting for your Apple Mac computers.
Before any repair attempt, you should back up your data on your Apple Mac computer first.
Our blog have a number of repair guides, Apple Mac troubleshooting guides that you can try it yourself first:
- Start with the basic, common troubleshooting for Apple Mac computer, or
- How to fix slow Apple Mac computer or laptop problems.
- How to test and fix folder icon with question mark, not booting on Apple Mac computers.
- How to repair Apple Mac not starting problems.
- How to fix Apple Mac computer not turning on.
- Repairs for common Apple Mac startup problems.
- Repairs for dead Apple Mac laptops. This is a common problem and DIY is usually not possible.
Further repairs on Apple Mac computers will require taking it apart. I Fix It provides comprehensive guides on how to disassemble Apple computers, from iMac to MacBook Air or Pro laptops.
YouTube is also an excellent source for video step by step guide on how to disassemble, troubleshoot and repair your Apple Mac computers, laptops and iMac.
Apple community is a good place to get answers for many common questions.
DIY repairs isn’t for everyone. You need to have some technical knowledge to attempt DIY repairs.
DIY computer repairs also put your data at high risk. Even experienced computer technician often run into the unknown and confusion. Avoid DIY at-home repairs if you have valuable data that has not been backed up.
Other than that, seeking professional computer repairs is your next best option.
Best places to get professional Apple Mac computer repairs in Sydney
With seeking professional Apple Mac repairs, you have only 2 options:
- Repairs with Apple store or one of their authorized service centers.
- Repairs with third-party, local repairers.
Repairs at Apple store is a great option only if:
- you can afford it, and
- you can wait for it, and
- you’re near it
Each Apple store is like a 5-star hotel, filled with their employees. With such high overheads, it is simply impossible to get your computer repaired cheaply by Apple store.
Not to mention, booking an appointment with Apple genius bar is difficult. The wait could be weeks sometimes.
There are many Apple stores, but not everywhere. Some of their stores are impossibly difficult to get to by cars, eg Sydney city store.
This is where local computer repairers can help you. It might be your only option.
There are local computer shops just about everywhere in Sydney. Of course, our store Safemode Computer Service is one. We have been repairing computers, laptops, Apple Mac since 2004.
If you’re in Sydney, you can take your Apple Mac computer to a local computer repair store near you, or you can take it to our store if you are nearby. Most stores will have an available slots for you on the same day.
Our computer repair workshop accepts walk-in 7 days a week. You don’t need appointment to bring in. Just come in, anytime during our business hour.
What Apple genius bar can and cannot help you with
Apple is great and we are a fan of Apple products. However, the fact is, Apple stores only fix a limited number of issues on your Apple Mac:
- Restore your Apple Mac back to factory settings, which means all data will be wiped out.
- Replace screen for your Apple Mac laptops.
- Replace battery for your Apple Mac laptops.
- Replace defective parts that are covered by recall program.
- Replace damaged parts under certain conditions (eg not damaged by water spill).
For good reasons, Apple stores will not do the followings:
- Repair liquid damage Apple Mac computers
- Repair “vintage” Apple Mac computers (4 or 5+ year old Mac)
- Fix sticky keyboard key problem
- Manual removal of virus and spyware
- Back up or recover your data.
- Upgrade your Apple Mac computers to make it run faster.
- Repair on Mac that had been repaired previously by a third-party technician.
It’s not that Apple stores don’t want to be helpful and fix the above problems. All manufacturers do not provide such services. It’s not possible for them to do so, for many reasons.
Don’t waste your time seeking help from Apple genius bar for the above.
It is likely that Apple will encourage you to purchase a new computer.
Unlike Apple stores, local computer repairers will repair what Apple genius bar can, plus the things that they cannot repair for you.
Because, it is in those third-party local computer repairers’ best interests to repair your Apple Mac. It is within their expertise and is their main business to do so (they are not retailers nor manufacturers).
Repairs at a local computer shop often will cost you less than at Apple store as well. Not always, but for most.
For example, if your Apple Mac is so new (eg released within half a year), Apple store will have almost exclusive access to their spare parts, hence repairing at Apple store will give you the best price.
Overtime, when spare parts become more available at a network of suppliers, available to local computer repairers. The repairers will have access to the parts at better prices and, in return, can provide repairs for less than Apple store.
This is where Apple store cannot compete with local computer repairers and their suppliers, whose network has now become much larger and can serve customers in places where Apple simply cannot.
These stores also have much lower overheads hence they can provide repairs at a much lower price point.
How much does it cost to repair my Apple Mac computer?
The price varies depending the type of repair, make and model of your Apple Mac computer. There is no ball-park figure nor one-size-fit-all.
You will find that most (if not all) computer repairers, including Apple stores, do not give quotes without first checking your computer, except obvious issues such as battery or screen replacement.
This is common for many reasons:
- No companies employ 100% technicians. Phone calls may be answered by reception, or non-technical staff.
- Inconsistent prices: prices change as suppliers change prices, market price changes.
- Any prices without written form cannot be tracked.
- Giving prices without seeing the computer often leads to incorrect prices and unhappy customer experience.
- It will take significant time to diagnose and quote over the phone. The repair technicians need to focus on doing repairs instead of answering phone calls.
Generally if your Apple Mac computer has software issue (eg virus), it may cost $50, $100 – $200.
If your computer has hardware issue (i.e. hard drive failure, broken screen), it will involve cost for spare part plus labour, which price may vary $150-$1,000+.
I know, it’s a big range, but the price can vary significantly indeed.
As a general rule, the more expensive your computer is, the more expensive it may cost to fix.
An Apple MacBook Pro Retina display laptop is a premium laptop, which costs more to repair due to more expensive spare part cost.
How long does it take to repair my Apple Mac computer?
This varies depending on the problem, spare part availability and which computer repairer you use (Apple stores, Apple authorized service centers, or third-party computer repairers).
Apple stores, or Apple authorized service center may need 3 to 5 business days, or sometimes longer for major repairs.
Even though Apple have physical retail stores for you to visit, appointment is required. An available appointment with them might be weeks away.
While many third-party local computer repairers can provide same day repairs.
This is one of the biggest advantages local computer repairers have.
For our store – Safemode Computer Service, we commence testing and repairs on the same day.
Turn-around time to complete the repairs is typically same day, next day, or 3-5 business days, or sometimes longer for major repairs.
Generally after you’ve approved our quote, we will commence the work immediately.
Repairing computers often requires spare parts. While most computer repairers will stock common parts to facilitate repair process, it’s not possible to have all parts in stock.
If a part needs to be ordered in, standard delivery time is 2-5 business days within Australia (subject to stock availability at suppliers).
Data backup, or data recovery process is time consuming, which affects turn-around time. Having backup of your data helps reduce turn-around time for repairs.
* Business days are Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays.
Our Apple Mac repair services offer you these guarantees
Our Apple Mac repair services come with 90 day warranty, plus No fix no fee guarantee. See our full guarantee statement here.
We also give an upfront, no-obligation Free quote before carrying out the work.
Many spare parts come with 1 year manufacturer warranty such as new hard drives, RAM, battery, charger etc. You will receive this 1 year warranty for the spare part if it is supplied as part of the repair process.
What if there is something else wrong with my Apple Mac computer?
At Safemode Computer Service, we will repair other components for Free of charge if it is within reasonable cost.
After the initial inspection, we will give you a quote to repair your Apple Mac computers / laptops.
If there are other small components that were found damaged by the liquid and not covered in the original quote, we will replace them for Free.
If the damaged components are expensive and will alter the price significantly, we will advise you early and give you the option to either pay the difference to repair the extra components, or to cancel the repairs and pay nothing.
Apple genius bar, and many other companies will not provide this offer because they do not offer No fix No fee policy like ours, plus they do not have the expertise to repair the additional unexpected damages.
After your Apple Mac computer has been repaired by us successfully, it will come with 90 day guarantee, plus No fix no fee guarantee. See our full guarantee statement here.
What’s involved in an Apple Mac computer, laptop repair process?
To put this simple, an Apple Mac computer or laptop repair process involves identifying and replacing part(s) inside the computer that were damaged.
Apple Mac computers are expected to last 3-4 years then it will need to be fixed. If you’re unlucky, it will only last 1-2 years. Then, a part needs to be replaced to get it back to working order again.
Your data may be at risk. It’s recommended to keep regular backup of your data to prevent data loss when your computer breaks down.
Is Apple Mac repairs difficult? Should I attempt DIY fix?
Short answer: Yes, it’s difficult.
Apple Mac has sophisticated design and very compact. To give you an idea of its repairability, how long it’d take and what is involved, below is examples of 2 common repairs: replacing keyboard for Apple MacBook Air 13″ laptop and replacing Apple iMac 21.5″ computer hard drive.
Apple MacBook Air 13” laptop keyboard repairs
In this repairs, we will show you process of replacing a keyboard on an Apple MacBook Air 13” laptop.
This is a common repairs on Apple MacBook Air laptop, usually occur as result of liquid spill or any keyboard damages that cause the keyboard to malfunction.
First remove 10 screws on the back cover of the laptop. These screws are pentalobe screws and they are fairly small.
Make sure you have the correct screwdriver for this and do not force it with a phillips screwdriver to avoid stripping the screws.
Now you will see internal components of the MacBook Air: battery, IO board, IO cable, speakers, flash storage drive, screen connector, Airport card, logic board.
The touchpad is hidden under the battery. The keyboard is buried underneath all of these parts.
To get to the keyboard, you will have to remove most of these parts (without damaging any of them), doesn’t sound easy does it?
First thing first, disconnect the battery and remove it. You will need a torx screwdriver for this.
Next we will remove the flash storage drive, slide it out gently from its socket.
Then IO cable
Then the fan needs to be removed
Next, we will disconnect the IO board and logic board and remove it.
You won’t need to remove the Airport card, but disconnect its antenna cables.
The speakers need to be removed, use a flat tool to slide underneath them and pry it up.
Now we will remove the logic board, one of the most expensive parts of this Apple MacBook Air laptop.
Make sure all cables are disconnected from the logic board before removing the logic board from the laptop.
There you will see the left over parts: touchpad, keyboard and its backlit unit.
Gently peeling away the keyboard backlit. You may tear parts of it during this process, do your best to keep it intact.
In the instance of liquid spill, this process could be difficult to keep this backlit unit intact.
It is recommended to have a replacement backlit unit handy in case it gets torn too much.
Now, finally after removing all other parts, you will see the keyboard.
But, do not get too happy just yet, all you have done so far just to get to this keyboard was actually the easiest part of this repairs.
Yes you heard it right, the hardest part of this repairs is removing this keyboard from its aluminium frame.
This keyboard was made in a way that it was rivet’d into the alluminum casing. There are some screws at the outter layer but most of it was integrated into the keyboard upper alluminum frame.
This was not the case in the older Apple MacBook Pro unibody laptops, but it is now a trend across all new Apple MacBook Air, MacBook Pro Retina Display, MacBook Pro Retina Display with Touch Bar laptops.
That does not make the repairs easier at all.
If you have not had any experience replacing keyboard for this MacBook Air in the past, we suggest you stop your DIY process now before you ruin the rest of the computer.
But if you are determined to fix your computer, read on.
First use a precision phillips screwdriver to remove all small screws that you can see on the keyboard. It is recommended to put packing tape on the inner part of the keyboard so when you remove it, the rivets will not fall off everywhere to your desk.
Using some super glue may help removing the rivets but this definitely will not help removing most of the rivets from the keyboard frame.
At this point, you will need to grab a plier to grip onto the keyboard, and then slowly rip the keyboard off from the its frame.
The edge of the keyboard is sharp and it may give you a nasty cut if your hands get it the way, so be careful.
I’ve got a cut on my fingers before when the sharp edges sliced into my finger.
Now you have the keyboard ripped off from the frame, but there will be lots of small rivets that were still stuck in the frame.
You must remove these rivets, this process is important. Make sure it is done properly so you can properly install the new keyboard.
Use a small cutting plier to remove the remaining stuck rivets. You should have at least 80% of rivet screw holes to install new rivet screws for the new keyboard.
Now it is time to put in a new keyboard and install new rivet screws for it.
The rest of the repairs is in reversed order of this repair guide, until you have reassembled the laptop. Test out the new keyboard to make sure it’s working.
And wait, what if it does not fix the problem or there is a fault with the new keyboard?
You are in bad luck, there is no turning back, the old keyboard is now completely ruined and you cannot put it back, repeating the whole process is difficult and very time consuming.
This repairs is a difficult one that you cannot afford any mistake.
Apple iMac 21.5” computer hard drive repairs
Hard drive failure is a common fault with most computers. A consumer-graded hard drive generally lasts 3 to 5 years and gradually fails.
When hard drive fails, your Apple Mac computer will often freezes, become slow, non-responsive, often has spinning wheel and slow to boot, slow to open apps.
The facts is. every single hard drive will eventually fail, thus replacing hard drive is one of the most common repairs for computers.
Testing and identifying hard drive fault
Before you start any repairs, it is the most important that you make sure that you have identified the correct fault with the computer and replacing the correct part.
With easy Internet access at home and on smart phones, you can do research online to see what other people say about a similar problem that they are having with their computer, so that you can try the same fixes on your own computer.
However it is important that you are reading the right information from the right people. Most computer users are not the experts and presuming that their computers are having the same problem from what they are reading.
The truth is, it is not always the same problem. There is small differences between computer problems that only highly experienced computer technicians can spot.
We will give you an example (this one could be quite odd and difficult to tell the difference for an average computer user, but we have heard it before): your ASUS laptop cannot start Windows, you hear some clunky noise from the computer and the computer turned off itself randomly, then it goes to start-up repair mode where it says “dianogsing your PC”.
You do you research and another person (say his name is Anthony) mentioned that he had the same problem.
Anthony’s HP laptop also had clunky noise inside the laptop, the computer turned off and restarted itself and gone to start-up repair mode but it never boots to Windows.
Naturally you would presume that Anthony is having the same problem as yours, and you will try what Anthony suggests to fix your computer.
However, in this example, Anthony and you might actually have 2 completely different problem here. Anthony’s laptop has a failing hard drive which caused the laptop unable to boot to Windows and gone to start-up repair mode.
Due to the faulty hard drive, Anthony’s laptop restarted itself and he heard a clunky noise from inside the computer.
However the noise he heard came from the failing hard drive. It came together with the fan noise from his laptop fan that has collected dust from years of use in a dusty environment.
While your laptop actually did not have a faulty hard drive, the clunky noise you heard was from the broken fan inside your laptop, not from your ASUS laptop hard drive.
Since the fan was damaged, your laptop randomly turned off itself as it has been over-heating.
Once it has turned off without a clean shutdown, it will automatically goes to start-up repair mode in the next boot.
The 2 problems that you and Anthony are having sound very similar, but very difficult for an average computer user to tell the difference.
Thus, whatever Anthony is suggesting (or whatever he was suggested) will not fix your ASUS laptop fan problem, simply because he does not have the same problem as yours.
The difference here is that the noise from his HP laptop is a different noise from your ASUS laptop.
As an average computer user, you have not heard different types of noises from many computers, it is impossible for you to tell the difference between computer noises.
An experienced computer technician can spot this difference, and use his own tools to test the computer to identify the correct problem.
For Apple Mac computers, there is a built-in Disk Utility that you can use to do a quick test on hard drive through First Aid tool.
However First Aid tool does not always provide an accurate assessment of hard drives.
Many faulty hard drives will actually pass First Aid tool in Disk Utility. The facts is, no hard drive testing tool is 100% accurate, they should be used as advisory only.
Keep in mind that, in some rare situations where everything is pointing to a hard drive fault, it may still turn out to be something else.
For example, we have, for a couple of times, seen hard drive errors in HP, Lenovo and Apple laptops that was indeed not caused by faulty hard drives, but instead was caused by a faulty connector or controller on the motherboard.
In these instances, we had replaced the suspected hard drives with different new drives, but the computer eventually still returned with the same problem, which further testing had confirmed that the actual fault was with the motherboard instead.
You never really know for sure until you have tried it out.
Preparing your tools and OS installation media
To fix your Apple iMac computer, you will need some special tools that are designed for Apple Mac.
Apple Mac computers do not just come with phillips screws, they have torx screws that require torx screwdriver to remove.
You don’t want to disassemble your computer half way through and then realise that you do not have the correct screwdriver to continue the work.
Preparing OS installation media kit is another important part of the repairs. You won’t be able to complete your repairs without having all the right tools ready.
Most people see repair guide online and on YouTube, it looks so easy because the person who wrote the guide and posted the YouTube video had edited his instructions to make it look easy, to attract more clicks and more subscribers.
The truth is it is not always a smooth process, before you start a repairs, you should have all of your gears ready first, you should also expect unexpected issues along the way.
To prepare a Mac OS X or Windows installation media, you will need to user another computer to download ISO image from manufacturer to create installation USB flash drive.
While Mac computers have Recovery Mode, it may take you back to an older version of Mac OS X and not the latest one.
Replacing Apple iMac 21.5” hard drive
First, turn off the iMac and disconnect its power cord to make sure there is no power to it. You can have it stand or lie down on your desk.
For this 21.5” iMac, you can use a suction tool such as one from your GPS that mounts onto your car windshield, or simple use your finger nail to slowly pull out the front glass. Be careful not to break this glass.
You will need to remove 8 torx screws from 2 sides of the screen. Then slowly lift up the screen panel. You must take caution here and do not lift it up too high as you will damage the LCD connector on the logic board.
Mistake can happen and we have seen this LCD connector ripped from the logic board due to bad DIY attempt before.
Disconnect the screen from the logic board, backlight board. You should be able to remove the screen completely from there.
Now you can see the hard drive in this Apple iMac 21.5” computer to remove it. To install a new hard drive, simply transfer all screws and bracket from the old drive to the new one.
This process of replacing the hard drive is not the most difficult part though, and it is only a third of the repairs.
Once you have fully reassembled the iMac. Use the installation media that you created previously to reinstall Mac OS X on the iMac. Then it is ready.
This repairs sound simple enough. We have seen mistakes during DIY attempts before.
It is very important that you diagnose the computer correctly first before taking the computer apart to replace the hard drive.
Avoid damaging the screen connector on the motherboard while removing the screen panel, this mistake is costly and will require a full logic board replacement if you damage the LCD connector.