MacBook Core Duo Optical Drive Replacement

Use a coin or spudger to rotate the battery-locking screw 90 degrees clockwise.

Lift the battery out of the computer.

Remove the three evenly-spaced Phillips screws from along the rear wall of the battery compartment.

Lift up on L-shaped memory cover, slide it to the right, and lift it out of the computer.

Remove the following 3 screws:

One 11 mm Phillips #00 in the middle of the case.

Two 14.5 mm Phillips #00.

Remove the following 3 screws from the rear wall of the battery compartment:

Two 3 mm Phillips #00. (A1181 has three 3 mm screws and one 4 mm.)

One 4 mm Phillips #00 on the right side.

Remove the two 6 mm Phillips #00 screws from either side of the right wall of the battery compartment (not the ones closest to the battery connector).

Remove the four 3 mm indicated Phillips #00 screws from the front wall of the battery compartment. When working from the left, remove the 2nd, 4th, 7th and 9th screw.

Remove the following 4 screws from the back of the computer:

Two 7 mm shouldered Phillips on the far sides.

Two 10.5 mm Phillips toward the center.

Remove the two 5.2 mm shouldered Phillips #00 screws from the optical side of the computer.

Starting near the display and working around to the front of the computer, pry up on the upper case. It is held with clips on the right above the optical drive. These will release with some firm lifting pressure.

Be careful when prying up the upper case. It's very easy to slice open a fingertip and thus provide the blood sacrifice the Mac gods sometimes require of those who insist on doing their own repairs.

While holding up the upper case (from the bottom or the top), use a spudger to pry up the orange trackpad and keyboard cable from its connector.

Grasp the white plastic tab attached to the hard drive and pull it to the left, removing the hard drive from the computer.

Remove the two Phillips screws from the front edge of the optical drive.

Disconnect the orange optical drive ribbon cable from the logic board.

Disconnect the newly-revealed display data cable. If there is no pull-tab on the top of the connector, it may be helpful to use a spudger to disconnect this connector.

Disconnect the (once again) newly-revealed hard drive cable.

Peel up the foil tape between the fan and the optical drive.

Remove the 8.5 mm Phillips screw securing the display data cable to the metal framework.

Pull up the display data cable from along the edge of the optical drive to reveal a silver Phillips screw.

Remove the 2.8 mm Phillips screw securing the optical drive.

After removing the screw, push the metal tab backwards, towards the fan, to release the front of the optical drive.

Lift the Bluetooth antenna board from the right side of the optical drive.

Lift the front edge of the optical drive and slide it up and out of the computer.

Peel up the orange tape partially covering the orange optical drive cable.

Disconnect the orange cable from the optical drive.

Use a spudger to carefully pry the silver metal bracket off the left side of the optical drive. Be careful not to bend the bracket, as it is very thin and bends easily. If the bracket doesn't come free easily, heating the adhesive may make prying the bracket off easier.

Peel up the L-shaped piece of black tape from the top of the drive.

Peel up the silver foil tape from the optical drive.

Remove the two Phillips screws securing the mounting bracket to the right side of the optical drive.

Use a spudger to pry the gray Bluetooth antenna holder off the top of the optical drive.