MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Mid 2012 Optical Drive Replacement
Replace a broken optical drive in your Mid 2012 MacBook Pro 13" Unibody.
- Auteur: Andrew Optimus Goldberg
- Geschatte tijd: 30 - 45 minuten
- Moeilijkheid: Gemiddeld
Secties
- Lower Case 2 stappen
- Battery Connection 2 stappen
- Optical Drive 11 stappen
- Optical Drive 1 stap
Gereedschap
Koop deze onderdelen en gereedschappenStap 1 — Lower Case ¶
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Remove the following ten screws:
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Three 14.4 mm Phillips #00 screws
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Three 3.5 mm Phillips #00 screws
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Four 3.5 mm shouldered Phillips #00 screws
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Stap 2 ¶
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Use your fingers to pry the lower case away from the body of the MacBook near the vent.
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Remove the lower case.
Stap 3 — Battery Connection ¶
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Use the edge of a spudger to pry the battery connector upwards from its socket on the logic board.
Stap 4 ¶
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Bend the battery cable slightly away from its socket on the logic board so it does not accidentally connect itself while you work.
Stap 5 — Optical Drive ¶
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Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the AirPort/Bluetooth ribbon cable connector up from its socket on the logic board.
Stap 7 ¶
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Carefully move the AirPort/Bluetooth ribbon cable out of the way as you peel the camera cable off the adhesive securing it to the subwoofer and the AirPort/Bluetooth bracket.
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De-route the camera cable out from under the retaining finger molded into the AirPort/Bluetooth bracket.
Stap 8 ¶
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Use the tip of a spudger to pry the antenna connector closest to the logic board up from its socket on the AirPort/Bluetooth board.
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De-route the antenna cable from under the finger molded into the AirPort/Bluetooth bracket.
Stap 9 ¶
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Remove the following five screws:
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Two 10.3 mm Phillips screws
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Two 3.1 mm Phillips screws
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One 5 mm Phillips screw
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Stap 10 ¶
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Pull the AirPort/Bluetooth assembly and the Subwoofer upward near the center of the side of the optical drive until they clear each other.
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Move the AirPort/Bluetooth assembly and the subwoofer away from the top of the optical drive.
Stap 11 ¶
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Pull the right speaker/subwoofer cable out from under the retaining finger near the side of the optical drive.
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Pull the right speaker/subwoofer cable upward to disconnect it from the logic board.
Stap 12 ¶
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Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the hard drive cable connector up from its socket on the logic board.
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Bend the hard drive cable away from the optical drive.
Stap 13 ¶
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Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the optical drive connector up from its socket on the logic board.
Stap 15 ¶
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Pull the optical drive upward from its edge closest to the display and remove it from the upper case.
Stap 16 — Optical Drive ¶
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Pull the optical drive cable away from the optical drive.
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Remove the two black Phillips #0 screws securing the small metal mounting bracket. Transfer this bracket to your new optical drive or hard drive enclosure.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
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90 opmerkingen
Step 1
Does void the warranty?
jfondeur - Antwoord
No, it does not void the warranty. More specifically: http://eshop.macsales.com/Search/display...
oakdragon12 - Antwoord
How much weight can I save by removing the optical drive?
gunes314 - Antwoord
You can save a lot of weight if lets say your installing a solid state drive or putting in a second hard drive but if you know that you use the CD/DVD disc drive a lot then you might just want to leave the drive alone.
Marshall WahlstromHelgren -
Also wondering how much weight I'd save by just removing. My drive is broken for ages, but I have not needed it in ages. The HD was already replaced by a cheap SSD (second best thing after upgrading to 8GB), so I'd appreciate losing some weight. I mean, the computer. Although I could lose some too... erm... well, anyway, I guess the lack of the DVD would not interfere with anything, right? Opinions?
Carlos Duarte do Nascimento - Antwoord
Apple has meticulously balanced the MacBook's weight from left to right, and removing the optical drive may off-balance the Mac.
skimmilk05 -
What so you think that a removing the optical drive which weighs less than a AA battery will unbalance a MBP making it unusable? LOL!
Unless you use the MBP on a high wire (an even then I have my doubts) you'd never notice the weight difference.
pmhparis -
I'm thinking you'd probably be OK losing the DVD drive without a problem. Just make sure the optical drive cable is secured or you might hear it rattling in there from time-to-time.
John Adam Wickliffe - Antwoord
Hey guys,
this website is amazing. I read it to guide me on fixing my mac book pro, but on the video, the girl gives a wrong information.. She says that is not possible replace just the keyboard... But I managed to replace only my keyboard. It is boring because I have to remove approximately 70 screws but it is possible. Thanks a lot! You guys helped me save about US$300 thats because in Brazil some technicians would charge me with that amount!
I posted some pictures on your facebook page..
renatumb - Antwoord
Tip: Use one of those weekday pill holders to have a cheep way to store screws you remove and each day of the week can be for different sizes or parts. It has been handy to have (much less expensive than the magnetic mat.
Robert Wacker - Antwoord
Great tutorial. I found that using a Phillips #0 in lieu of the #00 worked much better.
kschmesk - Antwoord
I tried the PH #00 for the 10 screws that hold the bottom case and it's too big, instead PH #000 works perfectly. Are you sure this screws are #00?
Alex - Antwoord
The likely problem with your wifi is not the card but the antenna leads that go into the plastic clutch
. Ifixit don't have a guide to change this as it it includes the isight camera so the screen has to be disassembled which is fairly hard
I got round it by using the camera cable from the old set and cutting off the new one
brian whittle - Antwoord
Hello MacWorld,
Just want to say that this site is a great resource for repairing or upgrading your Mac. I had a bad SATA cable in my MacBook Pro and after ordering a new one from the "IFIXIT" site I received the cable within two days, replaced it and was up and running again in no time. Thanks IFIXIT for you help!
wer 10/5/15
tayseer999 - Antwoord
I have found that my MacBook Pro 13 Late 2011 has five shouldered screws and not four. I am not sure exactly where it goes but I have put it in the top left corner of the picture as it is the odd one out.
GotMac - Antwoord
Hello, where can I buy the screws I need in case I lose one of them?
taylornya - Antwoord
iFixit sells a kit: Macbook Pro 13" and 15" Unibody (Mid 2009 through Mid 2012) Lower Case Screw Set
Darrell Johnson -
on my device the #00 screwdriver was a bit too small. a #0 was the perfect one
Maximilian Klotz - Antwoord
I found with mine that the shouldered and un-shouldered screws were reversed (the three un-shouldered screws going where the orange colour indicates). Also, I found that the front four screws went in at an angle.
gilded yak - Antwoord
I need to know why my party can't hear. Me on my android phone
Tina Porter - Antwoord
Because that party is inside your head Tino. Just close your eyes and enjoy the tunes
Snuf Box -
Step 3
Is this step of removing the battery connector required?
manodh - Antwoord
yes - as with disassembly of any electronic component you have to remove any power source. You don't want to accidentally turn the Mac on
khull -
This step is not really required. Apple does not recommend it.
Steven Layton - Antwoord
My Battery does not get recognized after i disconnected it, screw this site!
Diego Hernandes -
Rather than be careful of the corners of the connector i would say don't use the spudger anywhere near the corners. While the corner looks like the obvious place to begin to pry it up from, it will break. Levering from the sides as the instructions suggest works well.
ausmkv - Antwoord
wonder why apple does not recommend it?!
Peter - Antwoord
I would recommend it, one careless short and the whole board is dead......
John - Antwoord
simply remove the battery rather than disconnecting the cable
toiu - Antwoord
Don't know what the deal is with the battery, but this IS a necessary step to keep from frying the logic Board if you accidentally touch something and short it out. I did this step every time during my troubleshooting and The battery was ALWAYS recognized by the system the next time I turned the MBP on. So be safe and don't fry your logic board in the process...
fasthans - Antwoord
Prying the battery connector off does not take much force. I did exactly what the guide suggested (walked it off back and forth) with the spudger without any problems. Just be very gentle, much like with anything inside laptops, they are very fragile and need to be worked with carefully. A+ instructions, battery replacement was a success.
aekinaka - Antwoord
Installed/upgraded 4gb RAM to the system maximum 16gb and installed a 500 gb SSD today....DID NOT disconnect the battery cable....no issues at all when I powered back up. Then did a clean install of OSX Yosemite....next I used a time machine backup to put all my stuff back on the new HD. From start to finish it took about 4 hours. Macbook boots up right at 16 seconds now.
MacProUser - Antwoord
Easiest to use two spudgers, one on each short end, I found.
Simon Mundy - Antwoord
I took off th Airport /Bluetooth connectors but the number J3 connector is broken and so where can i buy J3 connecter for the Airport/bluetooth board
Zeerachen - Antwoord
Its a lot easier and safer (corner wise) to pry it using the flat side of the black spudger directly in front of the connector (don't go/use the corners) very easily you will be able to pry it further by inserting the spudger into a better and thicker plastic section of the connector
Ed Oliver - Antwoord
DON'T remove the Battery Cable, you risk the battery NOT being recognised when you start the Mac up again, or breaking it!! More to the point, APPLE DOES NOT RECOMMEND THIS, so don't do it! I Installed 2x 8GB ( 16Gb total) of Crucial Mac RAM at 1333Mhz for my Late 2011 MacBook Pro, and it works beautifully, fully recognised and working well. I followed these instructions, but as Apple didnt recommend disconnecting the battery, I skipped this step, and as well as taking less time, nothing was damaged or broken, and everything works perfectly!!! Just make sure that you DISCHARGE ALL STATIC ELECTRICITY FROM YOUR HANDS, by touching a metal surface in the Mac. Apple recommends the edge of the Optical Disk Drive ( Big silver thing ) before touching any parts. Also, Take care removing the RAM out of its packet, DO NOT touch the Gold connectors, and hold the RAM by the edges. Finally, be PATIENT, GENTLE and it should all go perfectly. I managed it first time, with no technical ability, so follow my advice. Good luck!
Bradley Marks - Antwoord
Followed the tuto Step by step. Disconnected the battery (quite easily).
No problem when I lit the Mac on again. Battery's here, date's right.
nichoferr - Antwoord
Step 4
What are the changes of it broke when i bend it?, after i disconect it does not work anymore
Diego Hernandes - Antwoord
The guide worked perfectly, as it has in the past (our family has three Mid-2012 Macbook Pros that have been separately upgraded with RAM and SSD).
The PH00 screwdriver fit perfectly.
One note on getting the screws to seat easily and thread perfectly...always turn them gently a couple turns to the left (CCW or Anti-Clockwise) until you hear a small click. That's where the threads will grab. Works with any screw, but when threads are fine, this will help ensure that the screw is at the correct angle and will grab and seat perfectly.
Great guides. Thanks!
timgunkel - Antwoord
Got RAM in but only one slot is working and now I can't remove! The RAM won't pop up like before and tabs don't seem to do anything. Please advise.
Sal Ergrapes - Antwoord
Step 6
"Carefully pull the camera cable out of its socket on the logic board."
I followed these instructions to the letter, heeding the warning to pull vertically.
The camera cable broke at the connector.
The connector was pretty tight in the socket. Had to use a tiny screw-driver to free it. There was no way simply pulling would have worked.
A quick google of "macbook pro camera cable broken" shows that this has happened to many other people, and been reported to ifixit. But no mention in the instructions. Disappointing.
The MBP no longer boots. The cable is soldered to the LCD, which must be replaced. $500?
Someone, PLEASE fix the instructions. It looks like many people have been hit by this.
Brian - Antwoord
Actually it says to pull parallel away from the board, so horizontally. It never said vertically and actually warns against pulling verticaly.
Technic Mender - Antwoord
I'd to disassemble my MBP two times because my SSD did not work properly in optibay. While doing it a second time, I omitted steps 6 and 8. It is really not necessary, but step 6 is really scary.
nicholas - Antwoord
Do you even need to do this?? I've seen guides where they just leave those on and slide the superdrive out from underneath that module..??
Philip - Antwoord
Yes, this is really no need. I left it there, and still can proceed.
maiyawmh -
I've replaced 4 dvd's with hdd's already, in different macbooks, so wasn't too fussed about #5. However; this time I broke the camera connector cable :(
The connector is stil in it's socket, and I can't get it out no matter what I try. My guess is that some of the glue that connects the socket to the logic board, got into the socket as well. Prying with a small screwdriver, pulling with a pair of tweezers... nothing works. And this mbp belongs to a friend who uses his camera a lot for skyping...
I hope we're still friends after I tell him.
The thing is; I think it might be possible to do the whole operation with that cable still in its sockets; if you pull the rest of the cable free of the fingers, you can probably fold it out of the way when you lift the dvd out.
puchelaar - Antwoord
This is Sooo Unnecessary!! don't do it!
grant reynolds - Antwoord
I actually found it necessary to do this step. If not done you can rip chord, if you read the wording carefully and do as it says it should not break.
Robert Wacker - Antwoord
After having initially skipped this step, I finally followed it. I couldn't find a way to move the airport / bluetooth assembly away otherwise, and in the end it's a pain to put the small screws back in. Didn't have any trouble unplugging the camera cable, but it is indeed scary because it looks pretty fragile.
I only skipped step 8, as it didn't seem necessary.
JoGersen - Antwoord
I also broke my camera cable!!! And I just realized that removing that lovely cable was not necessary for the following steps!!! Thank you!
I dont know how to fix this problem and I asked it in this question: How can I fix broken camera cable
Please, help...
Yusuf - Antwoord
I omitted this step successfully
Diego Posadas - Antwoord
I skipped this step, but did step 8.
There was no way I was doing this step -- just remember that the cable is still plugged in, and work VERY CAREFULLY.
Serah Merrick - Antwoord
totally unnecessary. You can remove optical drive easily without disconecting that cable
hukko - Antwoord
Technic Mender, he is talking about Step 11. It says upward. Most untouched MBP's have a piece of sticky foam over the right subwoofer connection to the logic board, so you can't see how it is really supposed to come out but that step says pull upward. Ripped my right subwoofer connection straight from the logic board. Thanks iFixit, Step 11 has an unnecessary line that costs me money. You pull it laterally, not up.
tsmith - Antwoord
I successfully skipped this step when removing the hard drive enclosure (I had already the dual drive running, but I needed to replace the drive in the optical enclosure. I also skipped steps 7, 8, and 11.
pauloau - Antwoord
I have a blog post on my experience of performing the upgrade with a simple diagram showing how to skip step 6, 7, 8 and 11. (http://www.ocyedwin.com/?p=190)
Aderic Adsisco - Antwoord
Step 7
This step is unnecessary, as is step 8. You can get the SuperDrive out and put the caddy in without pulling the cable out.
Steve - Antwoord
The disk utility sytem recognises my new HD however when I try to do the recovery setup I receive an error message.
daniel001 - Antwoord
I successfully skipped this step when removing the hard drive enclosure (I had already the dual drive running, but I needed to replace the drive in the optical enclosure. I also skipped steps 6, 8, and 11.
pauloau - Antwoord
Step 8
I omitted this step too. It's not necessary.
Diego Posadas - Antwoord
I successfully skipped this step when removing the hard drive enclosure (I had already the dual drive running, but I needed to replace the drive in the optical enclosure. I also skipped steps 6, 7, and 11.
pauloau - Antwoord
Step 9
Is all of these screws can be removed by phillips #00 screwdriver? I can't remove left 10.3 screw and bottom 3.1 screw. Another screws can be removed easily… My macbook pro is 13-inch, Late 2011. What can be wrong?
Ilya - Antwoord
Note the position of the little grounding rings when removing the red (10mm) screws. You'll have to make sure to re-seat them when reassembling!
James - Antwoord
I think you should remark when re-assembling the machine, you should pay attention to the metal clip in Step 9, the upper left screw position, it's easy to miss when assembling, because there are so many wires, and it may be very easy forgetting putting the metal clip back in place.
Mac - Antwoord
No idea how I'm supposed to put back the "grounding rings". Anybody?
Sarge Izzard - Antwoord
As far as the grounding ring goes, it slips back over the screw hole, be patient and gentle. You may have to finagle the airport board under it first and then lay the board flat and reattach the subwoofer. I will see if I can add a pic in the near future. But that the best way to describe it.
Robert Wacker - Antwoord
Another comment on step nine I have is about the subwoofer. In my case the screw hole that is for the "One 5 mm Phillips screw" (its currently circled in yellow) was broken [Mind you I have never dropped this computer so it came that way from apple. So be carful, it may be fragile and need some repair. Apple really needs to have better quality control on parts like this .(also they won't care that it was that way, they didn't like that I opened the computer, so even though its their fault, I should never have known and therefore they shouldn't be held responsible in their mind.) This may not void warranty as an over all upgrade, but any parts 'broken' or in my case 'found broken' during the fix are not covered any longer. So just be aware of this possible defect. Happy fixing.
Robert Wacker - Antwoord
No need to unscrew the 2 orange-marked 3,1mm screws - they just keep the two black plastic pieces together. In the contrary, unscrewing these makes the job more wobbly.
de757 - Antwoord
I removed all the screws in this step with the PH0
casse89 - Antwoord
i managed to strip two of the 3 #00 Phillips screws on this step, so im going to try and explain how i removed them.
i got a ratchet that is about 5" long, and a 1/4" socket that fit the bits in the 54 bit driver kit
there are all of the parts that you need in that kit to connect it to the ratchet
with this tool of torque i dropped down a size and use the #000 Phillips bit
i pressed good and hard, and watched the head. if it didnt turn i pressed harder
one screw was the worst and the #000 didnt work on it, just stripped it further
so i threw the j000 on the end and gave it a go
the shaper point on the j000 seemed to do the job
i was on the verge of JB Welding bits to them and trying that
but i didnt need to
allen - Antwoord
I did not removed the orange screws. I also successfully skipped steps 6, 7, 8, and 11. when removing the hard drive enclosure (I had already the dual drive running, but I needed to replace the drive in the optical enclosure.
pauloau - Antwoord
Step 11
This step was also unnecessary. You can do the whole operation while leaving the subwoofer cable in place.
Steve - Antwoord
I removed it and after reassemble it looks like the speaker has no bass.
Rafael Carvalho - Antwoord
It also happened to me :( Did you solve it out?
Meenchul Kim -
I successfully skipped this step when removing the hard drive enclosure (I had already the dual drive running, but I needed to replace the drive in the optical enclosure. I also skipped steps 6, 7, and 8.
pauloau - Antwoord
Step 14
The two screws at the left are stuck. Anyone having this problem or know how to remove them? I used a Phillips #00 as stated and it doesn't work.
maximejobidon - Antwoord
I had the same issue. I got to Step 14 with no problems and then stripped the bottom left screw head! I was able to get it out with the help of a rubber band. You lay a section of the rubber band across the stripped screw, place your screwdriver on the screw pinching the rubber band. Then place a decent amount of force to engage the screw as you turn. Worked like a charm for me! Also, if you bought the ifixit optical bay hard drive enclosure they included two of those screws in the bag of screws (at least they did in mine).
andrewsimpsonx -
I had to drill mine. I cannot for the life of me understand how those got to be so tight or so easily stripped. The is no reason for either. Both mine stripped like a hot knife through butter.
I had to drill mine out. Not that hard with even the crappiest of drill bits. One I had to drill completely out, although honestly I just got the head off and left it. The drive bay replacement I got only had a place for two screws anyways. The other came out as expected, one I got enough into the head I was able to reverse directions and it came out.
I also did this without removing the camera cable and other items, just moved things out of the way. I took one tiny pull on the camera cable and knew better than to bother. You should be able to easily manage the items out of the way without causing any damage. Also, if you can only get one screw in, just make it one of the left screws. The unibody setup and placement of other items make it so that no matter what the drive is secure no matter what.
scottmilliken -
I'm having the exact same issue here. Left two screws are in there really tight. I got the top one out with the rubber band trick, but no dice with the bottom one.
Zachary Tatom - Antwoord
Same Problem one of the screws wont come out. I think it is stripped . What should I do now ?
binualexander - Antwoord
I stripped mine as well. Anyone know where I can buy these screws for cheap?
wyatt jones - Antwoord
As complained, the left bottom one was also annoying me, stripped out. If it is moderately stripped, then the rubber band would be the best answer as guided by andrewsimpsonx. The screw is tiny and shallow, so all you need is just one very hard pressing the screw, pinching the rubber band.
By the way, I was doing this to lighten my laptop, but note that it is not that affecting :(.
Meenchul Kim - Antwoord
can i reuse this optical drive again
justcause3 - Antwoord
Sure you can. Use it in anything. Stick it in a USB enclosure and carry it.
scottmilliken -
As complained, I'm stuck at step 14, because of one loisy screw... I've tried the rubber band trick, but it does not work with my screw ( bottom left one). Now the screw is also completely stripped, because of the rubber band trick. Does anyone have any recommendations, how to get the screw out ?
Rocky De Wiest - Antwoord
Well, that was a crock. I managed to get all the way to the end, didnt have to remove my camera cable, and the two last screws stripped out easier than a hot knife through butter.
I tried the rubber band trick, nothing on either one. Guess it will go to the drill.
scottmilliken -
Because I skipped steps 6, 7, 8, and 11 when removing the hard drive enclosure (I had already the dual drive running, but I needed to replace the drive in the optical enclosure) I found it specially difficult to put the top right screw back in place. It kept falling below the enclosure. I needed to remove the enclosure two times, before I was able to put it back.
pauloau - Antwoord
Basically i had to remove the optical drive by leaving the two left screw's there and snapping the whole thing, it was not the best solution but it worked, the two screws would't come out :)
manelrodrigues19 - Antwoord
Step 15
Because I skipped steps 6, 7, 8, and 11. when removing the hard drive enclosure (I had already the dual drive running, but I needed to replace the drive in the optical enclosure, I found it easier to remove the enclosure by lift the side close to the battery and main HD and pulling it towards myself (towards main HD and battery).
pauloau - Antwoord
Step 16
Does anyone have a problem that the cd/DVD won't fit in their SuperDrive once reinstalled? I am unable to fit a cd in, as well as eject any cd as well.
Jonathon Derr - Antwoord