So simple a couple of highly educated tech professionals can do it

The trusty iBook has been cranky for a couple of months now, and it became apparent I had reached the limits on the hard drive. Since this impeded my ability to purchase new music, steal music and copy music for others, it had to be remedied. Also, since I am taking a work/pseudo vacation, I should probably have a more or less functioning laptop should my services actually be required.

Naturally, I turned to SuperJoe for advice on my next steps. Certainly I couldn't leave something as critical as laptop maintenance to the professionals at Apple. He clearly intimated that he knew how to replace the drive if I just went about purchasing the correct one. I did the research, bought the drive and ventured out for my first visit to the MS campus.

Well, SuperJoe slightly mislead me in that he has not taken apart a laptop before, and we're both coming at this with little more than directions online and some tools we had to run out and buy. Apple really does not want you opening those puppies yourself. There are a million tiny screws of varying size holding it together and they have to be taken out and put back in a specific order. It totally required removing two layers from the bottom before forcing off the inside layer around the keyboard. Force was the operative word at many points in the process. To be fair, it might not have required all the layers be removed, but invoked a bit of trial and error.

Considering the amount of very physical prying, bending and outright brute force, I was sure it was the end of my iBook. After a few hours, some calming drinks and a fair amount of cursing we came out with only three extra screws and an host of dings and digs on the chassy.

I basically held my breath until it came to life at home. She's ALIVE! We are apparently geniuses! I don't have to buy a new computer!

The next challenge will be migrating the old data from the backup, but I've got over 100 GB of untarnished space at my disposal. Success!