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KraziKid · Mar 27, 2004, 12:15 AM

I had my PB in for repairs because I needed the backup battery replaced. When I got it back, I noticed that there was a gap on the front where the top case meets the bottom case. I wasn't about to send it in to Apple for that. So I decided that I would bring it somewhere. Then I found the service manual online, and looked at the steps. So I proceeded to go to Home Depot to buy a Torx T8 because I had no Torx screwdrivers. So with the service manual up on my other computer, I proceeded to follow it to the letter, with the exception of the black stick. Since I lacked a black nylon stick, and it said to use something non conductive, I took an old CD I didn't care about, and used this as a makeshift "black stick". After removing and reseating my top case, I had perfection. All in all, I would rate the difficulty of this around 6, but only because the screws are so tiny, if there were bigger screws I would rate this around a 3.5 (out of 10). Whoever repaired my PB must have gotten lazy at the end, because I was able to remove and reseat the top case and achieve perfect cosmetics.

rag on a muffin · Mar 27, 2004, 12:39 AM

i took off my old ibook's screen top before i had knowledge that the inverter board died because i was out in new mexico doing a film shoot, and we could NOT afford to loose it for a day. i took off the cover, and looked for loose cables, but couldn't find one, so we ended up dragging around an external monitor in the truck for the remainder of the time. lucky i brought that power inverter!

KraziKid · Mar 27, 2004, 12:59 AM

Originally posted by rag on a muffin:
i took off my old ibook's screen top before i had knowledge that the inverter board died because i was out in new mexico doing a film shoot, and we could NOT afford to loose it for a day. i took off the cover, and looked for loose cables, but couldn't find one, so we ended up dragging around an external monitor in the truck for the remainder of the time. lucky i brought that power inverter!

This isn't the screen cover. The Aluminum Powerbooks have three main structures in them. The Top Case, The Bottom Case, and the Display Assembly. The Top Case is the top of the main body where the keyboard lies. The whole piece comes off as a unit (speaker grills, keyboard, and trackpad).

rag on a muffin · Mar 27, 2004, 01:36 AM

i realize that, I'm just saying that i have taken my ibook apart before

KraziKid · Mar 27, 2004, 01:46 AM

Originally posted by rag on a muffin:
i realize that, I'm just saying that i have taken my ibook apart before

Ah, ok, I misunderstood you.

RodriCO2000 · Mar 29, 2004, 04:21 AM

I was trying to test out if i can open the PB to upgrade the HD, but i cant find that darn clip i am supposed to find behind the drive felt. Any suggestions???

Daracle · Mar 29, 2004, 04:25 PM

So you are talking about the gap above the CD slot?
If so, could you post the link on how to fix it...I would love to be able to

rag on a muffin · Mar 29, 2004, 04:43 PM

check the pismo blue screen forum, i think they have the guide on how to repair any model.

KraziKid · Mar 29, 2004, 07:35 PM

Originally posted by RodriCO2000:
I was trying to test out if i can open the PB to upgrade the HD, but i cant find that darn clip i am supposed to find behind the drive felt. Any suggestions???

What model PowerBook?

Originally posted by Daracle:
So you are talking about the gap above the CD slot?
If so, could you post the link on how to fix it...I would love to be able to

No, not exactly. When I got my PowerBook back from repair, there was about a one millimeter gab above and to the right of by release switch. I figured what the hell, and decided to open it up to fix it because it was just cosmetic. From what I now understand because I opened mine up, the actually slot for the CD is attached to the Top Case, so if there is a gab between the slot and the Top Case, I would call Apple up because they may need to replace the Top Case.

Once they release low power 7200 RPM 80 GB HDD's I think I will upgrade it myself because to swap the Hard Drive once the Top Case is off is a straightforward process.

Daracle · Mar 29, 2004, 07:56 PM

Thanks for the tip

RodriCO2000 · Mar 30, 2004, 02:22 AM

Sorry, I should have been more specific. I have the Al 15" PB.

I have the repair manual and it says that I need to apply pressure to a hidden clip right behind the optical drive felt, on the left side to pry the top case off. I cant find the clip (and if I did i am completely missing it) i dont want to break anything so I have hesitated to pry the case off unless I am 100% sure.