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+--- Thread: FU: Open iMac surgery + a warning about OS installers and date dependency (/showthread.php?tid=184143)
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FU: Open iMac surgery + a warning about OS installers and date dependency - Bimwad - 10-18-2015
Finally found some time to crack open my Al iMac and install an SSD.
Overall, it's not a bad job at all, and very straightforward, given the instructions online.
Only tools required for my vintage were a T8 & T6 Torx driver. A couple suction cups from a shower caddy pulled the glass off no problem.
Being cognizant of the cable routing for the LCD temp sensor, and the microphone is something to be aware of, but nothing foreign for someone's who had disassembled stuff before.
iFixit's instructions regarding the HD temp sensor are a little too thorough; one can just peel the sensor off the existing drive intact, and reapply to the new one. No need to disconnect the wire connector from the board, or remove the sensor from its holder before detaching it.
I used the Newer drive adapter, which has a bridge board to mimic the original placement of the SATA connectors. There isn't enough slack in the cables for a generic adapter, if one is picky about properly mounting the drive. Most position the drive's connectors in a way that the cables won't reach.
There was surprisingly little dust inside, compared to all manner of full-sized desktops I've taken apart.
Microfiber cloths and canned air took care of cleaning the LCD panel and outer glass; even if one is careful not to touch them, they will still get dusty.
I happened to have some CR2032 cells on hand I had just bought for a calculator, so for good measure, I replaced the PRAM battery since the original one is now pushing beyond seven years. Easier to get more batteries than open up the computer again.
That leads to a caveat -- for some reason, OS X installers now balk if they don't like the date that the computer is set to. Replacing the battery reset the date to a time the El Cap installer disliked, so the first attempt failed with an error "No packages were eligible for install."
A quick search revealed the issue, so I just booted up from an external disk, verified the date/time were correct, then the second attempt succeeded. It's also possible to set the correct date in Terminal.
Aside from being quick, having an SSD makes the computer almost silent.
Thanks to all who gave tips a couple weeks ago.
Re: FU: Open iMac surgery + a warning about OS installers and date dependency - modelamac - 10-18-2015
I forgot about the PRAM battery when I installed the SSD in my 2007 iMac 2.8 C2D this past spring. I'm sure that will bite me fairly soon.
Re: FU: Open iMac surgery + a warning about OS installers and date dependency - RAMd®d - 10-18-2015
That leads to a caveat -- for some reason, OS X installers now balk if they don't like the date that the computer is set to. Replacing the battery reset the date to a time the El Cap installer disliked, so the first attempt failed with an error "No packages were eligible for install."
A quick search revealed the issue, so I just booted up from an external disk, verified the date/time were correct, then the second attempt succeeded. It's also possible to set the correct date in Terminal.
Great info, though I may never crack a modern iMac.
I remember when TechTool could view the hours of use on early PPC Macs. I was disappointed when I had to change the battery on my LC, to lose all those hours, not that it was truly important.
Exactly what date is changed when the PRAM battery is changed, and where can one view it beforehand?
Re: FU: Open iMac surgery + a warning about OS installers and date dependency - lost in space - 10-18-2015
modelamac wrote:
I forgot about the PRAM battery when I installed the SSD in my 2007 iMac 2.8 C2D this past spring. I'm sure that will bite me fairly soon.
Dang. Me too. Didn't occur to me on mine either.
Re: FU: Open iMac surgery + a warning about OS installers and date dependency - jdc - 10-18-2015
Told you
I used the OWC video vs iFixit, seemed easier. And just used velcro on the drive, the drive bracket seemed unnecessary.
Re: FU: Open iMac surgery + a warning about OS installers and date dependency - sekker - 10-18-2015
SSD upgrade L E A D E R !
Re: FU: Open iMac surgery + a warning about OS installers and date dependency - Onamuji - 10-18-2015
The issue with the date and time is due to the security certificates used to validate installers. They're only valid within a certain date-range.
Re: FU: Open iMac surgery + a warning about OS installers and date dependency - silvarios - 10-18-2015
Onamuji wrote:
The issue with the date and time is due to the security certificates used to validate installers. They're only valid within a certain date-range.
This. On the flip side, since certificates can expire, I had a bunch of archived installers become invalid. Had to redownload all the updates again. That was fun!
Re: FU: Open iMac surgery + a warning about OS installers and date dependency - Psurfer - 10-18-2015
[deleted dbl post]
Re: FU: Open iMac surgery + a warning about OS installers and date dependency - Psurfer - 10-18-2015
jdc wrote:
I used the OWC video vs iFixit, seemed easier. And just used velcro on the drive, the drive bracket seemed unnecessary.
Wouldn't heat potentially cause the Velcro adhesive to lose its grip on either SSD or iMac metal?
-what adhesive was used, or was it the self-sticky Velcro?