Macbook Core Duo Airport Card Replacement Repair Guide

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

                          20 - 40 minutes

Sections

Battery
2 steps
Memory Cover
2 steps
Upper Case
8 steps
AirPort Card
3 steps

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Introduction

What you need

Video Overview

Step 1

              Battery

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

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

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Step 2

Lift the battery out of the computer.

Lift the battery out of the computer.

Step 3

              Memory Cover

Remove the three evenly-spaced Phillips screws from along the rear wall of the battery compartment.
The screws are captive to the metal memory cover.
When replacing the battery casing, use a spudger to re-insert the foam cushioning behind the rear wall for propper battery spacing.

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

The screws are captive to the metal memory cover.

When replacing the battery casing, use a spudger to re-insert the foam cushioning behind the rear wall for propper battery spacing.

Step 4

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

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

Step 5

              Upper Case

Remove the following 3 screws:
One 11 mm Phillips #00 in the middle of the case.
Two 14.5 mm Phillips #00.
If the screws stick in the case, you can use a magnetized screwdriver to draw them out.
The shorter of the three screws goes in the middle.

Remove the following 3 screws:

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

Two 14.5 mm Phillips #00.

If the screws stick in the case, you can use a magnetized screwdriver to draw them out.

The shorter of the three screws goes in the middle.

Step 6

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.
When reinstalling these screws, press gently on the lower case to line up the screw holes.
These screws easily strip, so be careful while taking these particular screws out.

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.

When reinstalling these screws, press gently on the lower case to line up the screw holes.

These screws easily strip, so be careful while taking these particular screws out.

Step 7

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 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).

Step 8

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 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.

Step 9

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.
Do not over-tighten these; you can cause the case to distort.

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.

Do not over-tighten these; you can cause the case to distort.

Step 10

Remove the two 5.2 mm shouldered Phillips #00 screws from the optical side of the computer.
It is not necessary to remove the similar screws on the other side of the computer.

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

It is not necessary to remove the similar screws on the other side of the computer.

Step 11

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.
There’s a trackpad and keyboard ribbon connecting the upper case to the logic board, so don’t pull the upper case off entirely just yet.
If you have trouble getting the clips to release, be careful that you are not prying the plastic top of the upper case away from its metal frame.

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.

There’s a trackpad and keyboard ribbon connecting the upper case to the logic board, so don’t pull the upper case off entirely just yet.

If you have trouble getting the clips to release, be careful that you are not prying the plastic top of the upper case away from its metal frame.

Step 12

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.
Take care to pry between the black socket and the white connector. You might have to pry on both sides for it to release properly.
Do not pry from the bottom or the top, but from the sides.
If you happen to break your upper case cable when removing the upper case, we stock the cable individually and we have a guide that makes replacing it easy.

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.

Take care to pry between the black socket and the white connector. You might have to pry on both sides for it to release properly.

Do not pry from the bottom or the top, but from the sides.

If you happen to break your upper case cable when removing the upper case, we stock the cable individually and we have a guide that makes replacing it easy.

Step 13

              AirPort Card

Disconnect the two antenna cables from the Airport card on the left side of the computer.

Disconnect the two antenna cables from the Airport card on the left side of the computer.

Step 14

Remove the following 2 screws from the Airport card:
One 3 mm Phillips from the left side.
One 8 mm Phillips from the right side.

Remove the following 2 screws from the Airport card:

One 3 mm Phillips from the left side.

One 8 mm Phillips from the right side.

Step 15

Grasp the Airport card at its top and slide it toward the screen and out of the computer.

Grasp the Airport card at its top and slide it toward the screen and out of the computer.

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

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                    iRobot

Member since: 09/24/2009

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Gyuri Ordody - Apr 28, 2010

You’ll have to remove a lot of different sized screws. Be careful to take care of properly placing them while doing the steps - you’ll have to put them back the way you took them out. I personally placed them the way the pictures show them.

deejai58 - May 20, 2011

I did not install an AirPort card However I used the guide to open my MacBook to give it a good cleaning inside. Perfect!

Jeannine Guenette - Dec 26, 2012

Thank you thank you thank you. A lifelong PC user, with their wife’s MacBook ( so lots of pressure not to break it) was able to follow this walk through and make their wife so happy with the improved performance. Thanks for giving me the confidence to tackle other upgrades that can be done on this MacBook!

-Geoff K

christopher e m - Jul 2, 2017

These instructions were really fantastic. SO easy to follow, and I’m especially glad that there was a video which reinforced the written instructions. Thank you!

ROBERT Dyrmishi - Sep 21, 2018

do you have any idea for the laptop vostro 1000 how?

Introduction#

What you need#

Video Overview#

Introduction

What you need

Video Overview