MCS mobilestor User manual

MobileStor
PowerBook Internal Hard Drive
with Installation Kit
Installation Guide
PowerBook G3 (1998-2000),
PowerBook G4 15-inch (Titanium, Aluminum)
http://www.mcetech.com

CONTENTS
Introduction .................................................................................... 1
PowerBook G3 (1998) Installation ............................................ 2
PowerBook G3 (1999) Installation ............................................ 7
PowerBook G3 (2000) Installation .......................................... 12
PowerBook G4 (Titanium) Installation .................................. 17
PowerBook G4 (FireWire 800) 15-inch Installation .............. 21
Troubleshooting ............................................................................... 28
Warranty Information ..................................................................... 31

MobileStor Installation Guide 1
Introduction
Thank you for purchasing a new MCE hard drive upgrade solution for
your PowerBook! We’re sure that your new high-capacity hard drive
will enrich your PowerBook computing experience.
 Important Note: MCE strongly recommends that the instal-
lation of the new drive be performed by a qualied technician.
The installation procedure involves disassembling the computer
and exposing its sensitive electronics. This is a delicate process
and, if not performed properly, can cause damage to the com-
puter and the drive or injury to the installer. These installation
instructions are given for those who understand and accept
these risks. MCE will not be liable for any damage done to the
computer, the person installing the drive, or to the drive itself as
a result of an improper installation.
The new hard drive comes formatted and initialized with a Macintosh
driver, but requires the installation of appropriate Mac OS operating
system software for use in the PowerBook. See the PowerBook User’s
Manual for Mac OS operating system installation procedures.
If any difculty is encountered during the installation of the hard
drive, you may receive free technical support by sending an email to
[email protected].

PowerBook G3 (1998) 2
Introduction to PowerBook G3 (1998) Installation
This chapter details the procedure for installing an MCE hard drive up-
grade kit into a PowerBook G3 (1998 release; a.k.a. Black keyboard G3,
Wall Street, Main Street, PDQ).
Note: This section pertains to the PowerBook G3 model that has a
white Apple logo on the outside of the top cover and a multi-colored
Apple logo below the display.
MCE strongly recommends that the installation be performed by a
qualied technician. The installation procedure involves disassembling
the PowerBook and exposing its sensitive electronics. This is a delicate
process and, if not performed properly, could cause damage to the Pow-
erBook. These installation instructions are given for those who under-
stand these risks. If performed correctly, these instructions will guide an
individual step-by-step through a successful installation of the new hard
drive.
The new hard drive comes formatted and initialized with a Macintosh
driver, but requires the installation of appropriate Mac OS operating
system software for use in the PowerBook. See the PowerBook User’s
Manual for Mac OS operating system installation procedures.
If any difculty is encountered during the installation of the hard drive,
you may receive technical assistance by calling [phone] within the
United States or Canada, or by sending email to [email protected].
!

PowerBook G3 (1998) 3
Installation Checklist
In addition to the new hard drive, the following items should also be
found in this PowerBook hard drive upgrade kit:
- (1) Disposable Grounding Wrist Strap
- (1) MCE Standard/Phillips Combo Screwdriver
- (1) Torx T8 Screwdriver
Installation Procedure
Caution: Electro-Static Discharge (ESD) can easily damage
electronic components. Before proceeding, ensure that you are
discharged of static electricity by touching a grounded metal ob-
ject and by properly securing the provided Disposable Ground-
ing Wrist Strap.
Step 1: Place your PowerBook on a hard, at surface.
Step 2: If your PowerBook is on, turn it off. If the unit appears to be
off, make sure that it is not in Sleep mode.
Step 3: Completely unplug all cables from the PowerBook and remove
any batteries, media bay devices, and PC Card modules from it.
Step 4: Adjust the PowerBook’s display so that it is at a 90-degree angle
to its base.
Step 5: Reach into the expansion
bays with each of your index
ngers and locate the plastic key-
board release tabs on each side.
They are ridged and are located
on the underside of the palm rest.
Slide the tabs toward the front of
the computer until you see the bottom of the keyboad pop up slightly.
!

PowerBook G3 (1998) 4
Step 6: Slide the keyboard about
a half inch toward the front of the
computer until the ve metal tabs
on the back of the keyboard clear
the chassis.
Caution: Do not put tension on or remove the ribbon cables
connecting the keyboard to the logic board.
Step 7: Gently rotate the back
of the keyboard towards the front
of the system until it is resting
upside down on the palm rest.
Caution: If the PowerBook was just in operation, the heat sink
may be hot. If this is so, let it cool down.
Step 8: Remove the two screws
securing the internal heat sink in
place. Lift the heat sink out of its
compartment by gently but rmly
pulling up on the small metal tab
located on its front edge.
!
!

PowerBook G3 (1998) 5
Step 9: Locate the original inter-
nal hard drive in the upper right
corner of the system base unit.
Step 10: Using the T8 Torx
screwdriver, loosen the screw that
secures the hard drive bracket
in place, noting that the screw
remains attached to the bracket
- do not try to completely remove
the screw from the bracket.
Step 11: Gently but rmly pull
up on the tab located on the left
side of the hard drive bracket
to remove the bracket from its
compartment in the computer’s
base unit.
Step 12: Remove the two screws
holding the the hard drive-to-logic
board connector onto the bracket.

!
PowerBook G3 (1998) 6
Step 13: Remove the hard drive-
to-logic board connector board
from the hard drive.
Step 14: Remove the four screws
which hold the bracket onto the hard
drive and then slip the hard drive out
of the bracket.
• Reverse the relevant previous steps to reassemble the computer.
Congratulations on the installation of your new PowerBook hard drive
upgrade!
Note: It is normal for usable hard drive capacities to be reduced by
5-7% upon initialization of the drive. Also, your drive ships prefor-
matted and initialized, but does not include system software on it.
If you have the appropriate hardware, such as the MCE Transport
PC Card Hard Drive Kit or the MCE Transport Pro FireWire/USB
Hard Drive Kit, you may transfer the data from the original internal
hard drive to the new internal hard drive. If not, you may need
to re-install your system software and other applications from the
original disks or CD-ROM disc. Consult the manual(s) that came
with your PowerBook for details.

!
PowerBook G3 (1999) 7
Introduction to PowerBook G3 (1999) Installation
This chapter details the procedure for installing an MCE hard drive up-
grade kit into a PowerBook G3 (1999 release; a.k.a. Bronze, Lombard).
Note: To distinguish this PowerBook G3 from other PowerBook
G3 models, note that the computer has, among its other ports, two
built-in USB ports ( ) and one built-in SCSI port ( ).
MCE strongly recommends that the installation be performed by a
qualied technician. The installation procedure involves disassembling
the PowerBook and exposing its sensitive electronics. This is a delicate
process and, if not performed properly, could cause damage to the Pow-
erBook. These installation instructions are given for those who under-
stand these risks. If performed correctly, these instructions will guide an
individual step-by-step through a successful installation of the new hard
drive.
The new hard drive comes formatted and initialized with a Macintosh
driver, but requires the installation of appropriate Mac OS operating
system software for use in the PowerBook. See the PowerBook User’s
Manual for Mac OS operating system installation procedures.
If any difculty is encountered during the installation of the hard drive,
you may receive technical assistance by calling [phone] within the
United States or Canada, or by sending email to [email protected].

PowerBook G3 (1999) 8
Installation Checklist
In addition to the new hard drive, the following items should also be
found in this PowerBook hard drive upgrade kit:
- (1) Disposable Grounding Wrist Strap
- (1) MCE Standard/Phillips Combo Screwdriver
- (1) Torx T8 Screwdriver
Installation Procedure
Caution: Electro-Static Discharge (ESD) can easily damage
electronic components. Before proceeding, ensure that you are
discharged of static electricity by touching a grounded metal ob-
ject and by properly securing the provided Disposable Ground-
ing Wrist Strap.
Step 1: Place your PowerBook on a hard, at surface.
Step 2: If your PowerBook is on, turn it off. If the unit appears to be
off, make sure that it is not in Sleep mode.
Step 3: Adjust the PowerBook’s display so that it is at a 90-degree angle
to its base.
Step 4: Completely unplug all cables from the PowerBook and remove
any batteries, media bay devices, and PC Card modules from it.
Step 5: If the keyboard is locked,
unlock it by turning the keyboard
lock screw counter-clockwise with a
at head screwdriver. Note that this
keyboard locking screw is captured
and should not be removed complete-
ly from its slot.
!
keyboard
locking screw

PowerBook G3 (1999) 9
Step 6: Push the keyboard release tabs towards the
front of the PowerBook and gen-
tly lift so that the keyboard pops
up from that end. Disengage the
tabs on the bottom of the key-
board which secure it to the palm
rest by holding the top corners
of the keyboard and and pulling
them up and out.
Step 7: Carefully rotate the
keyboard so that it lays face down on the PowerBook’s palm rest, being
careful not to pull on the ribbon cable attaching the keyboard to the logic
board.
Step 8: Remove the heatsink by
removing its three screws and
pulling its handle up and out.
Note: The heat spreader
on the top of the pro-
cessor may come off and become attached to the bottom of the
heat sink. Be sure that the heat spreader is properly placed on
the processor before re-
placing the heat sink.
Step 9: Fold back the translucent
plastic ap attached to the end
of the hard drive and disconnect
the hard drive connector from the
logic board by very carefully pry-
ing it up with the end of a small
!
heatsink
screws
keyboard release tabs

PowerBook G3 (1999) 10
Step 10: Lift the plastic ap up
to bring the end of the hard drive
out of its compartment.
Step 11: Grasp the hard drive
bracket by its sides and carefully
pull the drive out of its compart-
ment. You may have to gently
but rmly jostle the drive from
side to side to loosen it from its
fasteners within the compartment.
Step 12: Remove the four
screws from out of the black
grommets at the side corners of
the hard drive bracket using the
Torx T8 driver.
Step 13: Carefully lift the hard
drive bracket away from the hard
drive, routing the orange ribbon
cable through the opening in the
bracket.

PowerBook G3 (1999) 11
Step 14: Carefully remove the
ribbon cable connector from the
hard drive.
Caution: Note that the ribbon cable connector does not
attach to the “Group B” pins as indicated on the diagram
below. The same is true when you re-attach the connector
to the new drive.
• Reverse the relevant previous steps to reassemble the computer.
Congratulations on the installation of your new PowerBook hard drive
upgrade!
Note: It is normal for usable hard drive capacities to be reduced
by 5-7% upon initialization of the drive. Also, your drive ships
preformatted and initialized, but does not include system soft-
ware on it. If you have the appropriate hardware, such as the
MCE Transport PC Card Hard Drive Kit or the MCE Transport
Pro FireWire/USB Hard Drive Kit, you may transfer the data
from the original internal hard drive to the new internal hard
drive. If not, you may need to re-install your system software
and other applications from the original disks or CD-ROM
disc. Consult the manual(s) that came with your PowerBook for
details.
!
!
Group B
Group A
gap
Hard Drive Pins

PowerBook G3 (2000) 12
Introduction to PowerBook 2000 Installation
This chapter details the procedure for installing an MCE hard drive up-
grade kit into a PowerBook G3 (2000 release; a.k.a. FireWire, Pismo).
Note: To distinguish this PowerBook G3 from other PowerBook
G3 models, note that this PowerBook has two built-in FireWire
ports ( ).
MCE strongly recommends that the installation be performed by a
qualied technician. The installation procedure involves disassembling
the PowerBook and exposing its sensitive electronics. This is a delicate
process and, if not performed properly, could cause damage to the Pow-
erBook. These installation instructions are given for those who under-
stand these risks. If performed correctly, these instructions will guide an
individual step-by-step through a successful installation of the new hard
drive.
The new hard drive comes formatted and initialized with a Macintosh
driver, but requires the installation of appropriate Mac OS operating
system software for use in the PowerBook. See the PowerBook User’s
Manual for Mac OS operating system installation procedures.
If any difculty is encountered during the installation of the hard drive,
you may receive technical assistance by calling [phone] within the
United States or Canada, or by sending email to [email protected].
!

PowerBook G3 (2000) 13
Installation Checklist
In addition to the new hard drive, the following items should also be
found in the PowerBook hard drive upgrade kit:
- (1) Disposable Grounding Wrist Strap
- (1) MCE Standard/Phillips Combo Screwdriver
- (1) Torx T8 Screwdriver
Installation Procedure
Caution: Electro-Static Discharge (ESD) can easily damage
electronic components. Before proceeding, ensure that you are
discharged of static electricity by touching a grounded metal ob-
ject and by properly securing the provided Disposable Ground-
ing Wrist Strap.
Step 1: Place your PowerBook on a hard, at surface.
Step 2: If your PowerBook is on, turn it off. If the unit appears to be
off, make sure that it is not in Sleep mode.
Step 3: Adjust the PowerBook’s display so that it is tilted back as far as
it will go.
Step 4: Completely unplug all cables from the PowerBook and remove
any batteries, media bay devices, and PC Card modules from it.
Step 5: If the keyboard is locked in
place, unlock it by turning the key-
board lock screw counter-clockwise
with a tiny at head screwdriver.
Note that this keyboard locking
screw is captured and should not be
removed from its slot.
!

PowerBook G3 (2000) 14
Step 6: Push the keyboard release tabs
towards the front of the PowerBook and
gently lift so that the keyboard pops up
from that end. By holding the top cor-
ners of the keyboard and pulling them up
and out, disengage the tabs on the bottom
of the keyboard which secure it to the inside
of the palm rest .
Step 7: Carefully rotate the key-
board so that it lays face down on
the PowerBook’s palm rest, being
careful not to rip the ribbon cable
attaching the keyboard to the
logic board. Carefully disconnect
the keyboard ribbon cable from
the logic board.
Step 8: Remove the heat shield
by removing its two screws and
pulling it up and out. Make sure
it is not too hot before handling.
Step 9: Remove the screw
that secures the processor heat
spreader in place.
Step 10: Remove the processor
card from its logic board con-
nector by pulling up on the its
pull tab, which is the shorter of
the two translucent tabs located to
the left of the hard drive.

PowerBook G3 (2000) 15
Note: When replacing the processor card, be sure to securely re-
connect it to the logic board by carefully but rmly pressing down
on its lower-right corner (if present, remove any memory card in
the top memory slot before pressing, and re-attach it after processor
card is seated securly).
Step 11: Disconnect the hard
drive ribbon connector from the
logic board.
Step 12: Lift up the hard drive
pull tab to bring the end of the
hard drive out of its compartment.
Step 13: Grasp the hard drive
bracket by its sides and carefully
pull the drive out of its compart-
ment. You may have to gently
but rmly jostle the drive from
side to side to loosen it from its
fasteners within the compartment.
Step 14: Remove the four screws
from out of the black grommets
at the side corners of the hard
drive bracket using the Torx T8
driver.
Step 15: Carefully lift the hard
drive bracket away from the hard
drive, routing the orange ribbon
cable through the opening in the
bracket.
!

!
PowerBook G3 (2000) 16
Step 16: Carefully remove the
ribbon cable connector from the
hard drive.
Caution: Note that the ribbon cable connector does not attach to
the “Group B” pins in the diagram on the next page. The same is
true when you re-attach the connector to the new drive.
• Reverse the relevant previous steps to reassemble the computer.
Congratulations on the installation of your new PowerBook hard drive
upgrade!
Note: It is normal for usable hard drive capacities to be reduced
by 5-7% upon initialization of the drive. Also, your drive ships
preformatted and initialized, but does not include system soft-
ware on it. If you have the appropriate hardware, such as the
MCE Transport PC Card Hard Drive Kit or the MCE Transport
Pro FireWire/USB Hard Drive Kit, you may transfer the data
from the original internal hard drive to the new internal hard
drive. If not, you may need to re-install your system software
and other applications from the original disks or CD-ROM
disc. Consult the manual(s) that came with your PowerBook for
!
Group B
Group A
Hard Drive Pins

PowerBook G4 Titanium 17
Introduction to PowerBook G4 Installation
This chapter details the procedure for installing an MCE hard drive up-
grade kit into a PowerBook G4.
MCE strongly recommends that the installation be performed by a
qualied technician. The installation procedure involves disassembling
the PowerBook and exposing its sensitive electronics. This is a delicate
process and, if not performed properly, could cause damage to the Pow-
erBook. These installation instructions are given for those who under-
stand these risks. If performed correctly, these instructions will guide an
individual step-by-step through a successful installation of the new hard
drive.
The new hard drive comes formatted and initialized with a Macintosh
driver, but requires the installation of appropriate Mac OS operating
system software for use in the PowerBook. See the PowerBook User’s
Manual for Mac OS operating system installation procedures.
If any difculty is encountered during the installation of the hard drive,
you may receive technical assistance by calling [phone] within the
United States or Canada, or by sending email to [email protected].

!
PowerBook G4 Titanium 18
Installation Checklist
In addition to the new hard drive, the following items should also be
found in this PowerBook hard drive upgrade kit:
- (1) Disposable Grounding Wrist Strap
- (1) MCE Standard/Phillips Combo Screwdriver
- (1) Torx T8 Screwdriver
Installation Procedure
Caution: Electro-Static Discharge (ESD) can easily damage
electronic components. Before proceeding, ensure that you are
discharged of static electricity by touching a grounded metal ob-
ject and by properly securing the provided Disposable Ground-
ing Wrist Strap.
Step 1: Place your PowerBook on a hard, at surface.
Step 2: If your PowerBook is on, turn it off. If the unit appears to be
off, make sure that it is not in Sleep mode.
Step 3: Completely unplug all cables
from the PowerBook and remove the
battery and any PC Card module
connected to it.