How to replace a hard drive in a 15" MacBook Pro

BEWARE!!......When you remover the keyboard cover, take SPECIAL CARE to remove the plug from the keyboard AND hard drive.

I broke my hard drive cable ($40 replacement) by pulling on it when you should use NAILS or flathead screwdriver to dig under it to remove the flimsy plug. This video make it look too easy. Special care is necessary.

The Apple store me told me they get TONS of repair work from people who accidentally break the SATA cable going into the board doing the HD replacement.

Mine didn't sit flush either. After a good while I figured it out. You have to push the top metal edge of the DVD tray IN as you're pushing DOWN firmly over the top. The two pieces will ALIGN and you'll hear a *snap*. Don't push too hard as to not bend the metal...feel it out. With jiggering, you'll hear the pieces crackle which means you're on trackto getting them to snap in place!

Thank you very much. I followed your tutorial and successfully completed the replacement with no problems.

i bought a corsair p256 ssd online and getting ready to replace my 256gb hd currently in my mbp. i was going to "clone" the old drive to the new one (not exactly sure about the terminology). can you recommend some steps i can take (referring to software, external enclosures, etc)? also, will the steps you mentioned change if i am installing an ssd rather than a regular hard drive?

excellent guide, now i need to know how to watch this video while replacing the hd on my only computer is the next step to figure out.

Excellent, informative, and clear guide. Thanks!

very nice video, this is how tutorials should be !!

I wouldnt, they get to hot for the macbook to handle and you will cause burns... trust me v seen a couple who have been down this path
But hey not all hardrives do this xD so no flamming :o