Kristina Graham

See step 22 to get a clearer picture of what the connector looks like when it is separated from its socket. Your replacement screen will have a new socket (i.e., the bottom piece of the connector). My replacement screen had a new socket attached to the unit by a thin piece of plastic. For reassembly, when working the Home Button/Touch ID assembly back into the new screen, I had to work the connector cable under the socket in order to get the connector re-attached.

Solved it myself. Firm pressure did the trick.

Ok. My screw is stuck. How do I remove it? Philips head is stripped.

At first I didn’t understand why I needed to transfer the screws from the old drive to the new one. Then I figured out that the screws are used as pegs to keep the drive in place.

Also, the software side of things confused me until I found ifixit.com’s video on copying the old drive to the new one. On YouTube it is titled “How to Transfer Your Mac’s Data to a New Hard Drive SSD”.

ifixit.com has some amazing tutorials. Thanks! I can’t believe I’m running the latest OS version on my mid 2012 Macbook Pro!

The link above is no longer available.

Yes, buying the kit and components from ifixit made the process so much less complicated. I also replaced my hard drive while I had the computer open. Both hardware replacements were so much easier than dealing with the software part of things.

I used the spudger to gently ease the battery connector out. I then placed a q-tip between the connector and it’s socket to avoid making an accidental connection. A toothpick or some other soft stick might also work.

To keep track of screws, I used the suggestions above by taping a photo of the lower case to a piece of corrugated cardboard and inserting/taping the screws in place. Also, as some have noted, the screws go back in at a slight angle; they are angled toward the center of the unit.