I was recently asked to remove the hard drive from a failed Apple Mac Mini in order to remove valuable data and then securely erase the drive. Now the Mac Mini is a great little machine, but working on it can be a touch tricky with everything crammed into such a small space.
The first problem you have is getting inside the machine! In order to remove the top case and get at the components, you’ll need to prise the top cover away from the bottom housing. I use an old putty knife to carefully prise the two apart. Like with all repair jobs, care and patience are important. Don’t rush to try and get the cover off in one go or you’ll be in danger of causing inadvertent damage.
With the cover removed, you are almost there. Gently remove the airport card, carefully disconnect a few cables, and then release the internal frame from the bottom case which is held in place by 4 x Phillips screws. Once the frame is removed, you can release the hard drive.
If you don’t fancy this bit of micro surgery, bring you Mac Mini along to My PC Surgery and let us rescue your hard drive for you.