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get the part off ebay and the instructions for replacement off http://pbfixit.com/

(pbfixit will also sell you the drive, but it's usually cheaper on ebay)

I've had to replace a couple in old laptops and it's not hard.

No need to be nervous. Just take your time, be careful, and follow the instructions. I replaced the hard drive on my wife's iBook late last year and it went much smoother than I expected. Then recently I accidentally dropped it from countertop height with the lid open. Cracked the display bezel so that it was nearly impossible to open or close. So I disassembled the whole thing again, this time removing the display and opening that up too. Turns out the LCD panel was fine, just got disconnected in the drop (thank goodness, as those can be a few hundred bucks), so I just needed a replacement bezel from eBay. I installed it over the weekend, and again the iBook is good as new! I'm starting to feel like a pro at this... The site you linked to looks pretty good, but I highly, highly recommend also looking at the guides at pbfixit.com as well. Tip: print out every large size image where any screws are removed. Lay them all out on a large table. Each time you remove a screw, place it on the printout exactly where it would go. Then, when you reassemble it, you know exactly where each screw goes. Saves a ton of hassle and ensures that every screw goes back where it came from (important when there are many different sizes). Good luck (if you haven't already done it).

Compare this with replacing the hard drive of my IBM thinkpad, which required removing four screws and sliding the hard drive out.

btw, http://www.pbfixit.com/Guide/?p=Pismo*00 is a nice place with good pics and step by step instructions for taking Apple Laptops apart... it has already helped me twice this year...

I have 3 Macs: an 8-year-old PowerMac, a 3-year-old PowerMac, and a 2-year-old iBook. The two PowerMacs have been rock solid from day one. Sorry, no breakage stories there.

The iBook has had the famed logic board problem. Twice. Both times, took it to the nearest Apple Store (about 25 minutes away) and sent it in for repair. Back in a few days, with other, out-of-warranty items fixed too.

The iBook's hard drive died recently, out of warranty. I looked on the web, found a great site with all the instructions you could possibly want, and replaced it myself. I recently dropped the iBook and busted the display housing. Opened it up and fixed that too.

Wanna upgrade? Standard parts. Need to pop open your Mac mini? Check apple.slashdot.org, there's a new article with a link to a video. Sounds promising.

Why the phobia about trying something new? You're a geek, aren't you? You should be salivating over the prospect of a new OS to explore. And really you'll find that it's a familiar friend (unix) with all kinds of crazy cool stuff on top.

Plus - your wife is asking for it right? Why piss her off and get her something YOU wanted. Just get her what SHE wanted! You'll fall in love with it too. Sheesh.

This picture shows them rather well. If you look in the center area, there's a component with a "hot" logo. It has several heat pipes that run through it.

It's not the fastest laptop on the planet, but a Combo (DVD/CD-RW) drive is about the only thing I miss on my circa. end-of-2001 iBook G3 600 MHz (I've upgraded it with additional RAM and an Airport card.

Does anyone know if there are other suppliers of Combo Drives for the G3 iBooks? Australian suppliers would be preferred, but not essential.

It's not the fastest laptop on the planet, but a Combo (DVD/CD-RW) drive is about the only thing I miss on my circa. end-of-2001 iBook G3 600 MHz (I've upgraded it with additional RAM and an Airport card.

Does anyone know if there are other suppliers of Combo Drives for the G3 iBooks? Australian suppliers would be preferred, but not essential.

It's not the fastest laptop on the planet, but a Combo (DVD/CD-RW) drive is about the only thing I miss on my circa. end-of-2001 iBook G3 600 MHz (I've upgraded it with additional RAM and an Airport card.

Does anyone know if there are other suppliers of Combo Drives for the G3 iBooks? Australian suppliers would be preferred, but not essential.

I recently opened up my AlBook (15") to hopefully to upgrade from a combo drive to a super drive. Lemmie tell you - opening up this case is HARD! Undoing all of the right screws is nothing, but removing the top deck with those tabs - It's murder. I scratched the heck out of my computer and even when I took it to my Apple-Certified technicians (Yes, they claim there's a special tool for unclipping those little metal tabs.) they scratched the heck out of my computer and bent the bit of metal above the CD slot.

If anyone knows more details about a magic tool to help "pop the top" on an AlBook - Please, let the world know about it. Otherwise, I strongly recommend you get a thin plastic-coated pry bar for popping those tabs, and DON'T use a lot of force.

especially this link

I don't know how many times in the last six months I've heard idiots on IRC claim powerbook 12 inch models don't have fans because apple skimped on the design.

It's nice to be able to show proof. All hail intarweb.

Sorry for the initial downtime-- the site is back up. Emergency server upgrades give a new sense to the term 'hot-swapping' RAM. -Kyle Wiens CEO, PB FixIt -------- www.PBFixIt.com

Great! They're Jesus Freaks (TM)!

Thanks anyway, but I prefer to give my money to folks who are considerate enough to keep their religious propaganda out of their business.

Found a site called PowerBook FixIt the other day that specializes in inexpensive replacement Apple laptop parts. They seem to be far less than what Apple charges, and significantly cheaper than other Apple sites (like PBParts and Small Dog) URI: http://www.PBFixIt.com/