If you are finding the 10GB hard disk of your white iBook (2 USB ports) becoming a bit of a limitation, and can not find out how to upgrade the disk, this is the page you need!

Apart from greater capacity, you can also dramatically improve the disk performance of your iBook, and make it quieter too!

This upgrade is, if everyone else is to be believed, impossible. Well, I have done it, it wasn not that hard, and I am going to show you how. The reason the upgrade is not encouraged is because it definitely does require patience, some bravery, and a couple of spare hours - however, if you are careful and methodical, the upgrade can be carried out by anyone with a reasonably delicate touch. However, naturally this will void any warranty on your laptop, and while I have carried out the procedure myself with no mishap, I can not make any guarantees here - so, you are doing this ENTIRELY at your OWN RISK!!

One advantage of the white iBook over the previous (clamshell) design is that there is no need to remove or otherwise disassemble the screen or the monitor hinge at any point. This does mean the screen can be vulnerable to a slipped screwdriver, so bear this in mind.

Tools. You need:

• A No. 8 Torx screwdriver
• No 00, 0 and 1 crosshead screwdrivers (watchmakers precision type)
• A small flat bladed screwdriver
• A pair of pliers

When undoing screws, choose the appropriate size driver to suit the screw. Some screws are very tight, so be prepared to apply some force where needed. To avoid damage to a screw, a firm downward pressure will be needed while rotating the screwdriver - always take care to avoid slipping! For some screws, the amount of torque required may be so high as to require some extra leverage on the screwdriver to get it rotating. The pliers can be CAREFULLY used to apply this extra torque to the shaft of the screwdriver. Using the wrong driver in a screw can easily damage the screw such that it will be impossible to remove it at all, so always go carefully.

The upgrade I performed was to install a MS40GX 40GB Mobilestor hard drive in place of the 10GB drive supplied. At the time of writing, the 40GB was the largest drive capacity available for the iBook. 60GB drives exist but DO NOT FIT the iBook. The drive must be a 2.5 inch format drive, with a height of 9.5mm ONLY - the 60GB drive is taller.

Before you start...

Clear a work area that is uncluttered with plenty of space around the laptop. To help protect the finish of the laptop, it may be worth laying down a sheet of card on your work area. A good idea is to attach a strip of double-sided tape to this to hold the large number of tiny screws that have to be removed - this will allow you to group them together to avoid confusion and makes sure they can not easily get knocked onto the floor.

Make sure you have all the tools you need to hand. I also recommend keeping a notebook handy to make any extra notes as you see fit, to make sure you know where every screw goes - you should aim to have none left over at the end!

Shut down the laptop and unplug the power supply and any peripheral devices. Close the lid.