I HACKED into a $20 "Broken" iMac from Marketplace...the contents were SHOCKING!!!

[@Fixologist1]

WD-40 CONTACT CLEANER: amzn.to/3Tw4Qqz External Hard Drive enclosure: amzn.to/3YTDCxr OpenCore Legacy Patcher: github.com/dortania/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher/releases If you're just here to hear about the shocking contents of the computer, FF to 30:00.

[@Fixologist1]

@@electrocat9 "Unusual"?

[@danlowe]

Very happy I found this video. I still have the first 17" MBP with an intel processor which originally had been Apple's twilight threshold. But no, for some reason my $2500 laptop was the only Intel based MBP at the time not to get update support. And I had already updated it past Rosetta so I couldn't even use it as an old emulator or to run my boxed copy of Age of Empires II for Mac. For awhile there was a homebrew project to update unsupported Macs but it was back when these machines were competition for Apple's new products and they were still growing their recycling monopoly. So the project got shutdown pretty fast. At the time there were so many MBPs with GPUs that just needed sockets/chips reflowed and maybe there are still some out there that only developed the problem later on. You could fix them with a hair dryer and some tin foil if you didn't have one of those board heaters. Who knows how much Apple set back the whole repair and reuse culture, let alone how much they contributed to pollution and waste

[@Fixologist1]

@@electrocat9 31:00 I think when someone sells a computer and leaves 10 years worth of tax files and social security numbers on it, that's pretty shocking.

[@Fixologist1]

@@JasonSaeler When I first upgraded to Sonoma, the wifi didn't want to work. You have to run the post-patch process if this happens. The instructions are on the download site. If you run into the issue that you cannot download the installer for Sonoma from the outset. Keep going down the list to Ventura, etc., until you find one you can download and install. After that, you'll be able to download the installer and do the process again. Stick with it, you'll get there.

[@catsbyondrepair]

WHY DID YOU CENSOR OUT THE FUCK WHEN YOU CRACKED IT

[@NGT_C7]

Re Screen separation / removal using the scraper, try using a Guitar pick, more gentle in use and avoids scarring the frame halves.

[@bebop425]

Nice job. Good guy returning those files and paying $20. That's exactly what I would do.

[@henpossible]

Im glad to see more ethical people in the world. KEEP doing the right thing. You are not alone.

[@TopherPSU3]

I used to be a Mac Genius, a good thing to do is before working on it, after unplugging it, hold down the power button for like 20 seconds. Also, after replacing (or disconnecting & reconnecting) parts, hold down "command, option, p, r" (without the commas), press the power button until you hear it chime twice, then let it go and it will boot normally.

[@woodlanditguy2951]

Samsung SSDs are awesome. I have personally installed 100s of that same drive model. They are the most reliable drive I have ever seen. I have only had 1 of those drives fail, failure was due to an anti-virus program malfunctioning causing a continuous full drive scan that never stopped until the drive failed.

[@Rightly_Divided]

I second this

[@nellayema2455]

That turned out to be a good deal! Good on you for returning their pics and documents to them. The SSD drive was a good idea. I'd have been tempted to chuck another 8GB of RAM into it while it was apart.

[@Captain_Nemo1961]

That will transform it completely. I have a 2010 Mac Mini that I upgraded to 16 gigs and even with the conventional hard drive it is a totally different beast .

[@flotowncomputerguy6243]

@@Captain_Nemo1961 I have one of the pre-retina Ivy Bridge MacBook Pros and did that. Runs wonderfully because it's the same hardware as the retina model pushing 1/4th the pixels

[@ron216004]

New format, cool. Brad, your comment at the 32-minute mark just shows your human, we all make mistakes. Keep up with your videos I do enjoy them , mistakes and all. All the best.

[@jonsingle1614]

Com repair guy here....one customer was a heavy smoker....found all the smoke had turned to cement in the power supply and killed the cooling fan

[@johng.1703]

I'm a heavy smoker and I also have had computers since the 80's, never had smoke turn to cement, normally you get a sticky residue on fans that causes fluff to stick more, but nothing more than that. I have power supplies that are like 20-24 years old. it's not going to be be the smoking that caused that, the only thing I can think off is that there is a lot of concrete dust or something like that in the air. computers make really bad vacuum cleaners, but if they are on the floor, they suck everything up eventually and deposit it inside the computer

[@jonsingle1614]

@johng.1703 to fix it...I used electronics cleaner on the inside of the PS...hose it down with several cans...put in a new fan....boy did it reek of smoke smell....a real tedious time consuming job

[@shadowtheimpure]

Apple just loves using glue to hold things together. Makes it harder to service and makes the customer more likely to replace than repair.

[@Fixologist1]

Discourages more would-be repairers for sure. And it’s cheaper than magnets.

[@trippmoore]

Gluing the batteries in MacBook that are then further held on with screws is just a fuck you to anyone that needs to replace an old battery. I never use glue when I replace them an I've never had an issue with one slipping out of place and then running away. They hate people that would like to keep using a perfected good laptop and paying $50-$100 for a new battery rather than junking it and paying $1500-$3000 for a newer model. I've been using this 2014 macbook air for 9 years and it still runs great for my needs and I got it second hand. I've been using it plugged in for a while now because it last 3-5 minutes on a fully charged battery and I don't want to fuck with another glued on battery.

[@TopherPSU3]

@@shadowtheimpure yet they're claiming to be moving to be carbon neutral soon. Especially with stuff that you have to throw out because you can't replace the batteries, like air pods, which, if you're going to get earbuds, you're just trying to make yourself look "higher class" or something. Just give your wallet a break and buy ones that probably fit better (like the over the ear ones that won't damage your actual biological ear), are probably WAY cheaper, and some of which actually have better sound! & If you can handle having a wire running from your pocket to your ears, guess what? You'll never have to worry about your batteries dying! Just weigh your ego against a nice looking pair of wired or cheaper wireless ones. Just take a little time & read the reviews. & When the batteries do die, double check if they can be replaced or not. Otherwise before throwing them out, break them open and take out the magnets. Some of them are really strong, & now you've got 2 small magnets for your fridge or wherever!

[@MaximvanWijk]

I converted an broken imac with a good screen to use as a 5k monitor and never bothered with the adhesive. I use two pieces of clear packing tape to keep the glass in place. It makes the insides easier to access as well and it’s hardly visible.

[@MezeiEugen]

And sucks a lot of dust in.

[@Mbro-dq2do]

Open Core legacy works wonders. I have 15 old Macs that all kick ass. 13 year old macs running sonoma flawlessly

[@YellowJello57]

A great deal and a good fix. Good for them they sold it to you, a person with integrity. Love these kinds of videos, thanks for the content

[@alphabeets]

In general, I would recommend air compressor first before spraying liquids into a device to clean it. The liquids create a goo and make it harder to clean sometimes. At least get what you can blow out out first then use the solvent.

[@iGame3D]

And wear a mask while blowing it out, that dust in there is a virus carrier.

[@neilpatrickhairless]

But then if you live in a humid climate and don't have a moisture separator in the line, blowing it out with an air compressor is literally just blowing it out with a smaller diameter garden hose lol

[@ogi22]

Just be careful with compressed air... I destroyed a fan, trying to clean it like I used to do it many years ago. All blades just shattered. Yes, they don't make them as they used to... blade thickness was 0,2mm... You sneeze on that thing and it collapses... Fun thing, I ordered a new fan. It looked sweet, identical... Then I put those two together and fixing thingies were in different places. Now I have to remove a cover part with fixing screws from the old fan and glue it to the new one. Modern s...tuff... 🥴

[@Rightly_Divided]

Yup makes all the difference

[@TiralynnEruanna]

That is one of the reasons I stopped buying Mac. I have a 2008 aluminum MacBook and it is not a pro. I could not update it anymore and it would not let me browse the internet so I installed Linux in it and it works just fine now!

[@CarsInDimension]

"Fanspin!" Somewhere Louis Rossmann is smiling.

[@shytweedabone2663]

I love Louis!!

[@Look_What_I_Did]

Who?

[@ShawnWrona]

Louis rossman is an American hero

[@89ludeawakening1]

​​@@Look_What_I_Did he is the Guru of fixing Apple computers and our Champion of Right to Repair.

[@TheSykoRC]

@@ShawnWrona but he is a hero for people all over the world! :-)

[@PJPJ707]

I used to work as an AASP on Apple products and had many iMacs torn down. Usually to upgrade the RAM or swap out to an SSD. For those models you can buy replacement adhesive that fits perfectly around. If you search up iMac (year and size) VHB strips you can usually find kits which also include a cutting disk (It looks like a plastic pizza cutter) When taking the display off we used to apply some painters tape horizontally across the bottom of the glass and the enclosure. When testing we would do the same but also apply some between the top of the glass and over to the rear. The tape helped to keep it in place while we disconnected the inner cables.

[@HerbOldenburg]

Can you do more on the open core patch process? Some of us (me) have never heard you could do this - Thx for sharing - nice vid and watching you pull apart the screen to repair was good - thx again

[@Fixologist1]

There are some very good videos out there on this subject, which I decided not to attempt to replicate. Search them out, you'll find them. It's worth doing.

[@harrisfogel6992]

Just Google "DosDude", I've run OS patches on lots of system. Two tips. A) Have lots of extra USB hard drives at the ready, B) The problem with OS patches is they are limited by the GPU hardware and drivers. I have a cheese grater Mac Pro, tons of RAM, SSDs, and an expensive and fast NVidia Fermi video card. NVidia never updated the driver, so the computer became unusable due to slow speed with higher OS versions. The solution was to get a "Metal" class GPU, which wasn't worth the hassle. I'm a LightRoom user, so with Adobe limiting OS versions, there is a point where old computers aren't worth it. I use my MP with my scanner, since they never released updated software for it. And I use it with legacy HDs. If I could I'd replace it with a new Mini. But... Rosetta matters!

[@cjsebes]

I've been using Apple computers since the early 1990s. Since about 2016, Apple been pretty much big a-holes. Nothing can be upgraded on their machines, aside from their Mac Pro. But with an incredible public support community, software like Open Core Legacy patcher and great 3rd party software are available. I continue to deal with Apple products because, I know it sounds cliche, but they just work. Software is rock solid. Hardware is rock solid. They have their issues just like any other manufacturer. But because of the community, I'm able to run Ventura on a 2010 Mac Pro, which runs beautifully. Be careful though. You may find that working on these machines is addicting.

[@flotowncomputerguy6243]

That's the reason I only work with the older ones now. The newer ones are ewaste waiting to happen. These computers definitely have more life than Apple would like people to know

[@uncrunch398]

Compare to what you can get from a custom builder who stress tests every machine, to force every flaky component to fail while they have it, before shipping. They cost more than a mass produced similar spec machine, but everything is solid. Esp. if you tell them what you want it for and they test it with that. If you have solid parts, any of multiple Linux distros will treat you well. I'd ask a builder to set up a VM environment if I have to use an app that doesn't support Linux. Or look into doing it.

[@neilpatrickhairless]

Anything that doesn't have Linux support at this point are playing themselves. It's not the 90's, Linux is starting to catch up with Big Desktop

[@halvarf]

Agreed, they literally mill their cases out of solid aluminium and use the best screens and materials, and then they try to tell you you can't upgrade any further after just a few years basically out of spite. And Microsoft is starting to do the same sh...enanigans with Windows 11 - my Thinkpad T from 2018 is solid as a rock, but in 2025 they tell me it won't be able to run any supported version of Windows any more.

[@Gerkozielman]

Nice repair sire, a good thing you took the honest way by returning the personal info back to the owner 👍🏽 Also, I learned the hard way when opening the lcd panel, end up with an not working lcd :-( And, when you do remove the left speaker, be careful with the wire for the powerbutton. ;-) But that too can be fixed.

[@dstarling61]

The best upgrade for these older Macs is a SSD. Makes it feel like a new machine.

[@Allious131]

The very best is a trash bin🗑🗑🗑🗑🗑🗑🗑

[@neilpatrickhairless]

Best upgrade for any old computer is a solid state drive tbh

[@egmccann]

Absolutely. Had a ... 2012? 2014? I'd have to look again... Mac Mini. Thing literally took a solid five minutes or so to boot on its drive. Swapped out to an SSD and it's up and running in well under a minute.

[@valley_robot]

My 2012 mac book pro was great for a few months after upgrading the hard drive and increasing the ram, it runs like it's under water now, mac os is trash compared to windows, I have pcs that are aincient that still run great

[@PhuketMyMac]

I started watching your channel to learn how to repair valve amplifiers. Now I see you on YT learning how to repair Macs which is what I do for a living. I would gladly share my skills with yours if I lived in your area.

[@plextoob]

You did good not having worked on this model before. I consider myself lucky if I dont break something when I do a novel teardown. I consider it the cost of learning. Mistakes are one of the best ways to learn!

[@splatt3d]

Definitely felt the pain watching the screen slide off

[@IlBiggo]

A few minutes around the web wouldn't harm, though. It's a miracle this mac is still working :D

[@jpreza]

The FB/Craigslist listings for a lot of the Mac products are usually wrong. In your case, maybe they "thought" it's a 2015 because that's when they bought it.

[@bmwloco]

No OS update is zero issue. I have a G5 Tower in the basement pushing two 21" monitors and up every day. Great music server.

[@rwieber79]

Cool to see another channel from the Louisville area on KZbin. I know of a few besides myself but it's very rare that one pops up in my feed. And you're a repair channel too, subscribing right now. Love all guitar and Infowars stickers as well.

[@Fixologist1]

Looks like one of your favorite channels was CGS. He was a friend of mine before he died.

[@nomad74777]

You remind me of a guy I watch with a guitar channel.

[@bebop425]

Yeah, but that other guy has longer hair and nails

[@rebelcat420]

I think I’ve seen the same dude! He pronounces the word “tremolo” a bit differently than the rest of us!

[@sleepyjack7433]

Yes! @TheGuitologist

[@ShawnWrona]

@@rebelcat420I forgot how to say it the usual way because of that guitologist dude😂

[@neilpatrickhairless]

This is Deep Fake Deep State Cabal Brad the Guitologist's channel 🗣️🗣️🗣️

[@RomeoG39]

That little piece of debris stuck on the bottom right of the bezel was really bugging my OCD (LoL!). Thank you for chipping that off with the painter's knife!

[@sherrilltechnology]

Bro such a great video I have a 2013 Mac I bought for $160 at Goodwill and luckily the person had a simple Admin password to get in. It is now running PopOS! One of my plans on my channel is to install a full on SSD. Thnks so much for this video!!

[@HareDeLune]

Family photos?! OMG dude, you're right! That's *SO* *SHOCKING!!!* 😮

[@cgavin1]

Really good quality screens on those. Still stand up today for what you can get them for.

[@dlthompsonii]

If you don't mind a little extra cleaning you can use masking tape on the bottom of the screen and housing to hold it a bit better while messing with those cables. Usually doesn't leave residue on the metal but you'll need to clean the glass every time.

[@freepress8451]

Dang Brad it must be a couple of years since I watched your content and today this video popped up. I hope you and your family are well, you certainly look better and do sound relaxed.

[@poorfesor]

Those older Macs, not sure about the 2012 model, required an Apple Hard drive with a temperature sensor, else the fans run full speed. Other World Computing sells a connector that corrects that. There also are several software utilities that let you set the fan speed. I am still running a 2009 Mac Pro, I have owned for about 12 years, as my daily machine because I don't require a monster machine for my daily use and it is never shut down unless I need to do something to it. I run 5-16 T drives with all my video collection residing there. I have several of the newer Mac Silicon machines but need to run Mojave as latest OS because I still use some legacy 32 bit software.

[@yodel_diploma2315]

I use a 2009 MacBook with High Sierra and Big Sur (OpenCore) via multiboot.

[@reptalien_music]

You got yourself a hell of a deal. Good work. I think you have inspired me to break my Imac open and clean out the fan.

[@Fixologist1]

Open it flat on the floor.

[@89ludeawakening1]

These 2012 iMacs are still very good as daily drivers for just normal tasks. I have a 2012 i5 with 16 GB of RAM and a cheap little Toshiba 512 GB SSD. It's running Big Sur at the moment and is fantastic. Something else for next time you open one of these and work on it. Always secure the screen at the bottom with painters tape. I always use four strips of it when I'm working on them. I know if I'd cracked that screen, my OCD would make me buy one for it.

[@WhittyPics]

I generally encrypt a hard drive before I erase it before I dump it or sell a computer. I used to do a security wipe but that takes forever. I think if you encrypt it and format it, that will be secure enough for most people.

[@ericrichard5237]

Radio control guy here Brad. Disc brake cleaner for electric motors. Then a touch of the de-oxit type stuff with lube. Ha! Lube.

[@Fixologist1]

That maxpro stuff is very similar to the Deoxit with lube. I did go back in and add some white lithium grease to the spindle off camera. Spun a bit better still.

[@CowboyTrucking61]

Porn, lol.

[@jeffhunt]

SOME OF THOSE SPRAYS WILL EAT PLASTIC BAD

[@jeffhunt]

USED ELECTRICAL CLEANER ONCE STARTED DISOLVING PLASTIC WIRE CONNECTORS

[@TinMan-jb5gf]

Been using OCLP since Big Sur on my late 2012 13,2 27" iMac. On Sonoma 14.6.1 now. So far it's been pretty good, but I do get some graphics issues from time to time. Not sure if sequoia is going to be a bridge too far.. Course, we are now up to M4, so it won't be much longer before  drops intel support completely. Sad days ahead.... I love my iMac. So much more "elegant" than the trite 'bubblegum' current models. And, with the 3TB of SSD I have installed it's not too shabby. Edits videos fine, if a little slow compared to the new ones. AND user repalcable RAM...

[@ToddHofer]

6:56 Here's a tip for you on lubing fans. Synthetic Gun Oil. Works beautifully, leaves no residue and lasts a very long time! Just put one drop down the sleeve and one drop on the spindle.

[@GabbiCat999]

Until 2010 or so, apple used yo support all os versions from the very beginning... You could buy an Apple II and download an OS for it.

[@JamesWebb-z5n]

late 2014 Mac mini running Sonoma, via OCLP, when update came up, I installed it, as soon as installation was complete, the OCLP patcher popped up and requested permission to update...done deal, without event. I had read not to update after OCLP on previous releases, so that is a bug they have fixed. Thank you OCLP. I never use wd to clean electronics unless there is a moisture issue, WD= water displacement, air and alcohol leaves no residue. Enjoyed the video.

[@Sattracer]

For future reference, you don't need more glue. Take it apart in the first place using a putty knife and a heat gun (the same method used for removing the OEM case on a cell phone). You just heat it again to put it back together.

[@danharmer2511]

I was a bit surprised by your comments about Apple not supporting equipment that was 12 years old. Microsoft abandoned most Windows users with Win11 requiring 'TPM: Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0'. As of Oct. 2024 63% of windows users still had Win10. The vast majority of them because they can't upgrade, even a relatively new windows computer. Now that's abandoning customers. A 12 year old computer really is ancient and it's not unreasonable that it can't upgrade to current OS because of hardware limitations.

[@noodlecurry]

I love Macs! I had a 2009 MacBook and it updated to Catalina without a problem. I used it for several years until I put my things in a storage unit and the facility flooded and my MacBook wasn't able to power on or charge.

[@mjrhondaguy]

I have a couple of these machines that were abandoned at work. I got them running Windows 10, but am now going to try the legacy patcher...

[@XLessThanZ]

I had the same problem with the fan. If you've removed a heat sensor, you have to put it back or the fan will always spin at full throttle. 🏎

[@PC4USE1]

When you were taking the screen off the second time,I had a feeling I was seeing myself do something that would cause disaster. Since you were not supporting it from the rear,my inner klutz was screaming. LOL. Never worked on a Mac like that but it seems scary when it comes to screen detachment,Maybe nail polish might heal the crack and prevent it from spreading,It's so lucky the visible screen is not cracked.

[@stevekoz]

was a apple tech for years. we used to use painters tape to secure display for troubleshooting.

[@Rightly_Divided]

Have you ever come across an issue where a MacBook Pro would not boot (power on), or indicate a charge when plugged in? For context, I tried literally everything from keyboard commands, to opening up the device and disconnecting all connectors; I then reconnected everything. After screwing everything back in, the device did not power on after all that work. I figured a component must had become damaged. But I tried one more thing. I made a post on iFixit a few years ago with my solution. The solution was literally banging on all four corners on the back of the machine. After Banging (knocking on each corner as I would a door) my computer turned back on and I have never had an issue with it since. My solution on iFixit was very controversial because my solution to knock on all four corners on the back of the machine worked for several people. A pretty good amount of people, actually. Do you know why that method could have possibly worked? As an I.T. Systems Engineer it still befuddles me. Partly because I do not care to research every component in MacBook computers.

[@GTI1dasOriginal]

In 1997 I bought an old Dell Optiplex in a thriftstore. It's origin was a hospital. Along with the OS it still had the complete data files of all it's patients stored on the HDD. Needles to say I formatted the drive without reading any of the content.

[@gan9e]

I used to do this with old mobile phones, I knew a trick which brought their processor back to life, the CPU after long periods of use would fail, then these broken phones would be traded in and then passed around, nobody could fix them, but I could... and I found images and memories of lives which I wondered about, I even wrote to the people if I found their email to say hey I've got some old images of you or whatever, they never replied

[@homiwalls]

Sonoma patch works perfectly fine on late 2012 Imac 21.5". I also upgraded memory to max 16GB and put new thermal paste.

[@Fixologist1]

Next time I go in it'll be to do exactly these two things.

[@LorenMJ]

There are upgrade kits available for these Mac’s. I did one for my MIL. Paid $99 and got extra adhesive for reattaching the screen, a drive enclosure for using the drive you pull out as a Time Machine backup, also a nice SSD as well as very detailed instructions which included laying the monitor down on a soft blanket to avoid your snafu. Blame Apple all you want but software obsolete hardware all the time and it wasn’t Apple that invented that idea. Yes my MILs computer is now on an older macOS but if it becomes an issue I’ll just install Linux and GNome or KDE. She probably won’t even care or notice. Good on Apple for making hardware that lasts 10 years beyond its warranty. You don’t get that from Dell. Nice job on the fan tho I probably would have replaced it.

[@joshuataft5541]

How are ya brad...always fun to watch..your handy and can play guitar well ..ive learned alot jst watching

[@markkinnon4866]

iMacs have such gorgeous screens and the hardware is no slouch even today. They run Linux a treat, but I can see why one might need Mac OS for certain software.

[@yourtransformationgenie]

I learned from a friend who I used to work with (and who worked in Apple Mac Compliance for our firm) how to transfer data to ext HDs and then wipe the drive TWICE using the relevant setting in Disk Doctor before selling or disposing of any kit. Doing it once is not enough, but if you do it twice, there is nothing left for the purchaser to see or for someone to find if they got their hands on the thrown-away mac. Ideally I like to take them apart and destroy the cards and boards inside too, then recycle.

[@user-qm7nw7vd5s]

These Steve Jobs era desktop Macs last forever. 👍

[@rockitMiC]

❤ yeah right! Too bad he’s not here anymore 😢

[@SouvenirDin24]

Maybe a bit of tape on the bottom of the screen either side to act as a hinge and keep it in place whilst tilting screen forward to get to cables at the back. Good video :)

[@doctoribanez]

By the thumbnail I thought you were going to find some classified documents or something worse. Lol

[@Fixologist1]

I found plans to a new Ukrainian virology lab.

[@BoltRM]

​@@Fixologist1Good for them. When Pootin invades your country all's fair when defending yourself.

[@ChrisHillASMR]

thats the point, clickbaiting titles. basically lying for views. its just some a hole playing with junk

[@serpent213]

@@Fixologist1 Bill Gates left the chat.

[@Captain_Nemo1961]

Or heaven forbid finding "kitty porn" on their computer. Those darn cat videos eating up all your hard drive space . lol

[@memorysticky7581]

Awesome shirt, a perfect circle first and IMHO best album they put out.

[@MrMattDat]

I loved my 2012 iMac. The magnetic glass made it so easy to blow out the dust (once a year!) as well as replace the HDA. I may have to try that OS upgrade hack and bring it back to full time use!

[@IlBiggo]

Depending on what you mean by "full time use", a non-hack upgrade to High Sierra may be enough. My 27" 2011 iMac has served me until last year, when I switched to an M2 Mini just because I got it as a birthday present :D

[@MrMattDat]

@@IlBiggo Just daily use. My 27" 2017 iMac needs to be taken down for internal cleaning & refresh of thermal paste.

[@IlBiggo]

@@MrMattDat My daily use is mainly audio production (Logic + ProTools), plus the usual bunch of hobbies one gathers just by existing. The 2011 iMac has never felt old or inadequate. It's been upgraded with an SSD, obviously - I can't believe how long Apple has continued using mechanical drives.

[@IanBPPK]

Got a Mid 2012 21.5" from one uncle a few years back, upgraded the RAM to 16GB, repasted the CPU with decent paste (Noctua NT-H1), changed storage to SSD and sold it for about $300 with keyboard and magic trackpad. Just recently got a Late 2013 21.5" from another uncle who had software compatibility issues with new apps, opting to upgrade to a new M series based iMac. Only have the keyboard this time, but I did pretty much the same steps. I may give the opencore patching process you went through a spin.

[@Fixologist1]

Totally wipe the drive and start fresh. Follow the instructions in the link in description.

[@klote82]

Subscribed! Im a software developer and own a pc repair business. Good content! I put Win10Pro on a 2011 iMac. It ran great! I wear 6 mm black latex gloves on every computer that internal dust and dirt is so disgusting

[@PileOfEmptyTapes]

The SSD was a good pick - Samsung 850 PROs are excellent drives in my experience. I once got a used 512 gig with well over 200 TBW on it, and while performance took a while to recover, overwriting and TRIMming pretty much got that sorted, and the drive still works to this day. I've encountered some suspicious oddities with their OEM models, like the old PM851 or the PM871b. Now if you ever encounter an 870 EVO or any other Samsung SSD from about 2021, especially 1 TB up, make sure the firmware is up to date, they had some major issues around the time.

I am glad the crack didn't go on the screen great job!

[@Fixologist1]

Me too! Really easy to crack these screens.

[@tordoff80]

nice that ya put there stuff on a drive and returned it well done

[@justcurious3525]

To remove all that gooey stuff from plastic parts, a soak in hot water and Mr. Clean followed by a rinse works great. You can just let it soak while you're working on other things.

[@hugh-johnfleming289]

It's fun, this old stuff. The only computer we have left in the house is a laptop the size of paving stone. Why? I have an old digital camera still in use and everything still works.

[@Rightly_Divided]

Next step: Triple boot challenge (MacOS, Windows, and Linux all bootable from one drive)

[@rustyrobinson8027]

I watched this live thanks Brad 👍🇺🇸

[@James-Vining-333]

Just a FYI You can use 91% rubbing alcohol and spray it on the electronics followed by blowing off with compressed air (repeat until clean) Be sure if using compressor to have a water remover of some sort Desiccant preferably as well as turn down pressure to like 20 or lower so you do not blow off or damage any of the capacitors etc.

[@LozzTheDev]

I used to fix hundreds of these things...arrrgh ;-) The high fan spin from power up is caused by incompatible hdd firmware. You'll need either a Samsung hdd or one with apple firmware on it. Also you best off buying an adhesive tape kit for < $10 to fix the screen back to the housing.

[@bjørnjacobsengaming]

5:03 It would have been better if you washed it all in the distillery water, then it would have become completely clean. The sticky stuff you're talking about is probably old oil or grease that has become old and sticky over time due to dust and various dirt, remember to replace it with something new.

[@wndy7073]

I was thinking maybe you could have run the fan blades through the dishwasher; easy-breezy 😊

[@johnnyrkramerthemusicmovie3147]

great score brad nice

[@blazerkid091]

Subbed just because you live pretty close to me and i support local.

[@CamCornelius]

Great content. The 2012 might be a better candidate for Linux. Also, get some glass crack repair glue so the cracked does not spread.

[@robertbutcher4150]

Thanks for the video. Use a windscreen repair for the iMac screen, you will hardly notice it 🙏🏼👍

[@BeastOfSoda]

I knew right away what would happen to the screen. Louis Rossmann inadvertently did that once, even made a PSA to not drop the thing.

[@Fixologist1]

Guess I should watch more old Rossman videos.

[@richardpalmanteer9798]

I'm a self-taught Computer tech with a couple of years of Computer Science under my belt. My first computer was a Packard Bell PB620CD came with Windows for Workgroups and DOS 6.2 I've been through all the OSs since then and have had Dell Laptops and desktops. This last year I built a computer with the Gigabyte Z790 D with 32GB DDR4 Corsair RAM, i5 12400 CPU Corsair 110R case. GPU MSI NVIDIA G-Force RTX 3080. Have a Dell 24" monitor. Logi wireless keyboard and mouse. Took me a day and had it up and running. Also was a Slot Tech at our Tribal Casino. The only thing Apple I have is a 10.2 Ipad use it to Facetime with my children in Oklahoma. Windows or Linux knowledge. Mac doesn't look much different. Have a good one. Liked the video, sorry about the screen (Opps) Later.

[@stuartlaw7528]

Great buy for $20, l love buying old Mac's and installing different OS's on em and I especially like Ubuntu Budgie. Love your T-shirt A Perfect Circle bloody great Band.

[@blakryptonite1]

The iMac FB listing was in Louisville but the text said Anchorage. Hmm...reminds me of those people who found boxes of rare SNES carts in yard sales.

[@timscarrow9151]

There's your Views Brad, You got a hit. Cheers.

[@pixelpusher8986]

Good stuff. Put an SSD in it. My fav to work on and refurb is the 2011 iMac. So easy to open.

[@ChromeJob]

Love that mandolin, almost looks like a Flatiron. ❤

[@fflynnful]

You found data on the hard drive of a used computer. That is not surprising. The takeaway for others is that It's a good idea to destroy the hard drive if you are getting rid of an old computer to prevent your personal data from getting in the wrong hands. Remove the drive and put a drill through it, or take it apart and use the magnets to hold things on your refrigerator door. :)

[@mark64tanner]

should do a review on that fix your windshield stuff and stop the crack from spreading and good test 🤟

[@MichaelStoneham]

Your fixing up old computers cool. I might see if i can find an old iMac like that for cheap/free and fix up. Are they easy to undo? The noisy fan would annoy me.

[@Fixologist1]

I highly recommend finding one of these to do this to. Well worth it. The fan noise is completely gone after a couple days of running. Cleared up totally now. I bought a new fan for $5 just in case I ever need it.

[@baneverything5580]

I had a roach clip charge when I lived in NW Louisiana and the local paper said I burglarized the Pelican Plant. So I became a piece of garbage.

[@Fixologist1]

ouch! The era of Internet is pretty unforgiving.

[@neilpatrickhairless]

My Summer Car main character origin story:

[@cobberdig]

Ha, I pulled one of these off the ewaste recently. It was a bit of a mission I had to reinstall Mountain lion, then upgrade to Sierra, then Catalina, then Monterey with the opencore patcher. From what I've read anyway Monterey is probably the sweet spot for late 2012 but I don't really know. I'm just waiting for the repair kit to take it apart and change the hard drive and ram. The 21.5" model is a bit of a job apparently.

[@davidwolff4696]

Maybe a bit of packing tape "hinge" at the bottom to prevent the screen disaster?

[@Captain_Nemo1961]

I've found it is best to lubricate the spindles on fans with Rem Oil . It is designed for guns and is not supposed to gum up or cause jamming in fire arms. It has worked great for me .

[@Fixologist1]

I ended up going back in and adding some white lithium grease the second time I was in there off camera.

[@Captain_Nemo1961]

@@Fixologist1 Yeah if the bushings are worn too badly the spindle will wobble incessantly and be noisy and inefficient. Then you may have to step up to something heavier , but I have seen lithium grease dry out and look like Feta cheese. High temperature bearing grease might do a better job so long as there is no graphite in it to short out the stator. I have 3 computers right now running Windows 98 and thy are 25 years old .

[@Fixologist1]

@@Captain_Nemo1961 what progs you running that need Win98? Audio production?

[@Captain_Nemo1961]

@@Fixologist1 I maintain a couple of PC's for clients that have CNC machines and /or have dated software that is no longer supported . I keep one around simply because I love Win98. It has a Voodoo 3m video card and SoundBlaster Audigy sound card. I have a stack of cd's with outdated software . They are mostly classic games and photo manipulation programs. By far my biggest sellers are old Windows XP machines .

[@Captain_Nemo1961]

@@Fixologist1 Besides having a large stack of games and programs unsupported by newer versions of Windows, I maintain a supply of these machines for my clientele. Others may be in need of software compatibility or hardware ports that have fallen out of favor .My best seller seems to be Windows XP.

[@MezeiEugen]

Open the glass with any tool you wish, but read how much you can go in with it and mark that depth on your blade. Otherwise you will cut the wires of the wifi antenna.

[@JamesLewis]

Did you lubricate the bearing in that fan after you stripped it with alcohol?... it looks like a simple bushing.

[@Fixologist1]

Yes. Of course.

[@kwincywins]

i just did this, a few months ago, and have most recent macOS sonoma software and updates, and everything else, as though it is a new mac / with apple support etc etc... running on it, a 2012 imac.. . also running switch emulator and ps5 remote play... i was unaware people were having a difficult time doing this

[@CountSpatula666]

Does that thing have 6L6's or EL34's? I have a NOS set of Sylvania's that would go nice in there that would smooth out the tone...boost some of the mids in the processing. Has the death cap already been removed already or did you have to do that. I bet that thing sounded amazing when you were done.

[@baneverything5580]

I only have a landline. No cell phone signal here in 1922 Louisiana.

[@Fixologist1]

Can you still sign up for anything?

[@dstarling61]

Wow, when someone told me the south was very third world, I thought they were joking.

[@FloweryThoughts]

@@dstarling61 It's hard to string cables and build things when there is more swamp than dry land! I flew on commuter airplanes more than drove or rode the bus to get across the state. The same trip that takes 14 hours by bus can be done in less than 2 hours in a Beechcraft 99, or similar plane.

[@flotowncomputerguy6243]

@@dstarling61 There are places so far out that it's an hour drive to a Walmart, if not more. You don't get services out there. Landlines are necessary because the cell phone towers are far apart and not super reliable

[@neilpatrickhairless]

Plus, infrastructure costs taxpayer money and.... Well.... The Southern USA don't need no faincy inferstructerds

[@ahow8017]

The 3D printing slicer software doesn’t support that operating system anymore also. I think it was something about the bit of the older system, the newer ones have a higher number. You know 32 to 64 or 64 to 128. I am in the same boat. I paid 40 for mine at a school board event.

[@andysimkin5200]

I thought Apple products came with pre-cracked screens. I think every iphone I've ever seen has had a cracked screen

[@neilpatrickhairless]

iPhones usually have cracked screens not because the phone is defective necessarily but how many iPhones do you see inside of a case or something? That being said, I could shoot a Nokia of any age into space and it would come back to Earth like a tiny asteroid and kill at least thirty people on impact, walk up to it and call your Mom to tell her how crazy that shit was

[@neilpatrickhairless]

Shoutout to Finland

[@fookingsog]

For fan bearings...sleeve or ball, I've always had excellent success using the Zoom Spout Turbine Oil!!! 💯😎👍🏻

[@javaman2883]

I still use my Asus EE PC from 2008 with Linux as a network troubleshooting device. It has an ethernet port, which many newer laptops do not have. It has a large enough 10 inch screen that I can log into routers and other devices with a WebUI. Of my laptops, which are all 2016 and older, this one still has some of the best battery life with the exception of the 2016 my wife uses because she had me replace the battery.

[@HighTemper79]

The sticky stuff on the fan was a rubber washer and stop that noise, try to find a new one made of plastic or rubber and the noise should be lower.