AppleTV Harddrive Hack

Everyone knows how to upgrade your AppleTV hard drive with a bigger IDE drive, but with a dremel you can upgrade it to a SATA drive. Follow the same instructions for adding the AppleTV software to a 2.5" SATA drive. Then get started on adding the 500GB drive to the AppleTV.

1) AppleTV and new 500GB SATA 2.5" HDD

2) Remove the bottom of the AppleTV

3) Remove the original AppleTV hard drive

4) You will need to poke a hole in the IDE cable on the AppeTV as it's key'ed. The OEM 2.5" IDE to SATA converter does not have the pin missing for the key'ed hole.

5) It's very important to orientate the cable properly on the IDE to SATA converter as laptop IDE contains additional pins for power. If you orientate it wrong you can damage the hard drive or the converter.

6) The AppleTV with SATA converter and 500GB HDD.

7) Before modding the AppleTV I connected it to the TV to verify functionality

Success!

8) Modification time. This is the space you have to work with.

9) Because space is such so tight we need to chop off one of mounting posts and a part of the shield/baffle.

10) We're so down to the wire with space we need to clip off the top of the IDE cable.

11) Test fitting

It Fits!

12) Dremel off the mounting stand (top right corner)

Put it back together and you're all done!