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I have a mid 2010 Mac Mini with 2 drives. I need to replace 1 of them. How do I tell physically which drive is the second drive? With the case upside down which drive (0 or 1) is on top?

Thanks for the assistance

DJL
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    Please indicate the exact model of Mac nini you own. The Mac mini Server (mid-2010) came equipped with 2 hard drives, with an optional SuperDrive optical drive. This iFixit page on replacing internal HD drives in the server model may help you determine which is which. IMHO, if you're going to crack open a Mini - a complex process - replace both drives with SSDs while you have the chance. – IconDaemon Jul 15 '17 at 22:26

2 Answers2

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I've no idea of the construction of a Mini, but you could test it empirically.

Remove one drive, see if it will boot.
If yes, look at Disk Utility & see which drive remains.
If no, then you removed the only boot source.

Tetsujin
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  • The process of removing the second drive is non-trivial. I am looking to avoid removing it if I do not have to. – DJL Jul 15 '17 at 22:42
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After removing both internal drive I determined that the second hdd is underneath. So everything has to be removed to get to it. This includes fan, system board, power supply and brackets. A very good detailed instructions can be found at https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Installing+Mac+Mini+Mid+2010+Dual+Hard+Drive/8958.

DJL
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