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How To: Fix Your PowerBook's Feet


On September 11th I was in Atlanta for Interop. I ended up spending an extra four days there waiting for the airlines to resume operation, and had lots of spare time on my hands. So I decided to fix those pesky PowerBook G4 rubber feet once and for all. Here is the procedure:

1. Carefully remove the feet and place them on a clean surface, sticky side up. (A pair of tweezers is good for this)

2. Clean the wells left behind with alcohol or acetone, making sure any residual glue is gone.

3. Scrape the bottom of the wells with a pin or other sharp object to create a rough surface.

4. Remove all glue from the feet, this can usually be accomplished by carefully rubbing them against a smooth surface.

5. Apply a small amount of Super Glue in each of the wells.

6. Carefully insert each foot back in its well and press down.

7. Remove any excess glue with a Q-Tip.

8. Let PowerBook rest on its feet overnight

I recommend doing this even on a brand new PowerBook as Apple still appears unable to address basic design flaws.

By Jason O'Grady

Founded the PowerPage in 1995.