Use your fingers to push both battery release tabs away from the battery, and lift the battery out of the computer.

Remove the three identical 2mm Phillips screws from the memory door.

Lift the memory door up enough to grip it and slide it toward you, pulling it away from the casing.

Remove the two 2.8 mm Phillips screws in the battery compartment near the latch.

Remove the following 6 screws:

• Two 10 mm T6 Torx screws on either side of the RAM slot.
• Four 14.5 mm Phillips screws along the hinge.

Remove the four 3.2 mm Phillips screws on the port side of the computer.

Rotate the computer 90 degrees and remove the two 3.2 mm Phillips screws from the rear of the computer.

Rotate the computer 90 degrees again and remove the four 3.2 mm Phillips screws from the side of the computer.

Do not yank the upper case off quickly. The case is attached to the logic board via a ribbon cable.

Lift up at the rear of the case and work your fingers along the sides, freeing the case as you go. Once you have freed the sides, you may need to rock the case up and down to free the front of the upper case.

There are four plastic clips above the DVD slot, and another above and to the left of the IR sensor. These clips can be very difficult to disengage without prying. They can also be difficult to re-engage during reassembly.

Disconnect the trackpad and keyboard ribbon cable from the logic board, removing tape as necessary.

Note: It is possible to replace the hard drive without disconnecting the keyboard from the chassis, but it will need to be held upright to keep it out of the way, while still allowing you both hands to work on the drive removal. Be careful when removing the keyboard-trackpad ribbon cable to ensure that the rear of the upper case is disengaged from the area near the hinge. It is easy to accidentally bend the screw receivers on either side of the keyboard.

• Remove the upper case.

Use a spudger to pry up the translucent plastic sheath covering the keyboard connector.

Use the tip of a spudger to flip up the black plastic flap locking down the keyboard ribbon cable.

Peel up the orange tape covering the keyboard backlight connector.

Use the tip of a spudger to flip up the brown plastic flap locking down the keyboard backlight ribbon cable.

Use a spudger or your finger to slide the keyboard backlight ribbon out of its connector.

Peel back the black protective sheath on the right side of the upper case. It is not necessary to fully remove this shield. Simply peel it back enough to access the screws beneath.

Peel back the black protective sheath on the left side of the upper case. It is not necessary to fully remove this shield. Simply peel it back enough to access the screws beneath.

Remove the 12 identical Phillips screws attaching the keyboard to the casing.

There are six locking tabs along the back edge of the keyboard holding it in place. These tabs must be straightened before you can remove the keyboard.

Slide the keyboard ribbon out of its connector.

If the keyboard ribbon won't slide out, make sure that the black plastic flap holding the ribbon in place is vertical.