Some connectors in hard-to-reach areas might use special or unintuitive locking mechanisms.

Photo 1: A large metal cover latches over the full connector, locking it in place.

Photo 2: A metal tab needs to be pushed in—instead of pulled out, to unlock the flat cable.

Remember: Work slowly, using lots of gentle wiggling. Don't force cables out of board connectors. Most of the time, once unlocked, the cable should release freely.