Introduction
Use this guide to replace the gray plastic upper case clips that secure the upper case above the optical drive opening. The clips are captive to the lower case on Santa Rosa MacBooks and later and are thus not replaceable on these models.
What you need
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Use a coin to rotate the battery-locking screw 90 degrees clockwise.
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Unscrew the three evenly-spaced Phillips screws from along the rear wall of the battery compartment.
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Rotate the L-shaped memory cover so it clears the battery compartment opening and lift it up and out of the computer.
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Remove the following 3 screws:
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One 11 mm Phillips#00 in the middle of the case. (Head: 5mm dia. x .75mm thick)
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Two 14.5 mm Phillips #00 (Head: 5mm dia. x .75mm thick)
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Remove the following 3 screws from the rear wall of the battery compartment:
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One 3 mm Phillips #0. (Head: 2.75 mm. dia.)
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Two 4 mm Phillips #0 on the either side. (Head: 2.75mm dia.)
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Remove the two Phillips screws from either side of the right wall of the battery compartment (not the ones closest to the battery connector).
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Two 6.25 mm Phillips #000. (Head: 4 mm. dia. x .5mm thick)
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Remove the four indicated Phillips screws from the front wall of the battery compartment. When working from the left, remove the 2nd, 4th, 7th and 9th screw.
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Four 3.25 mm Phillips #000. (Head: 4 mm. dia. x 4mm thick)
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Remove the following 4 screws from the back of the computer:
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The longer screws go on the inside, shorter screws on the outside.
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Two 11 mm Phillips #00, with Shank (2.2mm dia. x 2 mm len.) (Head: 3.2 mm. dia. x .5mm thick)
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Two 7.25 mm Phillips #00, with Shank (2mm dia. x 3.75 mm len.) (Head: 3.2 mm. dia. x .5mm thick)
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Remove the two Phillips screws from the optical drive side of the computer.
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Two 5.2 mm Phillips #00, with Shank (2.3mm dia. x 3.5 mm len.) (Head: 3.2 mm. dia. x .5mm thick)
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Starting near the display and working around to the front of the computer, pry up on the upper case. A or a medium hard guitar pick may help you to do this.
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While holding up the upper case, pull up the black tab of the silver cable away from its connector.
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While you have the upper case removed, you may want to take the opportunity to remove dust, hair, etc. It's best to use a can of compressed air, though if you use a brush, make sure that its bristles are made of a material (usually animal hair) that doesn't generate static electricity, which can destroy electronics.
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To remove the clips, simply slide them out of the aluminum framework away from the side of the lower case.
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To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.