Thanks, people. I’m going to my parents house this weekend, and I’m a lot more confident I’ll get this job done. FYI: it’s a '96 machine, it fits a standard internal PCI modem, and I did mean that lock that locks the case, not the keyboard.
And Rimfire: in case the screwdriver tricks don’t work I have a Dremel and I’m not very attached to this thing!
IT’S HAMMER TIME!
If you are drilling or grinding, be careful of making too much metal waste; a tiny bit of overlooked swarf on the motherboard could be quite disastrous.
“If you are drilling or grinding, be careful of making too much metal waste;”
Yep, got to clean it up asap.
I’ve got first hand experience doing this… ran into a similar situation over a year ago.
Yep, I did the screwdriver trick, and it definitely works. However, I would recommend leaving it permanently unlocked. Do not succumb to the temptation of turning it back when you are done.
Hmmm. Am I doing something wrong here? Controvert, you have some first hand experience with this, so perhaps you can tell me what I’m doing wrong. I’ve slid a large screwdriver between the cover and the front where the lock is in. Then what, should you lift the cover or the end with the lock in it? And do you slide the cover towards yourself or towards the back of the computer? I’ve tried all 4 possibilities, but the cover won’ t move. And I’ve found that plastic lip on the bottom (opposite the lock), that doesn’t hold it back either. Any suggestions?
Try it the way one person said:
"It worked pretty well. Just shove a big, flat screwdriver into the keyhole and turn. "
Notice you put it in that keyhole ?
Handy, I opted for Cstamets suggestion, so that I didn’t have to break something. It’s my mother’s computer, you know! If all else fails, I’ll do the screwdriver-in-the-keyhole trick.