Has any one managed to re-attach the stand after using the VESA adaptor?

I'm having the same problem. I've undone the latch to do the vesa kit; decidd not to do it right now, now the cinema display is stuck in the forward position. Can't undo it. No instructions available from Apple. Any ideas how to get it back into the correct position?

I figured this one out by finding a discussion on an iMac thread. While the monitor is laying flat apply slight downward pressure to the stand then insert the card. This will help you unlock the latch.

I've found the locking latch tends to be much higher than I think it would be.

Come upwards at a steeper angle with the card and see if that helps.

I always end up fighting with it for 20 minutes or more before I get it.

I had this problem yesterday and like most wasted quite a bit of time and frustration trying to solve this little puzzle. Catching the level was quite an ordeal. Here's what worked for me:

1) Put the iMac face down on a table - protect the screen with a towel, etc.

2) With the card included with the VESA kit, in portrait (not landscape) orientation bend the top about 45 degrees about 1/4" from the end of the card.

3) Push the stand all the way down (towards the floor).

4) Insert the card in the center of the gap right above the top of the stand. Insert such that the top of the card, which you bent 45degrees goes towards the top of the iMac, not the face, which is against the table at this point. The card only needs to go in about 1 inch. I didn't hear a click that others report, and it is hard to tell if you've hit the lever.

5) Once you think you've got it, pull the stand towards away from the floor gently. It will require virtually no force, once you've got the lever out of the way with the card.

The trick for me was to bend the top of the card. Without this, I kept pushing the card into the back of the iMac doing who knows what to the inside. The card only needs to go in about 1 inch.

Thanks for the instructions on how to fix it. After re-attaching the stand, I was able to insert the card at a high angle and get the stand back in the correct position.

But now my screen will rotate very far backwards and forwards. If I rotate it backwards, it will lock into the VESA attachment position again. So something still isn't right.

This is the worst Apple product design I've ever seen. I would go so far as to call it a defective product.

How to reattach stand to 27" iMac (2009)

I learnt the following;

1. Plan carefully - read the advise discussions on this Apple forum. It's a 2 x person job in places.

2. Tools - ensure you have the correct Torx screw driver or Allen key before you start as I learnt the hard way that

it is very very easy to round off the heads of the 8 x tiny little screws that attach the stand back onto the iMac.

3. If the screws don't come out easily you have a problem - After hours of trying I managed to get 6 of the 8

screws out - the other 2 I had to get a power drill and drill them through - lesson here is don't over tighten the screws

when you put them back in.

4 Don't worry if you do not have all 8 screws to put back in - I had 6 good ones left after the efforts to remove them

and this works fine as with most Apple things it is a slightly over engineered product.

5. Make sure you lay the iMac face down onto a blanket once removed from VESA arm.

6. Little tip - Once I had removed 4 of the screws I put wooden cocktail sticks into some the holes as I had read

in these forums that some "iMackers" had problems as the 8 x screw block had recessed back into the iMac itself.

If this happens it's very difficult to pull back out - hence the cocktail sticks to prevent this from happening.

7. Use a second person to hold the stand in place while you put the screws back into the iMac. (as stated don't over tighten them)

8. Now to release the latch to ensure the iMac tilt action works as designed. Be patient here especially with utilising the plastic card that came with the Visa mount which is optimised for this job - if you don't have one use a plain unbossed card. Recommend push the iMac fully forward and turn the lights down - then use a torch and shine into the area where the latch is - carefully insert card about 3/4 inch and release the latch - you can feel it release when successful - if you look carefully into the recess area with your torch on you can just about see it - second person helps here:)

9. Once latch is released by person one the second person slowly rotates the tilt action back and then forward throughout the full range of the iMac tilt action and hopefully that is you done:)

Overall - Not easy - frustrating at times - screws are a pain - plan carefully - have the right tool for the 8 x screws is a must - torch helps to find the release latch - to Apple I would say that the screws are not the best and of poor engineering quality which is unusual for you!

Hope this helps.

Kind Regards Alasdair.

To add to this, I really struggled reattaching the stand to a Thunderbolt Display until I turned the card sideways (landscape) and this (finally!) got the clip to properly move and let the flange move back inside the case.

I think when using the card in portrait maybe it may have just been bending inside the case, although I could hear the clip moving a little.