how to open an imac

The trick to doing it without breaking tabs is to work the plastic free.

I usually will press on the plastic near the tabs and gently wiggle the casing to free the locking mechanism of the tabs.

There really isn't much else you can do.

I've opened my tray-loaded many, many times without breaking any tabs.

But, you just have to pull gently and work the tabs free. Just don't yank it open. Work with it a bit until the tabs free themselves.

Aside from that, there isn't much else you can do.

Hello Shaval,
On the slot load...you don't really remove the bottom usually. All my work is done from the top down. That is....you gently remove the top and the CD drive is located above the mother board, not below. A search in this forum should provide links to great step by tep instructions... I have seen them a while ago. It ihas been about 4 years since I changed the HD and CD ...but I am sure it is done right from the top........HTH......Jim

P.S. - be careful..unplug computer and groung out the static shield..You will see this explained in detail...There is a small wire with I believe a white end that grounds out the static before disassembly..it is near the ram slots........Jim

With the iMac placed upside down, the bottom housing must be removed to access the drives. As for the white wire near the memory slots, that's the antenna wire which connects to the optional Airport card. Dissipating any static charge should be done by touching the grounded metal chassis.

The housing is removed by tilting it upward from the back end, until the front (3) interlocking tabs disengage from their respective slots. You normally feel resistance/binding at a certain point, but you have to continue gently tilting it up, if you want to separate the housings. You may even hear the sound of plastic cracking - possibly a sacrificial piece/pin designed to break, indicating that the unit has been previously opened. The important thing is to not be heavy-handed during the procedure. I've found that subsequent attempts to remove the lower housing on the same unit aren't as difficult. It's also important to apply pressure to the center tab, when re-installing the lower housing. The seam where the upper and lower housings meet across the middle must be smooth, or there will be problems with the alignment of the optical drive and front cover's slot. Disks can be inserted, but will jam internally when ejected.

Just move slowly and deliberately.