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.
Four 3.25 mm Phillips #000. (Head: 4 mm. dia. x 4mm thick)
There's a trackpad and keyboard ribbon connecting the upper case to the logic board, so don't pull the upper case off entirely just yet.
Starting near the display and working around to the front of the computer, pry up on the upper case. A plastic opening tool or a medium hard guitar pick may help you to do this.
The upper case is likely to stick at the connection above the optical drive. If this is the case, first free all other sides, then proceed to pull upward on the upper case from either side of the optical drive opening.
If you stand the base on end to get a better look you may displace the total of 4 grey plastic clips that hold the keyboard in place. Don't panic. They slide into slots at the top right-most edge near the CD drive.
During reassembly, make sure the clips on the right side click into place. They are different than the left side.
While holding up the upper case, pull up the black tab of the silver cable away from its connector.
If there is no black tab, you can also use a spudger to gently pry the connector from its housing. This connector is tall, so be sure to pry straight up.
If you happen to break your upper case cable when removing the upper case, we stock the cable individually and we have a guide that makes replacing it easy.
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.
Upon reassembly, there are 4 grey plastic clips on the optical drive side of the keyboard (refer to second picture). They must be installed in their slots for the keyboard to snap in properly.
To make the reassamble process easier, it's better to pull out the clips first by pulling it straight up gently. Be careful not to put too much strength because it will break.
Disconnect the newly-revealed display data cable. If there is no pull-tab on the top of the connector, it may be helpful to use a spudger to disconnect this connector.
Carefully lift the hard drive connector out of the case slightly, and turn it over to reveal the IR sensor connector beneath. Use a spudger to flip up the tiny bar holding the cable in place.
Slide the orange IR sensor cable out of its connector, and lift the hard drive connector out of the computer.