gement

Everything went very smoothly! It also took this beginner a minimum of 4 hours. (It was 6 hours total including some breaks.) The suggestion to use an ice cube tray for screws was a lifesaver. I labeled the compartments with post-it notes.

The required tool list is accurate. I'd also recommend tweezers, the soft blue case-opening tools for getting the keyboard assembly free, electrical tape for when a single use piece of tape doesn't want to be reused, and canned air and a screen-cleaning kit for getting the grunge off parts as you go.

Replacing the optical drive screw was the hardest step of the entire procedure for me. The eyelet for the screw can't be moved into position until the drive is in place, buried under cables, and in friction against the case. Sliding it into position makes a protrusion that has to be lined up with a little notch in the case at the mouth of the optical drive.

If anyone has tips on making this go smoothly, please add; it took me probably ten minutes of gentle wiggling, removing and replacing and trying again.