Please help, my E1705's lid is stuck shut!

I have an E1705 Inspiron. Other than paying out the a$$ to have Dell come out and fix my piece of crap (my warranty expired last September), I have no idea what to do!

The problem lies with the button that slides to unlatch the 2 catches...it no longer slides all the way to the right. It only goes about halfway.

The lid has never been right...the outer and inner halves of the lid have some give. Unfortunately the slider button sits right where the outer and inner seam meet. I gently stuck something in the gap between the lid and the base to move the catches manually, but no dice. It seems the whole housing is stuck.

Has anyone else had this problem? Thanks in advance for your help!!

 

I believe the catches and slider are usually all joined together as one part, if you can't slide the catches manually I suspect that there's something inside the lid that's physically preventing this part from reaching the end of it's travel (or enough to release the catches).

I'm not familiar with the E1705 specifically, I don't know if you can separate the halves of the lid with the notebook closed or whether there are any screws only accessible from the inside.

Depending what's stopping it some tilting/turning/tapping might be able to dislodge the offending piece?

If you can't get the lid casing open from the outside it might be worth seeing if replacement catches are available from Dell / elsewhere and how easy they are to fit - if that's an option you could always use a blade to cut through the existing catches to get the notebook open to facilitate a repair?

 

try pressing inward on the button and down on the lid before sliding it. If you get it open, I'd suggest removing the latch afterwards and not using it.

 

Well, my boss got it open with brute force...he managed to move the catches/latches by shoving something in there. The slider button is still stuck, though. I'll have to rig it so that the latches don't secure when I close it. Not ideal, but better than having to jimmy it open every time. Or replacing part of the casing.

Thanks for the responses!

 

Guess that's why he's the boss.

 

Have you tried using some lubricant (red machine oil)?