Thinkpads Forum

Hello,
So here;s a situation I really need help with. On my T420 ThinkPad, I closed the monitor and when I tried to open it, I could not - it got stuck. Feels like the spring is broken Yeah yeah..I know.. I should have been more careful. But now that it has happened, can someone help me please!!!! How do I get myself out of this mess? Is there a way to get the spring/opener fixed?

Try to slide a (thin) knife (with the blunt side pointing to the right) between lid and palmrest.
Begin completely on the left front, then gently slide the knife to the right.
You should catch the lid-slider, move it to the right (~1/4").
Slide the manual lid-slider all the way to the right as well, and try to open the lid.

On the T420 the sliding component of the lid latch releases are recessed in the palm rest and the "hooks" that are caught by them that come out of the lid do not move. The right side release is connected to the left side by a long metal arm and could become detached from the left release or the plastic on either release that connects to the rod could have broken off. In order to manually release these you would need something with a bend or hook shape on the end so it could be inserted into the hole that the hooks go in, then be slid to the right. This looks like it would be a very difficult process after a short time examining the clearance between the lid and palm rest as well as the size of the hole in which the catch and release mechanisms interact.

Terminator is right.
In that case find a dentist pick, that should do the trick.