Jammed Optical CD Bay HD Caddy

[jimwg]

Happy New Year!

My T400 came from eBay without any OS and I installed Mint 18 to run it. To further expand hard drive space I purchased a optical drive replacement caddy http://www.ebay.com/itm/351265501740?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT to install a handy hard drive in. After some minor shoehorning the HD into the caddy because its plug ports were too low to insert the HD smoothly, the second HD runs perfectly and to my surprise it's running an activated Windows 7 because the HD turned out a backup clone of my eBay Z61t's 160gig HD.

I'm pleased as punch by this fluke Windows benefit and maybe I'm a glutten but now I want to clone this HD to a larger 320HD which I'm familiar doing, only the new Optical CD bay HD caddy won't eject so I could make the change. It snaps out maybe a quarter of an inch and won't budge further no matter all the ginger tugs I give it. I partially suspect (it might not be so) that it might be that odd plastic "clip" on the side of the base of the caddy's housing ( locking mechanism/eject mechanism) whose tiny screw is smaller than its hole and made that clip somewhat hang out slightly. I suspect my problem has to do with this locking mechanism/eject mechanism:
https://www.newmodeus.com/shop/index.ph ... cts_id=483.

The problem seems similiar to https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/ThinkPad-T ... d-p/319001 and https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/ThinkPad-T ... d-p/720223

Ironically again because I was concerned it might cause a future jam I laid the "clip" flush the housing with cellophane tape before installing the caddy. I removed the keyboard so I could peer into the optical bay's well to see whether there was any way I could poke or jigger the caddy out of the jam but the "clip" isn't accessible if it's at fault. It seems the only solution is to take apart the unit even more but I'm reluctant to go that pain till I've exhausted all suggestions. Is there a way I could "jimmie" the drive to release or even intentionally break this lock device so I can eject the caddy short of taking the drive's cage apart?

Your recommendations would be most appreciated.

Have a Happy New Year

Jim in NYC

[RealBlackStuff]

If you take the battery out, you can see drive/adapter top-left in the battery bay.
Carefully working a screwdriver between adapter and chassis might help.

[jimwg]

If you take the battery out, you can see drive/adapter top-left in the battery bay.
Carefully working a screwdriver between adapter and chassis might help.

Sorry took so long to respond! (Xmas & New Years wasn't the happy domestic occasion it should've been, I regret). I have to find out whether there was a HD mounting screw that didn't go all the way in flush since that's almost what the jam feels like, right in the lock switch area. I have purchase a very long and thin blade implement to dislodge the release lever's adapter locking pins or break it at last resort with minimum damage to the chassis.

Thanks for your suggestions!

Jim in NYC