[Ham-Computers] Dell OptiPlex Fan Removal Problem

[Jim Hill]

I know it's a long shot, buy maybe someone else has had this problem.....

OptiPlex GX620 Fan Removal Question
I have a GX620 with a mini tower case, and am having trouble removing 
the fan/housing assembly, abbreviated p/n H9073.
I rotated the heat sink away from the fan housing and released a tab 
on the left (hard drive) side. The left side seems free, so looked at 
the right (floppy and CD) side. There appears to be a tab on the 
bottom (computer on it's side).  There is barely enough space to 
touch the tab with my fingers, so I used an offset screwdriver 
clamped with a Vice Grip to raise it.  Pushing it down didn't work 
either.  I tried looking at the area with an inspection mirror, but 
space is really limited. I slid a piece of folded paper across the 
tab, and met some resistance, so think the tab is used to secure the 
housing.  It would be nice to remove the other side to look at the 
tab, but it appears to be fixed in place.

Before possibly breaking the tab by moving it too far, thought I would ask.

I wonder if Dell still provides repair parts for these older 
computers?  I kept getting switched to parts and accessories, which 
seems to be just upgrades (more RAM, etc).  I finally went to 
Discount Electronics, where parts are clearly identified.  They say 
refurbished, but how do you refurbish a fan? Maybe they just bought 
parts Dell was eliminating.

Thanks, Jim