I'm getting ready to do this and have the old screen partially off to let things dry out. I am, however, unclear on what to pry on to release the ribbon. From past experience with other iPod products, I'm thinking it is a small clamp that needs to be pried up. Is that the case and, if so, is it located where the picture indicates? I think the clamp is under the small grey plastic cover.
When you put the drive back in, there is a sliding bar on the far edge of it (per perspective in photo) that goes into a notch in the computer case. The opposite end of the bar has the hole mount for a screw. So, if you're having trouble lining up that screw hole with the hole in the case, make sure the bar is sliding into place. (It's the drive screw that's covered in cables)
Danger Will Robinson!! My upper case did NOT want to come out on the right side. I just trusted to cameronmoll and kept lifting straight up. Finally, it came loose, but it wasn't easy. Meanwhile, while I was dealing with the cable -- just had to pull up a black tab hooked to it -- I somehow managed to chip the front, top edge of the upper case -- the edge farthest from the screen -- in two places, one on the right, one on the left. So, watch that edge, it is thin!
This nontechnical person took about two hours to get the optical drive out and stripped down enough to take it apart and look for fragments of a CD. and then reassemble it. I'm sure other people are faster than me, they usually are, but newbees should set aside the time just in case. Also, jonathan55 is right about those screws, keep track of them and the other in which they come out as there are several different lengths.