If you have articles, modules or menu items that are locked with a padlock icon in place of the checkbox to the right of the title and you are unable to open the item to edit it, you can unlock any and all of these items by doing the following:

1. Go to Tools
2. Select Global Check-in

The system will automatically unlock any items that are not currently being edited by another user and display a confirmation screen with a list of all items it has unlocked. This often frustrating 'locking' system helps to prevent multiple users from editing the same item at the same time.

For a quick demonstration of the process, view this screencast: