I want to remove a simple(?) pendant light and replace it with track lights. I cannot figure out how to get the cord, chain, and globe removed. Where do I start?--At the top, where there is a sort of canopy covering the box? Please advise! Paula

 

You start at the top.

Shut off the power; remove the canopy by removing either two screws or one locknut in the center. The canopy will drop down, and you can then disconnect the wiring.

If your pendant fixture is the sort with the locknut in the center of the canopy, the weight of the fixture will still be supported when the canopy is lowered. If it is the type with two screws, the weight of the fixture will not be supported once you take the two screws out.

Either way, it's best to have someone hold the fixture while someone else disconnects the canopy - just in case.