I've been popping Advil for a while now because I have the biggest headache ever. I have come to the realization that 512MB of RAM does not cut it for the programs I am running, and so I need more. I had 1GB, but half of it broke for some reason - either the stick or the slot it was in is now defective. I can't really narrow it down, because one of the screws was in there so tightly that I actually stripped the head of the screw trying to get it done so I could check it out. So now I have 512MB RAM, a stripped screw, and a monster headache. Apart from breaking the RAM compartment cover (it's a Laptop, FYI) on the bottom and 'living with it', the only other thing I can think of is to drill out the screw. Of course this also will accomplish the same thing - not being able to put the RAM compartment cover back on completely. I still have one screw that could go in, so I could ghetto rig some tape or something after I figure out the problem... What would you guys do? I'm debating just biting the bullet and snapping the compartment off on the corner where the stripped screw is and then dealing with it later, but I'm not sure if this is a very wise idea. The notebook is already out of warranty so I'm not too worried about that...I just don't want to have to drop a few thousand dollars on a new computer, which means I don't want to royally mess anything up.
Personally I'd very carefully remove the area with the screw, so I can glue it back on later and do it that way. Or depending on how the screw is stripped use a needle nose pair of pliers to get it out.
The head is completely screwed, which makes my life a lot more difficult because it's now stuck in there. If the threads were stripped, I'd be able to get it out and just not be able to get it back in; not a horrible problem.
hm.. a tricky one!lol first of all, is it a straight head screw or more likely a cross head screw? if its a cross head, you have a few options: melt the lid of a biro pen and stick it into the stripped screw straight away so it molds to the shape of the screwed head then try turning or, get a screwdriver which still sort of fits in it, a slightly larger one than normal perhaps and as you turn slowly, tap on the end of the screwdriver as you twist or, out comes the dremel, cut a groove in the top of the screw so you can fit a large size flat screwdriver in there, that way, if you cant find a replacement screw you can still at least shut it! just make sure when you make the groove using the dremel it lies dead centre! thats the crucial bit. basically, what your doing is reconstructing a flat head in the screw! saying that, it shouldnt be too difficult to get a replacement screw scrounged from some other component or something like an old tape player good luck!
Actually it's pretty easy to remove. Get an old/spare Allen key (or whatever you Americans want to call them) and a syringe/tube of five minute epoxy. Carefully glue the Allen key to the screw (don't glue the screw to the casing though!), hold it there for the five minutes it takes to dry (then leave it for an hour or so to fully cure). Now carefully unscrew the screw with the newly applied handle. Edit: bixie beat me to it. Choose your favorite method.
http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/grabit-bolt-screw-remover I know this is a link to a UK store but they should be availble in the states. I haven't used them myself so don't know how well they work but it's another option to add to the ones above.
Screw removers require a sh*tload of downforce pressure to grab. -enough to crush the laptop parts. CapnPedro has the most low-impact approach.
If it is a plastic thread: Apply some heat using a screwdriver. Heat the tip + about an inch untill it is red hot (650-700c) and then press gently against the head of the screw. This will melt the plastic thread just enough so you can remove the screw. The high temperature wont damage anything, becuase it cools down so fast. Alternatively you can use a soldering iron which works just as well. Get some new screws of a similar type, to replace the damaged ones. Put a tiny bit of glue/epoxy into the thread and put it back together.
Hmm, good ideas, but I think that in the end I'll just snap the piece off. A bit of tape and I can ghetto rig it up, so I'm not too worried. I'd rather do that than risk breaking any of the parts by drilling in too far or anything of the like.
You can get a small 4-40 to 6-32 screw extractor from Lowe's... I use them all the time... You wouldn't believe how many ppl bring their PC's in for work and SWEAR that they never touched it... You look inside and find screws heads stripped out and broken off... LOL! The worst are hard drive mounting screws.... The hot screw driver tip will work if the screw doesn't have PCB behind it... (and there is enough left for the screw driver to bite into) hagatha
