Special Screwdrivers

Hughsy · 2 Jan 2010 at 00:51

I have a small bother regarding some screws in the side of my Hard Drive. They just wont come out with a standard screwdriver and I've even tried some big pair of pliers trying to force them to turn but they just wont budge. It's just the way the screws are in I guess, they just turn and turn and never come out.

Hopefully you lot know what I am on about roughly - need some recommendations on some hardware which will help me remove the screws.

ETNiES · 2 Jan 2010 at 00:54

presume you mean star headed screws, go to a hardware shop and buy a set of starhead screw drivers.

Hairy · 2 Jan 2010 at 00:58

These are also called torx.

Do they look like this?

http://www.carbasics.co.uk/torx_1.jpg

or less starry (More hexagon?)

JonJ678 · 2 Jan 2010 at 01:08

The only torx screws on a hard drive are ones you don't really want to be removing. Assuming you want to remove the screws holding the hard drive to your case: when you say it rotates but doesn't come out, how certain are you that the screw itself is rotating, and not only the screwdriver while the screw remains stationary?

If the screw is turning but not coming out, you've stripped a thread and are probably drilling it out. If the screwdriver is turning and the screw not, you've rounded the head (probably severely), and will need considerable luck and the correct sized screw driver, or a drill.

If you're actually trying to take the drive apart then you need a torx bit and a backup of your data

Hughsy · 2 Jan 2010 at 01:19

JonJ678 said:
The only torx screws on a hard drive are ones you don't really want to be removing. Assuming you want to remove the screws holding the hard drive to your case: when you say it rotates but doesn't come out, how certain are you that the screw itself is rotating, and not only the screwdriver while the screw remains stationary?

If the screw is turning but not coming out, you've stripped a thread and are probably drilling it out. If the screwdriver is turning and the screw not, you've rounded the head (probably severely), and will need considerable luck and the correct sized screw driver, or a drill.

If you're actually trying to take the drive apart then you need a torx bit and a backup of your data

I believe I have used the wrong screws but you seem to have got what I meant. "you've stripped a thread" this is what I have done, is there any tools I can purchase to make the process easier?

bigjimmyauk · 2 Jan 2010 at 01:23

Hughsy said:
I believe I have used the wrong screws but you seem to have got what I meant. "you've stripped a thread" this is what I have done, is there any tools I can purchase to make the process easier?

try using a phillips number 1 before you go to any extremes or cut a groove in the screw to turn it into a slotted screw then just use a flat head to remove it

does it look like this