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How can I get a screw like this out?

I decided on cleaning my laptop fans today, which I’ve been procrastinating for about a year now because of this one screw. But I just can’t seem to open this with my screwdriver, since whatever I did back when I last opened it it’s nearly circular now. Is there a way to unscrew this?

MTK ,

Try addinv a rubber band between the screw and the screwdriver, it adds friction which sometimes (usually not) helps

vxx ,

Looks like a screwdriver with a slit and the right size might still be able to grab it.

gibmiser ,

Take the drill bit out of your drill. Open the chuck up all the way and place it over the screw. If there is enough screw head there you might be able to grab it with the drill and just unscrew.

Edit: looking at the other picture makes me think it is recessed and that wouldn’t work then.

CeruleanRuin ,

Cripes, it never even occurred to me that you could do this with a chuck. Thanks for expanding my mind.

FuglyDuck ,
@FuglyDuck@lemmy.world avatar

So if you have a dremel and steady hands, a cut off wheel can make your own slot for a straight Phillips.

Just be careful to not knick anything else. This is more of a last resort thing, but I’ve never had it not work.

Impromptu2599 ,

I came here to say that

ShepherdPie ,

Flathead/standard not a straight Philips.

eRac ,

Flathead is a description of the head profile, like panhead. Slotted is the screwdriver type that is just a single slot.

Warl0k3 ,

Learn from my mistakes, mask off your laptop’s ports and vents before you do this

FuglyDuck ,
@FuglyDuck@lemmy.world avatar

Ooof. Not something I’d have thought of myself…

Benefit of your hindsight it’s obvious… lol. How bad were the sparks?

Warl0k3 ,

Surprisingly quiet, one little ‘pop’ was the last I heard from that motherboard. On-board power supplies were a reasonable step forward but man are they not fault tolerant

trolololol ,

Keyboard too?

Gimpydude ,

Yes

lobo ,

I’ve had good success tapping stripped the screws loose with sometring sharp and a hammer

Not sure if you can get something small and strong enough, small punch or sacrificial screwdriver might work

Here is a video of what i mean

youtu.be/SXNAW96O_d8?si=cxJt59PKdEOQDuqV

Jackhammer_Joe ,

Oooh man - you’re screwed!

ace_garp ,
@ace_garp@lemmy.world avatar

Just unbutton it :P

linearchaos ,
@linearchaos@lemmy.world avatar

I prefer the rubber band trick first but usually when I get them down to this point I’ll use a smaller flathead from a jeweler set, see if you can find something that fits in between the two opposing tines of the Philips

SharkEatingBreakfast ,
@SharkEatingBreakfast@sopuli.xyz avatar

Vampliers!

I work(ed) with old machines, and it was an absolute godsend. Prefer it after using penetrating spray on stuck screws.

lurch ,

sometimes, you can weld something on and use that as a handle

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