Help removing hard drive cover

I'm trying to get at my HDD bay in my FX and am not having very much success. The screws don't look very worn but my screwdriver is slipping. I'm applying as much downward force as I dare without breaking the laptop; I can see it bending downward significantly already. Does anyone have any tips on getting them out?

 

Is the screwdriver you are using either two small or too large?

You shouldnt have to put much force at all behind unscrewing the HD bay. I've taken mine off maybe 3 dozen times and maybe 1lb of force is required

 

Looks like I'm off to wally world to buy a screwdriver. I've used 3 different screwdrivers and none of the worked. I then tried to take the screws out of an external hard drive and that didn't work either. The screws were of similar size, so I'm going to look for a driver that'll fit the hard drive. I suspect the ridiculous humidity we've had in Indiana may have something to do with this. Thanks for the advice.

 

Do you have one of those screw drivers that have the multiply different ends , just keep trying util you get a perfect fit, should come straight out then.

If your screwdriver is not a perfect fit, you will just kill the head of the screw.

See if you can borrow or buy a better fitting screwdriver.

 

Hmm... I bought a set of new screwdrivers and one of them seems to fit pretty well, but it still skips over the screws. Would it damage my laptop to put it in the freezer and try to break the adhesion that way?

edit: On second thought, Google tells me "no". I put a drop of lime juice in the screw holes. Maybe that'll loosen them up.

 

Your freezer is a VERY humid place... i wouldnt recommend placing the laptop in there (it will cause all sorts of water to get in your system.

You could try it in a sealed zip-lock bag with the air removed, but even then its risky. If you want to freeze your laptop the best place is a cooler filled with dry ice (usually prohibitive for most people)

So you cant get the screws to move at all?

Lime juice?!?
Thats very corrosive, wont itl rust/eat away at the materials in your notebook.

 

Actually, the drop of lime juice worked like a charm within minutes. I wasn't expecting much when I went for attempt #37, but to my surprise the screws moved like they were buttered. There must have been some corrosion in there. Next time I won't screw them in so tightly. Hooray for acid-base chemistry!

 

sweet... glad it worked out for you. I guess just be sure to clean it out good to make sure the lime juice is all gone.

But hey sometimes you just have to give up and trust in acid based chemistry