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    Stripped Screw holding in Optical Drive

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by lonelyphoenix7, Dec 11, 2008.

  1. lonelyphoenix7

    lonelyphoenix7 Notebook Consultant

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    I know this may be a stupid question, but I figured I'd try anyway.

    I have a Dell Inspiron 1420. I was thinking of upgrading my optical drive. However...the screw holding the drive to the back of the computer is stripped, and my screwdriver won't catch the screw at all. Any suggestions?
     
  2. pixelot

    pixelot Notebook Acolyte

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    Try needle-nose pliers, perhaps. Or some small chisel-bladed object that can get a bite into the screw. :)
     
  3. truckdriver

    truckdriver Notebook Guru

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    Buy a screw extractor kit from Lowes,Home Depot,or Sears.
     
  4. Noterev

    Noterev Notebook Consultant

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    They use locktite at the factory. You probably stripped out the center of the cross head screw but still have the ends intact.

    Use a flat head screw driver that's just wide enough to catch the corners.