Omfg.

Ok so I bought my 2gb ram stick for my laptop. I unscrew the back where the ram is. I got one screw loose but the other won't budge. I think I broke the head...the thing won't unscrew to get loose. WHAT DO I DO?!
=[

 

You need to take it to a repair shop. Fixing a stripped screw that small will require some work.

 

If you have a pair of needle nose pliers it may be possible to help twist it out a litte, however it can damage the bit around the screw making it look tampered with and void the warranty, so taking it to a repair shop is probably a better idea

 

try a microdot of crazyglue on screwdriver let bond to screw and try to tajke it out , but repair shop is the safer bet

 

If you do it yourself, as everyone is saying be vary careful. I have performed surgery with a Dremel on a TV to get the screw undone, but it was crazy hard to not punch through and hit a board, etc. The crazy glue sounds promising, but I would say bring it to any electronics store and get it fixed. Just make sure that store is not Best Buy, Circuit City, etc. We used to have an old, and temperamental VHS machine and a ma and pa store took good care. GL bud.

 

Ok. There is like NO repair shop around where I live that I can think of. I looked on Google, but their all automobile repair shops. =x

I live in OC, California.
EDIT: Oh, I can take it to a place like that. I'll take it to Fry's Electronics?

 

Hmm, thats hard to belive. Well, i guess try the glue thing then... Or send it back to HP.

 

You can try frys. I also live in so cal a bit away from you and have never heard of good stories about em. If you are willing to drive and do not want to DIY it,
try this link : http://www.yellowpages.com/92802~An...earch_mode=all&search_terms=electronic+repair
http://www.yellowpages.com/92802~An...-Repair?search_mode=all&search_terms=computer

 

Lol, well there probably is...but who goes to and knows of a repair shop around where they live? =x

 

There's a thing they invented a few hours ago called the Yellow Pages.

 

Did you strip the screw or break the head of the screw?

 

It USED to be a phillip head...now I ruined it and it's like a small circle. Strip means, it turns and turns forever and won't loosen up right. In that case, I guess I broke the head of the screw...flip, help me!

EDIT: i used the wrong size screwdriver...that must of caused it. but i unscrewed the other one with it, so idk what happened. ;x

 

Do you want him to magically teleport to your house and use pixie fairy dust to remove the screw?

 

sure why not. :rolls eyes:
nah, but he pretty much has a solution to most things.

 

I dont understand how you managed break it, its not like HP uses locktite on their screws.

Well theres 3 ways of doing it from the outside:
1)Is using a dremel

2)is using a drill (special left drill bit for undoing screws)

3)Involves wd40 and heating

but as you know its a laptop.. very fragile.. so none of these will work.

Can you show me a clear pic?

 

If the head fell off of the screw shouldn't you be able to pop the plastic panel off without removing the screw. I mean isn't it the head of the screw that holds the panel down?

 

well i opened it before i got my ram to check what kind it was. and i guess i screwed it back on to tight...

 

the head didnt fall off the screw.
i have one of the screws loose and can open it a little on that side, but the other side; the head of the screw is damaged. i ****** up the head, so my phillips screwdriver cant work
i was thinking that though. breaking open that cover and calling HP to see if they can send me a replacement cover...lol. i dont think that will work/happen though.

 

the head didnt break off. its bolted in tight. and the head where the screwdriver goes is messed up, so i cant unscrew it.

 

Thats a stripped screw then. You should buy yourself a nice posidrive philips screwdriver.

How badly stripped is it? The more you try to undo it the worst it will get. Any chance you can take a photo?

 

i tried taking a pic but the screws are so small and u cant really see it.

 

Ask HP. They'll give you a list of places to take it. When I asked, they showed me somewhere around 20ish different locations to get my laptop repaired. I live in Long Beach and I know there were some repair spots in OC. You could also call up Best Buy and they can probably fix it as well. PC Clubs can help as well. There really are plenty of places to get your laptop repaired. Far from the "NO repair shop."

 

funny, i go to California State University Long Beach. ;p
i called best buy(geek squad) they said it would cost 39 bucks...because they would be "installing my ram for me"

 

I will say it again, have you asked HP?

 

no, calling HP to ask them where i can get this fixed at?
ill try.
but first im trying to stick my screwdriver in, bang it lightly with a hammer and see if i can get a grip


EDIT: flipfire, when u unscrewed your verve to add ram, do the screws come out of the laptop? or just hang there loosely?

 

Dude, I thought the head was gone. The way to get it is by taking the type of driver and grinding down the head a bit, untill it fits. This has worked for me on nearly all screws. It it is to the bowl point, then take a grinded down driver with some super glue on the tip, pop it in and wait. Haha, not as bad as I had thought. Either will work, as I have done both with ease on rc trucks, pda, mice, mobo,...

 

so take the screwdriver and grind it in there as hard and deep as i can?
my head is like a circle now already T_T

LIKE THIS BUT 37942 times smaller and more circular

 

Yeah, you stripped the screw. I think we all got that from your first post. You can continue to work on this, but it if you break it further, you will void more of your warranty.

 

The screws do not come out because there is a e-clip on the other side of the ram door holding the screws in

There might be a way to do it from the inside, but that involves pulling the laptop apart internally. Pm funnyx he might know a way

 

The time you spend here could be also spent on calling HP. And that might actually help you. So why don't you just pick up that phone and call them?

 

I dont see how they can help me. only by assisting me to a place.

 

HP will give you a "certified" contact for help...The super glue trick should work, have you tried any of the possible solutions yet?

 

I tried ramming my driver in it to get a grip but it proved to no avail. i have no super glue, so ill have to pick some up tomorrow.

 

At this point it sounds like you're far more likely to cause further damage than get the screw out. If you damage your laptop, then you can kiss your warranty and any help from HP away. So STOP AND CALL HP.

 

wow, im talking to HP and clearly hes from india...he is having a hard time understanding a stripped screw means. hes like remove the screws...im like are u serious. T_T

 

Ask for a repair center near you. Also, if you can't understand them, then try the web chat. That's what I usually use because it avoids the accent problem.

 

Id have to agree, stop using brute force now, specially when its plastic your working on. You do not wanna void your warranty. If its slipping, stop right now because your just making it worst.

Call up HP and see what they can do for you first. Also suggest they use hex/allen keys or torq screws on their laptops so its idiot proof lol (not that im calling you an idiot)

 

ok they directed me to a place in yorba linda. not to sure where that is. mapquest couldnt pick up directions. meh.

 

Really? Yorba Linda? I guess they offer more repair centers for business users. Still it's better for them to fix it then bash-in your laptop. Just in case, I'd back up your data before you take it to them.

 

ROFLMAO! Man stop puttering with it and find any local tv repair shop, they should be able to remove the screw for you. I keep an electronics grade tool set of pliers and cutters to work on computers but from the sounds of it even that may not do it. If it were me I'd quit fooling with it and have somebody that has the proper tools to fix it have a go at it.

 

Firstly not India's fault if all the high end American companies are so desperate to outsource everything to India.

Secondly it isn't that weird that he isn't getting what you mean to say. It took people here on this thread 3 pages to understand what you exactly meant to convey, a stripped screw or a broken head!

And what is this Yorba India?

 

lol. i wasnt bagging on him. T_T
yorba linda=city in california.

 

Sorry lost my temper there.

 

well some times screws are like that, what you can do is apply a good amount of pressure for a split second before you turn your screw driver...

 

I kinda see why - I won't get back the time I spent reading thru this thread.

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I'm thinking the cheapest/quickest route to get all this resolved is to just break the cover over the memory slots. Call HP and have them ship you a replacement. Can't be more than a few $$$'s.
Once the door is 'broke' off, you can use a 'needle-nose' pliers to get a better grip on the head of the screw you mangled.

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I try to offset my technical 'geek' side by having other hobbys that are more mechanical - so I work on Harleys... I learned a long time ago USE THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB! Using a screwdriver that is over/under sized because you were trying to get something done quickly - just caused you a big pain in the a$$. A decent set of small screwdrivers is less than $10 - well worth the price when you consider the annoyance that would have been avoided.

 

^ Yeah that would work too aslong as you break it off right and grip the screw properly. If you do decide to break it off, theres sticker on the otherside of the cover showing the replacement part #'s. Shipping will probably cost more than this piece of plastic.

Whatever you do, be careful because this 2mm plastic cover is the only thing protecting your fragile RAM

 

These are most of things we use at work;

http://www.radtech.us/Products/Tools.aspx

 

As someone else said, stop tampering and breaking it further, and just use some superglue

1. Put small amount of superglue on head of screw driver
2. Bond it with the (now circular because of your tampering) head of the screw
3. Take screw out
4. Put new one in
5. ???
6. Profit.

Be careful as to not get glue on the plastic near the screw.

 

Funny, those are some nice looking tools, I just wish they had like a complete 100 dollar set with anything I could think out, they would have my money in the next 30 seconds.

Do you find those tools are universal enough to be worth it?

 

Ok if I do go along with breaking the cover. How would I pay? CC over the phone with HP? (I've never bought something from HP source). As you know, the ram cover has 2 screws, I got one loose, so when i try to pry it open, only about 1/4 or so opens. So I'm guessing if i break it, it will break at 1/4, then I will have to continue breaking it along. Hm. I'll wait a little before I do this.